BANNABY RESIDENTS ACTION GROUP

Founded in 2021, the Bannaby Residents Action Group (BRAG) was formed to contest TransGrid's representations that it's proposed 500KV Northern Transmission Line (Bannaby 3) for the HumeLink is the only viable option to connect Snowy Hydro 2 to the Bannaby substation. However, as BRAG has pointed out to TransGrid on numerous occaisions, there is already an existing 300KV line to the Bannaby substation and the new proposed 500KV line could run parallel with that (Bannaby 1) causing less disruption to properties, business and the local environment. This is referred to as the "Southern" route.

The design of the proposed contested route was undertaken by TransGrid without any community consultation and the map on the TransGrid website did not include all properties and dwellings affected.

The proposed TranGrid line goes through land that is inhabited by endangered koalas and across streams in which platypus live and breed.

TransGrid has done limited (self-serving) environmental surveys to-date and did not include comprehensive koala habitat studies or detailed recordings of the platypus streams.

The erection and construction of the massive towers will destroy wildlife corridors, some of which have been planned and planted in consultation over many years with Land Care, the trees being specifically conducive to koala habitation.

TransGrid have been constantly criticised by multiple resident action groups for its lack of meaningful, transparent community consultation in relation to the HumeLink project and have been referred to the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, Andrew Dyer, in relation to this conduct. Despite this, there has been little to no improvement by TransGrid in the way it has dealt with BRAG.

TransGrid has not provided a cost benefit analysis as requested by BRAG as to the competing merits and disadvantages of the two proposed options (the 'Southern' route preferred by BRAG and the 'Northern' route preferred by Transgrid). Nor has it provided other information repeatedly requested by members of the group in an effort to understand the project, its impact on the area and TransGrid's decision-making.

TransGrid is a majority foreign owned entity but has already talked openly with members of BRAG about its intention to compulsorarily resume their land if they do not agree with TransGrid's proposals.

TransGrid has not demonstrated that it operates within the parameters of acceptable ESG (Environment Social and Governance) and BRAG do not understand how or why the government would participate in forced resumption of private land owned by Australian citizens in those circumstances. 

Recent expert studies have raised serious concerns about the true costings of the HumeLink project and the benefit to consumers in circumstances where it appears that TransGrid intends to pass on the spiralling costs of the project to electricity consumers who are already experiencing the pressures from rising inflation. There are estimates that this could increase each NSW electricity bill by hundreds of dollars a year.

Support BRAG's resistance to TransGrid's attack on our democratic rights and the destruction of valuable wildlife habitat by contacting the local member for Goulburn, The Hon Wendy Tuckerman goulburn@parliament.nsw.gov.au and The Minister for Energy and Environment, Matthew Kean on his website, facebook or twitter.