The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) calls for the National Energy Transition Authority (NETA) to be delivered in time for the May budget to better help workers as Australia shifts to cleaner energy.
In a speech at the National Press Club, ACTU President Michele O’Neil said the NETA would improve coordination across governments, departments, the industry and communities to ensure no worker or community is left behind as the country transitions to net zero emissions energy.
The authority will also help fund and coordinate regional economic diversification programs through the provision of new and secure jobs across new and emerging industries.
Additionally, the independent tripartite authority will support workers through comprehensive packages that feature pooled redundancy schemes, education, training, income replacement and retirement plans.
According to O’Neil, decarbonising Australia’s economy can generate hundreds of thousands of new jobs, especially in places with planned closures of facilities and businesses.
“An independent, statutory NETA will ensure the shift to renewable energy happens with workers, not to workers, and delivers good jobs and economic opportunity,” she added.
O’Neil noted that a just transition plan is urgent and critical because, in the years between 2013 and 2020, the country saw 11 coal-fired power plants close, with an average notice time of just four months.
“We do not have to choose between climate action and jobs, it’s our responsibility to act on both,” O’Neil said.
So far, more than 10 coal-fired power stations have closed with little or no transition planning for affected workers and their communities, with more to phase down in the coming years.
According to the ACTU, the NETA will potentially allow Australia to follow the steps of other countries, such as Spain and Germany, which have already implemented well-funded transition plans supporting the people who powered their economies for a long time.
