Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Ministers statements: women in renewable energy

Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:13): I rise on this International Women’s Day to update the house on the Andrews Labor government’s $11 million investment in solar industry training, which is supporting more women than ever into the workforce to deliver this government’s clean energy revolution. This past Sunday I was proud to announce the next phase of Solar Victoria’s Growing Our Clean Energy Workforce, which will focus on lifting participation of women in the renewables industry.

Women make up less than 1 per cent of the solar workforce. This package will offer subsidised apprenticeships, professional mentoring and access to ongoing education for Victorian women entering the solar industry. On Sunday I met with Mel, an RACV solar apprentice who left a career in hospitality to join the rapidly growing renewable energy workforce. Our support is inspiring the next generation of women in renewables, and will help us deliver 770 000 solar systems, making a huge contribution to halving our emissions by 2030 and supporting 5500 jobs.

Women are taking charge in the solar industry. The members for Wendouree and Buninyong will be pleased to hear about Livewire Electrical, an all-female business run by Kylie Slade that is providing solar installation services to the Ballarat region. Of her all-female team, not unlike here, Kylie says that she is showing the rest of the industry that everyone is equal and that we can all learn and grow together to improve the future. This is just another example of how we are creating thousands of jobs in renewable energy, which stands in stark contrast to those opposite. The opposition are climate cowards who cannot even own up to their own terrible voting record, let alone compete with us. Jobs in clean energy are the jobs of the future, not just jobs for men. These are safe, clean jobs—good jobs for women that only Labor will deliver.