In short:
Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has approved the Western Renewables Link Environment Effects Statement (EES).
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Kilkenny → approve → Statement
Premier Ben Carroll has also ordered an immediate and independent cost assessment of the project.
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Carroll → order → project
Mr Carroll says there will be no compulsory acquisition of property while the cost review is underway.
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review → say → property
Victoria's premier has ordered a cost review of a controversial $1.5 billion transmission line project, the same day the planning minister approved a major planning hurdle.
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minister → order → hurdle
Ben Carroll ordered the immediate and independent cost assessment of the Western Renewables Link (WRL) today, after Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny announced the approval of the project's environment effects statement (EES) overnight.
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Kilkenny → order → statement
Mr Carroll said in a statement the review aimed to reduce building costs, and there would be no compulsory acquisition of property while it was underway.
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it → say → property
"I respect the public's money.
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I → respect → money
This project was planned almost 10 years ago and Victorian consumers deserve updated, transparent costings," Mr Carroll said.
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Carroll → plan → costings
The proposed 190-kilometre transmission line would run between Bulgana, near Ararat in the state's west, and Sydenham in Melbourne's north-west, to connect renewable energy projects in western Victoria to the energy grid.
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line → run → grid
In the EES, Ms Kilkenny found the project would likely have a significant impact on the environment, namely on "visual amenity" and "landscape values".
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project → find → amenity
But, overall, she found the possible community benefit meant it could proceed and environmental damage could be managed.
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damage → find → ?
The project has caused significant, enduring unrest for many landholders who live in its corridor.
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who → cause → corridor
The premier did not indicate whether Labor was reconsidering its commitment to the project when announcing the cost review.
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Labor → indicate → review
More approvals required
Mr Carroll said in a statement the EES was not a final approval, and the project still required state and Commonwealth agency approvals and the green light from parliament.
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project → require → parliament
However, AusNet, the company responsible for the WRL, can use the assessment as leverage to gain other approvals.
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AusNet → use → approvals
According to AusNet, those secondary requirements may include a permit to remove protected flora under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, a permit to relocate wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1975 and a permit to work within or over waterways under the Water Act 1989.
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requirements → accord → Act
Mr Carroll said in a statement the EES would be completed by the end of the year and its findings would be made public.
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findings → say → year
Shadow Energy Minister David Davis condemned the government for approving the EES two and a half months before the November election.
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Davis → condemn → election
"The opposition wrote to the government and said not to grant or provide approvals at this point under the cover of the pre-election period," Mr Davis said.
"
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Davis → write → period
The government has sat on this document, it seems, since July and now released it late in the piece in the lead-up to the state election.
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it → sit → election
"We say the government should not make steps that bind future governments."
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that → say → governments
Mr Carroll told ABC he was unavailable for an interview.
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he → tell → interview
The future of the WRL is uncertain if Labor loses the November election.
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Labor → lose → election
The Coalition has promised it would pause and reconsider the future of WRL if it was elected.
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it → promise → WRL
One Nation has said it would cancel the project entirely.
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it → say → project
The latest costing for the project is $1.5 billion, more than three times the initial figure given in 2019.
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costing → give → 2019
The project has also suffered timeline blowouts.
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project → suffer → blowouts
The latest estimate from AusNet said the project would be completed by 2029.
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project → say → 2029
Project 'does not have social licence'
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Project → have → licence
Ripon's Labor incumbent Martha Haylett, the state member for the local government areas where the WRL and a second proposed transmission line called VNI West are set to be built, said in a statement she was glad Mr Carroll had listened to her objections.
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Carroll → propose → objections
"It has been 1365 days since I spoke about our community's opposition to the Western Renewables Link in my first speech in Parliament," Ms Haylett said in the statement.
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Haylett → speak → statement
"I have raised my objections to this project with three successive Premiers …
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I → raise → Premiers
"I've said from day one that this project does not have social licence in our community, and that has not changed."
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that → say → community
Fifth-generation beef, sheep and potato farmer Gerald Conroy said the EES identified the same issues he and his neighbours in Ballan had been raising for six years.
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he → say → years
He said he disagreed with the government's stance that environmental impacts could be appropriately managed.
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impacts → say → stance
Mr Conroy said the project had divided his community, and he would no longer vote for Labor.
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he → say → Labor
They think they can mitigate these issues by giving more money to the community,"he said.
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they → think → community,"he
Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) president Ryan Milgate welcomed the cost review and said the government should reconsider the state's transmission rollout more broadly.
"
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government → welcome → rollout
Farmers have been saying for years that the WRL needs greater scrutiny.
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WRL → say → scrutiny
The government has now acknowledged that," Mr Milgate said.
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Milgate → acknowledge → that
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia