Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Major infrastructure projects often divide communities, but not in the case of the western Victoria transmission lines. The project has, with very few exceptions, united the community. From Darley and Myrniong through to potato country in Newlyn, Mount Prospect and surrounds, the community have come together to fight against the plan put forward by AEMO and being built by AusNet. It has united Labor and Liberal MPs, tourism operators, the Victorian Farmers Federation, big businesses like McCain, residents in suburban growth areas and those in regional farming communities. It's increasingly clear to all of us that the northern corridor proposed to build the transmission lines and the transfer station at Mount Prospect is simply unviable and that it's time to go back to the drawing board. AEMO, AusNet and state and federal governments, who need to sign off on this project, need to start again.

A much better plan for this project should look at the corridor from Bulgana to Mortlake, Mortlake to Geelong and then Geelong through to Sydenham. In doing so, it should be using existing easements as the corridors. We should be looking to use the latest in technology, undergrounding where we can, battery storage along the way and ensuring that there is local community benefit, not just through community funds but through cheaper access to renewables in the corridors and proper ongoing remuneration for all affected landholders. The social licence for renewables depends on it and we need to get this right.