An upcoming seminar at Federation University Australia, Churchill will present alternate perspectives on how the nearly-50 square kilometres of mining land in the Latrobe Valley should be used once coal is off the agenda.
Latrobe Valley strategic planner, author and Great Latrobe Park vice president David Langmore will speak at the event, as will EnergyAustralia Yallourn mining manager Ron Mether.
The committee behind the Great Latrobe Park is pushing for the land to be transformed into a giant world-class tourist attraction for outdoor recreation.
FedUni environmental science senior lecturer Jessica Reeves said she would provide a perspective of “pragmatism” on the night and would like to see the community “bring the conversation together”, rather than different organisations “considering themselves at opposing ends”.
“They actually have a lot of similar outcomes they want to achieve,” Dr Reeves said.
ENGIE has a responsibility to leave the Hazelwood mine in safe, stable and sustainable condition, which Dr Reeves said was not “just a catch phrase” but critically important.
“What that means is a land form that won’t collapse, won’t set fire, won’t cause … sink holes,” Dr Reeves said.
“Once those things have achieved then what is there to play with?”
Reimagining former large-scale industrial mining land as a tourist wonderland is no new concept, with one example being Germany’s Ruhr Valley.
Dr Reeves said there were lessons to be learnt there, however, the population was much larger and the project at Duisberg cost the German government billions of dollars.
“I would like to see the community get behind something they can actually realise, but not build dreams they’re never going to realise,” she said.
Dr Reeves said it was vital to consider the generation who would inherit this land and consider the Indigenous cultural perspective.
She stressed the need to think of the broader implications of any water going offsite.
“Any water that leaves the mine void could impact what happens downstream,” Dr Reeves said.
A success to Dr Reeves would be for the Latrobe Valley community to “reconnect with the space in a meaningful way whether that be employment, recreation, that they’re proud of the place they live and don’t want to leave”.
The Environmental, Planning and Community Perspectives on Post-Mining Land Use seminar will be held tomorrow at 6pm at building 2E room 101 at FedUni, Churchill and admission is free and open to anyone.
