Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Electricity infrastructure

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (17:52): (184) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Energy and Resources and concerns the proposed transmission line project between Bulgana and the New South Wales border known as option 5 of the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI). The action that I seek is for the project to be cancelled and to go back to the drawing board and for a thorough review to be conducted of the state’s energy and transmission needs.

I recently attended a rally in St Arnaud which hundreds of concerned locals attended, all fearful of the impacts that this project is going to have. Massive tractors went down the main street, and placards were everywhere. Locals have a number of concerns with the proposed option 5, including the completely shoddy consultation process, the potential impact on land valuations, the bullish nature in which compulsory acquisition has been conducted in this state, the impact on the ability of farmers to use prime agricultural land and the supposed need for transition lines when other options have not been fully explored. As a local MP, I was very happy to attend, and I acknowledge that the member for Mildura Jade Benham and the federal member for Mallee Anne Webster also attended. Let me make this very clear: nobody from AEMO, the Australian Energy Market Operator, attended. Nobody from the state government attended – no local MP, no minister, no parliamentary secretary and not even a token public servant, nothing. It is an absolute disgrace. They were all invited by organisers. The government does not even have the decency to turn up and listen to local concerns. What a complete kick in the guts to locals, a complete slap in the face.

You know, this government love to preach equality, but clearly they do not give equal treatment to country people. It appears as though the government just want to take the line of least resistance and bulldoze their way – quite literally – through country communities, country people and country concerns. Well, it is about time the government started listening. Even eminent experts have labelled this project ‘a monumental mistake’. The Victorian Farmers Federation are opposed to the project and have expressed grave concerns – need I mention the hundreds of locals. I call on the energy minister to come up with a long-term energy and transmission plan for the state, not just for the next election. I also call on the government to go back to the drawing board with VNI option 5. Apart from anything else, it is just not fair.