According to new poll data from the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), the majority of Australians believe it is important for a country to have domestic manufacturing capacity for its important supply.
China’s growing aggressiveness in the region, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to overwhelming community concerns about Australia’s sovereign production capacity.
According to poll data from more than 1,000 Australians collected by Dynata in early March, 72% believed that it was “very important” for Australia to be able to produce its own significant supplies.
Approximately 80% of respondents were also concerned that important foreign-made supplies such as masks and rapid antigen testing were difficult to procure because they were manufactured abroad.
“It is correct for the Prime Minister to identify sovereign production capacity as an important area of public policy, but due to bureaucratic formalism and excessive government intervention, it is almost impossible to make anything in Australia today. There is, “said IPA Daniel Wilde’s research director. ..
The IPA estimates that bureaucratic formalism will result in a loss of $ 176 billion (US $ 132 billion) in economic production each year.
“Breaking bureaucracy is for Australia’s ability to operate, defend and drive economic recovery from COVID-19 as an advanced first world country. It’s mission-critical, “said Wild.
Australia’s efforts to reach its zero emissions target by 2050 were incompatible with the desire to increase sovereign capacity, Wild said.
This comes after another IPA survey that found that 61% of Australians believe the federal government should focus on defense rather than achieving its net zero emissions target by 2050. increase.
“Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions is no longer just an economic concern. Mainstream Australians understand that it is also a threat to our defense,” Wild said. .. “As the Asia-Pacific region becomes more and more uncertain and hostile, Australia must face the fact that energy security is national security.”
An early IPA study found that by 2050 the Net Zero policy, up to 653,600 jobs would be at risk and unemployment would be concentrated in agriculture, coal mining and heavy industry.
Meanwhile, environmental groups claim that renewable energy will provide new jobs for growing industries.
Clean energy exports work report From October 2021 commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Australian Business Council, and other groups, it has been found that Australia will be able to obtain 395,000 additional green energy jobs by 2040.
The Climate Council is wondering why Australia continues to rely on fossil fuels for energy, even though renewables can provide jobs without carbon dioxide emissions.
“Does this government not understand what part of the gas is polluted fossil fuels? This plan is catastrophic. The science is very clear. To avoid climate catastrophe. Fossil fuels are ground. We have to stay inside, “said Simon Bradshaw, Head of Research for the Climate Council, on November 26, 2021.
The government’s “technology-driven” plan to achieve net zero by 2050 points out that gas is important for maintaining the stability of the energy grid.
Australia’s technological focus is on renewable energy, which will generate nearly one-third of the energy across the national electricity market covering all jurisdictions except the Northern Territory and Western Australia in the year to March 2022. Brought.
“Last year, Australia invested $ 7.4 billion, or $ 284 per person, in renewable energy,” said Energy Minister Angus Taylor. “This gives us an edge over countries such as Canada, Germany, Japan, France, China and the United States on a per capita basis.”
Daniel Khmelev contributed to this article.
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Rebecca Zhu is based in Sydney. She focuses on local Australian news and New Zealand national affairs. Do you have a hint? Contact her at [email protected]