Support Offshore Wind Farms and Put the Justice in Just Transition

We the undersigned support the campaign to make the Star of the South offshore wind project in Victoria the best possible example of a just transition, that includes:
1. Maximising local jobs and manufacturing
2. Ensuring good union jobs
3. Maximising the number of jobs available by ensuring good rosters, reasonable hours of work, and good leave ratios
4. A job guarantee and no forced redundancies for workers from fossil fuel industries
5. Training should be funded and provided through local TAFEs
6.Apprenticeship ratios, including recruitment of women and Aboriginal workers
7. Ensuring the right infrastructure is in place
8. Ensuring community engagement and development
9. Safety codes of practice to cover new industries

Achieving these measures will require campaigning, union agreements, support and planning from the Commonwealth and state governments. Just Transition Authorities must be set up at a state and Commonwealth level, and we must continue to support the good work of the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council and the LaTrobe Valley Authority in training and placing workers in new jobs.

Licensing and approvals at a state and Commonwealth level should include these requirements.

The Commonwealth government must also urgently develop a stand-alone Offshore Renewables Act, and offshore renewable energy must be planned and regulated as part of the electricity system that these projects will be a part of. The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is not the appropriate regulator for offshore renewable energy.