Leading conservationists have welcomed the decision to declare the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal (VRET) at Western Port Bay a "controlled action" under federal nature laws.
Following Friday's decision by Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt, the project will now undergo a comprehensive environmental assessment to determine whether it can proceed without damaging endangered wildlife and habitats in the Ramsar-listed wetlands.
The terminal, proposed for the state-owned Port of Hastings, would involve dredging and land reclamation of habitats of threatened migratory birds, seagrass meadows, fish nurseries and rare marine life.
While the newly reduced scope of dredging and wetland loss represents an improvement on the rejected 2023 plan, questions remain why an internationally recognised wetland is the right location for the terminal.
The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) and the Western Port Biosphere welcome the reduced scope but are seeking assurance that alternative locations were genuinely considered and compared on environmental grounds.
"We are still yet to be presented with convincing rationale for why this terminal must be built in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar-listed wetland," said VNPA marine campaigner Shannon Hurley.
"We want certainty that the project can be done in a way that doesn't cause unacceptable harm to the Western Port wetlands, and we aren't confident that's been achieved yet."
VNPA, community groups, tourism businesses, and local councils are calling for a more strategic and science-based approach to managing Western Port's future from the Allan Government.
"The impacts of this project are likely to extend well beyond its immediate footprint. Marine life and water don't recognise boundaries – they move throughout the bay, and so do the consequences," Hurley said.
"When you consider these impacts alongside declining water quality and pressures from other industries, the cumulative effect could be devastating for the health of the bay.
"That's why we urgently need a whole-of-bay marine spatial plan to take a coordinated, sustainable approach to looking after the bay and protecting nature and the community's future."
