Newsletter #15- Merry Christmas
A final update for 2024. I’ll keep it short as everyone is flat out and the last thing you need is a long newsletter from us.
Government : Post our meeting with Penny Sharpe we have been in touch with her office about agreed follow up issues. We have an agreement on what the minister has to deliver. It doesn’t look like we will get anything under the Christmas tree but hopefully we start to see some action early in the New Year.
Minister’s follow up actions.
Chaffey Dam – issue with the current alignment restricting access for aerial firefighting
Duncans Creek – issue raised around fire risk with this road being a single point of access
Koala population – issue raised around evidence of a koala population existing in the study corridor
Dwelling distance – issue raised with the width of the band used to assess visual impact
Split route – issue raised with the distance of the existing alignment being underestimated vs the length of the TSR
Response times - EnergyCo & Ministerial response times to community needs to be improved (not just copy & paste blurb that is irrelevant)
Mental Health - facility needs drastic improvement (anonymous & available to anyone impacted)
TSR reassessment needs to be assessed on the same criteria as used in the 5 pillars (used in original Multi Criteria Assessment) not cherry picked to suit. Dwelling distances need to be assessed in bands out to 2 km (as done in the incorrect TSR assessment)
We are also pushing to get an economic costing done for both routes. A full lifecycle cost analysis of both routes valuing the quad bottom line impacts to People, Planet, Profit & Progress. We feel that a transparent analysis would go a long way towards putting peoples faith back into this process (if done correctly) and see the route moved.
EnergyCo - As a result of the meeting with Minister Sharpe we have asked the new CEO (Hannah McCaughey) for a full apology to members of our community that have been impacted by EnergyCo’s unethical & thoughtless treatment. Lets see what happens….
On the ground: Umwelt (Environmental Consultants employed by EnergyCo) are out in the community seeking access for Enivironmental Impact Assessments. Our advice remains the same. NO ACCESS. You have no downside to saying NO. You have potential financial risk if you say YES. Call me if you want to discuss.
Nuclear: Thanks to those that completed our Nuclear Survey. The survey results were as follows:
87% of VA members are FOR Nuclear
91% of respondents felt that the current renewables plan will NOT benefit future generations
98% of respondents felt that Rural Australia is carrying an unfair burden in this transition.
Nuclear 2 : I gave evidence at the federal inquiry into Nuclear power in Muswellbrook on Dec 10. It was a surprising event and probably unlikely to see the light of day under the current Government. There were many more pro nuclear people giving their opinions than those opposing it. Local government, unions and community members from across the region were largely in favour of Nuclear being in the energy mix.
Merry Christmas : Finally, From everyone at Valley Alliance we would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and high hopes for a fantastic 2025. Thanks for your support of this massive issue. It’s easy to be overwhelmed and just give in in these type of situations but if we don’t stand up for what we blieve is fair and right we will lose not just our voices but our identity. And that is NOT the Australia that we celebrate with family and friends at this time of year. Merry Christmas, I hope Santa finds you wherever you are.