Clean State Jobs Breakthrough Moment

We have an update on the latest developments on climate action in Western Australia, some of which are exciting and some of which are concerning. We have had some recent breakthroughs which would not have been possible without your support.

Here is a quick refresh on what we have been up to before this point:

• Back in April, hundreds of people started signing on to an open letter to Mark McGowan calling for a Clean State Jobs Plan for WA
• We knew we were starting to cut through when CCWA Director Piers Verstegen was appointed to the McGowan government’s COVID-19 Recovery Advisory Group, giving us a direct way to influence the Government’s recovery plans
• To make the most of the opportunity, our research and policy team quickly pulled together recommendations to create over 200,000 jobs through action on climate change, renewable energy and conservation and care economies
• We sent copies of this plan to every Minister, Member of Parliament and government agency, prompting organisations from charities to business groups to partner with us to promote the initiatives, such as the ambitious proposal to create 15,000 new energy-efficient and solar-powered social housing dwellings.
• The proposals soon started to attract media attention, and we had great stories in news outlets around the state
• Recent polling of everyday West Australians asking where recovery efforts should be focussed showed overwhelming support for renewable energy, conservation and the care economy, with little support for handouts to the fossil gas industry

As of late, we are starting to see some results. In recent days the McGowan government has announced COVID-19 recovery initiatives that take concrete steps towards delivering our Clean State jobs plan, including:

• A program to put solar panels on social housing dwellings
• $60 million for renewable energy and battery projects around the state
• $60 million for conservation projects in regional areas
• $17 million for batteries and solar in the Kimberley, including in First Nations communities
• $15 million to boost emergency services and fire brigades who are dealing with the impacts of climate change

We are optimistic that there will be more positive announcements to come. There are so many opportunities to create jobs by scaling up these and other initiatives that deliver action on climate change. In the meantime, these announcements show our advocacy is having an impact, and that your support is making a huge difference.

Let Premier McGowan know he is on to a good thing and he should do more!

But it's not all good news. Earlier this week, the federal government announced that it would fast track approvals for a series of damaging and polluting new projects, including the Woodside Burrup Hub LNG mega-project in the Pilbara. This project would be the most polluting fossil fuel project in Australia’s history and would deliver less than one job for every ten million dollars in investment. It would cost real jobs in clean industries and renewable energy.

While the Morrison Government wants to push polluting projects from Canberra, we are doing everything we can to prevent these projects from going ahead. Earlier this year, we lobbied until over half of Woodside shareholders voted in favour of resolutions to do more on climate change at the company AGM. We will continue to lobby Woodside shareholders until we see some real commitment on climate action including abandoning their plans for the Burrup Hub. We have commissioned teams of marine scientists and legal experts to scrutinise the assessment process so that no stone is left unturned in preventing these projects from going ahead.

We want to assure you that we are continuing to fight for climate action and against polluting projects at every stage and that your support continues to make all the difference. 

Making a regular contribution of $5 a month will sustain our work in the lead up to the State election in March 2021 and provide resourcing for volunteers to continue advocating in their local communities for a Clean Jobs Plan for WA.

Click here to become a regular donor.

We know this is a lot of information to take in. If you have any queries, feel free to get in touch with our team.