Polling shows that just 23% of New South Wales residents want the Senate to pass the government’s proposed $1 billion cut from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. 53% of those surveyed want the members of the upper house to veto the move.

The cuts would effectively decommission ARENA, a long held position of the Abbott-Turnbull governments.

ReachTEL conducted a survey, commissioned by The Australia Institute, of 2,262 residents across New South Wales on the evening of 30th August 2016.

Question: The Australian Renewable Energy Agency funds new renewable energy construction and research in Australia. Should the Senate pass legislation cutting $1 billion in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency?

New South Wales Results:

“There is clearly strong support in New South Wales for renewable energy. ARENA, the government’s spearhead for investment and innovation is clearly something that people want to keep intact,” Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Ben Oquist said.

“Cutting a successful and popular government agency while the rest of the world is investing more in renewable energy will set Australia back and harm our competiveness in a the low-carbon economy of the future,” Oquist said.