A TCV-requested meeting with Buloke Shire to share a major announcement had been for nothing, council said.
The shire has taken a swipe at TCV claiming lack of transparency and absence of any substantive information or a detailed agenda for the planned meeting in Wycheproof that saw dozens of protesters outside.
The in-person meeting was replaced with online talks after TCV said there were safety concerns.
“The request to meet was initiated from TCV and was communicated to Council via email indicating a public announcement was to be made, regarding the VNI West transmission project,” council said in a statement on Friday.
“Council accepted the invitation in good faith, based on TCV’s indication that an important update on the project would be shared.
“However, during the meeting, council was advised that no announcement would, in fact, be made. Instead, the meeting was reframed by TCV as an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with council and improve consultation processes.
“Council expressed its disappointment at the lack of transparency and the absence of any substantive information or a detailed agenda for the meeting, particularly given the expectations that had been set.”
Buloke councillors last month voted to oppose VNI West “in its current form”.