AN ALBANESE LABOR GOVERNMENT WILL REFORM RIT-T PROCESS

Labor’s Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, has today announced that an Albanese Labor Government would work with the states, market bodies, networks, and most importantly communities, to improve the RIT-T process.

In reforming the process, Labor will ensure that affected communities are included in the process from the very beginning and that the process considers social and economic impacts.

This will mean that locals can have more impact on project routes, the use of existing easements and the location of transfer and terminal stations.

It will also open the door to ongoing payments to landholders, and benefit-sharing with communities – as has become the case with windfarm projects – where communities agree this will be helpful.

Attributable to Catherine King

“This policy is shaped in large part by the experiences of communities across our region who have struggled to make their voices heard through the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project.

“It’s clear to everyone paying attention that the current process is not fit for purpose and Labor’s reforms will mean that future projects won’t have the same negative impacts on other communities that this project is having on ours.

“These changes should have been made by the current government years ago.

“Unfortunately, we all know that the inadequate existing rules are what matter for the current project.

“That’s why I will be making a formal submission to the EES process outlining my opposition to this project in the strongest terms.

“I encourage everyone in the community to consider whether they can do the same.”