Question Without Notice No. 627 asked in the Legislative Council on 14 September 2017 by Hon Colin Tincknell
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
MUJA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION — CLOSURE
627. Hon COLIN TINCKNELL to the minister representing the Minister for Energy:
The closure of the Muja coal-fired power station in Collie six months earlier than scheduled will leave workers and their families without income six months earlier than they expected. This will impact hard on a town already in decline.
(1) Does the government have any plans to help soften the impact of this premature closure?
(2) Does the government have any plans to help drive job creation in Collie to help fill the hole in the town's economy that this closure will surely create?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
The early closure of Muja AB power station, as reported in this morning's The West Australian, has no impact on Synergy staff at Muja outside of what was announced in May 2017.
(1) Not applicable.
(2) The McGowan Labor government is committed to investing in the future of Collie. The 2017-18 state budget includes a $22 million investment over five years into the Collie futures fund to drive economic activity and to create long-term employment security for locals.