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No 1:1821
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2026
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Artificial Questions raised over lack of renewable energy intelligence planning procedures By Aaron Cordy W H EN we hear that A I is taking over, images and memes of Terminator scenarios pop up of a bleak world ravaged by robots. The truth is far less g lamorous but has ver y real consequences for Australia as the push to build more AI data centres (DC) is going on at an alarming rate. Continued Page 14
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SETTING A PRECEDENT… Community advocates say the questions raised over Dookie’s inclusion in the proposed Renewable Energy Zone extend well beyond one district, with the process potentially shaping how major planning decisions affect farming communities across Australia. Photo: Supplied
By Deanne Jeffers FARMING communities are calling for an independent examination of how one of Australia’s most productive agricultural districts came to be included within a proposed Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), arguing fundamental questions about the decisionmaking process remain unanswered. Protect Dookie & the Goulburn Valley have released an open letter to VicGrid CEO, Alistair Parker, seeking detailed answers to a series
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of unresolved questions following VicGrid’s response to community concerns regarding the proposed Central North REZ. The open letter has been distributed to Members of Parliament, Federal Ministers, peak agricultural organisations and news organisations across Australia. The advocacy group says that it is not about whether renewable energy should be developed, but whether the process used to identify Dookie as a potential location was transparent,
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evidence-based, and procedurally fair. Protect Dookie & GV spokesperson, Hannah Harmer, said the community was still waiting for answers to the most fundamental questions. "Months later, we still don't know who decided Dookie should be included, what locality- specific evidence supported that decision, or whether our district's unique agricultural value was properly assessed before the boundary was drawn." Continued Page 10
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