Monday 30th July 2018

This show we are going to the Latrobe Valley in Victoria – a place that is experiencing the opportunities and issues surrounding the transition from Coal to Renewables. For more information visit the website for After the Smoke Clears

Wendy Farmer

Wendy Farmer: Prominent community activist, Wendy Farmer rose up in the aftermath of the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire.  She has since been a tireless advocate for the community in the Latrobe Valley.  She tells us about life in Victoria’s Coal Country

Mark Richards

Mark Richards: ALP candidate for Morwell – Mark rose up from a unit operator at Hazelwood power station.  He experienced firsthand the cuts from privatisation and the closure of Hazelwood.  He has a lot of experience with the production of electricity and has a firm idea about what is involved in a Just transition – not just for the environment but for communities that have historically worked with coal.

Chris Barfoot

Chris Barfoot works with the Community Power Hub in the Latrobe Valley.   His sees great potential in the Valley – the opportunity to take advantage of being in the centre of the electricity grid – from here you can distribute renewables as you did coal.   Renewables like solar footpaths,  wind arrays off the coast,  geothermal and waste energy.  Exciting times ahead for Chris,  the important thing is getting the message right.

Peter Yacono and Anissha Vijayan

Peter Yacono and Anissha Vijayan:  The producers of OUR POWER  a brilliant documentary about the Latrobe Valley.  They were able to articulate the history of the Valley from the high point of the SECV to the lowest ebb of the 2014 Mine Fire and mass unemployment from Privatisation.