Of the sun

Gippslanders must get their say on power blackouts

M E M B E R f o r Gippsland South D a n ny O’ Br i e n i s e n c o u r a g i n g Gippslanders to tell their stories of blackouts to a review of the state’s electricity distribution network resilience that is now underway. Mr O’Brien called for a formal review of the electricity distribution network following the large storm events that took place in June and October 2021 which saw many Gippsland South residents without power for days, or even weeks. “Many Gippslanders suffered weeks without power and mobile service following these events and that’s not good enough in this day and age. While AusNet crews did their best to get people reconnected, the delays for some were unacceptable,” Mr O’Brien said. “We must do better and I’ve been calling on the government and our power companies to learn the lessons from these outage events. “The state government undertook Phase 1 of this review over a two-month period in late 2021 and a report was apparently delivered to the Andrews Labor government with a number of short-term recommendations. “But who even knew it was underway? The first I heard of it was when I got an answer to a question on notice in Parliament just before Christmas, so I’m sure most of my constituents weren’t consulted. “The government has now announced Phase 2 will now commence with the appointment of a panel known as the Electricity Distribution Network Resilience Expert Panel. “This is a positive development, but what I would like to see is those communities in Gippsland South that were severely impacted by these prolonged power outages given the chance to be heard and the lessons learned incorporated into any changes to our electricity distribution system.” Mr O’Brien said the panel will engage in consultation with a number of stakeholders including energy distributors, community representatives, energy industry experts and representatives from the emergency management sector. “I am aware of a number of locals who were severely impacted by the prolonged power outages financially, medically or in some other way. It is crucial that those people are given the opportunity to share their stories and shape the outcome of this review,” he said. Further information around the review can be found at:https://www.energy.vic. gov.au/electricity/electricity-network-frame work-review

DANNY O’BRIEN Wellington Shire Mayor Ian Bye said the Department of Transport has conducted significant engagement with council about required works including road alignment, road widths and safety improvements to cater for the increasing traffic using Sale Alternative Truck Route. Photo: File

Truck route project is a focus

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“The alternative route does not presently meet minimum road design requirements for modern high productivity vehicles.” Wellington Mayor Ian Bye told the Gippsland Times that “the Department of Transport (Vic) has conducted significant engagement with Council and other stakeholders about required works including road alignment, road widths and safety improvements to cater for the increasing traffic using this route which is growing at more than 5 per cent per annum.” “The federal government has committed $6.3 million towards the bridge strengthening works required for the first of several improvements needed for the overall project,” Cr Bye said. “Council wrote to the (State) Minister for Transport, the Hon Jacinta Allan and the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, the Hon Ben Carroll in October 2021 requesting a status update, but has not yet received a reply from either Minister.” The Gippsland Times sought an update from the state government, with a spokesperson saying “we're continuing to work towards delivering more than 50 kilometres of vital road maintenance projects right across the Wellington Shire”. “We'll be delivering important bridge strengthening works on Stirling Bridge and Thomson River Bridge along Fulham-Myrtlebank Road, allowing loaded B-Doubles to travel along this route rather than having to travel through the Sale CBD,” the spokesperson said. “We are currently undertaking pre-construction works, with major construction expected to begin in mid-2022.” The state government also said that the works on the Stirling Bridge and Thompson River Bridge will allow a maximum weight of 100 tonnes. Dyers Distribution Bairnsdale transport manager Matt Coverdale said the current Sale Alternative Truck Route only allowed for certain types of vehicles, and hoped that future upgrades would allow all types of freight to go through, including B-Doubles. “The maximum weight of our B-Doubles is 68 tonnes,” Mr Coverdale said. “By the sound of that (state government statement), they’re going to fix that issue. “Which will be good as that will take a heap of traffic out of the Sale CBD, which is what everyone wants.” Mr Coverdale said that a maximum weight of 100 tonnes will allow almost “every configuration possible” to use the Sale Alternative Truck Route. “This means we won’t have to do the ‘stop-start’ through the Sale CBD, which means better safety, smaller chance of an accident involving a pedestrian,” he said. “As funny as it sounds, at the moment there’s not a great deal of time difference between the two routes, because it’s a bit slower going up on that back road, but there’s a smaller chance of any issues.” The state government also highlighted other Wellington Shire road projects in their response. The resurfacing of the four sections of Bengworden Road are nearing completion, along with works on Traralgon-Maffra Road and Stratford-Maffra Road. More work to be delivered across the shire between now and June 2022 includes Licola Road, Grand Ridge Road, Longford-Loch Sport Road, Maffra-Rosedale Road, McLoughlins Beach Road, Rosedale-Heyfield Road, Rosedale-Longford Road, Sale-Heyfield Road and Traralgon-Maffra Road. Progress is being made on the Princes Highway East upgrade, with major construction underway at Flynn and Kilmany East. The project's $253 million third and final stage will see a new rail bridge provide improvement to safety and reliability for freight, tourists, and commuters while minimising any impacts on the rail network. The new lanes will bring safety improvements to around 15,000 motorists who use this stretch of road every day and improve journey times between Traralgon and Sale. The Princes Highway East upgrade is due to be completed in 2024.

COVID sees regional migration from cities double

THINK tank and research organisation Regional Australia Institute (RAI), who advocate for regional areas in Australia, have released new figures showing a doubling in net migration from capital cities to regional Australia since the COVID pandemic began. In a media release, RAI said that net migration to regional areas during 2020 and 2021 is more than double the level in the two years prior to the coronavirus pandemic – despite a 10 per cent drop in the number of city-country relocations during the December 2021 quarter, according to the latest Regional Movers Index. The index is a partnership between RAI and Commonwealth Bank that tracks movements between capital cities and regional areas using relocation data from CBA’s 10 million customers. RAI chief economist and acting chief executive officer Dr Kim Houghton says that quarterly migration from capitals to regional areas during 2020 and 2021 has been, on average, 15 per cent higher than during the previous two years. “At the same time, more people who have been living in regional Australia have chosen to stay there,” Dr Houghton said. Dr Houghton believes seasonal factors were the main reason behind the 10 per cent decline in the number of city dwellers moving to regional Australia during the December 2021 quarter. The decline also came amid tight housing conditions in some regional areas. "With two years of the Index we can now clearly see the positive impact that COVID has had on people seeking a regional lifestyle,” Dr Houghton said. “It is particularly exciting that many of the smaller regions showing high rates of growth are inland towns. It looks like the pandemic is changing some long-established movement paths, which is a good sign for more balanced population growth across Australia in future."

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