The following statement is attributable to Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, Kane Thornton:
“The Future Made in Australia agenda is essential to secure Australia’s economic future, competitiveness and longevity of local jobs and the Federal Parliament should support it.
“Australia’s abundant renewable energy and mineral wealth offer clear and compelling advantages for Australia to massively grow energy-intensive industries and domestic manufacturing in strategic sectors including renewable fuels and green metals, as part of globally integrated supply chains.
“These new industries provide an opportunity to build a new economic foundation for Australia that can ultimately substitute declining international demand for and revenues from, fossil fuels.
“They stand to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, invigorate regional communities across Australia and underpin long-term economic growth and prosperity.
“But these industries will not develop here in Australia in the absence of a strong vision, plan and Government support.
"Other countries and regions such as the United States, Asia, the Middle East and Europe are currently outgunning Australia in the scale of policy to incentivise new investment.
“Australia risks missing out on the global green wave of investment if we do not signal strongly now to the world that we intend to take our rightful place as a clean energy superpower.
“As a high-cost investment destination relative to many of our competitors, we will have to work harder than most to improve our industrial competitiveness. We simply will not attract the hundreds of billions of dollars of private investment that we need over the next two decades and beyond without substantial support from the Australian Government.
“The proposed $22.7 billion of expenditure is a modest public investment in industries that will more than deliver a return on investment to the Australian economy over the decades ahead.
“A failure to support this agenda not only means that we will miss out on massive new growth opportunities, but Australia will be at risk of losing existing industries which will find it more attractive to grow their businesses in other regions with internationally competitive investment conditions.
“The Federal Parliament has a historic opportunity to help build Australia’s long-term economic prosperity for a net zero emissions world. We urge MPs and Senators not to let this opportunity slip through our hands."
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683