Government-backed clean manufacturing gets public tick
Seven in 10 Australians support the government spending on renewable energy to provide cheap power to manufacturing facilities.
The same survey, commissioned by Renew Australia for All, found public support for privatizing energy infrastructure was much lower.
The survey follows the launch of “Sovereign Power”, a proposal for a Commonwealth-owned entity to build, own and operate renewable energy projects to provide low-cost energy to a predominantly energy-intensive manufacturing base.
field A report from the Electrical Trades Union and the McKell Institute framed a national energy agency in comparison to a series of haphazard bailouts given to aluminum smelters and other heavy industrial companies struggling to withstand high energy prices.
Three-quarters of nearly 4000 Australians surveyed believe the government should play a greater role in building and operating energy infrastructure, according to the survey conducted by 89 Degrees East.
Less than a quarter believed that privatization of the energy sector would benefit the country.
89 Degrees East research director Rebecca Huntley said support for government-backed green manufacturing was “pretty high” but the public tended to approve of the social benefits from major infrastructure projects.
However, support for green production and the broader energy transition has increased, particularly as conflict in the Middle East has exposed vulnerabilities in fossil fuel supply chains, he told AAP.
ETU national secretary Michael Wright said current policy interventions were not well targeted at solving the energy bottlenecks facing heavy industry.
A publicly traded clean energy utility can help close this gap.
“This is better, longer-term industry aid than what is currently being put in place,” Mr Wright told AAP.
The utility proposal, launched at the National Press Club in June, will support the existing Made in Australia Future plan to promote green industries, including green steel, aluminum and critical minerals.
Cheap energy will be provided to producers through long-term power purchase agreements, and government borrowing at low cost to finance solar and wind farms will be central to the affordability promise.
Redirecting unused funds from the National Reconstruction Fund was presented as an option for the first Commonwealth capital injection.
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