Chris Bowen says climate change risks jobs, as he swaps roles with Mark Butler

Anthony Albanese’s new energy spokesman Chris Bowen has warned Australian jobs will be ‘decimated’ if the nation does not move away from carbon-intensive industries.

Opposition energy and climate change spokesman Chris Bowen and opposition health spokesman Mark Butler. Picture: AAP

Anthony Albanese’s new energy and climate spokesman Chris Bowen has warned Australian jobs will be “decimated” if the ­nation does not move away from carbon-intensive industries, as he swaps roles with the architect of Labor’s controversial emissions targets, Mark Butler.

Mr Butler will now take on Mr Bowen’s old portfolio of health, ensuring he will lose no frontbench prestige by becoming Labor’s public face on the pandemic and the vaccine rollout.

The Opposition Leader said the direct swap of portfolios would see climate change elevated to economic portfolio status on his frontbench, and touted Mr Bowen’s time as Kevin Rudd’s short-lived treasurer.

“Chris Bowen, as a former treasurer, will bring very much the economic perspective. I have said consistently, ever since I had the portfolio myself under Kim Beazley as the leader, that climate change action is good for jobs,” Mr Albanese said. “It is good for ­reducing emissions, as well as good for reducing power prices. It is an economic portfolio.”

Both Mr Bowen and Mr Butler have been controversial members of the Labor frontbench in the past, with the former’s tax policies and the latter’s climate policies highlighted by opposition MPs as reasons behind Bill Shorten’s shock loss at the 2019 election.

Mr Albanese has faced pressure for months to move Mr Butler out of the climate portfolio, particularly from former resources spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon, over concerns the opposition’s position on climate could see it lose seats in mining and regional areas at the next election.

Mr Bowen’s appointment will now see energy policy in the hands of the Right of the Labor Party.

In his first statement after the Thursday reshuffle, Mr Bowen — a possible future contender for the Labor leadership — said climate action was integral to prevent the loss of jobs to other more environmentally aggressive nations.

“As global markets shift away from carbon-intensive industries, we can stand by and allow Australian jobs and communities to be decimated; or we can embrace new industries and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the suburbs and regions — all while reducing emissions and improving energy affordability and reliability,” Mr Bowen said.

“With more than two million Australians unemployed or underemployed, the choice is clear to me,” he added.

Mr Butler becomes health spokesman just weeks out from the expected rollout of the anti-COVID Pfizer vaccine and concerns that the British and South Africa variants of the coronavirus — which have caused devastation overseas — could somehow gain a foothold in Australia.

In a statement on Thursday, the Labor Left powerbroker said he would continue to criticise the Morrison government’s approach to the pandemic where appropriate. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, my friend Chris Bowen has worked constructively with the government to put the health of Australians first, while pointing out clearly where the government could do better,” he said.

“Chris’s approach to the pandemic has been the right one. I intend to continue this approach.”

As a former ageing minister in Julia Gillard’s government, Mr Butler also said he would focus on the government’s response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care’s final report.