Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Hanson, I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 1 May 2025:

The implications of large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects in Queensland, with particular reference to:

(a) the consultation processes undertaken with local communities, specifically assessing the adequacy of community engagement by companies involved in such projects in rural and regional Queensland;

(b) the potential risks and impacts of BESS projects on local environments, focusing on fire hazards, chemical emissions and impacts on local flora and fauna, with an examination of the Bouldercombe incident involving the Genex Power battery project;

(c) the adequacy of the environmental impact assessments and the project approval processes by federal and state regulatory bodies, including the decision-making frameworks that do not adequately address community concerns;

(d) the socioeconomic impacts on local communities, particularly those dependent on rural and natural landscapes for their livelihood, assessing how such projects affect their lifestyle and economic stability;

(e) the transparency of data and scientific basis supporting the safety claims of these projects, including an evaluation of the robustness of fieldwork, data collection and analysis provided by project proponents;

(f) the broader implications of deploying large-scale renewable energy projects in rural communities, assessing whether these projects align with the best interests of those communities;

(g) how the transmission lines needed for these projects will affect properties, farmland and national parks, focusing on the amount of land they take up and the environmental damage they could cause; and

(h) any other related matters.