Government funding will support local manufacturing jobs, says AMWU

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) has praised the federal government’s announcement that it will help communities and families buy energy-efficient hot water systems and household goods, saying it will support local cleantech manufacturing jobs.

The Local Government Energy Efficiency Program and the Home Energy Saver Scheme both contain local content provisions, which mean councils and low-income families will receive support to buy Australian-made rather than imported products.

“[This] announcement is great news for our local hot water system manufacturers like Rheem and Dux in NSW, who produce high-quality solar and heat pump water systems,” said AMWU NSW Secretary Tim Ayres.

“These businesses have the skills, the experience and the capacity to deliver energy-efficient products to Australian communities and families. Now they will have some certainty into the future.”

The programs allocate funding remaining from the scrapped Solar Hot Water Rebate Scheme. The AMWU said it worked closely with the federal government to ensure there were local content provisions in the programs.

“We’ll be monitoring the rollout of these schemes to make sure the benefits flow through to local manufacturers and we’ll work with the businesses involved to make sure they use this opportunity to support good jobs,” Ayres said.

“It’s important to Australia’s economic future that governments at all levels work with industry and unions to support our capacity to manufacture high-quality, energy-efficient products. [This] announcement is a welcome step in that direction.”