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Council seeks funding assuranceLatrobe City Council written to the State Coalition seeking assurances that all funding commitments for the Latrobe Valley announced since the closure of the Hazelwood Power Station would be honoured should the Coalition win the next State election. By Portal Admin - 15th September 2017 - Back to News Latrobe City Council Mayor, Cr Kellie O’Callaghan said that with a State Government election looming next year Council needed to clarify the status of the funding announcements.
"It would be naive of Council to think that the funding announcements would be secure and survive a change of Government.
"As we all know, a new Government could choose to honour past commitments or not.
"This week we’ve written to both the Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, Mr Matthew Guy and Leader of the Nationals, Mr Peter Walsh to seek their assurances that the post-Hazelwood funding and services allocated to the Latrobe Valley will not be in jeopardy.
"We have further sought assurances that they are committed to a long term economic transition of our regional economy.
"Planning for a range of major projects are progressing and underway - but their scale and nature means delivery/completion phase will extend beyond the tenure of the current government.
"Supporting a community through this structural adjustment is a challenging task and we anticipate that our justification for this support will be compelling regardless of political affiliation.
"We are simply seeking assurances from the Coalition that should there be a change of government that they’ll be with us for the long haul.
"As a Council, we feel that it is important to eliminate any anxiety around this issue before we start the long run to the next State Election.
"Ours is a community that has and continues to endure difficult times, providing surety around this funding is critical," said Cr O’Callaghan.
"Creating certainty now would be a sign of respect to our community."
Media Enquiries:
Cr Kellie O’Callaghan
Latrobe City Mayor
Telephone: 0400 696 324
Media Relations Office
Telephone: 5128 5458
For general enquiries, contact Latrobe City Council on 1300 367 700.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: support@gippsland.com
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