MPs vow community ire about Humelink will not be muted

NSW MPs have vowed not to ‘mute’ community anger into Humelink after claims the previous Labor-led inquiry produced findings to ‘suit the government’.

Farmers in NSW’s west are calling for Humelink’s mega towers to be replaced with underground cables.

NSW MPs have vowed not to “mute” community anger into Humelink after claims the previous Labor-led inquiry produced findings to “suit the government”.

It follows a community revolt that forced an alteration of the contentious transmission route away from farms and into forests, with The Australian revealing on Thursday that towers on eight properties along Humelink’s western route had been diverted into the Green Hills State Forest.

NSW crossbench MPs claimed the previous government-led inquiry into the feasibility of undergrounding the project’s lines “muted” findings in its August report that “suited the government”.

The new inquiry is not due to report until March next year, and Transgrid told the previous inquiry that undergrounding lines would result in extra cost and lengthy delays and was unlikely to receive regulatory approval.

The government has said the establishment of a second inquiry “undermined” the state’s energy road map, although MPs and members of the new inquiry have said undergrounding was in line with expert advice.

Wagga MP Joe McGirr – his electorate encompasses a swath of the route.

NSW MP Rod Roberts is on the new inquiry.

“The re-route is a small change that does benefit the community to some extent,” said NSW Wagga MP Joe McGirr, whose electorate encompasses parts of the route.

However, he said the answer remained clear: “The bottom line is that this should be going underground.”

He said the inquiry’s report “took a government position and relied on Transgrid’s evidence”.

“The first inquiry showed the planning system puts little consideration into anything but the cheapest options, which is what we’ve got (with Humelink),” Dr McGirr said.

Independent MLC Rod Roberts, who was not on the previous inquiry but is on the newly established one, lives in Goulburn, whose surrounding areas will be affected. “If this was in Balmain, not rural Bannister, there’d be uproar,” he said. “Country people are treated with a grain of salt – a more balanced inquiry will deliver a proper report.”

NSW MP Emma Hurst was on the previous inquiry and said its findings were ‘muted’ by Labor. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Animal Justice NSW MLC Emma Hurst, who was on the previous inquiry, said its findings were “muted by Labor”.

“An inquiry with a more balanced representation has been formed to ensure issues around overhead lines can be ventilated and reported on. I’m confident the new inquiry will listen to the community,” she said.

Transgrid still expects to begin construction on Humelink in early 2025.