December 16, 2022
South Burnett mayor Brett Otto was part of a recent delegation to State Parliament to discuss the future of coal mining regions affected by the government’s “Energy and Jobs Plan”.
Mayor Otto joined seven other regional mayors in the delegation which met with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and senior government ministers.
The group, led by the Local Government Association of Queensland, suggested strategies to ensure that regional communities were not left behind as the government moved forward with its renewable energy plan, which will see the eventual closure of coal-fired power stations.
The State Government’s plan to transition energy supply to large-scale renewables over the next 10 to 15 years includes the conversion of the Tarong Power Station to a new “clean energy hub”.
“It’s critically important that we have a seat at the table of government when decisions are made that affect our local communities,” Mayor Otto said.
“We welcome the government’s investment in renewable solutions across regional Queensland, including Australia’s largest State-owned wind farm in the South Burnett, however we certainly will not be sitting on our hands when it comes to making sure that our local economy is not adversely impacted by the winding-down of Tarong.
“In addition to this, government needs to put up the money to build the roads, bridges and accommodation needed to support these renewable energy construction projects.
“Our regional coal mining communities do the heavy lifting for the Queensland economy and we deserve to be listened to and involved in government decisions that affect our future, and I will be working closely with my fellow Mayors to make sure this happens.”
