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I see the solar rebate will no longer be available to households where both adults earn the average wage under the new means test. Since it is not financially viable to install even a subsidised system at present costs, then how many do they expect to be installed by households earning below average wages? Really, the only people who could be expected to afford solar are the well off, and without that support I fail to see how there will be any sales volume to deliver longer term economies of scale (and accompanying cost declines) that could make solar affordable in the future.
I agree - their solar policies are very disappointing. The $8000 rebate was not means tested under Howard, so in reality they're offering less than the Liberals did for solar!
Furthermore there's absolutely nothing about a national feed-in tariff scheme. The "net" FiTs adopted by SA, QLD and VIC are designed to look good but actually deliver nothing to PV system owners. In NSW you can only earn the market rate in recompense for your clean energy, capped at 1750KW/H per quarter or $900 or so a year on present prices.
The only people who could put in decent PV arrays are those with large disposable incomes. There is no incentive for them to do so, as they're now ineligible for rebates and will not be rewarded for the power they generate. Without wealthier households adopting PV, the industry will remain stagnant in Australia while other, less sunny, countries go further ahead.
Meanwhile our booming coal industry gets even more government subsidies. It makes you weep.