Western Victoria Region
Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:36): (231) My constituency question is for the Minister for Energy and Resources in the other place, and it relates to the proposed Victoria to New South Wales interconnector project from Bulgana to the New South Wales border. On 27 May the minister confirmed that she had issued a ministerial order to progress the preferred option known as option 5A. This has not been fully released to the public. According to media sources local landholders will be eligible for $8000 per kilometre of transmission line that they host on their property per year up to 25 years. This is basically buying the community out. My question to the minister is this: when will the minister release the details of Australian Energy Market Operator’s preferred option 5A? Will the minister actually come and meet with locals to hear their concerns, or will she rely on consultation when anyone – and I mean literally anyone – could go up to the consultants, press numbers on an iPad and get 20 bucks? Will the minister actually meet with the people who are impacted by her decisions, because they feel that they have been absolutely forgotten?