Clean energy ‘could create million jobs’

Australia could create a million new jobs through backing renewable energy new manufacturing industry, according to a report.

Co-CEO of Atlassian Mike Cannon-Brookes. Picture: AAP

Australia could create a million new jobs through backing renewable energy with new transmission lines and the creation of a new manufacturing industry, according to a report to be released on Monday by Beyond Zero Emissions.

The think tank, backed by Atlassian’s Mike Cannon-Brookes, the James Kirby Foundation and the Lenko Foundation, will release a new paper detailing how the program would work.

The plan is based on building 90 gigawatts of solar and wind energy and harvesting that through the economy.

The report notes that blocks to the development include government policy uncertainty and outdated transmission networks.

It argues 10 new transmission lines connecting renewable energy projects in regions like the Pilbarra and Northern Territory could create thousands of new jobs.

The BCA has argued “every dollar invested in energy should be a dollar towards lower emissions”.

There are already 160GW of renewable projects in the pipeline.

The new plan aims to ensure turbines are built in Australia and “underwriting renewable energy industrial zones”.

The report notes that Australia is ideally placed to develop both wind and solar projects.

Its recommendations include the acceleration of new energy transmission and storage projects to unleash an abundance of cheap energy, implementing a national housing retrofit program targeted at eliminating bills for 2.5 million low-income households, building 150,000 zero-energy social housing dwellings, and building electrified transport infrastructure such as electric bus fleets with localised and regional manufacturing.

It notes that “land restoration to help fragile ecosystems recover from the devastation of the bushfires” would help revegetate 27 million hectares by 2025.

This would be just 6.5 per cent of existing farmland and create 40,000 new jobs.

Government could partner with industry by stimulating spending to electrify industry, creating new markets.

The report calls for “the upgrade of our aluminium smelters to flexibly ramp up or down to run off renewables, giving them extra sources of revenue and guaranteeing long-term security for their workers”.

Beyond Zero Emissions chair Eytan Lenko said: “We want industry, communities and investors to work with us in this framework, to create the best ideas, ready with key partners and private capital to work with the government to rebuild our economy.”

Mr Cannon-Brookes said: “There is no doubt … this plan is bold. But it’s also do-able.”