The tiny country town of Dookie is celebrating after the Victorian government canned the proposed Central North Renewable Energy Zone, the ABC reports. The zone would have covered parts of the Campaspe, Greater Shepparton, Benalla and Greater Bendigo council areas — and the surprise announcement, which followed a fierce round of resident feedback, allowed some farmers what the ABC describes as "the best night's sleep they've had in 12 months".
"I think the power of the people came through," said Jodie Fleming, spokesperson for the Protect Dookie and GV Community group, which formed in staunch opposition to the proposal and argued there had been a lack of consultation over a zone it said didn't belong on prime agricultural land. "Dookie itself has only got 330-odd residents. However 11,760 Victorians signed a petition to say 'Don't put it there,'" Ms Fleming said. "We are producing food for not just Victoria but Australia. To put a renewable energy zone where we're feeding our nation is ridiculous."
Ms Fleming said she believed the upcoming state election was "absolutely" a factor in the decision — and that a planned rally against the proposal would now likely be converted into a big street party.
The government's version
Energy Minister Jaclyn Symes said the zone was canned "following community feedback and expert advice". "The area covering the Campaspe River at Axedale to the Hume Highway at Glenrowan already hosts significant renewable generation, with existing and planned projects using much of the capacity available to plug into the existing grid," her statement read. "The next wave of investment can instead be focused where projects can connect efficiently and new transmission can unlock more renewable energy."
VicGrid, the government body responsible for planning Victoria's renewable energy zones, said the decision would not affect projects already advanced in the area. "This decision does not mean there won't be renewable energy development in the area," a spokesperson said, adding that landholders have the right to choose whether they host renewable projects: "We encourage them to discuss potential developments with their neighbours".
'Difficult to celebrate one community being listened to'
The Victorian Farmers' Federation welcomed the decision with a caveat attached. "While we welcome this decision, it's difficult to celebrate one community being listened to when others feel they were ignored by the same process," president Ryan Milgate said. "We can only hope that this decision might be the first of many designed to regain the trust of regional communities."
The opposition's questions are about process. Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell told Victorian Parliament on Wednesday that the government had been expected to explain why the region was included as a renewable energy zone in the first place. "We expected the government to get up and put forward their reasons why they had included it in the transmission plan," Ms Lovell said. "But instead a government member got up and announced that the government had that day decided not to include it in the renewable energy plan."
Victoria's energy build-out continues elsewhere — the state opened Australia's first offshore wind auction at the end of August. But the Central North decision sets a marker eleven weeks from an election: a zone drawn onto the state's transmission plan can be erased by the people who live inside its lines.
