Labor’s renewable energy push would double current job numbers in sector

Hitting the ALP’s target of 50 per cent of Australian energy being produced from renewables, from the planned 34 per cent trajectory under the renewable energy target, would double the number of new jobs created, according to recent modelling, reports Haydn Black in the Energy News Bulletin.

The modelling was conducted by Ernst & Young and the Climate Council, and new estimates published by The Australia Institute.

The Australia Institute said Australia had lost 5100 jobs in the renewable energy since 2012, and voting for the Coalition policies would see a continued decline, while policies from the Labor and Greens would deliver renewable jobs and growth.

The Institute said the Coalition’s attack on wind and solar following the 2013 election, and its decision to scale back the RET, saw renewable energy jobs decline in Australia over the past three years, from a peak of 19,120 jobs in 2012 to a 27% drop to 14,020 in 2015.

Read more in Energy News Bulletin’s report here.

This article originally appeared in the Labor Herald.