Activists unite in call for green job revolution

Canberra Times
Wednesday 3/12/2008 Page: 4

Unions, environmentalists and social groups have urged the Federal Government to spend billions of dollars on creating "green jobs". The $5 billion stimulus package should be used to improve public transport and make houses more energy-efficient, they said yesterday. The coalition of groups issued its demand as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd confirmed he was planning another round of spending next year to ward off the effects of the global financial crisis.

He told a meeting of federal Labor MPs the Government was acting ahead of the economic curve. The Southern Cross Climate Coalition said at least $5 billion should be spent on reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions as part of a "green new deal". It would pay for 100,000 homes to be retrofitted each year to cut electricity use and reduce emissions.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow said the economic stimulus package could create hundreds of thousands of jobs. "It's crunch time for jobs in the face of the financial crisis, and it's crunch time for the environment." Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry said the Government must set a strong mid-term target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "It's this mix of green stimulus and strong 2020 targets to cut greenhouse emissions that can grow hundreds of thousands of jobs for the Australian economy," he said.

"Give us a prosperous future but a future where we avoid dangerous climate change for our kids." Australian Council of Social Service president Lin Hatfield Dodd said simple but effective action included installing water-efficient shower nozzles and insulating ceilings. Households could cut power bills by a third and save $200 a year by installing free solar hot water and through insulation.

The chief executive of the research group Climate Institute Australia, John Connor, said the coalition was an important means of maximising the response to the financial crisis and climate change. The coalition brings together the Property Council of Australia, the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and the Australian Green Infrastructure Council.

A report by the ACTU and the Australian Conservation Foundation, titled Green Gold Rush and issued in October, suggested Australia could generate tip to one million "green-collar" jobs by 2030 by promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable water industries, biomaterials, green buildings and waste recycling.