Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:04): (1615) My adjournment debate is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change and concerns the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project. Now, this is a very fraught project—a long line from Sydenham to Bulgana, with towers proposed to be the height of the MCG lights—causing no end of distress to landowners and people concerned about the environment, the amenity, fire issues et cetera. At the moment the minister should no doubt be aware that many landowners had been led to believe that the western part of the project would be a 220-kilovolt line, and they had made their submissions to the statutory processes accordingly. But it now appears that serious consideration is being given to an update of the entire route to 500 kilovolts. While there may be very good arguments for this, and indeed it is likely to make underground high-voltage direct current way more economically viable, the fact remains that residents and landowners have been totally misled.

Dr Bach: Surely not!

Mrs McARTHUR: Yes. You cannot imagine this government misleading anybody! It would not be possible, Dr Bach—but it clearly is. So the action I seek from the minister is for a commitment that should the up-rated route be preferred, the Australian Energy Market Operator’s regulatory investment test for transmission process and all local consultation be reopened. This is a serious material change in circumstance, and all previous justifications are now outdated. I ask the minister to commit to the only just course and to rerun these processes in light of this new and significant change in the project specification.