The Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan, has unveiled a plan for the revived State Electricity Commission (SEC) to hire 2,000 electrical apprentices over four years, aiming to tackle significant workforce shortages and job insecurity. The announcement came during Labor's final state conference before the upcoming election.
Personal Connection to the SEC
In her speech, Allan drew on her father's experience as a linesman at the SEC, which was originally privatised by former Premier Jeff Kennett in the 1990s before being revived by Daniel Andrews in 2023. She described the former state-owned energy provider as a training ground for 'thousands of apprentices' before its shutdown. 'You joined young, got trained, got qualified and built a career for life. And you were part of a community that looked out for your family. That bond that kept people together,' she said. 'Until one day when I came home, and mum said to me quietly, “I think your father’s lost his job.”' Allan noted that was the second time she had seen her father cry.
Details of the Apprenticeship Plan
Under the $50 million plan, the SEC will offer 2,000 electrical apprenticeships across two training facilities in Melbourne and regional Victoria, with the first intake scheduled for January 2027. Apprentices will work on SEC projects or be deployed to private projects such as wind farms and data centres. Allan emphasised that this is the first time since the SEC was privatised 30 years ago that the government has directly employed such apprentices. The initiative comes as national apprenticeship numbers decline, even as demand for electricians rises due to the clean energy transition. Research from Jobs and Skills Australia projects a shortfall of up to 42,000 electricians by 2030, attributed to students being steered away from apprenticeships, unclear returns on investment for employers, and a shortage of qualified trainers.
Labor's Election Platform
The state conference served as a soft launch for Labor's election campaign, with Allan's speech being her most personal since becoming premier in 2023. She characterised the November poll as a choice between her party's reforms to 'make life easier, safer and more affordable' and Liberal 'cuts'. On Saturday, members will finalise the party's election platform, which includes proposals to 'consider the benefits of a reduced workweek', introduce a minimum of 12 days' reproductive health leave annually, and decriminalise personal and recreational cannabis use to free up police resources and reduce the 'unnecessary criminalisation of vulnerable communities'. Allan told reporters she would 'consider' these proposals.
Rank-and-File Motions
Rank-and-file members and unions will debate urgent resolutions on Sunday, including motions calling on the federal government to impose higher taxes on gas companies and support the full recommendations of Peta Murphy's inquiry into gambling harm. Other motions target the Victorian government, urging free public transport permanently, ending imprisonment for unpaid fines, abandoning plans to absorb VicHealth into the Department of Health, securing the future of cohealth, and ensuring public hospital patients are no longer charged up to $15 a day for free-to-air television. Another motion calls for a framework for data centre development, requiring all new centres to 'fully offset emissions and become a net contributor to renewable energy production'. While non-binding, these motions are influential; last year, the conference carried a motion recognising Palestine, which the federal government did three months later.
Liberal Party's State Council
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party gathered for its annual state council in Caulfield, with Opposition Leader Jess Wilson reviving a commitment to allocate 25% of all new infrastructure spending to regional Victoria. The party's state executive was elected, with former federal director Brian Loughnane appointed unopposed as party president, replacing Philip Davis. All moderate-aligned vice-presidential candidates were re-elected despite the fallout from the Moira Deeming preselection saga and a $1.55 million loan to former leader John Pesutto. Loughnane urged members to focus entirely on the election campaign. Amid concerns about One Nation's rise, Wilson stated, 'The only way to change the government is to vote Liberal. You can’t vote teal, you can’t vote orange, you must vote Liberal. Any other choice leaves a pathway for Labor to cling to power and continue to drive this state into the dust.' She added, 'You know how bad things are in Victoria today after 12 years of Labor – imagine how bad they’ll be after 16.'
