Yallourn in Victoria will be the 15th coal-fired power station to close without any comprehensive, national plan for the transition of our electricity sector to renewable energy. This means that workers and their communities are continually left to the whim of multi-national energy companies, with no guarantees of good future work. We need a National Energy Transition Authority to manage and drive the shift to renewables, putting workers at the centre - while reducing emissions.
Why is this important?
Our electricity generation system is undergoing rapid change as coal-fired power is replaced by renewable energy. We need this to happen fast to avoid catastrophic climate change, and so that Australia is not left behind in the shift to a new clean economy.
Workers in the fossil fuel industry have contributed enormously to Australia’s wealth over generations. It is vital that they are not cast aside as we build a sustainable economy. Currently, decisions about power station closures and the replacement generation are largely made by big private companies driven by profit in a “free market” that gives no consideration to the interests of workers or the local community more broadly.
To ensure the energy transformation is fair to workers and their communities, we need a National Energy Transition Authority that plans and coordinates all-of-government actions to make sure no worker and no community is left behind.
