Victoria Must Invest In Green Jobs Now
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 17:07
Leading Environment Groups launched a campaign today on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne, calling for all Victorian political parties to commit to a Green Jobs package before the 2010 state election.
Led by Friends of the Earth, Total Environment Centre, and Boomerang Alliance, the groups have endorsed the research undertaken by Environment Victoria and Australian Conservation Foundation, and demanded action across 5 key green industries. They believe a comprehensive green jobs package could potentially deliver over 20,000 new Victorian jobs in green industries within the next 5 years, including:
- Energy and Water efficiency - 6,900 new green jobs by 2014
- Public Transport - 6,650 new green jobs by 2014
- Renewable Energy - 4,000 green jobs NOW
- Recycling - 3,100 new green jobs by 2014
- Solar Water Heating - 1,500 new green jobs by 2020
Friends of the Earth campaigner Cam Walker said today that “simple initiatives can deliver big results for a moderate investment. Certainly we need to crack down on dodgy operators, but new green industries are a unique opportunity to create jobs while also protecting the planet.
“Container Deposit legislation will create up to 1,200 new jobs in the first year and provide a $200million injection into the Victorian Recycling industry.”
Total Environment Centre Director, Jeff Angel, agreed: “With 97% of the community and most local councils around Australia supporting a deposit system, it’s hard to understand the Brumby Government’s resistance
“The logic is pretty simple – a container deposit system will deliver 300+ recycling collection centres at no cost to the government and provide a $200million a year boost to underpin the industry. A $15-$20 increase in the landfill levy will deter the big wasters and develop a fund to incentivise new recycling facilities without causing undue stress on individual households.”
Given that Australia has just come through the worst financial crisis in the past 5 years, it’s astonishing that as yet, the state government has not taken major action on green jobs, said Mr Angel.
“There are over 20,000 new green jobs ready to be rolled out with the right policy triggers, and if Victoria doesn’t act fast, most of them will be exported to South Australia or NSW.”
Mr Walker concluded that “industry has consistently come to us and outlined over a billion dollars in new private investment that is ready to go. Great opportunities exist. But governments need to provide both a carrot for the solution, and a stick against the pollution.”
