INSIDE TODAY Y
SUPPOR T
Victorian n Seniors Festival 2025
L CAL
BUY LAT ROBE
PAGES 11 TO 18
21 GEORGE STREET, MORWELL 3840
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WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER, 2025
www.latrobevalleyexpress.ccom.au
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SHOWER OR TWO
The greatest
Three’s a crowd
Three’s a crowd. Moe captured an unprecedented third consecutive A Grade premiership in the Gippsland League at the weekend.The Lions set a new mark after holding off a gallant Warragul in the Grand Final.
MORE - VALLEY SPORT
Business Guide LOCAL TRADES AND SERVICES
See Pages 40 & 41 of today’s paper for further details
GP1685705
GP1685707
Photograph: Blake Metcalf-Ho Metcalf-Holt
$2.00 inc. GST
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Opal takes govt to court PAPER Australia Pty Ltd (trading as ‘Opal’) began court proceedings on Monday against the state government for $402 million in damages after claiming the government breached an agreement to provide a “stable supply of wood” to Opal, the operator of the Maryvale Paper Mill. Employing more than 500 team members on the site directly, the mill has been a cornerstone of the Latrobe Valley for more than 85 years. In May 1996, the state government entered into the agreement with Amcor Limited, the then operator of the Maryvale Mill, to supply pulpwood. The agreement was due to expire in June 2030. In 1998, Amcor assigned its rights under the agreement to Paper Australia Pty Ltd (now trading as Opal). Under the agreement, the government’s state-owned enterprise VicForests was providing Opal with eucalypt wood, a critical raw material for white paper production. In November 2022, the government advised Opal it would be unable to fulfill its contractual obligations to supply wood. For the 2022/23 financial year, a reduced supply of wood was supplied to Opal by VicForests. According to Opal, the government stated it did not intend to supply any wood in the future, forcing the company to terminate the agreement in May 2023. Opal is hoping that, with the case now before the Supreme Court, the matter will be determined “fairly and in a timely manner”, providing resolution not only for Opal and the government, but also for the Maryvale Mill, the Latrobe Valley, and the wider Victorian community. More in next week’s Express.