Why Isn’t There a Plan? Community Vulnerability and Resilience in the Latrobe Valley’s Open Cut Coal Mine Town

On February 9, 2014, the town of Morwell in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia, was confronted with several bushfires, which resulted in a blaze at the Morwell open cut coal mine adjacent to the Hazelwood power station. This event became known as the Hazelwood Mine Fire. After 45 days, the mine was declared safe, but smoke emissions continued for some time. The impact was felt across the Latrobe Valley, but Morwell was most impacted and, at times, “overwhelmed” (Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry 2014b, p. 257) by smoke and ash.