Tuesday, 4 February 2025

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:17): (1357) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Planning, and the action I seek is for the minister to reject planning permit PA2403308 by Mint Renewables for the Dederang battery energy storage system (BESS) facility. Dederang is a beautiful community nestled in the Kiewa Valley. Surrounded by bush, Dederang is in a high fire risk area. During the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, fire crews from New South Wales were sent to protect the Dederang terminal station, nicknamed the ‘light switch’ to Melbourne. This facility serves as a hub in the electricity network. My constituents are concerned about the dangers of putting a large battery facility in such a vulnerable place next to such vital infrastructure. Dederang has some of the best agricultural land in the state according to the Hume Regional Growth Plan, North East Catchment Management Authority and Alpine shire documents. Such high-value agricultural land should be protected at all costs, and the placement of battery infrastructure could put that land at risk.

This battery facility has no social licence. In fact the community are so against its construction they have resorted to hanging large banners and signs on fences, gates and buildings in the surrounding areas. Community consultation by Mint Renewables was minimal at best. They refused to meet with the community as a whole and only met with individual neighbours. One meeting of 20 residents was held, and the promise of those meeting minutes being published on the proponent’s website was not fulfilled. I have been given pages and pages of objections by my constituents in the Kiewa Valley to this planning application. The harm this is causing in the community is indescribable. Minister, do the right thing by my constituents and reject planning permit PA2403308, the Dederang BESS.