Thursday, 29 August 2024

Western Victoria Region

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:43): (1088) My question for the Minister for Planning concerns ACEnergy’s proposed battery storage facility adjacent to the You Yangs Regional Park. On fire days in western Victoria the wind begins from the north and swings to the west and south. The land in question on Sandy Creek Road currently has a fire overlay as well as vegetation and landscape overlays. A devastating fatal fire took place in the area in 1969, and we have recently seen a spectacular fire at the Moorabool battery, yet with no effective public consultation these protective overlays will be replaced by a special land use permit, enabling this potentially dangerous development. It is shocking that residents did not know about this proposed amendment until a Geelong Advertiser article last week. Geelong City Council admitted that they, along with the community, have been caught unaware. So, Minister, will you listen to the community and extend the consultation period?