City to state: jobs in climate of fear

Andrew Mathieson
The Geelong region is bracing for the loss of manufacturing jobs from attempts to combat climate change, according to a City Hall submission to State Government.
But the submission to a Government climate change green paper said the city must play a part in global efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Geelong council’s climate change portfolio-holder, John Doull, said council was “concerned about the considerable manufacturing base” in the city.
“For the City of Greater Geelong, I think jobs are a critical part of what we discuss on a regular basis,” Cr Doull said.
“I would suggest we would be looking at ways to minimise the effect of job losses in Geelong.
“A part of the response to the green paper is to suggest that we need to keep developing skills in supporting vocational institutions and tertiary education.”
Council’s submission told the Government green paper: “Geelong, like any city in any part of the world, in many ways needs to respond to the challenges of climate change.
“These affects will have an impact across the region. There is no doubt we need to act.”
But Cr Doull said Geelong’s economy should “not be penalised for being in a large industrial area”.
About 14 per cent of the city’s workforce was employed in manufacturing, equating to 51 per cent of the region’s GDP, he said.
A further 12,000 Geelong residents travelled to Melbourne for work.
Cr Doull said council still hoped Geelong industries would gain carbon credits to keep the city’s strong manufacturing base alive.
“There should be special circumstances for our area if there is a carbon reduction scheme,” he said.
“It’s about that transition from where we are now to where we can see ourselves in 10 years’ time.”
Cr Doull said Geelong would also have to prepare for a “low- emissions economy” in special industries as well as energy conservation.
But the loss of manufacturing jobs would not be the same blow it would have been a number of years ago, he said.
“The job losses in Geelong to Ford would have been catastrophic but over the years we have had other manufacturing and job programs.”