Hazelwood closure a win but governments lacking plan: Greens
The reported imminent closure of Hazelwood power station will see a welcome cut in pollution but Federal and State governments have failed to develop a plan to support workers and the community during the transition, said Federal and State Greens MPs Adam Bandt and Ellen Sandell.
The Greens have been leading a campaign for the closure of Hazelwood, Australia's dirtiest power station, and its replacement with clean energy, as well as a transition plan for affected communities.
Greens' Federal MP for Melbourne and climate change and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt, said:
"This good news is the start of Victoria's energy transition, where dirty coal is replaced with clean renewable energy."
"This is the first domino to fall. The age of coal is over."
"More coal fired power stations will start to be replaced with renewables right around the country."
"The Greens have long called for Australia's dirtiest power station to be replaced with clean energy and for Federal and State governments to fund a transition plan for the workers and communities in the LaTrobe Valley."
"Governments have been asleep at the wheel and now workers and communities in the LaTrobe Valley will be left in the lurch unless we quickly develop a support plan."
"Dirty power stations like Hazelwood are fuelling global warming and threatening our way of life, so the closure is good news for Australia and the world, but we must look after the affected communities during the transition."
Victorian Greens climate and energy spokesperson, Ellen Sandell, MP for Melbourne, said:
“Hazelwood closing is a win for all those who have campaigned for over 10 years to shut Australia’s dirtiest brown coal power station. It’s a win for our health, our climate and common sense."
“Brown coal is dirty, polluting, destroys our health and we aready have enough electricity in the grid without Hazelwood. Victorians want a future powered by the sun and the wind, not coal, and today is a positive step in this direction.”
“I’m bitterly disappointed the Victorian Labor Government hasn’t shown leadership and instead left it up to coal companies to decide what to do with our future. Disappointingly, Labor has no plan to phase out the other polluting brown coal power stations across Victoria. Coal is on the way out globally, but the Victorian Labor Government has completely failed to plan for new clean industries in the Latrobe Valley to replace this old, polluting industry. The Greens will keep fighting for jobs in clean industries for workers in the Latrobe Valley.”