“Victorian Labor’s attempt to again reboot consultation on transmission lines is an admission consultation has failed abysmally on VNI-West,” Member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster, says.  

The State Government has introduced a Bill to establish VicGrid, claiming the new brand will “modernise the way new energy infrastructure is planned and developed in Victoria while giving communities a voice in the process”.

“I have been deeply concerned about communities in Mallee who have felt voiceless and hence I have advocated for them,” Dr. Webster said. 

“AEMO, followed by TCV’s failed VNI West consultation, were why I strongly supported protests in St Arnaud, Horsham, Melbourne and Canberra to give my community a voice. I organised meetings in Tragowel and St Arnaud with TCV and the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer so my constituents could be heard.

“VNI-West needs to go back to the drawing board. TCV cannot reap the reward of the botched engagement so far. Mallee families should have been properly heard and respected all along, but they have been railroaded through shambolic Clayton’s consultations by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), then AEMO’s shell Transmission Company Victoria (TCV).”

Dr. Webster said Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer’s review report on community engagement condemned the failures.

Ninety-two per cent of respondents were dissatisfied at the level of engagement from renewable energy project developers and more than 90 per cent told Commissioner Dyer they were dissatisfied with the information they received or felt unconvinced that their concerns would be resolved.

“I invited the Commissioner to meet with VNI-West landholders in Mallee this week to engage with those whose experiences strongly informed his report,” Dr. Webster said.

“According to the Victorian government today, VicGrid will now implement a new Victorian Transmission Infrastructure Framework (VTIF), but does this mean there will be change? Labor’s reckless rush to renewables is railroading farmers and their communities into hosting transmission projects.”

Dr. Webster said Mallee’s prime agricultural land and pristine native bushland should be protected.

“Last week the Canadian province of Alberta announced a ban on permitting renewables projects on lands suitable for growing specialty crops. I would like to see similar reform adopted here to protect our farmers who feed and clothe the nation and the world,” Dr. Webster said.

Yesterday, Dr. Webster hosted town hall meetings at Tragowel and St Arnaud, with TCV and Commissioner Dyer, so that Mallee constituents could be properly heard about TCV’s poor consultation on VNI West.

This article appeared in  The Buloke Times, 8 March 2024.