The event was organised by the Nature Conservation Council and Australian Conservation Foundation, and follows other informative climate change related events, such as the forum last year by Professor Ross Garnaut.

Lead Greens candidate, Mr Ian Oxenford said, the highlight of the evening was the 'revelation' from the keynote speaker, Nathan Fabian, representing the Investor Group on Climate Change, a consortia of Australia's leading superannuation funds, that Australian based superannuation funds have $700 billion of renewable energy investments for Australia.

The future of these investments depends on a long term effective price on carbon.

"Mr Fabian said that without certainty of carbon price, investors will have no choice but to direct these funds to offshore investments," Mr Oxenford said.

"This should ring alarm bells to those praising the threats of the Federal Leader of the Opposition to scrap the 'carbon tax' (sic) if he is elected Prime Minister next year."

Ken Davey of the German biogas company, MT-Energie, spoke of the success of his company in Germany where over 7,000 farm-level biogas plants produce electricity equivalent to Australia's largest coal-fired electricity generator.

"This has local relevance with our significant areas of river flats suitable to rapid growing vegetative crops suitable for feedstock to such an industry," said Mr Oxenford

"Our local council made a recent announcement to the effect that council rates may have to increase to pay for methane emissions from land fill due to Federal Government carbon pricing due to start on July 1."

Mr Oxenford said the question was posed to the panel, and the representative from the Federal Department of Climate Change said council could take advantage of grants for methane capturing technology in solid waste, and may be able to use this methane as an energy source for electricity generation.

"This would also remove any carbon pricing penalties and indeed be a step in the right direction for the new council to be elected in September," he said.

"Local photovoltaic (PV) installer and electrical engineer, Stuart Watson, spoke of past and present difficulties with the industry due mainly to the uncertainty of feed-in tariffs for the householder with PV panels.

"Nevertheless, household PV is the best current method for householders to be involved in the renewable energy revolution with PV panel wholesale prices now down to record lows of one dollar per watt," said Mr Oxenford.