For everyone A fair go at net zero: unions’ role in building a clean energy future
There are no jobs on a dead planet. We hear this slogan often, and with good reason. With the climate changing fast, the need to shift to renewable energy is urgent – and that has a direct impact on our economy and its workforce.
With a legislated commitment to reduce emissions by at least 43% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050, the Australian government has taken some important steps towards this goal. More importantly, those steps have encompassed the union movement’s plan for a just and coherent transition that would supercharge a clean energy economy while safeguarding the interests of Australian workers and communities.
In August 2023, the ACTU released a paper calling for the establishment of a federal Energy Transition Authority – made up of unions, employers, government, and local councils – to coordinate Australia’s transition strategy as the world decarbonises. Based on research into best practice across the globe, the ACTU’s plan outlines strategies for building a net zero economy while safeguarding workers and communities through social protections and the creation of quality jobs. Its recommendations include investment in regional communities, a diversified workforce, and supporting TAFE to meet the demands of new industries.
Prime Minister Albanese’s Net Zero Jobs Plan, announced in May, reflects that vision for achieving a smooth workforce transition, including redeployment arrangements for workers affected by the closure of coal and gas-fired power stations. Among other things, employers will have an obligation to support their workers to access training and obtain new employment.
It follows the welcome appointment of Dr Iain Ross as head of the Net Zero Economy Authority, overseeing the transition to a clean energy future. His vast experience in working with business, unions and governments will be particularly important in ensuring that investment in new industries and jobs benefits workers and their communities.
“As teachers and educators, we have a responsibility to deliver quality climate change education to our students.”
Meredith Peace
Unions have also embraced the $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia plan announced in this year’s federal budget, which aims to create secure manufacturing jobs and develop new industries as part of the government’s objective of transforming Australia into a renewable energy superpower. Investment includes around $600 million to bolster skills in the clean energy, construction, and manufacturing sectors, including an extra 20,000 fee-free TAFE and VET places, and additional support for apprentices and trainees.
At the state level, in 2020, the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) released a comprehensive plan for the construction of a new economy that is environmentally sustainable, democratic, and economically and socially just – with workers’ rights at its centre. The Transition from Crisis report speaks to the “huge opportunities” presented by a shift to a sustainable economy, and the many ways unions can advocate for climate change action while protecting their members.
The VTHC’s report is built on 11 principles, including gender equality, social equity, new energy ownership models, and the involvement of our First Nations peoples. It offers detailed proposals – for example, a framework for the creation of an Australian offshore wind industry – with a focus on ensuring benefits flow to workers and local communities. These ideas helped inform the unions’ submission to the Victorian Energy Jobs plan, due to be finalised by the state government this year.
“As part of the union movement, the AEU is contributing to work that seeks to protect all workers from the worst effects of global warming,” says AEU president Meredith Peace. “But, as teachers and educators, we also have a responsibility to deliver quality climate change education to our students. And we need to ensure that TAFE is funded to meet its crucial role of building a skilled workforce for the transition to renewable energy. It is critical that we have appropriate funding from governments to do this important work.”
The government’s announcements are a win for the union movement, which has been calling for the necessary investment to fast-track a just transition to a sustainable future with secure, well-paid jobs at its heart. Unions will maintain pressure on governments to deliver a fair, ambitious, and binding global climate policy – one that leaves no worker behind.
The Victorian government is holding a Parliamentary Inquiry into Climate Resilience. We urge all members affected by climate change to contribute here.
