Alex de Vos
More than 650 jobs will be lost in the Geelong region under Federal Government’s proposed carbon emissions trading scheme, according to a new report.
But federal Member for Corio Richard Marles defended the looming job losses, saying the trading scheme was “important for the future of Geelong manufacturing”.
The Council of Australian Federation report for the Victorian Government found that the cost of trading scheme to industry would cost 653 full-time jobs in Geelong.
The scheme would cost 126,000 jobs around Australia and 32,000 in Victoria.
Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson said the report was evidence the Government’s “rushed and bungled” emissions trading scheme would destroy the region’s economy.
“These job losses are the real and tangible results of the Rudd Government rushing ahead with an emissions trading scheme before we know what the rest of the world will do,” Mr Ronaldson said.
“The design of the Rudd scheme fails on all counts – it will cost jobs, kill investment and do very little, if anything to reduce carbon emissions”.
Mr Ronaldson urged the Government to defer a final vote on the proposed carbon emissions trading scheme until after a Copenhagen climate change conference in December.
“If the Government does not defer this vote it will be choosing to create unemployment,” Mr Ronaldson said.
“We will not accept Mr Rudd’s rushed and bungled scheme. It is a disaster.”
But Mr Marles warned that climate change posed a greater threat.
“Industry needs to come to terms with our carbon dependency and we will have no industry left at all if we don’t deal with this now,” he said.
“Man made carbon emissions do increase global temperatures – the science is certain.
“Our industry hugs the coast, rainfall is predicted to decline and our water storages are the lowest on record.
“It really is in Geelong’s interest and Australia’s interest to adopt the scheme.”