Study urges Australia to embrace green jobs revolution

The Australian government could create over 750,000 new jobs by 2030 by acting now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2020, according to a report released today by the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

The report claims that adopting an ambitious emission reduction target and a national emission trading scheme, coupled with strong policies on energy efficiency, renewable energy investment and cleaner transport would leave households 10 per cent better off by 2030.

"Whether Australia adopts a five per cent greenhouse pollution reduction target, a 25 per cent or a 40 per cent target, jobs and the economy will be better off where government implements both a price on pollution and a suite of policy measures, rather than relying solely on a price on pollution," the report states.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow said the extra jobs that would be created with strong action were not just "green collar" jobs, but new jobs in traditional industries such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing and the services sector.

"This report shows regional areas, even those which produce coal and generate electricity, will have more jobs if we take strong action to cut pollution – but only if we act now," she said.

The study is released as reports emerged today that parts of the business community are planning an unlikely alliance with the Australian Conservation Foundation to lobby the government to re-adopt its plan to put a price on carbon.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's administration abandoned its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, arguing that a lack of international action on climate change meant the legislation could undermine Australian competitiveness. The scheme had also faced growing public criticism and had been repeatedly blocked in the Senate by the opposition Liberal Party.

But a source told the Sydney Morning Herald that six of Australia's biggest businesses – Westpac, Swiss Re, Insurance Australia Group, Origin Energy, Visy Industries and BP Australasia – could revive an alliance with NGOs to pressure government to revive a version of the plan.

If formed, the group will likely use today's Australian Conservation Foundation study to argue that comprehensive action on climate change can actually benefit the economy.

The study shows that the measures it proposes would not only lead to between 20 and 45 per cent more jobs in each of Australia's states, but also result in an average 3.2 per cent growth in GDP between 2010 and 2030, compared with 2.8 per cent under a business-as-usual scenario.

Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry said the government's current policies were holding back Australia's transition to a cleaner economy.

"In this election year, Australians want our leaders to show they have got a serious plan to shift us to a cleaner economy with new industries and better jobs," he said.