There are moments in the life of a community where history doesn’t just unfold around us, it demands something of us. Lithgow is facing one of those moments now.
For generations, our identity has been shaped by coal, power generation, and heavy industry. These industries built our towns, raised our families, and powered a nation. They gave us pride, purpose, and prosperity. It is. a legacy we must honour and pay due respect to the men and women who gave so much to those industries.
We have reached a point in time however where legacy alone cannot carry us forward. The world is changing around us, and whether we like it or not, Australia’s energy landscape is shifting. Power stations are closing. Coal is declining. New industries are emerging. And Lithgow stands at a crossroads.
We can meet this moment with fear, frustration and resistance, or we can meet it with clarity, courage and a shared commitment to building the next chapter of our story. Standing still is not a strategy. Rejecting every proposal is not a plan. Wishing for the past will not create a future for our children.
This is a once-in-a-generation transformation. It will be uncomfortable. It will challenge our beliefs, our politics, our identities and our patience. But it also presents the greatest opportunity Lithgow has seen in 100 years. A chance to shape our future instead of being shaped by it.
There is a growing instinct in the community to say “no” to everything — no to wind, no to solar, no to pumped hydro, no to batteries, no to new industries until everything is perfect or painless. I understand that instinct. Change is confronting, and many of us feel that decisions are being made by people far away who do not know our streets, our valleys, or our history.
But here is the uncomfortable truth: saying no to everything does not protect us. It guarantees decline.
When an economy loses its foundation and refuses to build a new one, there is only one outcome — shrinkage. Fewer jobs. Fewer families. Fewer opportunities. Shops closing. Young people leaving. Services withering. Main Streets emptying. Rates rising while amenity falls. We have all seen other towns go down that path. We know how that movie ends.
Lithgow deserves better than slow decay.
Around the world, regions like ours have faced this same crossroads. The places that thrived — in Europe, in the United States, and even here in Australia — are the places that accepted reality early, diversified their economies, and backed themselves to adapt, retrain, attract investment and open new doors.
The places that resisted until the bitter end were left behind.
Our choice is not between coal and something worse. Our choice is between stagnation and renewal.
Lithgow cannot afford to bet its future on a single pillar ever again. That era is over. The future must be diversified — across energy, manufacturing, tourism, the arts, education, nature-based economy, digital enterprise, heritage activation, and small business. Clean energy can be one pillar, but not the whole house. We can welcome pumped hydro alongside boutique tourism. We can host advanced manufacturing beside creative industries. We can power the nation and attract visitors, innovators, makers and storytellers at the same time.
This is not about abandoning who we are. It is about expanding who we can become.
For many families, this transition is not academic, it is very personal. Fathers, sons, and grandfathers worked the same mines and the same power stations. Generational identity is tied to these industries. Let’s honour that. Let’s recognise the grief that comes with change. Let’s acknowledge the fear. But grief is not a strategy and fear is not a plan.
Imagine a Lithgow that is known not as a town waiting for its best days to return, but as a region that seized its moment and transformed:
- A hub for new energy projects that employ local hands, not fly-in workers
- A thriving tourism ecosystem built on our heritage, landscape and creativity
- Skills training, TAFE investment and pathways for local young people
- Small businesses flourishing instead of just surviving
- Heritage buildings reactivated instead of rotting
- A community that attracts families, investment and talent rather than losing them
That future is ours — if we choose it, together.
This is the moment for clear direction, not endless division. For collaboration, not local political warfare. We need local and state leaders to stop talking in circles and start delivering a shared regional plan — one roadmap, one vision, one voice, with community at the table, not outside the window banging on the glass.
Lithgow has the talent. We have the location. We have the infrastructure. We have the history. What we need now is the will.
The future will not wait for us to get comfortable. It will not pause until our arguments are over. It will not bend to nostalgia. The world is moving, and we must move with it or be left behind.
Saying yes to progress is not betraying our heritage or future generations. It is survival. It is loyalty to our children and their children. It is faith in the idea that Lithgow’s best days can still be ahead of us — not behind us.
This is our moment to choose possibility over pessimism. The next generation will live in the future we build or the future we abandon. Let’s build it. Together.
