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State Electricity Commission in Morwell is confirmed to have only one employee contrary to job creation promises

Labor's revived State Electricity Commission is criticised for having only one employee in Morwell, contrary to promises of job creation. The Nationals condemn it as a political stunt.

By news@gippsland - 24th May 2024 - Back to News

Labor's revived State Electricity Commission has again been exposed as a sham after it was revealed there is just one person working for the SEC in Morwell. Under questioning from The Nationals' Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien, in a Parliamentary Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing this week, the Minister for the SEC confirmed a single employee is based out of the GovHub in Morwell.

Labor's SEC in Morwell, with only one employee, faces scrutiny by The Nationals. Martin Cameron accuses Labor of misleading with promises

Labor's misleading promises

The Nationals' Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, said Labor was continuing to mislead Victorians with hollow promises and wildly overstated benefits associated with the SEC. "Former premier Daniel Andrews and current Premier Jacinta Allan promised the SEC would be brought back to Morwell and create some 59,000 jobs."

"Eighteen months since this announcement and what has been delivered is an absolute farce - one single employee working part-time for the SEC in Morwell's GovHub. Labor used the SEC as a dangling carrot for the Latrobe Valley and has taken advantage of the very real need for more employment opportunities in the region with an egregious grab for votes."

"Here in the Latrobe Valley, where we have powered the state for more than a century, we see this for what it is - a political stunt that ignores commercial realities and will only increase power bills and taxes for Victorians," Mr Cameron said.

Labor's SEC failure

The Nationals' Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath, said Labor had failed to sell its case for bringing back the SEC at every turn. "From the very start, this has been nothing but a sham. Labor promised the SEC would be 'brought back to Morwell', but with just one single employee warming a seat in the pre-existing GovHub, that is clearly not the case."

"Jobs growth in the Latrobe Valley over the past decade has been the equivalent of 0.47 per cent on an annual basis, while jobs in Wodonga have grown 2.7 per cent and jobs in Geelong have grown 3.4 per cent,"

"The illusory promise that a revived SEC would create 59,000 jobs reeks of a government weaponizing a very real issue in a disgraceful grab for votes. Labor can't manage money, can't manage the state's electricity and regional Victorians are paying the price," Ms Bath said.

Pictures from Martin Cameron MP website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com