Back in May the Australian government announced, with some fanfare, the establishment of the Net Zero Economy Agency. The announcement was well received in the Hunter. Unions, environmentalists, community leaders, the business community, all had lobbied for some years for the establishment of a body to transform our region away from coal.
The transition out of coal - we don't know the timing, but we do know it is inevitable - will be a momentous one for the Hunter region. New economic pathways need forging, traditional roles of towns and regional centres need restoring, rural landscapes need resuscitating, and natural environments recreated and nourished. The Hunter's transition is one of the greatest challenges this nation has ever faced.
A big task needs a big leader. Thankfully, the Net Zero Economy Agency will be headed by Greg Combet, a titan of the labour movement, a person of proven intelligence and compassion, with a history of winning strategy. Moreover, Combet has deep roots in the Hunter, having been the MP for the federal seat of Charlton, based around Lake Macquarie, from 2007 until 2013.
Thus far we know little about the agenda of the Net Zero Economy Agency, how it will do its work, and what resources it will have at its disposal. Since the announcement in May, there has been a worrying absence of detail. Hopefully, this is about to change. Next month, on October 25 at the National Press Club, Combet will for the first time speak in his capacity as chair of the agency. Like a minister's second reading speech to Parliament, Combet will have the opportunity to explain the purpose of the agency, detail its aspirations, and sketch a pathway for their satisfaction.
The transition to net zero, as we are all aware, will be as difficult as it is important. We can find clues in Combet's autobiography, The Fights of My Life (Melbourne University Press 2014) about the ingredients he sees as underpinning a successful transition. First, he says, there must be belief that what you are fighting for is right. Second, there must be solidarity among those on your team. Third, you need high quality planning and execution strategies.
Combet's book shows how these ingredients delivered successful outcomes in the struggle for union representation on the Australian waterfront, the battle for just compensation for asbestosis sufferers employed by the James Hardie group of companies, and the fight for workers rights threatened by the 'Work Choices' legislation of the John Howard Coalition government.
Combet went straight from successful ACTU leadership into federal Parliament as Member for Charlton in the Kevin Rudd Labor government in 2007. Combet was appointed parliamentary secretary for climate change with responsibility for development of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. However, Combet's scheme failed to pass the senate, primarily because of opposition by the Greens.
Combet was then appointed minister for climate change in 2010 in Julia Gillard's cabinet. Combet's task was delivery of Labor's Clean Energy Futures bill. Yet, although Combet successfully steered this package of climate change measures through both Houses of Parliament, the Clean Energy Futures package was swiftly overturned when the Tony Abbott Coalition government came to power in 2013.
In his book, Combet reveals his frustration with the failures of those Labor governments, particularly the disappointing results from his leadership on climate change. But since leaving Parliament Combet has once again shown extraordinary leadership in the Australian industry superannuation sector. Combet has been central in evolving Labor's superannuation system, bringing retirement savings to ordinary workers at a level envied by nations worldwide.
Yet, how to successfully transition out of fossil fuels remains unresolved. It is a problem Combet confronted as a minister but did not resolve. The problem has landed once more on Combet's desk. The Hunter will watch Combet's speech to the press gallery with great interest. We crave his success.
