The emerging clean energy economy offers a window of opportunity for Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The authors of this report argue that capturing this potential requires a targeted and proactive policy approach that leverages the region’s entrenched advantages and lays the bedrock for sustained prosperity.

This Insights report provides a preliminary assessment of some of the potential impacts of the closure decision Hazelwood power station. Further investigation is required to gain a deeper, more holistic understanding of scenarios whereby the power system is operating with less synchronous generation.

The Latrobe Valley has a proud history of supplying the electricity that powers Victoria. But coalburning power stations are ageing and – responding to climate change – the world is moving rapidly to cleaner energy sources. In this shifting context, the Latrobe Valley faces inevitable change. The question is: how will that change be managed?

Earlier this year, Engie, the majority owner of Hazelwood, flagged it was considering closing or selling the plant. There are many factors that would be contributing to their deliberation. These include, but are not limited to, the plant’s age, changes in the electricity market, and an erosion of the social license to operate, courtesy of...

Balancing work and family responsibilities is an increasingly significant concern not only for individual employees, their families and the broader community, but also for government and local communities. However little attention has been paid to the different ways in which constraints and opportunities for work and family balance operate across industry in regional and rural...