An objector to the proposed $150 million Bookaar solar farm says he is disappointed he can't get his local MP Bev McArthur to lobby on his behalf because members of her family are involved the project.
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Neighbour Andrew Duynhoven said seeing Mrs McArthur turn up to events and speaking out against the proposed transmission towers across the Moorabool shire while being silent on his solar farms concerns had upset objectors.
"She stands up for Moorabool but (isn't in) her own back yard," he said.
But Mrs McArthur said the Bookaar solar farm project was like any other renewable energy project, and needed to go through all the stringent regulatory processes in place.
"My position is entirely consistent. I have always been in favour of increasing the supply of energy, in every form, providing it is economically viable and satisfies all federal and state environmental and planning protections," she said.
Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan said it was prudent that Mrs McArthur stepped aside on the issue because she had a natural conflict of interest, and because he was also their local member he was happy to represent objectors and advocate for them.
Mr Riordan said the Liberal Party had tasked Mrs McArthur with the job of representing the communities on the transmission lines issue.
Mr Duynhoven, along with other objectors, were successful in a bid to have the project knocked back by the Corangamite Shire Council and at the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal, although the door was left open for a fresh application to be made.
But a change in legislation means that the state government can now make the call on the project in the same way it does with wind farms.
Mr Duynhoven is preparing to make a submission to the minister on the project's new plans before it closes on April 23.
Changes have been made to the 200MW solar farm proposal in the wake of the VCAT decision, but Mr Duynhoven said he didn't think it went far enough to address concerns over hydrology, fire risk management and net community gain.
He said the proponents had changed the access points and added extra water tanks in case of fire, but he still had concerns.
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"We beat them at council, we beat them at VCAT, even though it was an unusual decision how they did it ... fundamentally do we have a chance?" he said.
He said objectors felt like they don't have much of a voice against the project because of the government's push on for renewables.
"It's very much a political game now, or arena, where the state government are pushing for their renewable targets," Mr Duynhoven said.
Mrs McArthur said she was technology-agnostic and had always sought to encourage the investigation of new energy production.
"Increased supply reduces prices for businesses and consumers, and adds to our energy resilience," she said.
"There are so many opportunities."
Mrs McArthur said she had authored a minority report calling for the moratorium on nuclear power to be lifted, and campaigned for many years - ultimately successfully - for the ban on onshore conventional gas extraction to be removed.
"I am supportive of waste to energy projects, and spent some time studying their operation in Europe," she said.
"I have also backed the hydrogen research investment at Deakin University, visited the carbon capture and storage project at Port Campbell, and facilitated developers' discussions with local councils on wave-energy.
"If viable and environmentally compliant, I would have no problem with HELE coal power stations."
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