Northern Grampians and Buloke Shire Councils have officially withdrawn from the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) Environment Effects Statement Technical Reference Group following growing concern about how their feedback had been managed.
Governed by the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny, the inter-agency Technical Reference Group (TRG) is a collaborative assembly comprising state government agencies, local government representatives and key industry stakeholders, including the project proponent, VicGrid.
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The TRG was established in early 2024 to provide guidance on the VNI West Environment Effects Statement (EES) with regards to the soundness of technical studies and adequacy of project responses to address key risks and issues that could impact local communities.
Leaders of Northern Grampians and Buloke councils have expressed their disappointment in their experiences on the EES TRG, noting they did not believe they had a genuine opportunity to make a case about the issues that mattered most to their communities.
Northern Grampians Shire deputy mayor Justine Hide said the councils and their technical specialists found themselves undertaking EES review work that was the responsibility of the proponent and state agencies, not the TRG.
“The group essentially invested valuable time and effort reviewing, checking and correcting the proponent’s own technical material, which is not the intended purpose of the TRG,” she said.
“This, combined with the limited evidence of our input translating into any substantive change, has left both councils with the strong impression that the TRG process has been tokenistic rather than a genuine mechanism for local government to influence VNI West outcomes.”
Cr Hide said large volumes of technically complex material provided to the TRG—often on very short timeframes—also placed a significant resourcing burden on both councils that was disproportionate to the influence the process afforded.
“This came at a cost to our capacity to work on other projects and matters that are currently affecting our communities,” she said.
Buloke mayor Graeme Milne said leaders from both councils repeatedly identified potential negative effects from the project on local areas such as roads, housing, and employment opportunities during TRG meetings.
He said despite this, VicGrid generally ignored or minimised the councils’ input, resulting in no material change in their decision-making approach.
“Both councils remain committed to constructive engagement with the project proponent in the lead-up to the EES inquiry scheduled for February and remain even more committed to ensuring the interests of our communities are properly represented,” he said.
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The VNI West Environment Effects Statement is expected to be released for public exhibition. Submissions will then be tabled for review as part of the EES inquiry process early next year, where there will be another opportunity for the councils to voice their concerns.
VicGrid told ABC News it acknowledged the councils’ statements and remained committed to working constructively with both councils as the project progressed.
