Mr Smith did welcome the plan as competition around sustainability at a federal level.

Fifty percent of Australia's energy would be renewable by 2030 under a Labor government, according to the policy which was released on Monday.

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It states that Labor endorses the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below a two degree threshold.

"They're ambitious, they're good, but again there's not a lot of explanation on how they're going to achieve it financially," Mr Smith said of the targets.

"Yes they may well be achievable, but I'd like to see how they're going to pay for it.

"We need to be able to do it with a triple bottom line basically. Sustainability needs to be financially viable as well as on time and on budget."

Greens candidate for Bendigo Robert Holian said the plan looked good when compared to the Coalition, but it was a "facade of action".

He described coal as the "elephant in the room", calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

"Labor is addicted to coal like the government. Coal is the single biggest contributor to global warming," Dr Holian said.

"We can continue to supply the world with energy it just has to be something that doesn't pollute the planet."

He pointed to the Greens policy document Renew Australia 2030 as a roadmap for phasing out coal.

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Federal member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters said the policy supported the strong appetite in central Victoria for renewable energy.

She said the commitments around solar batteries would allow people to cut their power bills and store energy during the night.

"Labor has been working on this policy for quite some time in consultation with all the key stakeholders at a grassroots level and a national level," Ms Chesters said.

"The purpose of this policy is to set out in some detail how Labor is going to tackle climate change and set our economy and our climate up for a greener, cleaner future."

Senior Researcher at the Climate Council of Australia Annika Dean said the target for 50 percent renewable energy was good, but not particularly ambitious.

"It's a really good start. And it significantly differentiates the Labor opposition from the Morrison government, but at the same time I think the overall emissions reduction target should be ratcheted up," she said.

Liberal candidate for Bendigo Sam Gayed was approached for comment for this piece. Mr Gayed said he was not allowed to comment on policy.

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