AS staff went about their work day at Keppel Prince in shock and sadness, the outside reaction quickly spiralled into a blame game.
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Keppel Prince stated squarely that the ongoing review of the renewable energy target (RET) had eaten away at the confidence of investors who had ceased placing orders for new towers.
Local investors like Pacific Hydro also targeted the government.
“These job losses are further indication of the very real impact that the Australian Government’s RET review is having on the renewable energy industry and marketplace,” executive general manager Lane Crockett said.
Canberra in turn focused its blame on investors and companies choosing to build wind farms using overseas towers.
“Importing the towers for turbines has meant that firms like Keppel Prince have been left out in the cold in favour of cheaper imports,” Wannon MP Dan Tehan said.
“In one instance towers were imported through the Port of Portland and passed by Keppel Prince on their way to the construction site.”
Australian Wind Alliance co-ordinator Andrew Bray said Mr Tehan had done too little to support renewable energy in his own party.
“This is a direct result of the government’s ideological attacks on wind energy. They had been told over and over again what was going to happen and they just didn’t listen. Dan Tehan should have been out there fighting for wind energy jobs,” Mr Bray said.
Premier Denis Napthine, too, blamed the companies for failing to buy Australian-made.
Green groups said blaming imports was a hollow argument in the face of wind farms being delayed by the RET review altogether. But they simultaneously blamed Victoria’s strict planning laws giving landowners powers to veto turbines two kilometres away.
And state Labor attacked Dr Napthine for failing to challenge Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
“It’s a failure of Denis Napthine to show some spine and stand up to Tony Abbott over the RET,” Labor energy spokeswoman Lily D’Ambrosio said.
State Greens leader Greg Barber called for a Victorian RET to drive jobs in the industry.
“It’s a tragedy for a town like Portland to lose so many jobs when it is already struggling. Wind farm construction has ground to a halt. Victoria needs its own target to get approved wind farms into construction, which will create jobs and unshackle investment,” Mr Barber said.