How a new Jet Zero-style Council, like one established in the UK, might operate has been the focus of industry roundtable discussions held by the federal government to understand what role the aviation sector can play in meeting national emissions-reduction targets.
Representatives from government, airline, aviation fuels, finance, research and manufacturing groups met on Tuesday to explore what a stronger and more sustainable future for the Australian aviation sector might look like.
The goal of the talkfest was to understand how the sector could grow jobs and advance national innovation goals given Australia’s path to net zero by 2050 plan.
In a statement, Catherine King said the concept of a Jet Zero-style council — essentially a peak group comprising ministers and C-suite executives from industry — complemented an aviation white paper currently in development. One of the white paper’s priorities is to leverage net-zero goals with sustainable aviation fuel and emerging technologies.
The minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government added that the partnership of the sector was key to achieving critical emissions reductions.
“Aviation accounted for about 9% of Australia’s transport emissions and 1.6% of total emissions in 2018-19,” King said.
“Because aviation is critical, it needs to be part of the low emissions future and that’s why we are working in partnership with the industry.”
At the Avalon Air Show today catching up with industry ahead of the Jet Zero Roundtable. pic.twitter.com/dn6U4SYGX8
— Catherine King MP (@CatherineKingMP) February 28, 2023
Consultations for the white paper are currently being led by the government, with submissions about the terms of reference accepted until 10 March.
“The government understands just how critical Australian aviation is to our way of life, as it connects families, friends and communities with each other, links businesses to markets, and underpins economically vital industries such as tourism,” King said.
The roundtable was hosted at the Australian International Airshow in Victoria’s Avalon Airport.
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