Labor has supported development and installation of renewable energy technologies - including through putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions (so that some of the social cost of these emissions has to be paid for, instead of these technologies getting a free ride and a market advantage through market failure).

Consistently with the advice of the Climate Change Authority and reports of the International Panel on Climate Change, Labor has also pursued complementary measures alongside the essential step of carbon pricing:

• the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) 
• the Clean Energy Finance Corporation
• specific schemes to assist industries to move towards renewable energy
• as well as through the Renewable Energy Target.

Tony Abbott

• is vandalising Australia's successful carbon pricing scheme (when the rest of the world has moved or is moving the other way);
• has cut funding for ARENA and closed industry assistance programs on clean energy (even while his ministers still turn up to claim credit for projects part funded by ARENA or closed Labor industry programs);
• is trying to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation; 
• and seems to be preparing to cut back the Renewable Energy Target.