The first part of the Australian government’s Future Made in Australia legislation passed through the Senate last month, setting up a national interest framework. But the legislation divided Parliament. On one side, Labor argued the policy will help Australia build resilience to the sorts of supply chain disruptions we saw during COVID-19 and invest in local communities and jobs. On the other side, the Coalition argued the policy amounts to the government “picking winners” and “corporate welfare”. Singled-out is the Australian government’s $1 billion commitment to subsidising the manufacturing of solar panels.
Good to see Australia taking a sane approach. The US effectively banning solar imports for industry protectionism is straight up climate science denial. We don’t have time for protectionism.