HumeLink | Transgrid

Community campaigning to stop Humelink Towers

March 2023

After many years of advocacy and community consultation on undergrounding the Humelink project it would appear as though we have had a breakthrough.

I met with representatives from One Nation, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, Labor, the Greens and the National Party at the NSW Farmers Regional Debate and we all agreed on five core points.

  1. Humelink should be considered to go underground and the costs need to be accurately understood.

  2. That there should be a public inquiry into the costs and benefits of undergrounding Humelink.

  3. The fire risk posed by giant overhead transmission towers is too great.

  4. The value and future viability of farmland is more important than cutting costs on energy transmission.

  5. The best outcomes are attained when farmers and communities are consulted, the worst are when they are not.

This comes after some years of campaigning on this issue, and I am very comforted by these statements of support.

We need those words of support. However, we also need action in the Parliament.

November 2022

Action to address climate change remains a priority I support for our community. We are in the midst of an energy revolution that will deeply affect regional NSW. We need to make sure that regional and rural communities are treated fairly. That is why I have been raising concerns about overhead transmission lines, as well as a number of solar factories that are popping up in our area.

October 2022

I am pleased the government has announced that NSW landowners who host electricity transmission lines are set to benefit from a new Strategic Benefit Payments Scheme.

Under the scheme, private landowners in NSW will receive $200,000 per kilometre of new transmission infrastructure hosted on their land, paid out in annual instalments over 20 years, indexed to CPI.

For almost three years, I have been campaigning on behalf of residents whose properties could potentially be impacted by transmission lines from the HumeLink and EnergyConnect projects.

I have called for better consultation with the community, a fairer deal on compensation and the best possible route.

While consultation has improved, one of the issues right from the start has been that people who host transmission lines get a fraction of the compensation of those who host wind farms or solar factories.

The transmission lines are just as important for our renewable energy future as those others. I have been telling the government for the best part of three years that the existing compensation wasn’t appropriate. This additional compensation recognises the important role that these transmission lines will have in our future. It is an important step forward.

We still need to focus on getting the route right. It needs to go through public land where possible and undergrounding of lines must be considered.

HumeLink Landowners’ survey

The HumeLink Landowners' survey was an online survey open for four weeks, from 5 August to 2 September 2021. The survey’s aim was to collect feedback from property owners and locals potentially affected by the proposed HumeLink on their experience of TransGrid’s consultation process.

A total of 110 responses were received, although not all questions were answered.

A summary of the survey results can be viewed below.

Minister Kean visiting affected landowners

Visit from Minister Kean (April 2021)

Landowners whose properties will be affected by Transgrid’s HumeLink project had the chance to bring their concerns directly to Minister for Energy and the Environment, the Hon. Matt Kean.

At my invitation, Mr Kean visited the electorate to meet with potentially affected landowners and to tour their properties to see the proposed route. This is an important project for our state and we need to get the route right. That means we must respect the landowners affected. The Minister also met with representatives of Snowy Valleys Council and Wagga Wagga City Council to discuss TransGrid and other issues.