Thursday, 13 November 2025

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:56): My question is for the Minister for Emergency Services. Eastern Victoria Region is a beautiful region with farmland, beaches and creeks, and now it is the site for huge battery farms planned at Darnum, Shady Creek and Longwarry. Locals are uneasy. They have seen what can happen. In January a lithium ion battery fire in California burnt uncontrollably, releasing toxic smoke and heavy metals across farmlands and waterways. These batteries are not just infrastructure, they are potential hazards sitting in the middle of Victoria’s food bowl, which produces nearly a quarter of Australia’s dairy. Our firefighters tell us they still do not have the equipment or training to put out even a single electric vehicle battery fire. My question to the minister is: why has this capability gap been allowed to persist while there are three massive battery installations being approved in our region?