Tuesday, 6 February 2024

Western Victoria Region

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:09): (633) My question to the Minister for Ports and Freight concerns yet another unforeseen consequence in the government’s chaotic plan to transition to renewable energy. GeelongPort is Victoria’s largest bulk port. Our incredibly productive farmers rely upon it to export their product to the world, yet the mass import of wind turbines is blocking berths at the port, causing delay, extra costs and traffic on our roads as exports are forced to Portland, and Minister D’Ambrosio’s embarrassing failure to develop Hastings as an installation base will worsen the problem. Our transmission infrastructure cannot meet Labor’s arbitrary and onerous renewable targets. Now the port infrastructure is failing too, with knock-on consequences for Victorian farmers. So I congratulate my constituents in Canberra today who are concerned about the above-ground transmission infrastructure, and I ask the minister: what will you do to mitigate the impact on vital Victorian grain exports?