Council
27 November, 2025
Kealy slams south west renewable zone push
MEMBER for Lowan Emma Kealy has warmed public frustration is growing as the State Government pushes ahead with its Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) plans.
Ms Kealy said the Allan Labor Government has dismissed the concerns of those who live and work in the areas most affected, resulting in a “deepened sense of disconnect between the government and regional communities”.
“People are tired of spending hours preparing submissions, thinking the government will consider their views, only to see decisions made that completely disregard them,” she said.
“For Labor to invite feedback on its projects means nothing when that feedback is never acted on.”
Ms Kealy said communities within the proposed REZs, which includes the South West Zone encompassing Mortlake and surrounds, had gone to great effort to share their views.
This includes landowners detailing their concerns about the loss of productive farmland and biodiversity.
She said many residents have urged the government to de-prioritise or exclude certain locations altogether, identifying them as areas to avoid, yet, despite this feedback, the government proposed to allow projects to proceed outside the REZ boundaries, with VicGrid providing support through a new ‘Grid Impact Assessment’ process.
“What is the point of a REZ if renewable projects can be developed and approved outside of the zone?” Ms Kealy said.
“This is a deplorable and deceitful act by Labor and only further demonstrates the government’s contempt for rural and regional communities.
“Our local communities and farms are expected to host these large-scale energy projects to power Melbourne, all while our energy bills skyrocket, roads crumble and health services are centralised to the city.
“It’s disgraceful.”
Ms Kealy said the release of three VicGrid documents for public consultation — the draft Access and Connections Consultation Paper, the draft Grid Impact Assessment (GIA) Guidelines, and the draft Community Engagement and Social Value Guidelines — must represent a genuine turning point.
“Feedback must be clearly reflected in the final guidelines if the government wants to rebuild any trust with regional communities,” she said.
“Regional Victorians deserve genuine engagement, not token consultation, and the views of affected landholders must be respected.”
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