In the same period, around 20,000 to 25,000 new jobs will appear in the construction, maintenance and operation of renewable power, Briggs said.

Politicians, too, are starting to adapt. Prime Minister Scott Morrison won the 2019 election in part because his defence of fossil fuel jobs helped secure decisive support in coal communities. Ahead of May’s election — with his government trailing the Labor Party in opinion polls — he’s still supporting coal, but also touting prospects for workers to win new roles in clean hydrogen.

Morrison announced funding on Tuesday for two planned hydrogen hubs in Western Australia that he said could create at least new 3,600 jobs.

There is a catch in the rush to new sectors. Most roles in solar and wind power promise only a fraction of the salaries in the minerals industry. Mining is in the blood in Australia, fostering almost every economic boom since the gold rushes of the 19th century.

“As a young fellow it made sense to go straight to the mines, trying to chase money,” said Dan Carey, who spent 12 years working in the remote iron ore hub of Port Hedland as well as the oil and gas town of Karratha in Western Australia.

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In January, in search of a better lifestyle, he became a service technician at a wind farm in Warradarge, a three-hour drive north of Perth. Now “it’s about enjoying the work,” Carey said. “In the mining world, everyone does sort of live for the money.”

For example, the starting salary for an operator at AGL Energy’s Loy Yang A coal power station in Victoria is about $164,500 while a technician for wind turbine builder Suzlon would earn between $100,000 and $120,000, according to recent Fair Work Commission enterprise agreements.

In mining there are also a raft of perks, that could include six weeks paid leave, subsidised housing and utilities, free holiday airline tickets and big bonuses. “It’s definitely going to be hard to retain people that have come from that world,” Carey said.

Also, while mining and coal power have provided work for generations of Australians, many new jobs in renewables are temporary.

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“The challenge is that there are hundreds of jobs in construction and only a handful of jobs in operations and maintenance,” said Anita Talberg, director of workplace development at the Clean Energy Council, an industry group. And some of the highest-skilled jobs in fossil fuels have no direct equivalent in renewables, she said.

Yet the sheer size of the energy transition will mean construction of large new solar and wind farms will continue for decades, steadily increasing the number of ongoing positions as the new plants come online.

Fossil fuel veterans are well positioned to prosper, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Staff on gas platforms typically have expertise suitable for offshore wind, while coal workers turned solar and oil reservoir engineers can use their knowhow for geothermal power.

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The nation’s first offshore wind farm, the Star of the South, is scheduled to open in 2028 in the Bass Strait, off the country’s southern coast. At about the same time, Hong Kong-based CLP Holdings will close the ageing Yallourn coal-fired plant nearby after more than 100 years of operation.

The wind project is aiming to capitalise on the pool of potential workers, and has sought talks about retraining opportunities. “You’ve got the workers with the skill sets,” said Erin Coldham, Star of the South’s chief development officer.

Bloomberg

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