Government Digs Deep With Plan For Stawell's Future
The Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, today toured the location of a proposed particle physics laboratory at Stawell Gold Mine – a project that will create up to 215 local jobs.
The Andrews Labor Government will invest $1.75 million in stage one of the project, kickstarting the conversion of part of the gold mine so the underground facility can be established.
The Labor Government recently wrote to the Commonwealth seeking matching funds to complete stage one of the project.
When complete, the new Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory – located more than 1km below the surface – will be the only one of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.
It will be used for a wide range of sensitive physics and biomedical experiments, including research into 'dark matter'. Its development will build important links with the international scientific community for Stawell and Victoria.
The project is supported by the Northern Grampians Shire Council, the University of Melbourne, the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence in Particle Physics, and the mine owner and operator, Crocodile Mining.
The enterprise is already attracting interest from Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy, the largest underground physics laboratory in the world.
Quotes from Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews
"The next chapter in Stawell's story is an exciting one, home to hundreds more local jobs and, possibly, the world's next great scientific discovery."
"I refuse to believe that Stawell's best days are behind it."
"We're digging deep for Stawell's future and I call on Tony Abbott to pitch in."