Media Release – Premier Daniel Andrews
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Matthew Guy’s Liberals sold off Victoria’s energy supply to private multinationals.
Those private multinationals increased prices, sacked workers and now it’s Victorian families who are paying the price: $23 billion in profits and counting. It’s shameful – and it should never have happened.
It’s why Labor will undo the Liberals’ damage, bringing back the State Electricity Commission (SEC).
We’ll re-establish government-owned energy, powering our state with cleaner, cheaper renewable energy – and supporting the creation of 59,000 jobs.
It’ll mean Victorians will once again be back in control of our energy supply. Most importantly, it’ll be run for people – not for profit.
But when it comes to the Liberals and their agenda of cuts, closures and privatisation – nothing is sacred.
That’s why a re-elected Andrews Labor Government will enshrine the SEC in our state’s Constitution – protecting it from the Liberals, and for future generations.
By safeguarding the SEC in Victoria’s Constitution, we can ensure this important future institution can continue to power our state – for the good of all Victorians, and for good.
Matthew Guy said the privatisation of energy was “good for consumers” and that Victoria “did very well out of it” – even though that decision sent $23 billion of profit to private companies, punishing pensioners and families.
It’s a clear record of callousness. When Matthew Guy was Planning Minister, he personally banned wind farms – meaning four long years of inaction on renewable energy – and the Liberals vowed to scrap our renewable energy targets and our energy efficiency targets. Both of which support thousands of Victorian jobs.
Now, with energy costs soaring and privatising coal power plants getting old – it’s Victorians who are paying the price.
It’s why enshrining the SEC in the Constitution is so important. Labor will bring back government-owned energy – continuing our record of delivery in reducing cost of living pressure for Victorian families, all while creating new opportunities for Victorian workers.
Under our plan, the government will hold a controlling interest in each of those projects – renewables will replace coal, and these new ‘power stations’ will be owned by every Victorian to benefit every Victorian.
Labor will make an initial investment of $1 billion towards delivering 4.5 gigawatts of power – the equivalent replacement capacity of Loy Yang A – through renewable energy projects.
The new SEC will become an energy market proponent under a 10-year plan to deliver cleaner, cheaper energy, with all profits invested back into the network – making sure it’s the Victorian public, not offshore coal companies, who enjoy the returns.
We’ll invest $20 million to prepare the SEC for its new role in our energy market, including setting up a base in Morwell. The Latrobe Valley has always been the centre of Victorian energy generation – and we’ll make sure it’s part of our clean energy future.
This won’t just deliver more renewable energy, lower power bills and reduced carbon emissions – it’ll also create jobs.
Labor will deliver 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035, with our plan creating 59,000 jobs as we transition from coal to clean renewables.
We will make sure at least 6,000 of those jobs are apprentices and trainees. And because there’s no time to waste, we are already delivering a $424 million energy and training package to help workers upskill.
Since Victoria’s energy was privatised, we’ve experienced a chronic shortage of workers in trades. Our SEC will help find and train the next generation of tradespeople: maintenance workers, lineys, electricians – but also welders, painters and mechanics. Highly-qualified, highly-paid workers – working not for profit, but for people.
And to train these new workers, we’ll establish the SEC Centre of Training Excellence to coordinate and accredit courses in clean energy, connecting with our TAFEs, RTOs, unions and the industry – as well as adding clean energy to our VCE Vocational Major.
Across our government schools, at every career night, the SEC will be there. Not just looking for the workers of the future, but actually recruiting them.
And to make sure the workers we’re training are guaranteed a long-term pipeline of work, we’ll institute local content requirements on state-owned and supported renewable energy projects – worth at least $5 billion by 2035.
But we know all of this must be protected from Matthew Guy’s Liberals’ cuts, closures and privatisation.
Only Labor will revive the SEC and enshrine it in the Constitution – because only Labor is doing what matters.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Labor will bring back the SEC and enshrine it in our state’s Constitution: energy owned by Victorians, for the good of Victorians – and for good.”
“We’ve seen what the privatisation of our energy has done – sending profits offshore and costing Victorian families. Enshrining the SEC in our Constitution will protect it from the Liberals, and for future generations.”
“Only Labor is doing what matters. We’ll restore government-owned energy – replacing offshore profits with offshore wind.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio
“Labor will make sure Victoria has a clean energy future that will bring down our power bills and our emissions – unlike Matthew Guy’s Liberals whose only plan is to bring back fracking and pollute our farms and environment.”
“Matthew Guy’s Liberals banned windfarms, sold off public power to greedy energy companies, cut jobs and drove up power prices – and Victorian families are worse off for it.”
