Letters to the Editor: October 29 2024

Visit your local shows

AS a proud agriculturally rich electorate, it is no surprise to anyone that Gippsland South boasts some of the best agricultural shows on the calendar.

Each agricultural show has its own unique events alongside all the family favourites like dog high jump, pet parade, petting zoo, face painting and much more.

With that in mind I am encouraging all Gippslanders to mark their calendars so that they get out and enjoy all that our local shows have to offer over the coming months.

The Sale Agricultural Show is on from November 1 to 3 (with Sunday being horse events only), the Yarram Agricultural Show on November 23, the Korumburra Agricultural Show February 8 and Foster Agricultural Show February 22.

I will have a presence at each of these shows and look forward to catching up with locals to discuss their state government related priorities and concerns.

For a full list of Victorian agricultural show dates and to see what each region has to offer visit www.vicagshows.com.au/show-calendar

Danny O’Brien

State Member for Gippsland South

 

Testing price claim

IN Victoria, the Essential Services Commission sets the annual price for electricity.

Many people would not be aware that their electricity bill is actually composed of several elements.

Firstly, wholesale cost – the cost of generation – making up 40 to 50 per cent of a consumer’s power bill, then network costs – the poles and wires – averaging around 35 per cent, then retail costs – for metering and sending out the bills – 14 to 15 per cent, and then environmental and social costs seven to eight per cent.

Add 10 per cent on for GST and then we have a power bill in Victoria that averaged around 31 cents per kilowatt hour in 2023. The figure for 2024 is actually 28c/kWh.

If we understand the above, then we can see how misleading Mr Dutton’s claims that people in the province of Ontario powered with 60 per cent nuclear in Canada only pay 18 cents a kWh.

To quote the article in The Age newspaper, “What will coalition plan for nuclear power really cost?” (September 30):

“However, this comparison is questionable because Australian prices include a range of costs that Ontarians must pay on top of their kWh charge – network charges – the cost of building, running and maintaining power poles and wires across the grid – are listed separately on Ontarians bills and can run into hundreds of dollars a year.”

What we should be comparing then is 18 cents compared to a world-wide average for solar PV of 6.4c/kWh and just 4.8c/kWh for onshore wind.

Solar and wind are three or four times cheaper than nuclear. These figures are based on a study from the International Renewable Energy Agency.

As with most of the pronouncements from the LNP on renewable energy, they always need to be fact-checked. Especially so, as Barnaby Joyce, David Littleproud and other senior Nationals are swooping around the country setting up anti-transmission line and anti-wind and solar farm alliances to block the roll out of renewables and at the same time using the fig leaf of supporting nuclear to fight climate change.

If this isn’t a coordinated campaign to keep the Liberal and National parties’ masters at the Minerals Council happy so that gas and coal can be kept going for 10-to-15 years longer than necessary, I don’t know what is.

Dan Caffrey

Traralgon

 

TAFE a good option

AS students consider their 2025 learning options, the ‘TAFE Value and Perception Challenge’ report by McCrindle Research, highlights a shift from traditional career paths to more dynamic ones, with school leavers now expected to have 18 jobs across six careers in their lifetimes.

Despite outdated perceptions, TAFE outcomes often match or exceed university graduates, with more than 150 courses spanning industry fields like business, ICT, and healthcare.

TAFE qualifications can fill 57 per cent of Victoria’s occupation shortages, with four in five jobs accessible through TAFE.

TAFE Gippsland, with 13 campuses and industry-aligned programs, offers strong options for school-leavers and adults seeking education or career changes.

For more on the report, search “McCrindle TAFE report”.

Laura Macpherson

Chief executive, TAFE Gippsland

Letters can be emailed to news@gippslandtimes.com.au