Wednesday, 9 September 2026

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (19:11): (2798) My matter for the adjournment tonight is for the attention of the Minister for Energy and Resources, and it concerns the transmission plan statewide and the renewable energy zones. I make this call now, noting the absolute chaos and confusion that is the state government’s energy plan: its transmission plan and the associated renewable energy zones. The state government has had 12 years, and yet now we learn that there are massive problems from 2028. The minister today did not know in the chamber about the medium-term projected assessment of system adequacy, which is the advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator pointing to concerns with energy reliability into the future, the medium term in this case. The warnings are from July 2028 onwards.

The state government’s transmission plan, recently announced, with the renewable energy zones is in chaos. The whole process was botched from the start, and this is causing delays and slowness to roll out a whole series of energy projects across the state. What we have seen is VicGrid rolling over local communities, not listening, not engaging properly and not putting in place properly thought-through renewable energy zones. The opposition has said we will pause the transmission plan, the renewable energy zones, and we will review them openly, honestly and with a short, sharp and independent process. But we learned today in this chamber, in the recent discussion of a petition concerning the Central North renewable energy zone, that the minister for energy unilaterally announced – tonight – that that zone is gone. Well, that is a win for people in around Dookie, it is a win for those around Colbinabbin, but what about the rest of the state? This is policy adhocery, policy on the run, and an incompetent new minister who does not know what she is doing. She is rumbling around –

Wendy Lovell interjected.

David DAVIS: Well, it is a great result there, but what about the rest of the state? What about the transmission plan around the rest of the state? This is VicGrid’s mistakes, VicGrid’s arrogance and VicGrid rolling over local communities. I am asking the minister to step back and to adopt the opposition’s policy – to pause and properly and independently review the renewable energy zones and the transmission plan. This state government has botched its energy policy. It is years behind time. The Auditor-General made clear that the wind projects are years and years and years behind time. We know that major wires are years and years and years behind time under this government. They have been in power for 12 years now. Every problem in the energy system is their fault. It is all down to the last three premiers and the hopeless previous minister. It is time to pause and review.