Wednesday, 3 December 2025

 Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (19:09): (1463) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Planning, and the action I seek is that the minister reject any battery farm in my electorate. There was a meeting last night in Shady Creek and 200 farmers turned up. The representatives of Samsung were there to explain about the battery farm in my electorate. There was a very, very clear message from the 200 farmers: ‘Not here, not in this area, not on prime dairy farming area.’ Not only that, the Baw Baw shire has rejected this as well.

If I can just read the headline in the Weekly Times: ‘It is simply wrong: farmers slam battery storage plans near their land’. Regional Victoria is bearing the brunt of the government’s renewable agenda. There is no doubt about that. Right across regional Victoria, whether it is a battery farm, a solar farm or a wind turbine, regional Victoria is bearing the brunt. This government has to actually listen to the concerns of locals and how it affects them directly. When you have got farmers, tough men, breaking down in tears because of it, take note. I am glad the Minister for Emergency Services is at the table tonight as well, because some of these locations are actually in fire overlays. Now, in one of these locations I know the Nilma fire brigade, in a catastrophic fire event, cannot go there. They cannot go there to even suppress the fire that will occur if the batteries catch on fire in a catastrophic fire event. It is a real risk in my community.

The community have spoken. I need the minister to listen to them. These are their concerns. Samsung turned up – they are the provider in this case – and there was a very, very clear message to Samsung: not here, not in this location. I am not saying I am against battery farms. I am saying the locations have to be well thought out and put in a place where they are not a risk to the community if they catch fire. I am asking the Minister for Planning to address this problem because, to be honest, if these go ahead, I can see a lot of farmers on the steps of Parliament protesting against this. It is just not fair. They need to listen to their concerns and address the issue.