Media release

Government only cares about jobs if they’re in coal

​THE Australian Wind Alliance has accused the Abbott Government of prioritizing hypothetical coal jobs over real renewable energy jobs.

National Co-ordinator Andrew Bray described the government’s recent comments depicting its plan to restrict environmental groups from mounting legal challenges to environmental approvals as being about protecting jobs as the height of hypocrisy.

“More than a million jobs were created in renewables globally last year and in 2014, almost 2500 Australians lost their jobs as a result of Tony Abbott’s continual attacks on renewable energy,” he said.

“Those are real jobs, not hypothetical jobs promised by a coal company who was later forced to admit in court that their jobs figures were massively overstated.

“Complaining about the loss of hypothetical jobs while destroying real renewable energy jobs is proof this government only cares about jobs if they’re in coal.

“When Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey say they don’t like the look of wind turbines, what they’re really saying is that they don’t like the look of wind jobs. Because that’s what a thriving wind industry would bring to regional communities all over Australia.”

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