22/06/2026
Standing up for the Rubicon.
Sign the petition!
https://www.bridgetmckenzie.com.au/petitions/reject-rubicon-solar-project/
The proposed Samsung Rubicon project of a 717 acre hydbrid 100MW solar factory and 800MWh Battery System, has raised concerns among many, due to:
• Bushfire risk in a highly fire-prone landscape on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, with only one evacuation pathway.
• Impacts and contamination on the Rubicon River catchment and the broader Goulburn-Murray food bowl.
• Setting a precedent for further industrial-scale energy developments in the Murrindindi Shire that relies heavily on agriculture and tourism.
• The fact that this is privately owned, foreign-backed infrastructure, with profits ultimately flowing to South-Korean investors, rather than remaining within Victoria.
The irony is that the Rubicon Valley already hosts renewable energy. In fact, it was home to Victoria's first major hydroelectric scheme. At its peak, the Rubicon Hydroelectric Scheme supplied around 17% of Victoria's electricity.
The difference was that:
• It was state-owned infrastructure — a public asset built largely on public land, with revenue returning to Victoria.
• It has operated for over 100 years and continues generating electricity today (unlike the limited lifespan of Solar PV and lithium-ion batteries - of which there is currently no way to recycle them in Australia)
• It fostered the growth of the Rubicon township and supported schools, housing, a post office and the local economy.
• It made use of one of Victoria's wettest regions and worked in harmony with the landscape and existing industries.
• It coexisted with tourism and agriculture while becoming part of the valley's identity and heritage.
Yet none of these broader questions are required to be determinative when an application is submitted.
Under the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program (DFP), major projects are assessed through a two-step process:
1. A proponent submits an application.
2. The Minister for Planning approves or rejects it.
And across Victoria they are all being approved.
Assessments provided to the Minister are commissioned by the proponent, and unlike conventional planning pathways, the DFP removes third-party appeal rights through VCAT.
Projects are being approved despite objections raised by communities, CFA brigades, DEECA, local councils and elected representatives.
Projects are being approved despite the two-year consultation facilitated by VicGrid.
This is not a debate about being "for" or "against" renewable energy.
It is about who gets to decide what happens to our landscapes and communities, and whether local knowledge and expert advice are genuinely considered.
When communities, emergency services, local government and independent experts can all raise concerns, yet have no right of appeal, people are left with only one option:
To raise their voices loudly enough that government cannot ignore them.
Because Victorians deserve a meaningful say in decisions that directly affect their communities.
So please, take the time to sign the petition. All Australians are eligible to sign. Stand up for the Rubicon.
https://www.bridgetmckenzie.com.au/petitions/reject-rubicon-solar-project/
