MAY 7, 2021 – The Morrison Government’s $58.6 million handout to the gas industry is wasteful spending by a gas guzzling government intent on denying the futures of manufacturing workers in renewables, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) say.
Workers in Australian wind tower manufacturer Keppel Prince are being thrown in the scrapheap - 150 jobs are on the line in Portland, regional Victoria because the Morrison Government refuses to mandate local content in the wind farm that will power its’ Snowy Hydro 2.0 project.
The spending announced today will line the pockets of gas industry bosses, instead of creating secure jobs for future generations of working people. For a fraction of the price tag these jobs at Keppel Prince would be saved and more created, say the AMWU.
This cash injection will not bring down electricity prices, deliver action on climate, or address unemployment, or insecure work. While gas production has tripled in the last ten years, prices keep going up. Manufacturing creates nearly 200 times as many jobs as investment in gas, the AMWU say.
Even the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) does not support a gas-led recovery, yet the Morrison Government is doggedly steering our country down this destructive path.
Lines attributable to Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) National Secretary Steve Murphy:
“The Morrison Government has no new ideas, just a bag of tricks to re-announce funding of an economically and environmentally flawed policy.
“This money would not only save hundreds of jobs at Keppel Prince, but could be better spent in a way that allowed Australia to be a world energy leader.
“This budgetary spend by a gas guzzling Morrison Government is a major slap in the face for the 150 Keppel Prince workers in the renewables sector.
“This money will only go toward lining the pockets of fossil fuel companies – the same companies that donate millions to the LNP every year.”