This week the Lithgow City Council Mayor, Councillor Maree Statham, met with the Board and senior leadership team of Energy Australia, who were in Lithgow. Several representatives of community organisations and local indigenous people were also in attendance.
The Mayor said, "I was very pleased to welcome the Board of Energy Australia to this city. It provided me with the opportunity to thank the company for the contributions that it makes to this city in terms of employing local people. There are many direct and indirect jobs created for locals through Energy Australia's Mt Piper operation and its related activities. In fact the electricity sector's value added contribution to the Lithgow economy is about 13% of the total - making it the second largest sector. Energy Australia are also embedded into the community in other ways with a range of local funding and partnership initiatives."
The Mayor added, "In many ways, the city of Lithgow and Energy Australia are on a shared journey. We both know that a range of factors, all beyond our influence, will have the effect of reducing the value of thermal power generation. We both will need to find other ways to not just survive but to thrive into the future."
"Shifting a long-established local economy is difficult and in most cases in the past it has failed because the interventions come too late or are mis-guided. Lithgow Council however has developed the Lithgow Emerging Economy Plan to guide it on this city's economic diversification journey. One of the necessities for success will be the way in which we work, positively, with the private sector to attract investment and new jobs. I assured Energy Australia, as I do other investors and developers, that Lithgow is open for business.
If you wish to know more about the Lithgow Emerging Economy Plan visit https://www.leep.lithgow.com/
