Climate change plan to create 76,000 jobs for Australians
The twin crises of the summer fires and the coronavirus-induced recession has created the need for a policy overhaul, a new report says.
Urgent policy change is needed to respond to the twin crises of the summer’s bushfires and the coronavirus-induced recession, according to a new report which claims a green energy focus will create nearly 80,000 jobs.
The economic modelling from consultants AlphaBeta and commissioned by the Climate Council aims at getting people back into the workforce while also addressing global warming.
The Clean Jobs Plan would create 76,000 jobs funded by public and private investments totalling $22 billion over three years focusing on 12 policy areas.
These include large-scale renewable energy projects, ecosystem restoration, collection and processing of organic waste, electric car network expansion, and retrofitting inefficient public buildings and homes with sustainable energy alternatives.
The report recognises the significant investment from the Morrison Government over the last few months due to the coronavirus pandemic to stimulate the economy but insists more is needed.
“The opportunities identified in our modelling work are shovel ready,” AlphaBeta director Andrew Charlton said.
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“One-third of the jobs would require less than 12 months of retraining, meaning that workers who lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 crisis could be rapidly employed.”
The analysis found 70 per cent of the job creation from the Clean Jobs Plan would be in construction and administrative support, industries hit by the mass job losses during the virus crisis.
It says up to 25,000 jobs would be created in NSW with a major focus on building public transport infrastructure and utility-scale renewable energy projects.
In Victoria, up to 20,000 job openings would again come from large-scale renewable energy projects as well as organic waste management, while the large portion of roles in Queensland would come from ecosystem restoration and revegetation.
The Morrison Government is yet to reveal a post-coronavirus stimulus plan associated with clean energy, despite mounting pressure from various groups across the country.
At the end of June, Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) released its own strategy dubbed the Million Jobs Plan, which chair Eytan Lenko said would boost the workforce and lead the economy out of the disruption of the pandemic.
“We’ve mapped out how we can rebuild our nation through practical projects that can restore our economy, modernise our industry, re-skill our workforce and deliver a bright and secure economic future,” he said.
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“We’ve identified seven key sectors across our economy where strategic investment over the next five years would have the most impact and create the most jobs.”
Similar to the Clean Jobs Plan released this week, the BZE strategy focuses on areas such as energy, building, manufacturing, transport and recycling.
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the Clean Energy Plan is “unique because of the speed at which it can get people back to work”.
“It puts us on a practical, jobs-rich path and focuses on areas most in need,” she said.
“It sets us up for the future by creating jobs and tackling climate change. It’s a win-win solution.”
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