(Adopted October 2014)
Principles
The Queensland Greens believe that:
1. Queensland’s manufacturing sector needs to be ecologically sustainable.
2. Local production of ecologically sustainable products is essential for a robust economy which provides purposeful employment and ownership in Queensland’s creative and productive abilities.
3. Development of sustainable manufacturing industry in Queensland needs public and private sector investment and support, as well as investment in research, development, innovation, education and training at all levels.
4. Manufacturing industries are an important source of export revenue and high quality jobs and are crucial to achieving economic self-reliance.
5. Manufacturing industries are more easily decentralised, often offer high-wage jobs and provide essential products. However, some forms of manufacturing are unacceptably energy-intensive, highly polluting and ecologically unsustainable.
Aims
The Queensland Greens will:
1. Support the creation of a renewable energy export manufacturing sector with industry assistance and start-up grants.
2. Encourage the efficient use of material resources in the manufacturing of goods, by setting benchmarks for use of recycled materials and waste reduction.
3. Provide funds for the expansion of recycling systems in order to reduce the amount of waste disposed of as landfill.
4. Provide direct government investment and industry assistance towards the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
5. Require manufacturers to adopt a “whole life cycle” approach to resource management.
6. Introduce heavy penalties for industrial pollution with guilt based on “the balance of probabilities” and introduction of criminal penalties for corporate managers responsible for cases of gross industrial pollution.
7. Introduce Container Deposit Legislation.
8. Reduce packaging to a minimum by making manufacturers responsible for its final disposal.
9. Develop close working relations with industry and union representatives of existing manufacturing industries and develop mechanisms to move these industries to a more sustainable footing.
10. Develop appropriate regulatory structures, incentives, training, research and investment plans to allow the development of manufacturing industries which are highly value added, research intensive and sustainable.
11. Support the development of manufacturing in regional centres in order to facilitate a less centralised population base and to support the sustainability of regional communities.
12. Support small manufacturing businesses through collaboration, information exchange, the development of common training programs, recognizing the importance of the spatial distribution of such industries and developing other policies as appropriate.
13. Work with unions and industry representatives to ensure the future employment of workers whose industries are in decline or have a declining workforce.
14. Work with unions and industry representatives to examine the impacts of ecologically sustainable policies in other industries (such as the energy industry) to help minimize disruption to manufacturing industries.
15. Ensure that the funding of TAFE is restored so that it support a modern and internationally competitive manufacturing industry.
16. Ensure industries pay the full, long term environmental, economic and social cost of water and power provision and waste disposal.
17. Support a productive industrial and social culture where scientific and engineering skills are highly valued and encouraged, creativity and experimentation are facilitated, and employee occupational health and safety is nurtured.
18. Encourage the establishment of precincts dedicated to the principles of industrial ecology, thereby improving productivity and minimising waste.
19. Facilitate the production of low-energy cements using alternative raw materials.
20. Facilitate the retrofitting of aluminium smelters to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their greenhouse emissions.
21. Facilitate the adaptation and reform of Textiles, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) manufacturing in Queensland, by encouraging the use of ecologically sustainable fibres, eliminating the use of toxic dying and tanning chemicals, and supporting industries that collect and reprocess used TCF materials.
22. Support local manufacturing activity through reductions in payroll tax and other concessions, but only where environmental improvements in products and processing are delivered.
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