One Nation Pledges to Delay Loy Yang Coal Plant Closure

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Victorian party head Warren Pickering outlined a series of energy policy shifts in the Latrobe Valley on Monday. The party pledged to delay the scheduled 2035 closure of the Loy Yang A coal-fired power station and repeal the Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act to allow nuclear power in Victoria. Additionally, the party proposed scrapping net zero subsidies and abolishing renewable energy zones to prioritize gas and brown coal.

Pickering acknowledged that the Yallourn power station may be too deteriorated to save, but he argued that industry leaders are willing to provide the capital expenditure required to keep other coal plants operational. He stated that under a One Nation government, Loy Yang would remain open for business for years to come.

In a separate announcement in Ballarat, Premier Ben Carroll detailed a $352 million allocation for road repairs. The plan includes a shift away from privatized road maintenance by utilizing supervised minimum-security prisoners for basic roadside work.