Our precious native wildlife are under threat by a proposed transmission line by privately owned company Transgrid, as part of the NSW government’s HumeLink project. 

Transgrid’s massive electrical towers will destroy wildlife corridors, and the proposed transmission line will cut through land inhabited by endangered koalas, and across streams in which platypus live and breed.

We, the Bannaby Residents Action Group (BRAG), are calling on Transgrid to revise the current design of their Northern Transmission Line, undertake community consultation before further action, and publish the environmental impact studies for the proposed routes.

Transgrid claims that their Northern Transmission Line is the only option to connect Snowy Hydro 2 to the Bannaby substation in regional NSW. The company has been constantly criticised by resident action groups for its lack of meaningful, transparent community consultation.

Over the past few months, we have reached out to Transgrid to push for a better alternative. There is already an existing transmission line to the Bannaby substation, and the new proposed line could run parallel with that, causing less disruption to properties, business and the local environment.

Transgrid has been referred to the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, Andrew Dyer in relation to their conduct. Despite this, there has been little to no improvement by Transgrid in the way it has dealt with the communities concerns. 

Transgrid refuses to provide information about the project's impact on the environment and local communities, and has ignored requests for a cost benefit analysis of the two Transmission Line options.

As a next step, we call on Minister Matt Keen to investigate the legitimacy of Transgrids' process and review all cost estimates and environmental impact reports.

Transgrid wants to build the Northern Transmission Line on privately owned land, even if residents do not agree with their proposals. We do not understand how or why the NSW Government could participate in the forced resumption of private land owned by Australian citizens under these circumstances. 

To make matters worse, Transgrid has done limited environmental surveys and did not include comprehensive koala habitat studies or detailed recordings of the platypus streams. Transgrid has not demonstrated that it operates within the parameters of acceptable Environment Social and Governance. 

Energy infrastructure should not be built at the expense of our native wildlife, and the express wishes of local communities whose properties and businesses these decisions directly affect.

Please sign our petition and let's stand up for the Australian environment and wildlife.