General News
4 February, 2025
Regional council seeks 'better return' from power, mineral sands mining projects
Yarriamback's "we want" list, in return for mines, power lines.
A north-west Victorian mayor says her community feels it's being taken for granted as the government steps up approvals for mineral sand mining, renewable energy and transmission line projects.
Yarriamback Shire mayor Kylie Zanker said the council's communities were fundamental to the state and deserved recognition and support.
"If our community is contributing significantly to the state and nation's economy through power, agriculture, and construction, then Yarriamback requires improved facilities, roads, and a committed investment for both the present and future," Cr Zanker said.
The council has compiled a list of what it called its "we wants", in return for the project approvals, she said.
That included a multi-million dollar injection into shire roads.
"We are pushing back on the 'we wants' - and I hate to use that phrase - but it's around that mutual investment into our road networks and the environmental effects statement (EES) process including social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA)," Cr Zanker said.
She said that failing to include SCBA ignored the long-term sustainable impacts on regional industries like agriculture.
The council was also seeking assistance for community facilities and investment in aged care facilities, health services, schools, childcare centres and housing.
"The state owns so many of our assets, but volunteers have to run them and cover the insurance," she said.
The council believed assistance should be "a priority".
"I am deeply frustrated with the current level of financial commitment and investment in our shire and region," she said.
The government needed to ensure that communities hosted the infrastructure, but only if there were tangible long-term benefits.
"The frustration expressed by our communities is understandable, as they need clarity on the advantages they will receive," she said
"At this point, no concrete benefits have been offered."
She said the council respected landholders' rights to negotiate with companies regarding land use and acknowledged mining, renewable energy, and transmission projects were being driven and supported by the state government.
She said Yarriamback would continue to legislate for reforms to ensure community members living close to mining, transmission, and renewable energy infrastructure were considered, and their health, wellbeing, and the social cohesion of the community were taken into account.
The council wanted legislative reform to prevent the displacement of farming families, protect landowners' intergenerational bond with their land, and consider the community's social wellbeing.
Yarriamback specifically wanted substantial and sustained financial investment" in the road network, with the immediate allocation of $54 million to upgrade and widen council-owned strategic roads to 6.6 metres.
It has also requested that the Department of Transport and Planning (DTPd Priority C class roads across western Victoria be upgraded and widened to 6.6 metres.
"We envisage, with more wind turbines, there will be a lot more trucks, with our road infrastructure as well, carrying extra traffic with more heavy loads, that's going to be harder."
Cr Zanker said it was hard to get a handle on how much development was planned for the region.
"There is an overlay of what could be, which also causes a lot of angst for our community as well - no one knows how many projects that will be," she said.
"If there were a tangible number, communities still wouldn't love it, but they would know what that footprint would look like."
Yarriamback had recently applied for government assistance for housing in four of its communities.
"Nothing came for the Wimmera Malee at all that felt like a smack in the face to our communities," she said.
"We know what communities want, but it seems they are just not being listened to."
The state government has been contacted for comment.