PRINCIPLES
1. Victoria needs a new economy that works for everyone and centres communities at the heart of a new sustainable industrial strategy. Deindustrialisation has weakened the quality of work for many, breaking up union power, destroying communities, and reducing our capacity to innovate and lead.
2. Victorian industry should be ecologically and economically sustainable.
3. In order to build and sustain successful and prosperous industries, Victoria should have
- a. efficient transport and communications infrastructure;
- b. affordable, accessible and relevant education and training; and
- c. low cost, clean energy; and d. an efficient, progressive and fair tax base.
4. Local industries, that is, industries creating value from local resources and that are owned, managed and staffed from within the communities in which they operate, are essential for a robust economy which provides meaningful employment and supports successful businesses.
5. Development of Victorian industry can be facilitated by public sector investment that is open, transparent, and targets sectors rather than specific companies or businesses.
6. Successful and prosperous economies promote a culture that greatly values and supports science, engineering, innovation, enterprise and creativity.
7. Victoria needs an industrial strategy to facilitate the social and economic transformation necessary to face the climate crisis, underpinned by local communities determining their own local transformations towards more sustainable local industries.
8. A sustainable industrial strategy is at the heart of a meaningful just transition plan and must facilitate decarbonisation and rebuild good, secure jobs with the right to join a union. It must democratise our economy and make communities more resilient to economic shocks.
9. Government investment in industry - particularly bail-outs - should be conditional on democratising ownership structures and delivering demonstrable social and environmental objectives.
AIMS
1. The government should encourage the development of innovative new or transformed industries of the future, such as products for energy efficiency and advanced materials.
2. When the government supports the development of new or transformation of existing industries through measures such as payroll tax or other concessions, it should ensure environmental and social justice impacts and outcomes are central to decision making.
3. The government should fund research and development that preferentially benefits Victoria and Victorian industry, for example that sustainably adds value to Victorian resources.
4. The government should foster improved economic and environmental sustainability through advocating principles of industrial ecology and “cradle-to-cradle” design.
5. The government should ensure that its public industry development funding is accessible by innovative social and community enterprises, and in particular, the government should create a new funding scheme that assists the early stage creation of such enterprises.
6. All government programs, investments, resource allocation and procurement to maximise public benefit by including employment, environmental, social and economic impact assessments.
7. Establish transition authorities in regional centres to manage local transformation funds and actively facilitate just transitions programmes.
8. Governments to actively invest in communities by offering no-interest loans and first right to buy schemes to help regional workers and communities threatened by industry transitions.
Industry and Employment Policy as amended by State Council on 19th March 2022.