“Both major parties fail to understand the significant economic and social impacts that a policy of net zero emissions by 2050 will have on the Hunter’s workers and community,” said Daniel Wild, Director of Research at the Institute of Public Affairs.
Today the Prime Minister is in the Hunter Valley where he announced $50 million in funding for research and research partnerships with the University of New South Wales and University of Newcastle.
“This is further evidence that the Coalition is willing to sacrifice the jobs of Hunter Valley workers to save a handful of inner-city seats in Sydney and Melbourne,” said Mr Wild.
“This is just more cash for university bureaucrats and flash inner-city consultants, but won’t do anything for coal workers, their families or the Hunter community.”
“Even the government admits this announced policy will at best only create 1600 jobs, whereas IPA research identified the policy of net zero will stop the creation of over 22,000 jobs in the region.”
IPA research and analysis has identified that job losses from the early closure of Eraring have already ballooned to be at least 40% higher than first forecast because of the government’s net zero emissions policy.
“The early Eraring closure is just the beginning of the widespread devastation throughout the Hunter region as a result of net zero emissions by 2050,” said Mr Wild.
IPA research identified that for every one green job created over the past decade, five jobs have been destroyed in the manufacturing sector.
