pm takes carbon sell to latrobe valley

Reading the article I don't think she convinced anyone their job is safe.
Basically people don't trust her.

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"Gillard meets Hazelwood workers"

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard met with anxious workers of Australia's dirtiest power generator today, which will be closed under the new carbon tax.
Hazelwood power station, in Morwell, is one of the Government's targeted closures as it has said 2000 megawatts of the nation's dirtiest power generators will shut by 2020.

The PM talked with up to 60 workers assuring them there was a future in electricity in the Latrobe Valley.

Despite the PM's visit employees and members of the community remained uncertain about their jobs and the future.

``She has asked us to have good faith in her but this is coming from someone who has back flipped on an election promise," said community member Bec Williamson.

Brett Leighton, who has worked at a power station in the area for 12 years, said the community still had no guarantee for their future.


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``This is a charade which is going to be bad for the worker," he said.

Hazelwood worker Gary Sevenson said he was apprehensive that the PM promised nothing.

``She has just basically said she was not going to leave us in the lurch but she has given us no idea of how she is going to accomplish that," Mr Sevenson.

The station, which provides about 25 percent of the state's power supply, directly employs 540 people and at least another 300 contractors.

Ms Gillard said she could not answer questions on how many jobs would be lost or how much funding would be received during the transition to cleaner energy sources, while the tender process was being undertaken.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union organiser Steve Dodd said workers were happy Ms Gillard finally visited the valley.

``They are pleased that she came to talk to them," Mr Dodd said. ``Absolutely the workers are apprehensive about the future.

``We don't want this to end up like the privatisation, when the privatisation hit this area it devastated us.

Ms Gillard said she visited Morwell to assure workers she was confident the area would continue to be a source of power generation in the future.

``I understand there is anxiety here in Latrobe valley," she said. ``I have come here today to have a conversation directly. Some hard questions got asked and that is appropriate."

Ms Gillard said advertisements for the carbon tax would begin showing across the nation tonight."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/gillard-meets-hazelwood-workers/story-e6frf7jo-1226095850585