Key Takeaways
- Premier Jacinta Allan unveiled a $50 million plan to revive the State Electricity Commission (SEC) as a government‑owned body that will train 2,000 electrical apprentices over four years, starting in January 2027.
- The program draws on Allan’s personal connection to the SEC through her father, a former linesman, and aims to rebuild the sense of community and job security once associated with the utility.
- Apprentices will work on SEC projects or be placed with private employers in growing sectors such as windfarms and data centres, marking the first government‑run apprenticeship scheme since the SEC’s privatisation three decades ago.
- The initiative responds to a national decline in apprenticeships and a projected shortfall of up to 42,000 electricians by 2030, driven by students favouring university study, unclear employer returns on investment, and a lack of qualified trainers.
- Beyond the apprenticeship announcement, the Victorian Labor conference set out an ambitious election platform, including proposals for a reduced workweek, reproductive‑health leave, cannabis decriminalisation, and various social‑justice motions, while the Liberal opposition urged voters to reject minor parties to prevent Labor’s continued rule.
Premier Jacinta Allan’s announcement of a government‑owned SEC apprenticeship program
Jacinta Allan used Labor’s final state conference before the upcoming election to announce a bold workforce‑development initiative: a $50 million plan to re‑establish the State Electricity Commission (SEC) as a government‑owned entity that will hire and train electrical apprentices. The scheme intends to deliver 2,000 apprenticeships over four years, with the first cohort beginning in January 2027. Allan positioned the program as a direct response to chronic skill shortages in the electrical trade and as a way to restore the stable, community‑focused employment model that once characterised the SEC. By framing the initiative as both an economic necessity and a moral obligation to working‑class Victorians, she sought to energise party members and underscore Labor’s commitment to revitalising public‑sector training pathways.
Historical context of the State Electricity Commission
The SEC, originally a cornerstone of Victoria’s public infrastructure, was privatised in the 1990s under former Premier Jeff Kennett. It was later revived by Premier Daniel Andrews in 2023 as a government‑owned body, though its former role as a massive training ground had been lost. Allan reminded delegates that, before privatisation, the SEC had served as a training hub for “thousands of apprentices,” providing young people with a clear pathway to qualification, stable employment, and a lifelong career. She highlighted her own family’s connection to the utility, noting that her father, Peter Allan, worked as a linesman for the SEC. This personal link allowed her to illustrate the human impact of the commission’s decline and the potential benefits of its renewal as a training institution.
Personal narrative and emotional resonance
Allan’s speech was deeply personal, weaving her family’s story into the policy announcement. She recalled the day she returned home to find her mother quietly telling her that her father had lost his job—a moment that marked the second time in her life she had seen him cry. This anecdote served to humanise the broader issue of job insecurity and to emphasize the emotional toll that sudden unemployment can take on workers and their families. By sharing this memory, Allan aimed to connect with conference attendees on an emotional level, reinforcing the notion that the SEC apprenticeship program is not merely an economic measure but also a means of restoring dignity, belonging, and intergenerational security for Victorian workers.
Apprenticeship details and training facilities
Under the proposed scheme, the SEC will operate two training facilities—one in metropolitan Melbourne and another in regional Victoria—where apprentices will receive both classroom instruction and on‑the‑job experience. Participants will either work directly on SEC‑managed projects or be seconded to private employers in expanding sectors such as wind farms, solar installations, and data centres. Allan emphasized that this will be the first time since the SEC’s privatisation three decades ago that the Victorian government has directly employed apprentices in such numbers. The dual‑track approach is designed to ensure that trainees gain relevant, industry‑aligned skills while also contributing to public‑infrastructure goals, thereby bridging the gap between training and actual workforce needs.
National apprenticeship decline and electrician shortage
The announcement comes amid worrying trends in Australia’s vocational training landscape. Data from Jobs and Skills Australia project a shortfall of up to 42,000 electricians by 2030, a gap exacerbated by several factors. Increasingly, school leavers are being steered toward university degrees rather than apprenticeships, reducing the pipeline of trade‑qualified workers. Employers often cite uncertain returns on investment when taking on apprentices, discouraging them from offering positions. Additionally, a shortage of qualified trainers and assessors limits the capacity of existing programs to expand. Allan cited these challenges to justify the need for a government‑led initiative that can provide guaranteed placements, clear career progression, and a supportive training environment that private firms alone may be unable to sustain.
Allan’s remarks on apprentices’ challenges and belonging
Speaking directly to the plight of aspiring tradespeople, Allan said that many apprentices find it “hard to get a start, there’s no sense of belonging and no guarantee of a job” at the end of their training. She argued that the SEC program would address these concerns by offering a structured pathway, mentorship from experienced linesmen, and the prospect of ongoing employment either within the SEC or with partner private firms. By restoring the sense of community that once accompanied SEC employment—where workers looked out for one another’s families—Allan hopes to improve retention, boost morale, and ultimately produce a more resilient skilled workforce capable of meeting Victoria’s clean‑energy ambitions.
Broader Labor conference agenda and policy motions
The state conference served as a soft launch for Labor’s election campaign, with Allan’s speech representing her most personal address since becoming premier in 2023. Delegates debated and ultimately ratified a draft election platform that includes a range of progressive proposals: considering the benefits of a reduced workweek, instituting a minimum of 12 days’ reproductive health leave each year, and decriminalising the personal and recreational use of cannabis to free up police resources and reduce the “unnecessary criminalisation of vulnerable communities.” Allan told reporters she would “consider” these measures, signaling openness to further debate while emphasizing the party’s broader goal of making life “easier, safer and more affordable” for Victorians.
Union and rank‑and‑file resolutions and Liberal countermove
Rank‑and‑file members and unions also had the opportunity to move urgent resolutions on Sunday. These motions called on the federal government to tax gas companies more heavily and to implement the full recommendations of Peta Murphy’s inquiry into gambling harm. Other resolutions directed at the Victorian government sought to make public transport free permanently, end imprisonment as a penalty for unpaid fines, halt the absorption of VicHealth into the Department of Health, secure the future of community health provider cohealth, and eliminate daily charges of up to $15 for hospital patients to watch free‑to‑air television. A further motion urged the creation of a framework for data‑centre development that would require new facilities to fully offset emissions and become net contributors to renewable energy production. While non‑binding on Labor MPs, such motions have historically influenced party policy—last year’s conference‑carried motion on recognising Palestine was adopted by the federal government three months later.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party held its own state council in Caulfield. Opposition leader Jess Wilson used the gathering to revive a 2022 election pledge to allocate 25 % of all new infrastructure spending to regional Victoria. The Liberals also elected their state executive, re‑installing former federal director Brian Loughnane as party president unopposed. Loughnane urged members to stay wholly focused on the upcoming election, while Wilson warned that voting for minor parties such as the Teals or Orangemen would only allow Labor to retain power, declaring that “any other choice leaves a pathway for Labor to cling to power and continue to drive this state into the dust.” The contrasting visions set the stage for a fiercely contested campaign, with Labor emphasizing public‑sector training and social reforms, and the Liberals stressing fiscal restraint and regional investment.