Wednesday, 13 August 2025

Latrobe Valley employment

Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (19:15): (1259) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Premier, and the action I seek is a detailed explanation about why the Latrobe Valley, and specifically the closure of its coal-fired power industry, is not the focus of any government policy. In just three years the ageing Yallourn power station will close, then in 2032 Loy Yang A will shut, shortly followed by Loy Yang B. These three power stations, all in my electorate, represent thousands of jobs and currently on average generate two-thirds of the state’s baseload power every day. The Premier and the Minister for Energy and Resources claim they are forging ahead with the transition to renewables at a rapid rate, making great strides securing Victoria’s energy future, but they recklessly continue to ignore two realities: (1) 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; and (2) the Latrobe Valley has been left behind, neglected and turfed aside in talks about energy transition, despite being the epicentre of energy generation.

We are at a critical juncture in history for energy security and for the future and viability of the Latrobe Valley. Labor is hell-bent on ripping out the industrial heart of our region, all without a single policy or plan to replace thousands of jobs and without a single policy or plan for the future after coal. This sustained neglect of our region, which will be hit hardest by this transition, is a complete and utter disgrace and a total failure from the government. Worse still is the fact that Labor recognise the dire situation facing the valley, and instead of doing something about it they weaponise it by promoting the SEC coming back to Morwell and how it would create 59,000 jobs. I have been shouting from the rooftops since I was elected in this place, pleading with the Labor government to do something, anything, to address the job crisis in the Latrobe Valley and come up with a tangible plan for our future post coal.

I was lucky enough to host Skye Blackshaw as a parliamentary intern this semester, and Skye hit the nail on the head in her report with this finding:

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.