Antinuclear

Australia losing jobs in renewable energy – jobs go offshore following 2014 Budhet

2014 Budget Will Send Renewable Energy Jobs Offshore, Marc Howe, Sourceable, 20 May 14,  Australia’s peak body for the renewable energy industry has decried the Coalition’s proposed scrapping of ARENA in its 2014 budget, saying the move will result in jobs and investment shifting to other countries.According to the Clean Energy Council, the Coalition’s plans to abolish the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will be a severe retrograde move for a burgeoning domestic industry, which has already reached the cutting edge of innovation in areas such as large-scale solar, geothermal and ocean energy.

Kane Thornton, deputy chief executive of the Clean Energy Council, said the decision to scrap ARENA sends a strong signal to both domestic and international players in the sector, and will severely vitiate the ability of Australia’s renewable energy sector to compete on a globalised playing field.

“A global race for renewable energy is on, and the removal of ARENA will see potential Australian and international investors now look to countries with much stronger support for renewable energy innovation,” she said. “We may well miss out on billions of dollars of investment and highly skilled jobs.”

Thornton further pointed out that weakening the Australia’s renewable energy sector was an imprudent move from a jobs perspective, given the large contribution the industry could make to flagging employment growth.

“Abolishing ARENA is a backwards step for the ‘clever country’ at a time when job losses in traditional industries like the automotive and manufacturing sectors mean we need new, innovative industries to take their place and fill this void,” she said……….

– See more at: http://sourceable.net/2014-budget-will-send-renewable-energy-jobs-offshore/#sthash.JyY5hPnm.dpuf

May 20, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News