AWU says Govt carbon capture initiative important for jobs

19 September 2008

Prime Minister Rudd's initiative to finance and develop carbon capture and storage technology has real potential to secure and support thousands of current jobs in regional Australia, the Australian Workers Union ( AWU) said today.

" Our members, working in resource and manufacturing industries across Australia, have been delivered a greater deal of certainty because of today's announcement by the Prime Minister," Paul Howes, AWU National Secretary said.

The AWU represents workers in the front-line industries of the climate change debate with their jobs in aluminium, metalliferous mining, oil and gas, steel and manufacturing.

The AWU National Secretary Paul Howes was in Canberra today at the launch of the Prime Minister's announcement that the Government will spend $100 million on establishing the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute.

Union thanks PM and Ministers for seeking balanced solutions

Mr Rudd will take the proposal to the UN General Assembly next week, where he hopes to get more governments and industry on board as investors.

Paul Howes thanked the Prime Minister and his Minister for Resources and Energy, Mr Ferguson, for the positive support they have given his union's members in finding the balanced solutions in this complex greenhouse debate.

" The proposals put forward in Canberra today by the PM will play an important role in supporting these emissions intensive trade exposed industries, putting them on a sound footing so they can continue operating here in Australia.

" The AWU wishes Prime Minister Rudd well as he takes these important ideas to New York next week.

Australia must lead the world to find greenhouse technology solutions

" The Prime Minister will demonstrate at the United Nations that our nation is leading the world in finding new technologies, positive solutions, which will be good for our planet - and good for our economy.

" Australia needs to lead the world in finding low-carbon technology solutions because so much of our economy is currently based around the resource sector.

New technologies to create good new AWU jobs

" The PM's initiative in putting resources into developing carbon capture technology with a specialist research institute also has the potential to create an important new job-creating export sector for Australia.

" Developing carbon capture technology has been for some time part of the AWU submission to the Federal Government in the current community debate about Australia's climate change legislation.

" We believe this technology will play an important part in keeping alive the industrial regions of Gladstone, Kwinana, Whyalla, Geelong, Portland, Wollongong and the Hunter, which are heavily dependent on the resource and manufacturing sector.

" In these regions major industries could utilise carbon capture and storage technology to keep their current sites operating profitably in Australia.

" We expect this environmentally sensitive technology will provide firm foundations for these important industries," Paul Howes said.