Labor's Eraring extension - a burning smoke screen to 'keep the lights on'

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion slamming the NSW Government for extending the continuation of the monumentally pollutive and unsafe Eraring coal-fired power station.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House notes that:

in July 2013, the NSW Government sold the Eraring coal-fired power station, along with Shoalhaven Hydro power station, to Origin Energy at a reported price of $50 million for both,
at the time, the Baird Government claimed that this transaction, which had been combined with the extinguishment of other liabilities the State owed, resulted in a net loss to the State of around $75 million,
documents produced pursuant to a call for papers under Standing Order 52 in the Legislative Council revealed that the State had retained significant unquantified liabilities in relation to remediating pre-existing contamination at the Eraring site upon its closure,
in 2019, the NSW Government closed Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre following a review that found the Centre was not safe to re-open due to the serious potential risk to clients and staff arising from the potential failure of the Eraring power station’s ash dam wall in the event of major seismic activity,
the 2019 NSW Parliament Public Works Committee inquiry into Costs for remediation of sites containing coal ash repositories made a number of findings and recommendations in relation to the environmental and health risks arising from coal ash dams which have not yet been adequately assessed,
the Eraring power station was due to close in 2032 but on 17 February 2022 Origin announced that its closure date was being brought forward to August 2025 after negotiations with the then Coalition Government had not resulted in an agreement for any financial support for Origin to continue its operations,
on 23 May 2024, the Labor Government announced it had “secured” an agreement with Origin to operate the Eraring power station until August 2027, pledging up to $450m in State funding and exposing the State to further liabilities under various conditions,
despite claims that the Labor Government made the agreement to “keep the lights on in New South Wales”, documents produced pursuant to a call for papers under Standing Order 52 in the Legislative Council reveal that the decision to extend Eraring was made due to energy price concerns and not due to energy reliability concerns,
in addition to the pollution that is emitted from the stacks of the Eraring power station and the contamination leeching into ground water and into Lake Macquarie through its coal ash repositories, it is responsible for generating nearly 10 percent of NSW’s greenhouse gas emissions (excluding emissions from land use) and in the 2023 financial year produced greenhouse gases equivalent to 11.86 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and
Origin Energy recorded over $1 billion in profits in the 2022-23 financial year and almost another $1 billion in statutory profit just in the first half of the 2023-24 financial year.

(2) That this House

condemns the NSW Labor Government for extending the life of Eraring power station, sentencing the people of the Central Coast to two more years of pollution and contaminants contributing to poor health and a degrading environment, and blaming it on energy reliability when there is no evidence to support that assertion, and
calls on the NSW Government to show leadership in the task of transitioning our state’s energy supply to renewables and away from its reliance on coal and gas.

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

3,000 signatures

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Mobile phone

Home Phone

Address (Street, Suburb, State, Postcode)

Country

Join with Facebook

Join with Twitter

Labor's Eraring extension - a burning smoke screen to 'keep the lights on'

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

Will you sign?

Join the Campaign

Join 50,853 other supporters in taking action