‘Experts’ to review Victorian blackout, but panel yet to be announced

Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has refused to provide any details of who the “experts” will be, nor confirm whether they have yet been appointed.

Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

The Victorian government has ­announced an “independent ­expert panel” will investigate the blackouts that plunged 530,000 households and businesses into darkness last week, with more than 3000 still without power a week later.

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio on Tuesday refused to provide any details of who the “experts” would be, nor confirm whether they have been appointed, prompting the state opposition to condemn the probe as a “sham”.

“(The inquiry) will be led by an expert panel, independent of ­government, and they will be charged with the ability to inquire into the questions that Victorians want answers to,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.

She indicated the “independent” panel’s terms of reference would be set by the government, with a focus on the “operational arrangements and preparedness of energy distribution companies” to respond to “extreme weather events”.

The minister criticised as ­“ridiculous” claims by the opposition that the review was being announced in response to its pledge on Monday to hold an upper house inquiry into Vic­toria’s energy transmission network, accusing the Coalition of wanting to have a “talkfest, not of experts, but of politicians”.

Following significant blackouts caused by storm damage in 2021, the Victorian government purchased 200 generators, ­announcing they would be used to provide households and businesses with power should similar situations occur in the future.

Wild weather brought down power transmission towers at Anakie, near Geelong, last week. Picture: Alison Wynd

Asked why many of the generators had spent much of the past week sitting in warehouses ­despite thousands of households remaining without power, Ms D’Ambrosio was forced to concede they were only now being distributed – a week after the blackouts began.

“Not everyone needs a small generator. A number of people may have made decisions around alternative accommodation,” the minister said.

“Others will have their own home generators.”

Ms D’Ambrosio confirmed 3172 premises remained without power on Tuesday afternoon, including 2620 households and about 550 businesses, with the vast majority expected to be ­reconnected by Friday. Opposition Leader John Pesutto ­accused the government of having “caved to pressure”, despite having dismissed the Coalition’s calls for a parliamentary inquiry as a “political stunt”.

“This is a sham review with no details about who will conduct it, when it will be completed and whether the government’s own role will be scrutinised,” Mr Pesutto said.

“This is why we need a full and transparent inquiry into Victoria’s transmission network, ­because Labor simply can’t be trusted.

“After blackouts left more than half a million homes and businesses without power, Vic­torians are entitled to a public ­inquiry that will listen to expert evidence about what went wrong.”