ACTU calls for feds to coordinate Australia's energy transition to net zero

In her address to the National Press Club on Tuesday, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions made the call for the Albanese government to establish a national energy transition authority in the May budget, saying it has responsibility to act on both jobs and climate.

Comparing the scale of the transformation to beyond the industrial revolution, she said coordination is urgently needed across multiple government departments, agencies, industries and communities to ensure no one is left behind as Australia aims for its net zero emissions targets.

Ms O'Neil has backed Australian energy workers as sophisticated and knowledgeable brokers in our economy who keep it running "day in and day out."

"Leaving them behind in the transition wouldn't just be a moral failure. It would be a massive missed opportunity," she said.

"We need their expertise and more because we have so much more work to do. Not only to transition to net zero but realise Australia's potential as a renewable energy superpower."

READ MORE

The ACTU boss said the phrase a "just transition", which was part of the Paris Agreement, has been weaponised and politicised by climate action opponents, but it means environmentally sustainable economies and societies where "everybody should have a fair go."

She said a strong nationwide response led by the federal government is needed to coordinate schemes to retrain, redeploy or compensate workers.

"We still have no federal "just transition" policy," Ms O'Neil said. "We still have a patchwork of uncoordinated programs and funding streams whose remit only incidentally overlap with the goals of a just transition declaration. This means confusion for workers and a lack of real planning for change."

"What we're talking about here today is a vital missing piece in our climate and energy policy landscape."

She pointed to regions struggling to bring new industries in and potential investors and companies having no certainty.

"Right now, we have duplication and diffuse responsibility. We need to ensure federal resources are being mobilised effectively and efficiently with a shared plan," Ms O'Neil told the National Press Club in Canberra.

But there is a great opportunity.

"Decarbonising our economy could generate hundreds of thousands of good jobs, healthier and more equitable communities and a renewed national prosperity all while safeguarding Australians against spiralling climate disasters," she said.