WA’s Labor Leader Mark McGowan has vowed to keep Western Power public and maintain Collie’s baseload power generation if elected in this month’s state election.
“Collie coal would continue to provide baseload power generation and retaining Western Power in public ownership would continue to show that Collie coal was an important part of the mix because it would continue to be affordable,” he said.
“The Federal issue is outside of our control, what the Federal parties do, what we can control is ensure that baseload power generation and coal remain part of the state’s energy mix for decades to come.
“Coal will always be important in relation to providing baseload power for industry in Western Australia and we will insure that coal has that important role into the future.”
Mr McGowan said the party would work with Western Power to increase apprenticeship employment from 15 to 50 per annum.
"We will keep Western Power in public ownership and one of the benefits of that is that it will remain in Western Australian ownership, it will continue to produce income for the state, it will provide more jobs and better service for people and prices will be kept down,” he said.
Mr McGowan and Mr Murray held a public forum on Tuesday, fielding questions from community members.
Coal will always be important in relation to providing baseload power for industry in Western Australia and we will insure that coal has that important role into the future.”
- Mark McGowan - WA Labor Leader
Liberal candidate for Collie-Preston Elysia Harverson said Labor are paving the way to close down coal-fired power stations.
“There is currently an oversupply of power in WA and yet the Labor party has pledged two new power plants in Collie – a biomass energy and solar energy plant, because they are making way to close down the coal-fired power stations,” she said.
“People need to know the truth, a vote for Labor is a vote to close down the power stations and see the end of hundreds of jobs.
“I believe Collie’s mining and industry sector is important for the future of Australia and maintaining a cheap and reliable power source and I will fight to ensure Labor’s harmful policies are never implemented.”
Nationals candidate for Collie-Preston Monique Warnock said the party supported the Council Of Australian Governments’s target of 23.5 per cent renewables by 2020.
"The Member for Collie-Preston should come clean to the people of Collie-Preston and the South West that Labor's renewable energy targets will mean huge job losses and the end of Collie's coal industry,” she said.
“We are supportive of renewable energy and already have a 13 per cent uptake in WA but baseload power cannot be supplied by renewable energy."
