With a focus on sustainability and clean energy, a comprehensive plan could revitalise the economy and forge a path out of the COVID-19 crisis, across Ballarat and Australia.
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The Million Jobs Plan points to several ways Australia can create new, short- and long-term jobs, by focusing on renewable and zero-carbon initiatives across everything from social housing and research, to mining and heavy manufacturing.
Written by Beyond Zero Emissions, a think tank that previously authored the Grampians New Energy Taskforce's Roadmap To Zero Emissions report, the Million Jobs Plan states more than one million jobs can be created in Australia within five years.
It'll need a lot of co-operation from private industry, governments of all levels, and grassroots communities, but the estimates are within reason.
Here in Ballarat, which experienced a shock loss of almost 6000 jobs because of the coronavirus, the principles explored in the document could point to the way forward, combined with other industries like mining and the medical research sector.
The Committee for Ballarat hosted a seminar with former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week, which helped to lay out its future priorities.
The committee's chief executive, Michael Poulton, said the Million Jobs Plan showed national leadership, and "could not have come at a better time".
"The Million Jobs Plan provides the framework for us to build forward, (with) a new economy, post COVID-19, that deploys our already existing technology at scale and become a world leader in the use of renewable energy," he said in a statement.
"The Million Jobs Plan can deliver a stronger and more sustainable economy that utilises the abundance of natural and renewable resources we have available to us, including our labour force capability and our advanced technology."
Ideas discussed in the plan include investing in building electric buses to replace existing fleets, creating more jobs in manufacturing and eventually driving; revegetating 55 million hectares of land over 10 years to potentially create up to 40,000 jobs and cut Australia's emissions by 5 per cent; and encouraging investment in new techniques for extracting hydrogen and smelting aluminium.
There's also a focus on using sustainable materials and techniques to build tens of thousands of social housing units, all powered with renewable energy to bring costs down for the residents.
"Building energy-efficient social housing addresses the affordability of both housing and energy. It is a long-term investment in infrastructure that can help revive a flagging construction sector, creating jobs more quickly than major road or rail projects. Boosting social housing should be a high priority of any economic stimulus package," the plan states.
Closer to Ballarat, there is vast potential in energy generation and electricity transmission - hundreds of wind turbines have been built close to the city, with hundreds more on the way across western Victoria.
The Western Victoria Transmission Network Project, which will eventually install high-voltage lines to connect these generators to the grid, has faced some controversy from landholders, but is required to unlock more capacity.
A niche being explored in Ballarat is training up technicians and mechanics to work on the turbines themselves - at many projects, turbines are estimated to have about a 40-year lifespan, with regular maintenance.
At Federation TAFE, Bill Mundy is pushing for that maintenance to be performed by people trained in Ballarat.
The TAFE has been offering pilot courses in turbine maintenance for students who already have a trade qualification - electricians and automotive mechanics, for example.
It's certified by the Global Wind Organisation, and has strong links with industry already operating in the region.
Mr Mundy said about 90 per cent of graduates have found jobs in the wind industry so far.
"We're looking to start again in the second half of the year, we have students who attend that course from right around Australia," he said, noting the institution had big plans in the sector.
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"We're investigating an apprenticeship pathway for blade repair technicians, that's under way, and if we do achieve that, it will be the first apprenticeship pathway for blade turbine technicians in Australia.
"The more detailed course we're investigating would run for six months, post-trade qualified, and would prepare you directly for employment - what we know for sure is we work closely with industry, and industry's keen to take people who have done a good six months learning about the maintenance of a wind turbine.
"That's not where we stop - as an organisation, we're looking to provide pathways for higher education as well, graduate certificates and masters degrees focused on renewable energy sector to gain skills to enter the industry.
"Finally, we're working towards the delivery of another GWO course, basic safety training, and over time we hope to deliver that as well from a high-risk training centre that will hopefully develop at the Mount Helen campus.
"Support from government would be welcomed to enable us to complete our ambitions - it's good for the region, and good for employment in our town."
Thousands of other jobs, in solar panel installation and maintenance, and wind turbine component construction, could also be created - the Million Jobs Plan calls for 90 gigawatts of renewable electricity in the next five years, which would mean an estimated 9000 jobs across the country.
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Mr Poulton said the plan would help the committee achieve its goal of moving towards a sustainable region, carbon neutral, driven by 100 per cent renewable energy.
"The opportunity is now to combine ambition with investment and a multi-stakeholder approach to a new world economy," he said.
"The clock is ticking and it may be the last chance for Australia to be the influential player it can be. We have the capacity to be a world superpower in the generation, use and export of renewable energy. Let's not miss the opportunity."
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