Chief Executive Officer of Industry Capability Network (ICN) National office, Warren Jansen has welcomed the Regional Institute of Australia’s (RAI) report “Towards Net Zero: Transition Pathways in Regional Australia”.
“With a number of manufacturing businesses based in regional areas, it’s pleasing to see recognition of the unique challenges and barriers regional businesses face in the net zero future,” Mr Jansen said.
“The transition framework checklist particularly helpful as it details 7 preconditions for effective transition. This will allow regional businesses, communities and councils map their pathway to net zero.”
ICN has been helping regional manufacturing business tap into major projects for 40 years and in that time has seen many changes to the operating environment.
“The transition to net zero is probably one of the biggest challenges the manufacturing industry has seen since the introduction of the GST more than 2 decades ago.,” Mr Jansen said.
“While it obviously has major implications for heavy industry, as well as oil and gas, it’s pleasing to note that the regional businesses, many of who work in the manufacturing sector, have not been ignored. ”
The report is the first of 4 from the RIA that investigate issues affecting regions as Australia moves towards net zero emissions by 2050.
In a press release announcing the release of two of the four reports, RAI CEO Liz Ritchie said the focus to date had been on the country’s major fossil fuel producing regions.
These reports aimed to fill this gap by providing information for small and single industry communities.
“The net zero transition will deliver a fundamental change to the way regional economies operate. Our research has found there is a deep thirst for information specific to how a low-carbon future will play out in a regional context,” Ms Ritchie said.
“Get it wrong, and vulnerable communities will likely depopulate, encounter higher levels of unemployment, and face poor health outcomes.
“This new research delivers that knowledge, and the transition checklist provides an invaluable starting point for those wanting to prioritise their next steps into this new future.”
Ms Ritchie said the checklist would help regional communities and businesses identify the most important aspects of a good regional transition.
“Regional Australia will play an integral and critical role in the nation’s passage towards net zero. The regions will be where key renewable energy projects and associated infrastructure are built and where tens of thousands of workers will be based to build and operate these power sources.
“This is the first research which looks in detail at how regional communities themselves will transition. We need to ramp up our preparations for this once-in-a-generation change now,” Ms Ritchie said.
The second report, “Towards Net Zero: Decarbonising Pivotal Industries in Regional Australia”, was released at the same time, with the others due later this year.
The reports were funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Communications and the Arts; the Victorian Government Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions; the South Australian Government Department of Primary Industries and Regions; the Western Australian Government Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development; and the Queensland Government Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.
