Australian workers want urgent action on climate change with more than 11,000 signing a petition supporting a price on carbon within a fortnight.
The ACTU along with WWF-Australia will today hand the first part of the petition to Climate Change Minister Greg Combet to show there is strong support from working Australians for a price on pollution.
“The people who have signed this petition are the silent majority of Australians who care about the nation’s future and are not fooled by Tony Abbott’s scare campaign,” said ACTU President Ged Kearney.
“It’s evident that people understand that immediate action is imperative to a sustainable economy and environment. As Professor Ross Garnaut pointed out last week, delaying action will only mean more costs in the future, costs in terms of jobs and real growth in our economy.
“Action on climate change will help unlock jobs through investments in renewable technologies that would otherwise be economically uncompetitive. Unions will advocate on behalf of workers to protect their jobs and communities. We want to ensure that there is a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy.
“People are sick and tired of Tony Abbott’s scaremongering and his attempts to stall the inevitable and necessary transition to a low-carbon economy.
“This transition will also mean a mass mobilisation of capital and jobs and we’re in continuous dialogue with the government to ensure that existing jobs are protected and that workers are trained and re-skilled to qualify them for the new creation of jobs.”
WWF-Australia Head of Climate Change Kellie Caught said:
“We know that putting a price on pollution is not just about protecting the environment and our wildlife, it is about creating jobs, it’s about technological progress, it’s about Australia remaining competitive as we move to a low-polluting world.
“Today marks the beginning of our campaign to support action to reduction our pollution.
“So far we have thousands of signatures from Australians who say yes to a price on pollution, say yes to protecting our wildlife and environmental icons, and say yes to progress” said Ms Caught.
Ms Kearney said the petition would continue to be available at
www.rightsatwork.com.au/Home/Campaigns/Petition.aspx?documentId=1486
“Working Australians are now standing up for a secure future, and the 11,000 signatures collected on this petition is only a small sample of workers collected over a fortnight,” Ms Kearney said. “We will be continuing our petition and campaign for strong action on climate change.
Media contacts
ACTU: Ben Ruse 0407 030 808
WWF: Jonathon Larkin 0410 221 410
