Tuesday, 20 August 2019
AFTER weeks of calling on Essential Energy to pull back on 182 proposed job cuts in rural and regional NSW, three of which would have been within the Northern Tablelands electorate, I am absolutely thrilled with news today that the State Government has directed the state-owned corporation to reverse its decision.
Essential Energy and its arrogant CEO John Cleland has now been brought to heel, like the errant child he has shown himself to be in the last few weeks.
Following the March election, the NSW Government, via the Premier, announced there would be no public sector country NSW job losses and as a government body, the community and I expected Essential Energy to follow suit.
Rural and regional NSW is the backbone of this state and as we continue to suffer through the worst drought on record, job losses were the very last thing our communities needed.
I thank Deputy Premier John Barilaro for his unwavering support of me and his fellow rural parliamentary colleagues in stopping this move by Essential Energy. He deserves enormous credit for this result.
I also congratulate Energy Minister Matt Kean for directing the company to do the right thing.
Lastly, I am relived this is now over and that the dark cloud hanging over the heads of our region’s hard-working Essential Energy employees has been removed.
This has been a great victory, achieved because people cared and worked together to fight a damaging decision for the bush and I was very pleased to play my part.