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Mayor Meets Minister Over Low Carbon FutureOn Wednesday 17 November, Latrobe City’s mayor was part of a delegation who met with the Minister for Resources and Energy, By Latrobe City - 23rd November 2010 - Back to News Martin Ferguson, to discuss issues relating to transitioning to a low carbon future.
The delegation consisted of members of the Coal Councils of Australia Alliance, a group formed in 2009 between six Australian municipalities with coal-reliant economies.
Latrobe City mayor, Councillor Kellie O’Callaghan, said that the meeting was highly productive, with the Minister and his staff were interested and engaged throughout.
"Our key message was very clearly around the fact that the community want to work together with Council, as well as wanting an ongoing dialogue between their local government representatives and the Federal Government.
"Another of our key messages was our desire to work with the Australian Government in relation to an analysis of the social impact for our community, not only to assess the impact of a carbon price, but to proactively plan a positive future for the region.
"The Minister was fully aware of the impacts that a carbon price would have on the Latrobe Valley and indicated an intention to meet again with Latrobe City to discuss opportunities for collaboration during the transition," Cr O’Callaghan explained.
Cr O’Callaghan added that everyone present at the meeting was supportive of moves to encourage greater community dialogue around carbon prices.
"Minister Ferguson was supportive of Latrobe City Council’s position of community leadership on this issue, and recognised the importance of providing the necessary support and forums to enable the community to develop a wider understanding of the issues they face," Cr O’Callaghan concluded.
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Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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