New Bill seeks to protect energy workers

The Palaszczuk government has taken the first steps towards enshrining its ambitious Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan in law, releasing draft legislation and calling for feedback.

The plan includes a Job Security Guarantee and Fund to secure energy workers’ access to jobs, training and financial assistance.

The draft legislation maps out a path for introducing 22 GW of new wind and solar projects by 2035, supported by grid-scale batteries and pumped hydro storage.

Independent analysis projects 100,000 jobs will be created through the transformation. The government said more than $62 billion of investment would be injected, with at least 95% of this in regional Queensland.

The draft Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Bill 2023 establishes the framework to provide clarity and certainty to consumers, workers, investors and industry.

Renewable energy targets will be legislated: 50% by 2030, 70% by 2032 and 80% by 2035.

The legislation will also support 100% ownership of Queensland’s powerline transmission and distribution network, as well as deep multi-day storage from the Borumba and Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro projects.

Queensland will also maintain its majority share of generation, currently averaging 54%, while there will be a strong role for the private sector in delivering renewables, other storage assets and innovative energy technologies.

The legislation set ups planning and governance frameworks to ensure an orderly transition — including Renewable Energy Zones, Queensland Energy System Advisory Board, Energy Industry Council and the Queensland Renewable Energy Jobs Advocate.

Views of stakeholders and community will refine the Bill, with definitions and methodology to be developed with unions, advocates, industry and investors, with engagement already underway.

Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni said, “These laws make real our commitment to 96% reduction in energy emissions by 2040 and the forecast of 100,000 Queensland jobs, the majority in regional Queensland.”

Enshrining public ownership in law would ensure Queenslanders continue to control the energy transition in the interests of reliability and affordability, De Brenni said.

“We started the development of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan by considering how we look after workers and the communities in which they live first, and these laws are designed to ensure only a change of government could take that away.”

The closing date for feedback is 23 June 2023.

For more information about the exposure draft of the Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Bill 2023, visit: https://www.epw.qld.gov.au/energyandjobsplan.

To read the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, visit About the plan | Department of Energy and Public Works.

Image credit: iStock.com/Thurtell