Chris Bowen: ‘World’s climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity’

Chris Bowen will today reveal a major repositioning of Labor’s climate stance, which will place blue-collar workers front and centre.

Exclusive: The Australian Labor Party has placed blue-collar workers front and centre of its repositioning on climate change and says focus needs to shift from “esoteric” international politics to local jobs and the Australian national interest.

In a landmark speech, obtained by News Corp Australia, Labor’s climate spokesman Chris Bowen has recast the party’s position on climate action as one dedicated to boosting Australian jobs and the economy.

“The international politics of climate can sometimes get a little esoteric and feel detached from people’s lives,” Mr Bowen will say.

Labor’s climate spokesman Chris Bowen has recast the party’s position on climate action as one dedicated to boosting Australian jobs and the economy. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

“When you’re busy getting food on the table, making sure the kids are doing their homework, or trying to pay off a mortgage with stagnant wages, COP26 is probably not what’s keeping you up at night.

“Again, we must bring the arguments in favour of climate action back to why it’s in the best interests of Australians.”

The speech will be used to launch the Australia Institute’s Climate of the Nation 2021 Benchmark Report at 11am Wednesday.

It comes as Labor continues to rebuild its climate policy following its bruising election loss in 2019, where former leader Bill Shorten struggled to outline the cost of the party’s climate policy and gave mixed messages about the Adani coal mine.

“We must relentlessly prosecute the case that action on climate change is not only an international obligation, it is also an imperative for our national economic interest,” Mr Bowen will say.

“As our opponents run scare campaigns about the economic cost of climate action, we must point out that good climate policy actually creates jobs and cuts power bills.

“The world’s climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity.”

Labor’s renewed focus on economic outcomes rather than environmental outcomes — and regional areas rather than the inner-city — also follows outspoken concerns from senior figures such as Joel Fitzgibbon that the party was losing touch with its blue-collar base.

Mr Bowen was at pains to focus on regional and working-class areas in his speech today.

“Australians from all over country know that acting on climate change is both an environmental imperative and an economic opportunity,” Mr Bowen will say.

“The top location for roof top solar uptake in NSW isn’t Double Bay, it’s Dubbo.

“In Sydney, it’s not Mosman, its Marsden Park. In Queensland, it’s not Brisbane, it’s Bundaberg.

“So, we must relentlessly, and with laser like focus, prosecute the case: the world’s climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity.”

Mr Bowen cited the billion dollar hydrogen manufacturing facility in Gladstone and the offshore wind projects expected to provide thousands of jobs off the coast from traditional energy hubs of the La Trobe Valley, the Hunter and Central Queensland.

For more on this series go to: www.missionzero2050.com.au

Share your feedback or story: [e-mail]

Originally published as Chris Bowen: ‘World’s climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity’