The Nationals’ Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, has used the findings and recommendations from a Parliamentary intern’s report to highlight the Allan Labor Government’s failures in the Latrobe Valley.
As part of the Victorian Parliamentary Internship Program, Monash student Skye Blackshaw was tasked with researching the socio-economic impacts of the impending closure of the Latrobe Valley’s coal-fired power stations.
“Skye did a power of work and research, and so many of her findings confirm what those of us in the Valley know but what Labor has ignored for nearly 11 years,” Mr Cameron said.
“One of the most damning findings is that: “the Latrobe Valley is not the focus of any government policy … causing its specific needs through the energy transition to be overlooked, despite being Gippsland’s most disadvantaged region.”
“In just three years the ageing Yallourn Power Station will close, and then Loy Yang A will shut in 2032, and Loy Yang B will follow soon after.
“These three power stations represent thousands of jobs and currently, on average, generate two-thirds of the state’s baseload power every day.
“The Premier and Minister for Energy claim they are forging ahead with Victoria’s energy transition, but they recklessly continue to ignore two stark realities.
“The first is that renewables, at the current rate of investment and construction, absolutely will not create enough baseload power in time for the closure of coal-fired power stations.
“The second is the fact that the Latrobe Valley has been completely neglected in talks about transition, despite being ground zero for energy generation.
“Labor is hell-bent on ripping out the industrial heart of our region – all without a single policy or plan to replace the thousands of jobs, and without a single policy or plan for our future after coal.
“This sustained neglect of the very region that will be hit hardest by its rushed transition is a complete failure of government.
“One of Skye’s recommendations couldn’t be clearer: “The Victorian Government should undertake firm, considered and prompt actions to facilitate long-term job opportunities, positive perceptions of community and increased health and wellbeing [in the Latrobe Valley]”.”
