Victoria’s Nationals face an uphill battle. Is Steph Ryan the answer?

Steph Ryan’s new country property is stunning, a rural idyll with sweeping views across rolling paddocks in a quiet pocket just outside of Avenel, right at the heart of the National Party's seat of Euroa.

When Steph Ryan was elected to the Victorian Parliament, aged
just 28, she was hailed as a breath of fresh air for the Nationals.

But the prospects of the party Ryan is expected to lead in coming years are not so pretty, with the Nationals struggling to maintain the position they have enjoyed for a century as the dominant force in regional Australian politics.

When Ryan was elected to the Victorian Parliament aged just 28, she was hailed as a breath of fresh air for the Nationals and their blokey, old-fashioned image.

It was 2014 and Victoria's Coalition government had just been booted out after only one term. In that election, the Nationals lost two seats, went backwards in their primary vote and suffered swings in almost all their electorates.

Read the story from The Age by Sumeyya Ilanbey - “Victoria’s Nationals face an uphill battle. Is Steph Ryan the answer?”

Ryan raises solar guidelines concern

Nationals deputy leader Steph Ryan has taken aim at Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne about draft solar farm guidelines for Victoria.

Nationals deputy leader, Steph Ryan is concerned about
 the draft solar farm guidelines for Victoria.

Ms Ryan expressed her concerns with the ambigious nature of the guidelines, which were released for public comment in October.

The State Member for Euroa said the Victorian Government had dumped decisions about solar farms on councils without proper guidelines, adding unnecessary pressure to local planning teams that were already under-resourced.

The release of the draft guidelines came after four large-scale solar farm applications were due to be decided on at a Greater Shepparton City Council meeting this year.

Before the meeting, Mr Wynne called in the applications, taking the decision out of the council’s hands until an independent panel established a set of guidelines.

Ms Ryan said many residents of the Euroa electorate believed the solar planning legislation was inadequate.

‘‘It is completely unreasonable to expect local councils to give solar farm applications the thorough consideration they need when there are no specific guidelines to adhere to,’’ she said.

‘‘Without strict planning guidelines, councils are given no other option but to accept or reject applications.

‘‘Residents feel that councils are being pressured by solar companies to push through their applications in haste.’’

The Victorian Government said the draft guidelines were developed to help outline the assessment and development process for large-scale solar energy facilities in Victoria.

The document was informed by a review of guidelines and best practice standards used in other states and countries and includes an outline of requirements for planning and assessing new solar energy facility proposals.

The government said the final guidelines would be developed through community and industry consultation, which had started on the Engage Victoria website.

The draft guidelines will be open for comment until March 1 next year.

Story from The Shepparton News - “Ryan raises solar guidelines concern.”