CATEGORY

Vic

AER extends timeframe for making a decision on VNI West RIT-T dispute

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has extended the timeframe for making a decision on the  dispute raised by Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance Inc. (MCHPA) in relation to AEMO Victoria Planning (AVP) and TransGrid’s Joint Victoria NSW Interconnector West (VNI-West) regulatory investment test for transmission (RIT-T).

Bulls bond with buddy programs

Blake Lee. Local sporting clubs provide an opportunity to bring people together, increase participation in sport, promote social connection and create a sense of belonging.   In recent weeks, the Birchip-Watchem football and netball clubs have been fostering this opportunity by hosting buddy programs to build and strengthen bonds between senior and junior players.

Spring Street Tractor Rally; August 15: “Stop the Towers”

On Tuesday, August 15, the Regional Victoria Power Alliance of farmers, their rural, regional, and suburban neighbours, retail and tourism business owners, and many other community members will be holding their "Stop the Towers" Rally in Melbourne, on the steps of Parliament and in Spring Street itself ... "Stop the Towers" spokesperson Glenden Watts, "the naked farmer" from Yeungroon, says that he and everyone else in the western and northwestern regions only learnt earlier this year that they were in an "area of interest" for VNI West.

Powerline upgrade could stop farm shock: NSW Farmers

NSW Farmers Energy Transition spokesman Reg Kidd says upgrading existing powerlines would short-circuit community pain over transmission projects. A proposal from the Victoria Energy Policy Centre to use existing powerline easements to house 80-metre-high pylons and high voltage powerlines was worth investigating for NSW as well, Mr Kidd said.

Music for the ages

It wasn’t just the depth of sound from a full orchestra playing live. And it wasn’t only the richness of voice from the two soloists who were guests with the Victorian Concert Orchestra which performed at the Rex last Sunday. It was also about the story of music’s connection to each generation and the part it plays in shaping lives.

More support for children and young people

The North Central Local Learning and Employment Network (NCLLEN) has recently welcomed three new staff members who have joined the team to help create opportunities for children and young people to thrive in education, work and life through partnerships that ensure they get the support they need when they need it.

New report highlights transmission waste

"A damning new report has laid bare the cost blowout and waste of the Western Victoria energy transmission project, threatening prime Mallee farmland," Member for Mallee, Anne Webster says. The Victoria Energy Policy Centre’s (VEPC) "No Longer Lost In Transmission" report highlights the VNI West) costs are understated by the AEMO and already reliant on outdated data.

Walk for your life

Maldon local Melody Goldsmith woke up one morning and informed her husband that she needed to walk the Camino Trail - alone ... Already a member of the Nordic pole walking group in Castlemaine, to further prepare herself physically, Melody began walking up Mt Tarrengower.

Police services on the radar

A regional policing review team has been set up to examine police requirements in the Limestone Coast region. The review is part of the strategies employed by the South Australia Police to make communities in the region safer from criminal activities and increase police presence on our streets.

Local IT expert aids school with unique fundraiser

Stefan Dannhausen, the owner of dkom IT support, is not just known for his technical prowess in Maldon ... In a bid to support Maldon Primary School, Stefan’s business, dkom IT support, has launched a two-week sale of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021.

A Maldon collector’s garage

When Maldon resident Kim Brownbill was a young boy, his family car was a Hupmobile – an American model automobile built in the early to mid-1900s ... the spectacular classic and vintage automobile collection that’s currently under the hammer with Donington Auctions and available to view at Kim’s private shed in Maldon.

VFF powers up petition to halt transmission projects: VFF

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has launched a petition to the Victorian Parliament calling for the VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission projects to be stopped. VFF President Emma Germano said the petition seeks to make the state’s political leaders take notice of decisions that are impacting Victorian farmers and their communities.

Tarrangower Times, 4 August 2023

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Park power lines plan leads to court

Three years after withdrawing a legal challenge to the NSW government’s decision to approve Snowy 2.0 because of the potential legal costs involved, the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) is now proceeding with an action in the Land and Environment Court. The case against the previous NSW government’s decision to allow new overhead transmission lines through Kosciuszko National Park (KNP) as part of the Snowy 2.0 project is set to be heard today.

Tunnel borer relaunched

An important milestone has been reached by Snowy Hydro, the Snowy 2.0 project and for one of its three tunnel boring machines (TBM). TBM Lady Eileen Hudson was the first machine to start tunnelling on the pumped-hydro mega project, the first to complete a tunnel and is now underway on her second tunnel excavation.

Community unites in the line of fire

Community members gathered ... to share information and discuss what they believe is an unsatisfactory time frame to provide feedback on the 500kV VNI West power line development ... it was the consensus of the meeting that community members were still in a process of discovery and lamented that the power companies probably had 18 months to put together their Draft Corridor Reports, and still missed basic information, such as areas of extensive flooding.  

Dog attacks will surge if buffer goes

Member for Benambra, Bill Tilley, fears farms in the Upper Murray will again be under constant threat from wild dogs if the rules for trappers are watered down. On Tuesday night in the Victorian Parliament, Mr Tilley called on the Agriculture Minister to visit the region and hear from the landholders who lived through the carnage of the early 2000s.

No prep, all heart

Matt Lawson is a lone figure dressed in a high vis jacket and with a timber walking stick as he walks along the busy highway north of Tocumwal ... A small group had gathered in Finley to welcome Matt as he entered town. The group had erected a ‘Forest of the Fallen’, which is a national campaign displaying the names and stories of vaccinated Australians who died or were injured post-vaccine.

Basin Plan flounders as problems mount

Southern Riverina Irrigators said Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s determination to deliver the Basin Plan in full shows just how out of touch with reality the minister really is ... To date, 83 per cent of water recovered has already come from the southern basin and SRI is urging NSW water minister Rose Jackson to follow Victoria’s lead and put a line through future buybacks ... Despite the devastation caused by the MDBA in the southern basin, MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said most communities are in support of the plan’s implementation.  

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