The introduction of autonomous vehicles in Australia could threaten tens of thousands of jobs and significantly impact the economy, according to the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), which is calling on the federal government to restrict the rollout of driverless taxis.

The warning comes as American company Waymo is actively lobbying Australian governments to introduce its autonomous ride-hailing service. Waymo already operates thousands of driverless vehicles across the United States and has been pushing for trials in Australia. However, the TWU wants the federal government to pause the introduction of robotaxis until appropriate rules are introduced to protect both workers and the wider community.

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Research from the John Curtin Research Institute estimates that an unrestricted rollout of autonomous vehicles could threaten up to 85,600 Australian jobs, while putting $220 million in ride-share driver earnings at risk. The union has also raised the spectre of billions of dollars’ worth of economic activity being redirected away from Australia and towards foreign tech giants if the move goes ahead.

To help protect local workers, the TWU is proposing a ‘human driver guarantee’, which would require operators to allocate at least 95 per cent of jobs to human drivers initially, falling to 85 per cent over time. TWU national secretary Michael Kaine has warned the government against repeating what the union believes were mistakes made during the introduction of ride-sharing services such as Uber.

“Companies like Uber came to our shores and broke dozens of laws, trashing Australian jobs in the process, and we spent a decade catching up,” Kaine said.

The union’s concerns have some public support, with a YouGov survey quoted by the TWU finding that 70 per cent of Australians oppose fully automated taxis and trucks, while 75 per cent support government intervention to protect transport jobs.

However, the technology is gaining political backing despite the opposition. NSW Premier Chris Minns has previously expressed support for a Sydney robotaxi trial, arguing that “we can’t live in the past” and saying he would be willing to travel in a driverless cab.

Waymo has confirmed it has been engaging with Australian officials to explain its technology and advocate for regulations that would allow it to operate locally. But while fully driverless taxis are already operating commercially in parts of the United States and China, there is currently no confirmed date for their introduction in Australia.