Climate change has been identified as a key issue for voters in Saturday's New South Wales election, and is expected to be an influential factor in the upcoming federal election in May — particularly in the northern Sydney seat of Warringah, held by Tony Abbott.
Currently, New South Wales and Western Australia are the only two states in Australia without a renewable energy target. The NSW Liberal-National coalition government and Labor opposition have both campaigned on investment in renewable energy, including solar energy.
Despite Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s claims that New South Wales was the largest user of solar energy in Australia, the state held the top ranking in only one. Queensland held the top ranking in six of the measures, while South Australia held the remaining four.