Solar shutdown's legality likely to face challenge | Australian Herald

Solar shutdown's legality likely to face challenge

The Canberra Times Thursday 5th May, 2011

THE state government may have acted unlawfully when it suspended the state's solar panel tariff system - and angry panel installers and customers are mustering for a class action. The government failed to publish the change in the Government Gazette beforehand or state that the scheme had reached maximum capacity of 300 megawatts - technicalities which may mean the scheme should not have been suspended last Friday. Those in the industry who think the government has breached the law said power utilities should not be stopping new solar households from connecting to the grid. The Minister for Resources and Energy, Chris Hartcher, said he had the authority to announce changes to the scheme and legislate retrospectively. But no legislation for changing the scheme has been put to Parliament. ''...

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