Today, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy is hosting a mini jobs summit at Parliament House that will bring together key stakeholders to help deliver good energy jobs for now and the future.
Australia is a world leader in low-emissions technology and there are enormous opportunities to create thousands of sustainable jobs with the transformation of the global economy.
The Climate and Energy Jobs Summit will examine the investment required and the pipelines that need to be created to upskill workers so they can capitalise on this opportunity across the country.
Findings will be presented at the Jobs and Skills Summit that is taking place on 1 and 2 September in the Great Hall at Parliament House.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen welcomed the wide range of groups represented at the event, including industry, unions, environmental groups and community groups.
“The world’s climate emergency is Australia’s job opportunity and this Climate and Energy Jobs Summit is about helping make those Australian jobs a reality,” he said.
“Australia is on the path to becoming a renewable energy superpower and with that comes the potential for high-skill, high-paying sustainable jobs in industries such as renewable manufacturing, green hydrogen, offshore wind and energy efficiency.
“There will be emerging occupations such as wind turbine technicians and energy efficiency engineers but we will need to have the right people with the right skills to work in these occupations.
“We want to bring people with us and there will be opportunities for workers in traditional industries such as oil and gas workers to use their skills in emerging industries such as offshore wind and hydrogen.
“We know that Australian mining has a strong future too – including supplying the critical minerals needed the world over for decarbonisation.
“Regional Australia will be at the very heart of this change. With five out of every six jobs created by our Powering Australia plan to be in the regions, it means the areas that have powered Australia for so long will continue to power us into the future.
“Independent modelling of Australia’s Powering Australia plan shows that we can create over 600, 000 jobs by 2030.
“This government is making direct investments too, including $100 million to support 10,000 New Energy Apprenticeships, but we want to hear from the experts.”
The summit will hear presentations on skill gaps in the Australian economy and the role of training centres.
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister will help lead the discussions and provide closing remarks.
