The following is an editorial by The Leader Of The Opposition, The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP 

Every element of Government policy should be focussed on effective measures which will ensure that employment in Australia remains high. 

On Friday we launched a new jobs website which gives all Australians the opportunity to tell us how they believe we can protect existing jobs and create new jobs.  The site is www.jobsforaustralia.com - check it out.

We are also holding meetings around Australia to discuss the economy and jobs with Australians from all backgrounds, but especially those in small and medium businesses.  Big business gets a very good hearing in Canberra, but all too often small business does not.

At our meeting at Parramatta in Sydney's West last Friday, it was very interesting to hear small business people saying that Government should make it easier for them to do business - they weren't focussed on subsidies, or handouts.  They wanted more freedom to get on with their business. Governments should pay their bills on time - examples were given of Governments - federal, state and local - sitting on invoices for 90 days or more and stringing out small businesses.  Governments should pay their bills promptly.  They also pointed to the mountains of unnecessary paperwork needed to tender for Government contracts - why can't tendering be standardised and done online?  And of course overlapping regulation which imposes huge compliance costs on business.

We will post more from our meetings and of course the views from the public on the Jobs for Australia website.

Jobs are also a central part of our Green Carbon Initiative .  On January 24 in a detailed speech, I described how with innovative and practical climate policies we can reduce CO2 emissions by much more than Mr Rudd is planning under his own policies and at the same time promote employment and investment - especially in rural and regional Australia.

“Our plan captures three gigantic opportunities for CO2 abatement that the Rudd Government has ignored:

·         A Green Carbon Initiative - a comprehensive biocarbon strategy of investing in the health of our landscape, restoring soil carbon by reversing over-grazing and excessive tillage, embedding CO2 in biochar, tree planting and revegetation;

·         Dramatically increasing energy efficiency, especially in buildings;

·         Constructing at least two industrial scale carbon capture and storage power stations, deploying industrial scale solar energy and geothermal energy and harnessing the energy of the oceans through tidal and wave power."

The speech is full of detailed references including costings and most of them are hyperlinked so it is easy to follow them up.  Already, our Green Carbon Initiative has had support from leading environmentalists like Tim Flannery who spoke enthusiastically about the potential for biochar on the ABC's 730 Report earlier this week.

Read my speech in full here.

Also this week and as part of our climate policy I announced that a Coalition Government would double the depreciation rate for energy and water efficiency measures in buildings.  Most energy efficiency measures in buildings are achievable at a negative net cost.  In other words they save money.  But too little is being done and in this climate there is the opportunity to create jobs and reduce CO2 emissions - another good case of a win win.

I announced the policy in Brisbane at the North Tower building in Green Square - a Leighton’s development which has one quarter of the carbon footprint of a comparable sized building using conventional technology.  The Green Building Council of Australia has warmly welcomed our initiative.

Read more about our policy on green buildings here.

Malcolm Turnbull

Leader of the Opposition

Federal Member for Wentworth