Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The town of Euroa in my electorate of Indi is plagued by repeated power outages and brownouts. This problem has been decades in the making, and it's one I've spoken about repeatedly in this place before. Euroa's electricity is supplied by the BN 11 feeder line from Benalla. It's the single-longest feeder line in AusNet's Victorian network, stretching 1,216 kilometres and serving around 4,800 customers. These customers are families, older residents, small- and medium-sized businesses, local health services, GP clinics, farmers and more.

In 2025, the BN11 feeder line recorded around 76 unplanned sustained outages, and, while not every outage affected every customer, each outage had a real impact on people who depend on reliable electricity. Repeated unexpected outages forced business owners to drop everything and scramble to switch on generators and risk losing valuable stock. People lose all the food in their freezers. The outages leave people worried about elderly neighbours and families with young babies whose health could be at risk without air conditioning or refrigeration during sustained heatwaves. This January, during the Victorian bushfires, people in Euroa lost telecommunications, including access to the Victorian emergency services app, while the Longwood fire burned just kilometres away. Unreliable power is a business killer and, in an emergency, it could be fatal. AusNet recognise the need to strengthen power security in Euroa. They put a proposal to the Australian Energy Regulator to build a new feeder line along the same route from Benalla to Euroa. Now, that line would not have solved every power issue, but it would have provided critical power backup when the existing line went down.

Last month the Australian Energy Regulator rejected that proposal, and instead approved AusNet to spend $5.6 million to install covered conductors on that line. I have met with AusNet and I've met with the Energy Regulator to understand why the feeder line was rejected, and what this alternative will deliver for Euroa instead. They both acknowledge the urgent need for better security for energy in Euroa, and they say they want practical, effective solutions. Well, so do I. They are engaging productively with me on this issue, and I really thank them for that. But this decision does not mean that we pack up and wait in hope for another five years for AusNet to return to the AER with a new proposal. I'll keep working with AusNet, the AER, Strathbogie Shire Council, the chamber of commerce and the residents of Euroa to secure an urgent fix while also working towards a sustainable, long-term solution.

Energy insecurity of this scale is unacceptable in 2026, and I'm so pleased that we have the energy minister here today listening to this speech because it is absolutely fundamental to rural Australians. I will keep fighting until Euroa gets the reliable power it deserves. (Time expired)

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