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Council calls for the establishment of a bipartisan committeeIn light of the recent speculation that an ENGIE Board announcement is imminent, Latrobe City Council is calling for the immediate establishment of a bipartisan committee to oversee the development of a 10-year plan for the Latrobe Valley. By Portal Admin - 7th November 2016 - Back to News In light of the recent speculation that an ENGIE Board announcement is imminent, Latrobe City Council is calling for the immediate establishment of a bipartisan committee to oversee the development of a 10-year plan for the Latrobe Valley. The Economic Transition and Diversification Plan would be community-led and developed in response to the Board of ENGIE’s decision to close Hazelwood Power Station.
Latrobe City Council CEO Gary Van Driel said that Council would like to see the first meeting of the Committee to be held in the coming month.
"There is a lot of talk, lots of meetings, lots of papers and lots of individuals meeting in various places about a range of things. Unfortunately, there is a lack of coordination and this well intentioned energy and effort – if not adequately harnessed, could cause fragmentation and confusion," Mr Van Driel said.
Council has been working on the foundations of a plan in readiness for the newly-elected Councillors.
Council’s plan highlights the importance of: the State and Federal Governments establishing a bipartisan committee to lead the transition; securing funding for a range of transition and diversification opportunities; providing clarity regarding the leading role of Council, the community, business, industry and State and Federal Governments; securing the agreement that our community will play a central role in any transition; and securing a long term commitment from the State and Federal Governments to the task of transition and economic diversification.
Mr Van Driel said a place-based response was critical to the future social and emotional health of the Latrobe Valley community.
"The role of Council is to open the doors; to welcome those with the power, influence and the funding to make a difference, and to challenge them to envisage a transition which embraces the Latrobe Valley community," he said.
"The future goals and aspirations of our community must be considered and their incredible energy and passion harnessed as a key input.
"There must be a commitment from all levels of Government so that the experiences of privatisation will never be repeated. Latrobe Valley must be the epicentre of all transition and diversification efforts."
Mr Van Driel said that the organisation was ready to get to work.
"We will continue to defend this community to ensure this transition is a phase in our history that we can all look back on with pride and sense of deep satisfaction."
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Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: support@gippsland.com
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