Newsletter #14 - She Talks the Talk but…
Sorry for the lack of communication over recent weeks, my day job finally took some priority over power lines. Needless to say VA kept moving with our fight against EnergyCo.
One of VA’s main priorities has been to get a meeting with Penny Sharpe (PS) ( Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Heritage) , Yes, she wears a lot of hats! One of VA’s primary concerns has been about the flow of information from impacted communities to EnergyCo and then on to the Minister. As all of you would know, we don’t receive any responses from Penny or her office, our emails were then forwarded on to EnergyCo for responses that took a long time and held nothing of value.
Here’s a quick summary of the meeting and follow up action points.
We met the Minister in Armidale last Friday to discuss our issues. We were given 90 minutes to state our case and hear the Minister’s thoughts on our issues.
EIS release : We have some breathing space as the EIS release has been pushed back from 1Q2025 to late 2025. EnergyCo are maintaining their ability to miss deadlines and let key dates slip
Social License : We spent a lot of time on this subject. I won't revisit everything here.
PS agreed that EnergyCo behaviour is wrong !
EC workers fly in fly out mentality not good enough
PS has replaced the EC Board as a result
EC CEO James Hay replaced in the last 2 weeks
PS suggests a reset. This would be up to the community to decide how that would look.
VA are looking for feedback on how you would be happy to interact with EnergyCo. Our view is that transparency and an open flow of information, both ways, is critical before any significant dialogue can progress. Things like detailed corridor maps showing property boundaries, proposed roads and a fair assessment of the Aberbaldie TSR need to happen to regain community trust. LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS
Biodiversity: Koalas - PS is very keen on her biodiversity program.The last option will be to purchase offsets.
PS is not able to make decisions about the viability of projects . She doesn’t have the same powers as Tanya Plibersek. The project will need Federal approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
PS suggested that if there is a significant population that we need to let more consultants on to our properties to give more proof.
Bushfire : This was a very important talking point. I don’t think PS was as aware of our situation as she should have been. Many of the issues raised appeared to be new to her. EC clearly had not been briefing her on these issues.
Aberbaldie TSR is a category 3 fire risk (low) vs current route being category 1 (Highest) risk
Duncans Creek single road in and out is a potential death trap if fires are started by the lines
Chaffey Dam being unable to be used by water bombers. The next closest pick up point is 1 hour 20 mins round trip. This is our main method of fighting bushfires
We have support from all local RFS units about the risks to the community being huge as a result of the lines. Not just directly impacted landholders but anyone in the region that is impacted by bushfires.
PS will follow up on all points raised and get back to us asap
Abebaldie TSR : We presented the reasons for the TSR being a superior option. The clearly superior cost benefits of the TSR seemed to be a surprise to PS.
PS agreed to get the assessment revisited in a clear and transparent manner
PS agreed that the assessment should be based on the same criteria for both routes (EC 5 pillars) and not cherry picked to suit EC’s arguments.
CONCLUSION: Overall the meeting was very open with forthright questions and answers. PS seemed to be genuinely open to doing the right thing (which politician isn’t?) . She has committed to getting back to us with answers and changes to the way EC interacts with the community.She’s talked the talk, now its time to see if she can walk the walk.
SUBMISSIONS & LETTERS:
Parliamentary Inquiry - The clock is ticking . Submissions close 31 January. If you do submit please ensure that you notify VA that you have so we can keep track of numbers. We haven’t received many letters to date. If you need help we can compose an objection letter for you to submit. Please note that your objections have to me MORE than 250 words.
NEXT STEPS
Parliamentary Inquiry Announced: INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY ZONES (REZs) ON RURAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITIES AND INDUSTRIES IN NEW SOUTH WALES-
submissions and online questionnaire responses close on 31 January 2025. Get them in before the Holidays!
Submissions can be made online HERE .
Letters - please mail to:-
Portfolio Committee 4
Inquiry into the Impact of Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) on rural and regional communities in New South Wales
C/O- Committees Office
Legislative Council
Parliament of NSW, 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
REMINDERS.
DON'T let EnergyCo on your properties.
DON'T talk to them on your own (Groups only).
DON'T sign anything (seek legal advice or a VA opinion)
Finally - A huge thank you to Kate Ellis who has been looking after our social media for us. It is something that is well beyond the VA committee members' very limited abilities. Kate has been fantastic and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Unfortunately Kate’s other commitments elsewhere are increasing so she has had to cut back on her VA workload.
If anyone is interested or knows someone that may be interested in keeping our social media accounts up to date please reach out to us.
We are stronger together! Say NO to EnergyCo!