DISAPPOINTMENT AT HUMELINK APPROVAL

The Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, has expressed his serious disappointment at the State Government’s approval of the HumeLink project, which is proceeding against the wishes of communities directly affected. 

Dr McGirr said the directive to produce the cheapest possible transmission system meant that those in its path would be the ones paying the highest price. 

“The consultation for this project was poor from the start and the low-cost imperative left us with the worst result for landowners,” he said. 

“One of the most disappointing aspects of this sorry saga is that if the power lines had been undergrounded, as the community wished, opposition would have been greatly reduced and the conditions of approval would have been more manageable.” 

Dr McGirr noted that the conditions included a bank guarantee of more than $502m to ensure biodoversity offsets are implemented, many of which could have been minimised by the undergrounding option. 

“This huge sum of money shows the extent of the environmental damage that will be caused by this project which again illustrates the high cost of taking the cheapest course,” he said. 

“I also note that Transgrid is required to work with landowners to mitigate the visual impact of the project but how do you mitigate against 76-metre towers that will stand as massive eyesores over beautiful hills and valleys? 

“Other conditions around bushfire risk reduction, landscape rehabilitation and noise mitigation will deliver no more than should be expected from any major construction project and the fact remains that bushfire will continue to be a serious concern, regardless of how many ‘emergency plans’ are prepared.” 

The viability of the huge towers also remains a concern, following the collapse of seven smaller Transgrid towers near Broken Hill. 

“I have been assured by the government that the HumeLink towers will be built to Australian standards but so too were those at Broken Hill and the HumeLink towers will be taller and in elevated, hilly terrain,” he said. 

“With more extreme weather likely because of climate change, I remain concerned about the integrity of the towers and look forward to hearing the results of inquiries into the Broken Hill collapse.” 

Dr McGirr said a lack of appropriate community benefits also remained an issue with affected communities likely to be short-changed in every way.  

“The planning approval has left those in the path of this project to carry the burden of poor consultation on a cheap development that will scar the landscape and local lifestyles for years to come. 

“Transgrid can be assured that I will be closely watching to ensure they comply with all the conditions, for what they are worth, but with final approval still to come from the Commonwealth, the community’s genuine and legitimate concerns are unlikely to be eased by the State approval.”