The Castle actor leads fight over AusNet towers
Actor Stephen Curry led a protest in Ballarat on Friday against a major electricity transmission project.
A quarter century after Melbourne’s Kerrigan family fought off big business expanding a nearby airport, The Castle actor Stephen Curry – aka Dale “I dug a hole” Kerrigan – is back on it.
This time the real-life target is AusNet, developers of a 190km Western Victoria high-voltage transmission line that cuts through Mr Curry’s parents’ farm in the small town of Gordon.
“Our family got a letter two years ago telling us the property is in a pinch point. And there’s a very good chance that every one of the 3000 trees on our 20 acres will be knocked over all in the name of sustainability,” said Mr Curry.
“The little man has no power whatsoever and the chances of beating these guys are pretty minuscule. But that just makes us more galvanised to try and at least get the word out there.”
On Friday the Stop AusNet Towers group descended on Ballarat armed with 5000 signed complaint letters, arguing the proposed scheme could devastate communities, farms, jobs and the local environment. Over 100 tractors attended including local potato farmers.
AusNet’s plan for western Victoria envisages major transmission works including a new terminal station north of Ballarat and long-distance voltage lines between Bulgana and Sydenham, with the final component not due in place until 2025.
While the Australian Energy Market Operator has called for authorities to urgently sanction more than $10bn of transmission projects to escape the ongoing threat of blackouts and high power prices, the fight in western Victoria shows the difficulty of getting the community onside.
The Moorabool Central Highlands Power Alliance — an alliance of 10 community groups whose members live near the proposed powerline — have previously written to regulators over three alleged breaches of national electricity rules during AEMO’s regulatory test for the Western Victorian Transmission Network Project.
The latest rally was timed to put local state politicians and candidates on notice ahead of the November election and follows just four days after AusNet pledged to refine the proposed route over the next few months after talks with land owners and stakeholders. AusNet was unavailable for comment on Friday.
The newly named Western Renewables Link promises to deliver 900 megawatts of wind and solar to Melbourne’s northwest, enough to power more than 500,000 homes.
However, opponents of the project say they are worried over the compulsory acquisition of land that has been in the same families’ hands for generations and are concerned over bushfires, environmental effects and hits to property values along the transmission path.
Mr Curry said he supported the push to renewables but wanted a less invasive route for the transmission.
“We think they are going about it in a completely unsustainable way given the enormous biodiversity of the area. The area is a large part of the state’s food bowl and there is now a groundswell of locals against the development.”
Protestors like Mr Curry want transmission lines buried underground rather than tall towers dotting the landscape. Building part of the network underground remains an option to be investigated in the Environment Effects Statement to be submitted by AusNet later in 2022.
AusNet said it understood concerns raised by residents in Friday’s protest.
“We have advised representatives of the rally that we would welcome the opportunity to discuss specific issues and concerns”, an Ausnet spokesman said.