Wednesday, 5 February 2025

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:32): (1376) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Planning, and the action I seek is for the minister to reject planning application PA2403122 for the Cooba solar facility at Colbinabbin in my electorate of Northern Victoria. My constituents in the heart of the Heathcote wine region have serious concerns about the underhanded tactics employed by the Venn Energy group when preparing application PA2403122, an application for one of the largest solar energy production facilities in Victoria. The bushfire management plan and cultural heritage management plans are missing from the public application documents. Land productivity data has been severely manipulated to downplay the true productivity of the land proposed to be occupied by this facility and the surrounding farmland. Incorrect rainfall and soil type data has been used in the report submitted for the application. There is no social licence for this facility. Venn Energy used flawed consultation processes, leaving the community feeling as though they are not being heard. I have been given pages of objections by my constituents from Colbinabbin to this planning application. The harm this is causing to the community is indescribable. Minister, do the right thing by my constituents and reject planning application PA2403122 for the Cooba solar facility.