Power fight court date set

By Lachlan Ellis

The legal fight against a controversial powerline project is getting real this month, with a hearing scheduled at the Supreme Court.

While no final decisions will be made on the Moorabool & Central Highlands Power Alliance (MCHPA) case against energy market operator AEMO on 22 February, the day will mark a shift from planning the legal fight to making it a reality.

MCHPA Chair Emma Muir said it had “taken a long time to get to this point”, but the group was looking forward to making the community’s concerns heard in court.

“I think it’ll be good to have a chance to have our say and be heard. We want to be heard, and this is a chance to do it. We’ve yelled and screamed…all levels of government are very interested to talk to us and hear what we have to say, but there’s been no action, so this is I suppose where it’s had to go,” Ms Muir told the Moorabool News.

“We’ve had people say they feel terrible for us and try to console us, but nobody’s acting, nobody’s stopping it, it’s still progressing. No-one’s actually acting on our behalf, so that’s probably the main reason we’ve gone this route, because at least we’re in control of it and we get to have a say.”

All legal cases come with costs, and Ms Muir asked the community to chip in anything they can, and cross their fingers the Power Alliance can get a great outcome from the proceedings.

“We really appreciate all the support we’ve had up until now, it’s been fantastic – it’s been such a long slog, and we appreciate everyone who’s continued to support us. But this is I suppose the crux of it, we’re ready to go now, and we appreciate any financial support anyone can give us,” she said.

“If we get the right decision out of this legal action, then there’s no more powerlines, there’s no more terminal station…that would be fantastic. We hope that the community sees value in what we’re doing and can support us financially as well.”

While the directions hearing is expected to be a quick case of no more than 30 minutes, Ms Muir is hoping a link will be sent out to MCHPA members to watch the court livestream.

For more information on the legal case, and to make a donation, head to www.stopausnetstowers.com.au and click the 3 February 2023 Newsletter link.