The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) welcomes Labor's energy policy announcement as an important move towards maintaining energy security, promoting the further development of renewables and dealing with climate change.
"Finally, we have an energy policy that isn't based on pandering to the extreme right and climate change deniers," said AMWU National President Andrew Dettmer.
"The Coalition has been in denial for far too long and has comprehensively failed to address rising energy costs, it has done nothing to promote the renewables industry and Scott Morrison is not meeting our international carbon reduction targets," Mr Dettmer said.
"Australia needs policy support for the renewables industry and more investment in the sector as we move to a greater reliance on the full range of renewables to meet our future energy needs."
As the union representing manufacturing workers, the AMWU supports moves to utilise Australia's large deposits of lithium to manufacture lithium batteries here rather than ship raw materials overseas.
"We can become an important global manufacturer of lithium batteries which will become more important as the demand for residential batteries increases. Instead of relying on the market to dictate where our lithium is processed, the AMWU believes Australia's resources belong to the Australian people who should benefit directly from the job creation opportunities that comes with setting up a new local industry."
"Australia already has an established manufacturer of wind generators and there is potential to grow that industry as well."
