Published: 2 August 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
Seven communities - Jewish, Muslim, Pacific Islander, Vietnamese, South Asian, Filipino, and Middle-East Christian – were represented, as well as environmental organisations and small business owners. In total, some 150 communal leaders attended the conference in Auburn in Sydney’s west on July 24.
The aim of the conference was to discuss ways to help deliver VFP’s underlying strategy of affordable solar for all, no matter where people live or what they earn.
Goals include helping families apply to the government solar program and advice on using energy more efficiently to save on bills and get better deals. Another objective is having the government commit to running a pilot solar garden in Western Sydney so 1000 families who rent or live in an apartment or who are otherwise locked out can finally access cheap solar energy.
At a meeting before the conference, VFP Jewish community organiser Eve Altman outlined the breadth of discussion within the Jewish community at both formal and informal levels.
“People from different synagogues and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies came to our meetings with {former] NSW Minister for Energy & Environment, NSW Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Adam Searle, and Mark Butler, Shadow Minister at the Federal level,” she reported.
The conference was co-chaired by Michal Levy and Zubaida Alrubai, representatives of the Jewish and Muslim Voices for Power groups respectively.
Levy told The Jewish Independent that the main point that night was “reaffirmation of people working together from the different communities on common goals. A lot of good things are being done out there while the government sits back and faffs around.”
Alrubai agreed: “The most important thing tonight was the diversity of voices, a united step forward into taking action for affordable, renewable and clean energy.”
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Speakers shared stories of invaluable outreach and collaboration. Father Michael Belonio from the Holy Spirit Parish church in St Clair in Sydney’s west, said that through community donations he demonstrated to his community how to not only dramatically reduce the temperature in the church’s building but also its energy bills through solar and other technologies – from thousands to a [small] credit in a short time.
Also addressing the conference was Associate Professor Mark Diesendorf, who teaches environmental studies at the University of NSW and researches in sustainable energy, energy policy and ecological economics.
His data reveals the myth about renewables being expensive: “Our research at UNSW has shown that in fact we could operate the whole national electricity market entirely on renewable energy sources that are commercially available now but have to be scaled up… and this is a totally reliable system.
“A new solar plant or a new wind farm is cheaper than a new coal-fired power station and much cheaper than a new nuclear station. These technologies are already creating thousands of jobs in Australia but unfortunately it’s hard to get much publicity,” he observed.
The VFP Conference capped off the second year of a campaign that began in October 2017, when 60 leaders from the seven communities as well as leaders from other faith, union and community organisations met in Lidcombe, western Sydney.
In what is believed to be the first time that such a diverse gathering of leaders came together to address energy issues, they committed to organise and act on these issues in the Voices for Power Campaign; to work together to ensure the Government puts clean and affordable energy back on the agenda.
This year, on March 14, around 2000 people attended VFP’s assembly in Sydney Town Hall to urge policy change for energy and housing (another VFP focus) ahead of the NSW and federal elections.
New commitments secured on the night included:
- Both parties re-announcing their programs to assist low income homes in accessing solar.
- The NSW Liberal Government reiterating its current programs in energy efficiency upgrades to community housing.
- NSW Labor Opposition committing to implementing minimum energy performance standards by 2025 and also making commitments to build a Community Energy Hubin Western Sydney to provide targeted and comprehensive assistance to communities in language;
- a comprehensive review of government assistance schemes and regulation to mandate that energy companies must give vulnerable customers the best deals.
VFP says it will continue to focus on holding politicians accountable and have them think bigger around cleaner affordable energy around community; will also continue to build political influence across Sydney and in coalition with the other communities; as well as building partnerships with other organisations.
Photo: Zubaida Alrubai (left) and Michal Levy, from the Muslim and Jewish Voices for Power groups
