Transitions
22 July 2024
No to Nuclear
Communities at proposed nuclear sites launch joint Campaign against
Dutton’s “half baked Idea”
Community organisations from the seven regional communities where Peter Dutton proposes to house nuclear reactors today launch a regional community alliance and a joint campaign to say NO to nuclear. “Without asking our communities, Peter Dutton has arrogantly announced that we will house nuclear reactors in our regions,” said Wendy Farmer of Voices of the Valley from Latrobe Valley, Victoria.
Peter Dutton announced the half baked idea without giving a plan, David Littleproud and Ted O'Brien both flagged two and a half years of local community consultation. Mr Littleproud said, “We would start the two and a half year consultation process with those communities to make sure they understood". Mr O’Brien added he did not expect the communities were likely to oppose, but they would not be given the opportunity to veto. He hasn’t consulted farmers or families, elders or economists – or even the owners of the sites he has announced. It just doesn’t make sense, especially when substantial investment opportunities for renewable energy already exist in our regions. “Our communities are thousands of kilometres apart but we are standing together because we won’t be bullied into housing nuclear reactors.” said Wendy Farmer.
Community groups representing thousands of members across the regions where Mr Dutton proposes nuclear reactors are working together since the announcement. Today they’re launching a joint petition, addressed to Peter Dutton and all members of the Coalition to say NO to nuclear reactors in their regions and across Australia. In addition, the alliance is asking Australians around the country to support them and sign the petition, saying No to nuclear reactors in the regions and across Australia. In Peter Dutton’s own words “If you don’t know, say NO.”
The petition is hosted at www.nonukes.com.au
“We have a cost of living crisis right now,” said Robyn Wood, spokesperson for Don’t Nuke Port Augusta. “We need affordable clean energy quickly through a rollout of renewable energy, not an expensive half-baked nuclear fantasy. Our future is in renewable energy.”
“Mr Dutton can’t tell us how much it would cost, what it would mean for our power bills, how and where nuclear waste could be safely stored for 10,000 years,” said Marianne Robinson from the Latrobe Valley. Japan, Brazil, USA, Russia and the UK have all had significant nuclear safety disasters and our
communities don’t want to be next.”
“Our communities are not the fools Mr Dutton seems to think we are,” said Julie Favell, from Lithgow Environment Group. “We can see this is a half-baked idea intended as a distraction and delay tactic to slow down the real work of building renewables and storage.” As the seven regional communities across the country stand together, we know Australians from all walks of life will stand with us against this nuclear fantasy. The alliance is asking Australians, to support the regions across Australia and say “NO TO NUCLEAR REACTORS in Australia.”
Media Release
19/10/2016
Voices of the Valley calls for $40 million Latrobe Valley transition package to be spent in Latrobe Valley.
The Victorian government recently announced that the $40 million package dedicated by Daniel Andrews to fund transition in the Latrobe Valley would be split, with money from the package now also going to Wellington and Baw Baw Shire.
Community group Voices of the Valley expressed disappointment and exasperation at this announcement, stating the that Latrobe Valley has been let down by the government, and are calling on Daniel Andrews to keep his promise that the $40 million is dedicated solely to economic transition in the Valley.
“When Daniel Andrews announced the $40 million package in April we were relieved that the Latrobe Valley was to receive real support for transition,” said Wendy Farmer, President of Voices of the Valley.
“It is very disappointing and exasperating to hear that the package dedicated to Latrobe Valley is now being split up. We are trying to transition a community who has lived through privatisation and now faces the imminent closure of Hazelwood. The Andrews government must keep their promise to the Latrobe Valley.”
The State government's decision to divide up the dedicated package was that some people who work in the Valley live in these areas. Farmer responded to this reasoning saying, “surrounding areas should be supported by the state government, but not at the expense of the Latrobe Valley community. The entire Gippsland community will benefit from a properly financially supported Latrobe Valley as it transitions from the coal industry, just as it has always benefitted from the presence of the power industry here.”
Voices of the Valley are calling on Daniel Andrews and Wade Noonan to commit the $40 million to the Latrobe Valley region, and to find the funding for Wellington and Baw Baw Shire from elsewhere.
“We are trying to transition a community and maintain an economy, and with the imminent closure of Hazelwood it is time for the State Government to wholeheartedly support Latrobe Valley. The Andrew’s government has a unique opportunity to lead the way in community transition and make the Latrobe Valley a good example of how government and community can work together through transition. It is more than disappointing that Mr Andrews and Mr Noonan already watering down promises they made to genuinely support the Latrobe Valley.”
The writing is on the wall for our traditional centralised grid power generation industries in the Latrobe Valley. We must begin to build a new set of industries that will grow even as our old industrial base for jobs declines.
(Note:* the timeline may not be accurate - but the effect is the same)
We at VOTV have been proactively seeking a new path for the region and a way to futureproof the jobs for our children. Whilst we do not dismiss or discourage the push towards food, fibre and other industries we feel that is well in hand with the local Shire (council) EDO plans etc, we are looking from a different and community perspective....
The Grid itself has transitioned and so must we.
“Our children will have jobs that don’t exist yet.”
Alvin Toffler : Future Shock 1970
The elephant in the room when it comes to the health and wellbeing of the people in the Latrobe Valley is hope - jobs and hope.
The jobs we had, and those our fathers had have been sold from under us; traded for city freeways and subsidized tollways. The hospitals we built with our social club moneys and cake stalls were sold off and privatised.
The jobs did not return.
It’s highly probable that in 30 years (or sooner) there will be no coal burning power generation in the valley as the last of the stations reach their end of life cycle, become unviable and are not replaced.
The jobs lost during privatisation were much more than those of the power industry and local retail. The local university used to train engineers that were specialists in power stations needs. The TAFE and secondary technical school systems were geared towards producing technicians and tradesmen for the power industry’s required skillsets, the education was symbiotic with the industry The education system provided the basic skillsets, the industry provided the education system with experienced instructors.
Whilst many of the individual skillsets have been lost and the industry demand decimated, the infrastructure required to disseminate a range of skillsets still remains and could be quickened.
They may be rebadged and defunded but they still exist. What is stopping the educational institutions from flourishing is a lack of local market for applied skillsets and the paucity of opportunities in local industries for students to gain practical experience through work experience, holiday work and internships.
We need to look at what can be done to bring forth another self sustaining, symbiotic market for unique skillsets, in the same manner as the generation industry and associated workshops of the SEC worked with the local educators.
To do this we need a set of new and unique industries. Ones that fit in with the traditional heavy industry base and requires minimal infrastructure modification.
This would require industry sets that were emerging and therefore the skillsets could be learnt by doing and then taught on.
Industries whose skillsets were saleable, with a wide application to the future, fundable at state and federal level and beneficial enough for local industry to engage in its development.
We at VotV believe those industries lie in the new energies field.
It is a legacy of our centralised generation grid heritage that all power lines lead to the valley, even the one from Tasmania comes through the Latrobe Valley
The Valley is an ideal spot for storage and conditioning to to take place, to build an industry around enabling, stabilising, installing, maintenance and control systems for the distributed grid.
The Valley is in a good position to design and build products for that purpose and research and educate in the aspects of it.
Foreseeable jobs and opportunities
| Green shows TAFE & Apprenticeship style jobs and training, |
| Red is Fed University training and research |
|
The blue areas are "Co-operative Research Programs" (labelled CRC's) between industry and the Local University |
These are some immediately visible growth areas and opportunities for training of trades people.
Tradies are our lifeblood, the heart of industry.
New trades are evolving in the power industry
We have an opportunity to learn, teach and harvest them in the Valley.
We can build our own jobs.
Presentation pdf (6MB)
