Northern Grampians and Buloke Shire councils have withdrawn from the Technical Reference Group for the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) Environment Effects Statement (EES).
Both councils have written to the Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, advising of their decision. They cite growing concern about how their feedback was handled.
The Technical Reference Group is governed by the Minister for Planning and includes State Government agencies, local government representatives and industry stakeholders, including the proponent, VicGrid. It was established in early 2024 to provide guidance on the soundness of the EES technical studies and the adequacy of the project’s responses to key risks affecting local communities.
Northern Grampians Deputy Mayor Cr Justine Hide said the councils and their technical specialists ended up reviewing and correcting the proponent’s own material, work she said was the responsibility of the proponent and state agencies. She also said large volumes of complex material, often provided on short timeframes, placed a resourcing burden on both councils that was disproportionate to their influence. In her words, the councils were left with the impression the process was “tokenistic rather than a genuine mechanism” for local government to influence outcomes.
Buloke Mayor Cr Graeme Milne said both councils repeatedly raised potential effects on local roads, housing and employment. He said VicGrid generally ignored or minimised that input.
Both councils say they remain committed to constructive engagement with VicGrid ahead of the EES inquiry, scheduled for February. The EES is expected to be released for public exhibition, with submissions to be reviewed as part of the inquiry early next year.