State Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell says she’s expecting “wide-ranging support” for her maiden private member’s bill, which would increase regulation of solar farm projects.
The Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party member’s Planning and Environment Amendment (Soil Protection) (Solar Power Generation Facilities) Bill 2023 is scheduled to be debated in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, November 1.
Mrs Tyrrell said if passed, the bill would ensure solar farm projects were not built on prime agricultural land.
She said the bill was not anti-solar power generation but was to ensure the protection of land that produced some of the best produce in Australia.
“I support responsible renewable energy projects, but we must take a cautious approach to make sure such projects are established on suitable land,” she said.
Mrs Tyrrell said her bill was prompted by the proposed Meadow Creek solar farm project at Bobinawarrah.
She said the project would be built on 566 hectares of prime agricultural land that took in portions of Wangaratta’s domestic water catchment supply as well as bushfire-prone overlays and flood zones.
“My bill is one of common sense and simply legislates the existing departmental considerations regarding where future solar farms should be built,” she said.
Mrs Tyrrell said she had been liaising with her parliamentary colleagues in the lead-up to the debate and expected to gain the support required for the bill to pass the Legislative Council.
