The Federal Parliament recently voted to approve the carbon pricing mechanism outlined in the Federal Government’s Clean Energy Future legislation package.
The package of 18 bills will see carbon priced at $23 per tonne from 1 July 2012, rising by 2.5 per cent each year during a three-year fixed price period until 1 July 2015, when the mechanism will transition to an emissions trading scheme with a price determined by the market.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard hailed the decision as “significant for all Australians” – but what will this mean for the future of green-collar jobs in Australia?
Despite some inevitable political backlash, the passing of the bill is bound to vastly improve the green jobs market in Australia. Companies will be forced to either improve their existing technologies or continue to pay high prices on the amount of carbon they release.
GreenCollar Talent’s Jan Rieche explains that companies affected by the legislation will have no option but to employ people to make sure that their operations are compliant with the new tax regime.
“We can expect that carbon abatement initiatives such as renewable energy and energy efficiency projects will now be approved, thanks to improved planning security,” says Mr Rieche.
“Furthermore, new research and development projects will also be approved by those companies hoping to make their operations less carbon intensive.” Mr Rieche also believes that we will see more jobs being created in carbon offset generating projects, such as forestry, soil carbon and others. “It’s an exciting time – and one of opportunity too,” says Mr Rieche.
Under the new legislation, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation will be given $10 billion worth of funding to manage and invest in clean energy alternatives. If this new financial boost to the industry is well allocated, it should provide a boom for all green jobs in Australia. Green-collar jobs currently make up around 1.5 per cent of all jobs advertised.
Peter Hooper, GreenCollar Talent’s Managing Director, believes the passing of the package means that the likelihood of a “green job boom” is high. “Now is the time for us to keep our focus and maintain our efforts to continue supplying only the best available talent to the renewable energy, carbon and sustainability markets. This is something which has been long-awaited and we are more than ready for the challenge.”
Under the new pricing mechanism, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation will be given $10 billion worth of funding to manage and invest in clean energy alternatives. If this new financial boost to the industry is well allocated, it should provide a boom for all green jobs in Australia.
