Prime Minister Rudd's recognition today of the jobs-rich green future is a testament to the work of the Greens, but the Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme will ensure those jobs are not created, the Australian Greens said today.
The Greens particularly welcome the Government's adoption of the Local Green Jobs plan, originally negotiated by the Greens as part of the stimulus package in February this year. The Greens have also consistently called for skills and training packages for electricians, plumbers, builders and all others who will build the zero carbon Australia.
"Mr Rudd seems to be trying to take a step into the future with this green jobs plan, and that is welcome, but he has leg-roped himself to the past with the CPRS," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
"Green jobs need a real green economy to grow in; they cannot and will not thrive in a coal-black economy.
"To deliver green jobs, the CPRS needs a 40% emissions reduction target by 2020 and its revenue allocated to transforming the economy instead of sandbagging polluters.
"What we need now more than ever is a plan to swiftly and decisively move Australia into the zero carbon future, upgrading our homes, offices and factories, rebuilding our energy networks and redesigning our cities around people instead of cars.
"That massive and inspirational task will unleash our creativity, our imagination and our energy and create a jobs boom to get it done. Mr Rudd's dreary promise of more of the same will do no such thing.
"The CPRS's appallingly low target and the billions of dollars it hands over to polluters will slam the door on green jobs, exporting most of those we do create. The unambitiously low renewable energy target, as well the unnecessary delay in bringing it in, are also holding back the green jobs boom.
"With a meaningful emissions trading scheme in place, or at least without the current worse-than-useless model, the Greens' proposals for a national household energy retrofit and a national gross feed-in tariff for renewable energy would also create tens of thousands of jobs.
"The worst thing Mr Rudd could do would be to train all these young Australians for jobs in a future he has no intention of creating."