Moreland Welcomes Green Jobs
May 06, 2010
MEFL Media Release 4 May 2010
Victoria's new Green Jobs Action Plan is great news for Moreland and Victoria, according to the Moreland Energy Foundation (MEFL).
The Foundation's Chief Executive Officer Paul Murfitt said the Action Plan will accelerate the essential shift to a more sustainable economy.
"The best thing about this package is the clear recognition that tackling climate change will involve a transformation of our economy, which will bring major opportunities for creating new jobs in sustainable industries" he said.
"Moreland is well placed to make the most of these opportunities, because our community has already begun to transform its economy by creating successful green businesses and more sustainable lifestyles."
"Our own projects and research have demonstrated the financial savings readily available through energy efficiency and low-carbon distributed energy generation, this Action Plan will help communities like ours across the state to capture that value locally."
Mr Murfitt says the City of Moreland, in Melbourne's inner north, will benefit directly from a number of the initiatives announced by the Premier last week:
"The redevelopment of central Coburg - The Coburg Initiative - has the potential to showcase the benefits of this Green Jobs package" he said.
"The Coburg Initiative aims to be a best-practice example of sustainable urban development, so the project will need the skills of a multitude of green tradespeople and professionals."
"The development also aims to attain a Six Star sustainability standard (or above) so it will benefit from the streamlined Green Door planning approval process."
"The decision to adopt mandatory six star rating for all new homes is a step towards the 7 to 8 Star rating recommended by environment groups in the Towards Climate Safe Homes report last year"
"We would also urge the Government to initiate a large-scale household retrofit program to improve the sustainability of existing housing stock. This would be an opportunity to build on this package and achieve huge sustainability outcomes while building even more green jobs" he concluded.
For comment contact:
Paul Murfitt, Chief Executive Officer
Mobile 0409 667 123
For media assistance contact:
Louise Matthiesson, Communications Manager
Mobile 0406 041
