After more than a decade of a Labor Government, Victorian energy policy is in crisis, prices are rising, and supply is increasingly unreliable.
Households are paying more, and businesses are struggling to survive.
The Allan Labor Government has signed secret deals with the operators of coal generators in Victoria. Despite Parliamentary directions to release the details of these agreements, Labor has blocked this release, leaving the sector and the community in the dark as to what has been agreed.
In stark contrast, NSW Labor has adopted a far more transparent and accountable approach.
Comments by the Secretary of Mining and Energy Union Victoria, Mark Richards bell the cat on Victorian Labor's chaotic and incompetent energy policy.
Mr Richards says worker safety is at risk, as Labor pushes forward with Yallourn Power Station's scheduled shut down in mid-2028. He points to deteriorating equipment and maintenance cutbacks, "All driven by political pressure".
Mr Richards also points to Labor's promised offshore wind generation, new transmission networks and battery storage projects that he says are, "just that; promises."
Mr Richards says "budget blowouts and Victorian funding cuts make it increasingly unlikely that replacement energy infrastructure will be operational before Yallourn shuts down. Energy shortfalls are inevitable if the Government does not act."
Lily D'Ambrosio and Jacinta Allan must immediately release the details of their signed deals with both coal plant operators in Victoria.
Labor must also come clean on where the power will come from 2028 given the delays and failures in the Victorian Government's energy program. Mr Richards also said, "Energy Minister D'Ambrosio needs to answer to what happens if Yallourn Power Station is needed past mid 2028 but cannot operate due to a lack of maintenance plan past the Government's 2028 closure date."
Labor's Energy Policy, already a failure delivering unreliable and more costly power, risks being a catastrophic failure if reliable and cheap power sources are not found before Yallourn's closure in mid-2028.
Lily D'Ambrosio should be sacked today for the damage she has already done and the looming disaster in price and supply certainty, on the near horizon."
* Attached are the LinkedIn comments from the Secretary of Mining and Energy Union Victoria, Mark Richards.
