Senior Conservative MP David Davis told Computer Weekly there was “no credible case” for the government to refuse to tell Parliament how many notices it issues each year to telecoms and internet co…

By KATRINA BRANDON and PEACE IJYERA   THE 2026 Gippsland New Energy Conference welcomed key stakeholders and industry partners for three days of informative talks as the region looks to the next crucial phase of energy production. This year’s conference was held at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre from August 18 to 20. Traralgon has hosted the last four conferences. Gippsland Climate Change Network Chief Executive Darren McCubbin facilitated the event, welcomed everyone, and highlighted that since the first Gippsland New Energy Conference in 2022, new energy projects have gone from concept to construction. Host: Gippsland Climate Change Network Chief Executive Darren McCubbin brought a grand performance to this year’s Gippsland New Energy Conference. Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson also welcomed conference attendees, and reflected on Latrobe’s energy history. “Over the years, we’ve looked at many, many different technologies, and as you just heard, some of them are in the pipeline now, and they’re actively on the ground. So that’s a really great start,” she said. “We have been at the forefront of giving the state energy for over 100 years, and we look forward to being part of that equation for many years to come.” South Gippsland Shire Council Deputy Mayor, Brad Snell, welcomed the addition of “new energy” technology and the benefits it will bring to the area, particularly for the local economy and the continuation of jobs. Other speakers on day one included Gabrielle Byzantine (EU Ambassador to Australia), Pablo Gundero (team leader of International Urban and Regional Cooperation Asia and Australasia), state Minister Jaclyn Symes (Minister of Energy, Resources and State Electricity Commission), Tom McIntosh (Minister for Eastern Victoria Region), and Jacie Trad (chief executive of the Clean Energy Council). Full house: Gippsland Performing Arts Centre welcomed another strong turnout for the annual new energy conference. Photograph: Katrina Brandon Attendees were able to join sessions held as panels or by individuals speaking about their contribution to the energy sector. Topics of conversation delved into the current energy climate, the sector’s future, new technologies, international contributions, making the sector more diverse and flexible in employment, and building on the current industry. Students from the University of Melbourne, Tess Tregear (Master’s in Civil Engineering), Iva Anic (Master’s in Electrical Engineering) and Sandy Chen (Master’s in Civil Engineering) told the Express that the conference was eye-opening. DAY two was another jam-packed day full of sessions and opportunities to network and learn. Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing was on hand to speak about renewable energy, and highlighted Gippsland being an appropriate area and site for renewable projects. From afar: Newly appointed Minister for Energy, Climate Change and the State Electricity Commission Jacyln Symes was unable to attend, but sent in a video message. “I’ve been in Parliament now for the last 12 years and I made an announcement to retire at the end of this term in November. And having seen a dozen years in parliament, having seen so much change across the Latrobe Valley, it’s clear that we are on a good path, a sustainable path,” she said. “So I want to say thank you to every single one of you for being part of those conversations. For never being afraid to have those difficult conversations and not shy away from the challenges of transition and what that means.” Moderator Kate Foster invited keynote speaker, Hamish McKenzie onto the stage. Mr McKenzie is the deputy director of the climate and energy program at Grattan Institute. He delivered a three-part presentation around telling a better story about the future of energy and the need for acceleration of “stuff” being built if the target of net zero by 2050 is to be met. The three points he argued were: * The second half of the energy transition will be harder than the first; * To reach net zero and grow the economy, we need to build a lot, and; * To win the transition, Australia needs a new civic value of building. Voice: Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson speaks at the Gippsland New Energy Conference. The Express also attended sessions around the future of air technology with drones and other aviation systems by Professor Joanne Porter. Another session attended was on the $1.5 million Morwell ElectriFAIRcation project. The project by AusNet and Gippsland Climate Change Network (GCCN), is designed to assist households facing financial difficulties to switch from gas to an all-electric home. Another session of interest was around the steps taken to build an inclusive workforce for new energy. On the panel was Gippsland Multicultural Services (GMS) Chief Executive, Carmel Riley, GMS Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator, Derya Deniz Demirol, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Program Officer, Farhat Firdous, Director of Victorian Renewable Energy at TAFE Gippsland, Holly Perriam and General Manager, Strategy and Performance at SEC, Marcus Leong. Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction David Davis also had a session where he spoke about the Coalition’s energy and gas plans. Other political members present throughout August 19 was National members Melina Bath (Member for Eastern Victoria Region) and Martin Cameron (Member for Morwell). Fresh faces: Grid-Link graduate engineer Nishant Desai, trainee OHS advisor at Delta Group Grace Harding, Federation University Gippsland electrical engineering student Chelsea Anderson, and Iberdrola graduate Zoe Giagoudakis brought their perspectives as young people in the energy industry. Photograph: Blake Metcalf-Holt WITH the main energy conference ending on the August 19, The ACOWE Technical Symposium took place on August 20 at Federation University, Churchill. The event was for academics, industry workers and government to showcase technical research around Australia’s offshore wind developments. This year’s theme was ‘delivering the offshore wind lifecycle in Australia’. Around 80 people were in attendance as panellists and presenters discussed planning and managing the future of offshore wind.

By AIDAN KNIGHT   THE office of state Minister for Energy, Lily D’Ambrosio has stated the Waste To Energy (W2E) project previously planned for Maryvale is actually a matter for the Minister for Environment. The misleading title of a ‘Waste To Energy’ project has resulted in some undue accusations against the Ms D’Ambrosio’s folio. Ms D’Ambrosio was the state member to first announce the W2E project in July 2022, at which time she actually held the environment folio herself. The Maryvale W2E project faces post-VCAT delays and has put 500 local jobs at risk. The Shadow Minister for Energy, David Davis, was quoted by The Endeavour Hills Star Journal (May 19) calling out Ms D’Ambrosio for allowing the project to be delayed with no explanation. A spokesperson from the office of Ms D’Ambrosio hit back, saying “The Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, who is seeking to become the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, doesn’t actually know what he would be responsible for if he became the sworn minister”. Mr Davis rejected this, telling the Express, “For the failed Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio to walk away from any interest or involvement in waste to energy projects simply misses the point. She and Labor ought to be insisting on a wide variety of new energy projects coming forward, subject to appropriate approvals, including environmental approvals.” Despite this back-and-forth, there has been no formal comment from any Minister in the Allan Labor government on what will happen next following the VCAT ruling, leaving 500 jobs in the Latrobe Valley hanging in limbo. The Maryvale site joined the W2E project in August 2024 when the tender between more than a dozen Victorian councils was won, marking the official greenlighting of a project which had been in the works since 2020. It was the first site to be granted an Energy from Waste license under the state’s circular economy laws. Two days after the Express reported the pending VCAT decision in its May 20 issue, the Victorian Parliament announced that the Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee would hold a further public hearing on May 26 for its inquiry into waste-to-energy infrastructure in Victoria. The hearing featured witnesses from organisations such as the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association Australia and the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria. The Committee will report its findings by August 2026. The topic of Waste to Energy also made a prominent motion at the Latrobe City Council May meeting. Council unanimously agreed to prepare a submission to the state government, providing a local perspective of the internal impacts (positive and negative) on the project, following it’s sudden limbo on April 10. Supporters argued the Maryvale proposal offered more than jobs – it represented a rare opportunity for regional Victoria to host critical waste-processing infrastructure, cut transport costs and keep responsibility for the state’s waste closer to where it’s generated. Deputy Mayor Dale Harriman, while in support of the concept, also noted that the community was concerned about the effects of burning waste, as well as setting a precedent of regional areas accepting large amounts of metro waste, effectively as a dump zone, of items that include toxic items such as plastic, Styrofoam and nappies. Veolia remains a key participant in the project’s development, and the Paris-headquartered company has taken big swings this year in an attempt to secure a monopoly over the future W2E industry in Australia – engaging in a tight race against Spanish giant Acciona to acquire a Perth plant in East Rockingham last year. This cost taxpayers and lenders more than $1.5billion to construct, compared to the $600m poured into the Maryvale facility. In 2024, Veolia was fired from running the only other existing plant in the country, located in Kwinana (also in Perth), after it was acquired by their Spanish competitor. It is estimated roughly $6 billion has been spent on waste to energy so far in Australia (despite there being no maintained registry of W2E investment publicly available), over the last decade. Australian ownership in these projects is also thought to be well under 30 per cent. Outside of the Latrobe Valley, the sites at Maryvale and Hampton Park pose a real issue for South-East Melbourne, should the incinerator project not go ahead, with the last landfill set to close by mid-2027. Whatever the final decision on the Maryvale proposal, the responsibility now sits with the state to clearly explain what happens next. With the project paused and the regulatory pathway uncertain, the government will need to provide timely, transparent updates so councils, industry and residents aren’t left navigating the vacuum. That expectation extends to ministerial accountability. Following the previous W2E coverage, the Express was informed that Ms D’Ambrosio’s office would arrange a response from Environment Minister Enver Erdogan. Twenty-nine days later, a response was received, with Minister Erdogan stating, “The EPA, Recycling Victoria and planning authorities will ensure that any successful waste to energy facilities meet the short and long-term needs of the Victorian community”. “Many of the proposed facilities are in the early planning stages and as there have been no applications from cap recipients submitted to EPA and DTP, those entities are not yet able to share detailed plans with communities. That means formal community consultation on any operational details are yet to take place and communities are yet to have information about the nature of the proposed facilities, or the measures operators are required to take to protect amenity, human health and the environment. For non-recyclable materials, well-managed and limited thermal waste to energy presents a viable and preferable alternative to landfill because it recovers energy and ultimately reduces emissions associated with managing residual waste.”