By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
The legal fight against a controversial powerline project is getting real this month, with a hearing scheduled at the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
MCHPA Chair Emma Muir said it had \u201ctaken a long time to get to this point\u201d, but the group was looking forward to making the community\u2019s concerns heard in court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019ll 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\u2019ve yelled and screamed\u2026all levels of government are very interested to talk to us and hear what we have to say, but there\u2019s been no action, so this is I suppose where it\u2019s had to go,\u201d Ms Muir told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had people say they feel terrible for us and try to console us, but nobody\u2019s acting, nobody\u2019s stopping it, it\u2019s still progressing. No-one\u2019s actually acting on our behalf, so that\u2019s probably the main reason we\u2019ve gone this route, because at least we\u2019re in control of it and we get to have a say.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really appreciate all the support we\u2019ve had up until now, it\u2019s been fantastic \u2013 it\u2019s been such a long slog, and we appreciate everyone who\u2019s continued to support us. But this is I suppose the crux of it, we\u2019re ready to go now, and we appreciate any financial support anyone can give us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we get the right decision out of this legal action, then there\u2019s no more powerlines, there\u2019s no more terminal station\u2026that would be fantastic. We hope that the community sees value in what we\u2019re doing and can support us financially as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n