The Nationals Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has challenged Victoria’s Energy Minister in a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearing this week, demanding answers over the cost and impact of major new energy transmission projects slated for Victoria.
Ms Benham challenged the Minister on the $4.3 billion price tag for the new transmission projects announced last month, projects that are in addition to the $3.3 billion VNI West and $370 million Western Renewables Link, raising serious concerns from the farming community and everyday Victorians already struggling with rising power bills.
“These projects come with enormous financial uncertainty. There is a real risk the cost could blow out to more than $8 billion, yet the government still cannot tell us how much it will add to people’s household bills,” Ms Benham said
Media reports have suggested the true cost could be closer to $20 billion, but the Minister dismissed the figure without providing a clear upper limit or breakdown of how the costs would impact consumers.
Ms Benham said rural Victorians deserve transparency.
“This government is asking people in Mildura and across the state to blindly accept multibillion-dollar energy projects. I won’t stand by while the Labor Government runs rough-shod over our regional communities,” she said.
“Regional Victorians are being expected to bear the cost of these massive energy projects, with no clear answers and no regard for the consequences. It’s simply not good enough.”
As a dedicated member of PAEC and other key parliamentary committees, Ms Benham is ensuring the voices of rural and regional Victorians are heard at Spring Street.
“These committee roles give me the opportunity to directly question Ministers and challenge decisions that hurt our region. It’s how I keep Mildura on the map and fight every day for our community’s relevance and fair share,” she said.
