Mayor Joins Delegation to Government on Future of Coal Communities

impacted by the government’s recently released ‘Energy and Jobs Plan’ and the move towards reduced carbon emissions.

The delegation of Mayors, led by the Local Government Association of Queensland, met with senior government representatives to put forward strategies to ensure that regional communities are not left behind as the government moves forward with its ambitious renewable energy plan.

The Queensland Government’s ambitious plan is to transition energy supply to large scale renewables over the next 10 to 15 years, including the conversion of the Tarong Power Station to a new ‘Clean Energy Hub’.

Mayor Otto said, “it’s critically important that we have a seat at the table of government when decisions are made that affect our local communities”.

“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”, the mayor said.

One of the key proposals included the formation of a ‘Regional Transformation Authority” providing Mayors of the impacted regions with a seat at the decision-making table of government.

“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”, the Mayor said.