2023-05-05
The Greens have welcomed Labor’s announcement today that they are moving towards establishing an energy transition authority but say the lack of urgency should concern workers, regional communities and Australians desperate for meaningful action on climate.
The Greens have been calling for a National Energy Transition Authority (NETA) for years and last year introduced a bill to establish one. In March a Labor-controlled committee ignored the weight of supportive evidence and recommended the Senate reject the Greens’ NETA proposal.
The Greens’ bill would establish a legislated and independent statutory body to guide, coordinate and help fund the pipeline of clean energy projects, ensuring workers and communities have a say in their futures.
Comments attributable to Greens spokesperson on Industry, Transition and Regional Development, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:
“After a decade of inaction I think it’s important to acknowledge that this is a really promising step forward.
“Workers, unions and activists have been fighting for years for the Commonwealth to show leadership on the energy transition and today’s announcement is a credit to their tireless effort. As a unionist it makes me proud to see what our movement can accomplish.
“But an agency within the prime minister’s office is not the independent statutory authority unions and experts have been calling for, and international best practice demands. And the government has provided no timeline for when legislation to establish a statutory body will be brought to parliament.
“The clock is ticking. March’s IPCC report was the final warning that unless we stop all new coal and gas and transition to a zero emissions economy we have no chance of avoiding irreversible climate change.
“And unless we manage the transition justly and democratically the regional workers and communities who have helped power our country and generate prosperity for millions will be left behind.”