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Queensland Election Focuses Need for Sustainability
With an election looming in Queensland, the state of the economy and the subsequent job loses have been high on the agendas of both major political parties. Very little has been said about the renewable energy industry and its ability to contribute to not only greenhouse-gas reduction, but to job creation as well.
Focusing on household energy efficiency, solar hot water and increasing solar power generation will not only create jobs — it will also help Queenslanders save money in a tough economic climate. But once again it has been left to the minor parties to suggest these smarter solutions.
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown and Greens MP Ronan Lee recently launched a plan to create more than 7600 green-collar jobs in Queensland.
“The Greens will create thousands of green-collar jobs in Queensland by retrofitting homes for energy efficiency and investing in clean energy infrastructure,” Senator Brown said.
“Unlike President Obama, who has committed to creating 5 million green-collar jobs, the state and federal Labor governments are spending taxpayers’ money to support big banks, big polluters and big developers.
“The Greens EASI-Q program will retrofit Queensland homes with better insulation and solar hot-water tanks, reducing power bills for ordinary Australians and creating 3,200 jobs by its fifth year of operation,” Senator Brown said.
Greens MP Ronan Lee said the Labor and Liberal parties were locked into an old approach to job creation.
“There’s not a single environmentalist or renewable energy expert on the Premier’s so-called Jobs Squad,” Mr Lee said.
“The Greens want to see Queensland develop an economic base that continues to create jobs into the 21st century. That’s why the Greens would invest in two 250 megawatt solar power stations for Townsville and the Darling Downs,” Mr Lee said.
The solar power stations will cost a total of $4 billion, with State and Federal Governments underpinning half the cost. The development of the clean energy infrastructure will create 4,000 jobs in the construction phase with 400 ongoing jobs.
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