By Martin Zavan
While the future of renewable energy in SA now appears far less certain, the election result could be good for Port Augusta, given the Liberal Party’s commitment to remediating the defunct coal-fired power plant near their town.
I’m sure you saw the news over the weekend. Labor has been ousted from power after 16 years in government.

While the future of renewable energy in SA now appears far less certain, the election result could be good for Port Augusta, given the Liberal Party’s commitment to remediating the defunct coal-fired power plant near their town.

Residents of Port Augusta have suffered the health effects of coal dust for decades while the power plant was operational, and saw no sign of an end to the dust after the plant closed. But Port Augusta may now be closer to solving its perennial coal dust problem than it has ever been.

Local member Dan Van Holst Pellekaan has made clear to the Port Augusta Dustbusters, Greenpeace and local media that the Liberal Party is 100 percent committed to full and proper remediation of the power station site, including the problematic ash dam and Bird Lake.

We can’t claim “mission accomplished” just yet, but if the Liberals and SA Best are true to their word, this long-running health hazard should be coming to and end.

I mention SA Best because Nick Xenophon’s party took two Senate seats, which is enough to help the Liberals pass legislation, should the need arise.  

Labor went into this campaign as the only major South Australian party not to commit to full and proper remediation of the site. That probably wasn’t the policy that cost them government but their policy isolation on this issue certainly didn’t help.

We supported the Port Augusta Dustbusters in a number of actions to pressure the South Australian government into protecting the health of the people of Port Augusta, including a crowd-funded ad campaign, a face to face meeting with Jay Weatherill’s chief of staff, and the publication of a report into flaws in the current rehabilitation plan and physical actions in both Port Augusta and Adelaide.

The election campaign has now come to an end but the battle for clean air in Port Augusta continues. Steven Marshall and Dan Van Holst Pellekaan have made promises and they must now be held accountable.

This is a battle that we can win together and it is vital that we do. Port Augusta is currently an example of how not to transition from coal. We need to turn it around and make it a model of how the switch can happen properly, with planning so people’s health as well as jobs are prioritised and the community is consulted.

Over the coming decades other towns across Australia that host coal-fired power plants will find themselves in similar situations and we don’t want another situation like the current untenable one in Port Augusta. Cleaning up coal’s dirty legacy and protecting the health of communities is all part of a just transition to renewables.

 

By Martin Zavan