A new report from Carmichael Centre researcher Charlie Joyce argues that public funding for private renewable energy and clean tech manufacturing projects should require employers create high quality, secure, well-paid jobs.
Doing so will attract and retain workers in these important industries and reinforce public support for the energy transition – a crucial task given the politics of renewable energy and decarbonisation in Australia.
This report calls for labour standards to be embedded in Australia’s energy transition and Future Made in Australia industrial strategy through attaching conditions to public industrial financial support and penalising non-compliance with these conditions.
By doing this, the Australian government can ensure that the growing renewable energy sector and associated manufacturing industries feature strong labour standards, and that public money is not being given to companies seeking to undermine prevailing employment standards.
This report proposes four main policy recommendations for embedding labour standards within the Australian government’s net zero initiatives:
- The Secure Australian Jobs Code must be developed, enacted, and extended beyond just direct government procurement to also apply to recipients of industrial support. This code must establish minimum standards relating to job security, fair wages and conditions, gender equality, hiring equity, environmental sustainability, and the right to join and participate in a union.
- Apprenticeship quotas, ongoing training, and skills development must be built into publicly financed projects to create entry-level pathways into the industry, ensure workers have adequate training to ensure safety, and reduce industry skills shortages.
- Minimum and maximum pay standards can be prescribed to ensure that industry norms are not undercut, and that public finance is not misused to overly renumerate executives and CEOs.
- Occupational health and safety must be prioritised and guaranteed, particularly when working in environments subject to climate change-induced safety risks.
Ensuring that all companies receiving public financial support adhere to these conditions can ensure that Australia’s transition to a net zero economy can also be a transition to a strong, secure future of work.