Ballarat East substation
Michaela SETTLE (Eureka) (10:26): East Ballarat is a beautiful part of my electorate and holds a significant place in Ballarat’s history. Many people enjoy walking along the river just 10 minutes from the centre of Ballarat, the perfect place for affordable housing, consistent with Ballarat City Council’s aim to infill up to 50 per cent of housing stock in established suburbs of Ballarat. That is why the proposed power station on York Street is hard to swallow. Many in my community are distressed by the prospect of a suburb being towered over by a power station. We are fighting to stop it, but this is the awful legacy of Jeff Kennett’s privatisation. The City of Ballarat has offered two alternative sites in more appropriate areas, but privatisation means that only the cheapest option is considered. We rely on the goodwill of a private company to consider the needs of people who call East Ballarat home, me included. With the land zoned for a substation many years ago, our options are limited. The Minister for Planning can only consider rezoning if the Ballarat council can justify such an amendment. We will continue to make it clear that the people of East Ballarat do not want this substation.