Concerns centred on the impacts infrastructure would have on the high-value agricultural land that surrounds the existing power lines in the region.
The decision came after a petition of 11,000 signatures from residents was presented to state parliament on Wednesday, September 9.
Greater Shepparton Deputy Mayor Geoff Akers praised the decision and said it was “a good result for Dookie”.
“The Dookie community has shown remarkable leadership throughout this process, and today’s announcement is recognition of the strength of that collective voice.”
The decision came during council’s showcase of Greater Shepparton held in Queen’s Hall in Parliament House.
State Member for Northern Metropolitan District Sheena Watt announced the decision in the Legislative Council late Wednesday afternoon.
Dookie farmers and residents have been campaigning to have the zone withdrawn from the Victorian Transmission Plan and were gearing up for a further fight when the official consultation period opened.
The Protect Dookie and Goulburn Valley group, formed in the wake of VicGrid’s announcement of the zone, maintained that the Dookie region was a much too productive farming area to be swallowed up by solar farms and wind generators.
Group spokesperson Jodie Fleming expressed surprise and delight that the whole of the zone was being removed.
“It just shows what people power can do,” she said.
“We are thrilled that they listened to us. Thank you to the 11,700 people who signed the petition.”
She said she was pleased the high-value agricultural land had been removed from the zone.
Ms Fleming said the decision was an acknowledgement that the process being pursued through VicGrid was incorrect and that it had not followed its own rules.
She said ultimately VicGrid had even admitted it had not done well with the way the proposed zone was handled.
The announcement came in the Legislative Council after state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell spoke about the petition, and the energy minister later confirmed this applied to the whole zone, with both eastern and western sections being abandoned.
The draft Central North Renewable Energy Zone was originally a large area between Bendigo and Shepparton, but VicGrid responded to feedback by making the zone smaller.
However, to compensate for the area lost in the western section, the energy minister approved a completely new eastern section of the zone for inclusion in the final Victorian Transmission Plan, running from Pine Lodge near Shepparton to Glenrowan.
Ms Lovell said this was done without any warning or consultation.
“Locals had not seen the proposed boundaries, and were given no opportunity to assess the implications for their properties, their farms, their businesses and their communities,” she said.
Ms Lovell acknowledged the diligent effort of the campaigners, recognised their deep love for the land and the place they call home, and congratulated them on a successful campaign to reverse what she called Labor’s reckless decision.
“I congratulate the people within the Central North Renewable Energy Zone who stood up for what is right,” she said.
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