Unions deny ETS will cost mining jobs

The federal government's emissions trading scheme (ETS) has found an unlikely ally
in Australia's peak mining and energy union.
The Minerals Council of Australia on Friday suggested Labor's minimum emissions
reduction target of five per cent of 2000 levels would cost almost 24,000 mining
jobs over the next 10 years.
However, the CFMEU has hit back at the claims, accusing big business of using scare
tactics to thwart the government's attempts to tackle climate change.
National president of the CFMEU's mining and energy arm Tony Maher said his
examination of the council's findings actually showed mining jobs in Queensland
would increase by 120 per cent by 2030, and by 60 per cent in NSW over the same
period.
"The reality is that employment in the mining sector will continue to be strong," Mr
Maher said.
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said she expected similar studies to emerge as
interest groups vied to influence the debate.
"As we lead into this legislation there will be people from all sides of this
debate, there will be stakeholders and there will be vested interests, pushing for
either more assistance or for a change in policy," she told ABC Radio.
"This is going to continue between now and the day of the vote."
Ms Wong said the only comprehensive modelling on the impacts of the government's
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) were carried out by Treasury last year.
"What that showed was employment growth in all major employment sectors in the years
ahead, even with the introduction of a scheme," she said.
But the council's report was good enough fodder for the coalition, whose emissions
trading design spokesman Andrew Robb said it proved the scheme's fatal flaw.
"The Minerals Council's research is just the latest in a series of revelations that
show that tens of thousands of jobs will be lost with no environmental benefit if
the flawed scheme is forced through (parliament)," he said.
The council's projections came as a Senate economics committee began analysing
Labor's 11 pieces of CPRS legislation in Canberra.
Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce criticised the inquiry's June 15 reporting date,
saying it was too soon to draw up detailed recommendations based on the hearings.
"We've received something that's just slightly bigger than War and Peace, 1,300
pages, that's been launched on our desk," Senator Joyce told reporters before
entering the committee room.
Inside, Business Council of Australia policy director Maria Tarrant said her
organisation was also sifting through the details of the legislation.
"We need to know that the scheme does not include the risk of reducing
competitiveness or ... deferral of investment or business closures and job losses,"
she said via teleconference from Melbourne.
"Once the detail is right we would like to see the legislation passed this year so
businesses are clear about what is expected of them and so that they can plan for
the impacts of the CPRS."
While the government's climate change adviser Professor Ross Garnaut remained
critical of some aspects of the scheme during his evidence to the committee, he said
Labor's decision to slash emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 pending a strong
international agreement was reason to approve the bills.
"The government's done that and my assessment is that it now would be clearly a
positive for this bill to be passed into law," he said.