THE Victorian and Commonwealth Governments are being urged to back the emerging offshore wind sector in a move that could drastically reduce carbon emissions while providing quality jobs for workers who are already being impacted by the transition out of fossil fuel industries.

In a joint report launched by the Victorian Trades Hall Council this morning, unions from the maritime, energy and manufacturing sectors have outlined a series of steps to not only encourage the use of offshore wind to reduce carbon emissions, but take advantage of the emerging industry to diversify the job opportunities for workers and communities which are currently reliant on coal, oil and gas.

Putting the ‘Justice’ in ‘Just Transition’: Tackling inequality in the new renewable economy focuses on the Star of the South project, Australia’s first proposed offshore wind farm which would use 250 turbines between 10 and 25km off the Gippsland coast to generate up to 20 percent of Victoria’s electricity.

The report, produced by the Maritime Union of Australia, Victorian Trades Hall Council, Gippsland Trades and Labour Council, Electrical Trades Union, and Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, outlines the steps required to not only support the development of this emerging sector, but to ensure it delivers positive outcomes to communities reliant on fossil fuel industries.

The report recommends:
• the Commonwealth establish an energy transition authority to work with states and regions, develop a stand-alone Offshore Renewables Act, and create an agency responsible for facilitating the development of offshore renewable energy in Commonwealth waters;
• the development of offshore and onshore renewable energy master plans that incorporate assessments of supply chains, procurement and infrastructure;
• ensuring renewable energy financing, targets, contracts, licensing and approvals require the maximising of local jobs, including planning for direct redeployment of workers from fossil fuel industries;
• the Victorian Government establish a just transition group to ensure a well-planned energy transition with the best possible social outcomes by formally consulting with relevant stakeholders including trade unions, employers and communities;
• maximising the social benefit of the Star of the South project by requiring local design, manufacturing, and construction;
• funding of appropriate training and retraining through local TAFEs, along with minimum apprentice ratios; and
• maximising the number of jobs available by ensuring good rosters and reasonable hours of work.

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari said addressing climate change must be a priority and political leadership is required to ensure workers and communities currently reliant on fossil fuels weren’t thrown on the scrap heap.

“This transition must be managed in a way that ensures workers and their communities are put front and centre, with clear plans to support workers into new, quality jobs in the manufacturing, construction, and maintenance of renewable energy infrastructure, when companies make decisions to close businesses,” Mr Hilakari said.

MUA deputy national secretary Will Tracey said Australia already had highly skilled seafarers and offshore oil and gas workers, capable of constructing offshore wind projects

“Political inaction has seen the decline of Australia’s shipping industry, while the growing shift away from fossil fuels threatens the jobs of skilled workers in the offshore oil and gas sectors,” Mr Tracey said.

“The development of an offshore wind industry gives us the opportunity to transition those highly-skilled workers into the important work of delivering Australia’s clean energy future.”

AMWU Victorian secretary Tony Mavromatis said the implementation of appropriate planning and procurement policies could provide a boon for local manufacturing.

“A renewables sector that relies on bringing in equipment from overseas provides limited economic benefits, but if governments put in place requirements for the use of local content we would see a massive boost in local manufacturing jobs,” Mr Mavromatis.

“By not only fostering the development of offshore wind farms, but actively ensuring these towers and turbines are produced locally, the environmental benefits would be matched by economic and social outcomes.”

Gippsland Trades and Labour Council secretary Steve Dodd said the poorly managed power privatisation and the abrupt closure of the Hazelwood power station and coal mine had a devastating impact on the community.

“The closures in the Latrobe Valley are examples of how not to manage a transition, and we need to learn from those mistakes,” Mr Dodd said.

“But the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council, with the support of the Latrobe Valley Authority and the Victorian Government, has been able to train 2,000 workers and help most into new jobs.

“We need to continue this work with the Star of the South project, and show working people that it is possible to undertake major industry reform that puts workers and their communities at its heart by ensuring future low emissions jobs are good union jobs.”

Putting the ‘Justice’ in ‘Just Transition’: Tackling inequality in the new renewable economy: www.mua.org.au/sites/mua.org.au/files/uploads/Submissions/2019%20just%20transition%20offshore%20wind%20report%20FINAL.pdf

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THE Federal Court has disqualified Sydney man David Iannuzzi from practising as a registered liquidator for a period of 10 years.

This is the first time the ATO has initiated Federal Court proceedings using Corporations Act provisions to take on the facilitators of schemes designed to avoid paying tax.

The Federal Court found that Mr Iannuzzi, as the sole director of Veritas Advisory Pty Limited, had been systemically negligent in his responsibilities as a liquidator over an extended period of time and across more than 23 companies.

The Federal Court found that Mr Iannuzzi’s "systemic conduct was certainly reckless; it fell very far short of the conduct that was to be expected of him; it demonstrates that he failed to observe the obligations of candour on him with regard to disclosing relevant circumstances to creditors; it reflects poorly on his character; and it demonstrates that he is not a fit and proper person to remain registered as a liquidator".

ATO Assistant Commissioner Aislinn Walwyn said the outcome demonstrated that the ATO will take firm action to hold facilitators of illegal phoenix activity to account and take steps to remove them from the business environment where they have acted negligently.

“Our taxation and superannuation systems rely on the integrity of industry professionals, including insolvency practitioners,” Ms Walwyn said.

Illegal phoenix activity is when a company is deliberately liquidated, wound up or abandoned to defeat creditors, leaving its debts behind. Its assets are shifted to the controllers or to a new entity that begins trading, often under a similar name.

“Illegal phoenix activity affects the whole community. It rips off creditors and employees and reduces the amount of revenue that could be collected to fund essential community services,” Ms Walwyn said.

A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2018 estimated the economic impact of potential illegal phoenix activity to be up to $5.13 billion per year. This includes small businesses and individual contractors or suppliers who are left unpaid, employees who haven’t been paid their entitlements, and all Australian taxpayers who ultimately bear the burden of unrecovered tax debts left behind by phoenix activity

The ATO leads the 37-member Phoenix Taskforce, which aims to protect public finances, as well as honest businesses and employees, by deterring and reducing illegal phoenix activity.

lllegal phoenix activity can be reported at www.ato.gov.au/tipoff or phone 1800 060 062.

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A NEW REPORT, to be released today, will urge the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments to back the emerging offshore wind sector in a move that could drastically reduce carbon emissions while providing quality jobs for workers transitioning out of fossil fuel industries.

In a joint report launched by the Victorian Trades Hall Council, unions from the maritime, energy and manufacturing sectors will outline a series of steps to not only encourage the use of offshore wind to reduce carbon emission, but take advantage of the emerging industry to diversify the job opportunities for workers and communities which are currently reliant on coal, oil and gas.

Putting the ‘Justice’ in ‘Just Transition’: Tackling inequality in the new renewable economy focuses on the Star of the South project, Australia’s first proposed offshore wind farm which would use 250 turbines between 10-25km off the Gippsland coast to generate up to 20 percent of Victoria’s electricity.

The report, produced by the Maritime Union of Australia, Victorian Trades Hall Council, Gippsland Trades and Labour Council, Electrical Trades Union, and Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, outlines the steps required to not only support the development of this emerging sector, but to ensure it delivers positive outcomes to communities reliant on fossil fuel industries.

Workers from fossil fuel industries who would like to transition into a new offshore wind sector will also be available for media interviews.

Launch: Putting the Justice in ‘Just Transition’

When: 10:30am, Friday 8 November 2019

Where: VTHC, 54 Victoria St, Carlton

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has welcomed the Federal Government’s move to pay e-invoices within five days or pay interest on late payments.

The five day e-invoicing payment policy applies to contracts valued up to $1 million, where both the lead contractor and federal government agency both use e-invoicing.

“This is a game-changer for e-invoicing small businesses that are directly engaged in a contract with a federal government agency,” Ms Carnell said.

“The next step would be to apply this to businesses right down the supply chain. Our Small Business Counts report shows that late payments continue to hamper small business viability, with half of all small businesses reporting late payments on 40% of their invoices," she said.

“This policy will improve cash flow for small businesses so they have the confidence and the capital to re-invest. We encourage small and family businesses to adopt e-invoicing and make the most of the benefits that flow from that, including reduced administration costs and fewer processing and handling errors.

“We know that around 1.2 billion invoices are exchanged in Australia every year. Research shows it costs about $30 to process a paper invoice and about $9 per e-invoice, a significant saving," Ms Carnell said.

“Around 20 percent of traditional invoices are sent to the wrong person and about 30 percent contain incorrect information – delaying payment. In fact, research shows the Australian economy would benefit to the tune of $28 billion over a decade, if all businesses switched to e-invoicing.

“This Federal Government e-invoicing payment initiative sets a benchmark for all states, teritories and big business to follow.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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