In order for any offshore wind project to go ahead in Australia, new legislation needs to be developed. The government has finally begun this process, after it gave the Star of the South project in Victoria an exploration licence in March 2019.
In January 2020 the Commonwealth government began a consultation process for an Offshore Clean Energy Infrastructure Bill, to be presented to Parliament later in 2020.
The MUA worked closely with the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and other organisations to analyse the government’s proposals, and advocate for the best possible framework.
The joint MUA-ETU submission is available here.
It is essential that the legislation goes ahead, and it is a good first step that the government is proposing separate legislation to cover this important new industry (and not just amending the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act). But the key problem with the proposal is that it sees the government’s role as sitting back and waiting for private investors to do all the groundwork and make proposals to build projects. The government also proposes that offshore wind projects be regulated through NOPSEMA – the National Offshore Petroleum and Environmental Management Authority.
The joint MUA and ETU submission argues that government needs to take a much more active role in encouraging and developing projects. We also argue that work health and safety for offshore renewable workers should be regulated through the national harmonised WHS system. The submission outlines the reduced rights that workers have under the inferior system that NOPSEMA operates and NOPSEMA’s poor performance as a safety regulatory.
The government proposes that offshore renewable developers lodge a decommissioning bond to cover all future costs of decommissioning – even though this is not required for the offshore oil and gas industry (except in Victoria).
The ACTU supported the ETU and MUA submission with a letter available here.
Unfortunately the government says that ‘All submissions will be held in confidence’. As a result, we provide links below to other submissions to the Offshore Clean Energy Infrastructure Bill we are aware of:
- MUA/ETU joint submission
- Australian Congress of Trade Unions
- The Australia Institute
- Friends of the Earth (environmental campaign group)
- The Australian Wind Alliance (wind energy advocates including employers)
- The Clean Energy Council (peak body of renewable energy companies)
For more about the MUA’s work on offshore wind, just transition and the climate crisis see here.
