Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Ministers statements: State Electricity Commission

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:34): I rise to update the house on how the State Electricity Commission is not only powering the Education State but powering the futures of young Victorians everywhere. I just spoke about 19 new schools. What I did not mention is they are all going to be powered by the State Electricity Commission – all powered by renewable energy in these 19 new schools. $18.5 billion invested by the Allan Labor government is making sure everyone gets that opportunity to live their best life. But we also know that climate change is not a future threat; it is here and now. That is why from 1 July 90 per cent of schools ‍– nine out of every 10 – across our state will be powered by renewable energy, and that is making sure that our young people know that the solar panels on their classroom roofs are renewable energy. It is making sure it builds a future for them and makes sure they have jobs for the future through our rollout of STEM education as well.

As the Premier said, both our dads were Jeffed and lost their jobs at the SEC. That was a tragedy for our families and many other thousands of families around Victoria, but it was also a tragedy for climate action, because we knew from the previous Labor administrations the SEC was going to cut emissions. It took another Labor minister and another Labor government to bring the SEC back. That is why I am so proud, as the son of someone who worked at the SEC, that I will be the first Minister for Education in 30 years to say our public education system will be powered by renewable energy. I commend the Minister for Climate Action for that work.

We know that under the Allan Labor government green, clean renewable energy will be what powers our young people and what powers our state. We will make sure they never, ever have to contemplate a school powered by nuclear, because we know on this side of the chamber that clean, green renewable energy is what it is about. It is what future jobs are about. It is the existential crisis that we are focused on right now.