Leaders of the two largest mining and manufacturing unions urged Labor MPs to tone down attacks on coal and gas, warning that fuel sources would be needed for years to come and the party continued to lose blue collar workers
The warning was issued by the CFMEU and the Australian Workers’ Union, accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation, at a private meeting held for interested caucus members in Parliament on Tuesday
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The Australian Financial Review has learned that 32 MPs and senators from left and right factions, or about a third of the caucus, attended the briefing by Tony Maher, chairman of the Mines and Energy Division of CFMEU, and AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton
Sources at the meeting said the key message was that while the economy was inevitably going to shift to clean, net zero-emission energy, the reality was that Australian energy and manufacturing would be dependent on coal and electricity. gas « for a long time to come and should be reflected in our language and our policies »
Unionists have warned that blue collar mine workers and industrial workers who Labor needs to win the next election were not convinced the PLA was their best option
« We are not doing a good job sending a message to these men and women that we have our backs, » MP said
Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who is trying to balance competing left and right forces in his party on climate change, has sought to redefine the clean energy transition as an opportunity for job creation
While diverting Labor from coal power, he has no problem with coal exports, claiming that how other countries meet their emission reduction targets is up to them
The 14-page CFMEU and AWU PowerPoint presentation, obtained by The Australian Financial Review, titled A Reasonable Path to Net Zero Emissions, emphasizes that « not all types of coal can be easily replaced »
Coking coal is needed to make steel and it would not be until 2040 that hydrogen would be able to replace it on the scale needed, he says
Scott Morrison has singled out gas as a transitional fuel to a clean energy future, saying it would still be needed for many years to both replace coal power and to provide support for renewables until that they become sufficiently reliable
Elements of the Labor left have turned on the gas, but the union’s presentation supports the government’s point of view, saying that gas over renewables « is a false choice »
« Gas is not a direct substitute for coal, it only makes more sense with more renewable energy, » he says
He says gas is cleaner than coal, but gas-fired generation « only stays economical until enough renewables can replace it, like hydropower and batteries. »
« Battery storage not close to replacing coal Currently batteries are shipped 008 percent of total electricity production, » he says
He also points out that gas is a « must have » for manufacturing. The presentation indicates that 207800 direct and indirect jobs depend on resources and 760100 depend on the manufacture
Another cloud over Australia’s coal and gas exports has been cast by key customers announcing zero net emissions targets by 2050 These include Japan and South Korea China s ‘net zero target is set for 2060
« This is disastrous for Australia, » said Bruce Robertson of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
« Two of our country’s major export industries go from growth to decline This is the biggest structural change in modern Australian economic history »
On Tuesday night, during a phone call with his British counterpart Boris Johnson, M Morrison was reportedly urged to « take bold action to tackle climate change, noting that the UK experience shows that boosting economic growth and reducing emissions can go hand in hand »
« We will define our policies here Our policies will not be defined in the UK, they will not be defined in Brussels, they will not be defined in any part of the world other than here, » he said
« Because it’s Australian jobs, it’s the Australian economy and Australia’s recovery from the COVID-19 recession that matters to me and my cabinet and the decisions we make
« I am very aware of the many views taking place in the world, but I tell you what, our rules will be set here in Australia And no one understands it better than the British Prime Minister, given his recent election on the Brexit issue
Wednesday, M Albanese said Labor, which has pledged to cut net emissions by 2050, will not adopt a medium-term target until next year’s global climate change conference in Glasgow
He took advantage of Wednesday’s handover of the Royal Commission on Bushfires on Wednesday to ask Mr. Morrison to do more on climate change Report to be released Friday
At Wednesday’s Question Time Energy Minister Angus Taylor taunted Labor over his indecision on coal and gas
« They don’t know where they are on gas They don’t know where they are on coal, » he said
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