The Australian Manufacturing Workers, the country’s largest manufacturing union, has released a costed plan that aims to safeguard existing jobs and create a long-term base for renewable energy manufacturing in the country.
The plan requires the Gillard Government to invest $6.5 billion generated from a carbon price into a low emissions industry and technology development fund.
AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver, said the plan was necessary to ensure the future of the manufacturing industry in a low emission economy.
“Our plan is fundamentally about jobs and the future of the one million Australians who work in the manufacturing industry today.”
“There are so many opportunities for manufacturing in energy efficient and clean technologies, but we need a plan to keep up with the rest of the world.
“The jobs which are at risk in the debate over the carbon price are the jobs of the future. We have to give manufacturing a pathway to become more energy efficient, and to develop capacity in the emerging clean technology sector,” he said.
Mr Oliver rejected Tony Abbott’s call for the manufacturing industry to ‘fight the carbon tax or die’, saying the manufacturing industry needs a focus on innovation and the future, not a fight to stay in the past.
“A price on carbon which allows business to invest and which will fund the programs we have called for is key to the manufacturing industry’s future and maintaining a diverse economic base in Australia,” he said.
According to him, Australia will be extremely uncompetitive if it continues at 20th century efficiency standards while the rest of the world is being innovative.
Key elements of the plan include a $3.695 billion low emissions industry and technology development fund over six years, $1.5 billion over six years to help Australian households and firms become more energy efficient, and providing up to $1.5 billion in extra support to be allocated on criteria around the high-dollar and two-speed economy, during the next two years.
