UPDATE, Thursday, 8am: After three days of questions the state's energy regulator has denied there will be new legislation involving the expensive "save all" bushfire safety program.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A spokesman for Energy Safe Victoria released a statement on Wednesday evening after questions were first raised on Monday morning and followed up with a number of telephone calls and emails.
"The reference in the PBSC (Powerline Bushfire Safety Committee) minutes is not to suggest that legislation is about to change," he said.
"It simply reflects that information and evidence needs to be collected in order to inform government policy into the future."
Late last Friday the April minutes of the PBSC meeting were released.
Director of Energy Safety Paul Fearon advised that the assistance provided by the committee would be raised with state government as part of a conversation regarding the prospect of the material need for future legislative change for the Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter program.
The REFCL program was to cost $150 million to provide a "save all" system to shut off at 45 electricity sub-stations aimed at stopping bushfires from sparking.
The cost has blown out to more than $600 million (and counting), the implementation time table has been extended and there are now questions not only about the cost effectiveness but even the value of REFCL.
It only works, in certain circumstances, and when a powerline hits the ground.
Customers will pay for the system, with some experts tipping the cost could be $1 billion.
Two weeks ago state energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio claimed in a government budget hearing that REFCL would have prevented five bushfires on Black Saturday while she was under intense questioning from Member For Polwarth Richard Riordan.
There are question marks about the factual basis of that claim and Ms D'Ambrosio now has to provide details to Mr Riordan by the end of next week.
REFCL expert Dr Tony Marxsen last week refused to back Ms D'Ambrosio's claims when given an opportunity to do so.
In a short conversation he said he couldn't, wouldn't and flat out declined to make any comment.
Tuesday: Mystery surrounds discussion about legislative changes for a new plus $600 million bushfire safety program after minutes of a high-ranking committee meeting were released late last Friday.
In the April meeting Powerline Bushfire Safety Committee minutes it was noted that the director of Energy Safety Paul Fearon advised that the assistance provided by the committee would be raised with state government as part of a conversation regarding the prospect of the material need for future legislative change for the Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter program.
REFCL was to cost $150 million to provide a "save all" system to shut off at 45 electricity sub-stations aimed at stopping bushfires from sparking.
The cost has blown out to more than $600 million (and counting), the implementation time table has been extended and there are now questions not only about the cost effectiveness but even the value of REFCL.
It only works, in certain circumstances, and when a powerline hits the ground.
Late Monday a spokeswoman for state energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio denied there were plans to make further changes to the legislation relating to the rollout of the REFCL program.
The spokeswoman said that in response to recommendations which came out of the 2009 Victoria Bushfire Royal Commission, the Victorian government introduced a range of regulatory measures, including amending the Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation) Regulations 2013.
She said that Act was amended in May 2016 to mandate the roll out of powerline bushfire mitigation technology in 45 locations across the state.
"As a result, distributors are now rolling out REFCLs into those key areas," she said.
On Monday Energy Safe Victoria provided no information and provided no comment when requested.
Attempts will again be made to contact ESV today.
Monday: The state government is gearing up to propose new legislation around the safety system that was expected to keep the Victorian electricity distribution system safe on days of catastrophic bushfire risk.
Late on Friday minutes of a meeting publicly disclosed the intention for the first time.
The REFCL (Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter) system is in the process of being installed.
It was to cost $150 million to provide a "save all" system to shut off at 45 electricity sub-stations aimed at stopping bushfires from sparking.
The cost has blown out to more than $600 million, the implementation time table has been extended and there are now questions not only about the cost effectiveness but even the value of REFCL.
It only works, in certain circumstances, and when a powerline hits the ground.
It's a response to a fault, not a preventative measure.
Two weeks ago state energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio claimed in a government budget hearing that REFCL would have prevented five bushfires on Black Saturday while she was under intense questioning from Member For Polwarth Richard Riordan.
There are question marks about the factual basis of that claim and Ms D'Ambrosio now has to provide details to Mr Riordan.
REFCL expert Dr Tony Marxsen last week refused to back Ms D'Ambrosio's claims.
In a short conversation he said he couldn't, wouldn't and flat out declined to make any comment.
Bushfire campaigner Jill Porter, a dairyfarmer from The Sisters, says REFCL would not have stopped any of the St Patrick's Day fires that devastated the south-west in March last year.
She is now widely regarded as having a forensic knowledge of bushfires started by electric infrastructure and has campaigned vigorously for distribution business Powercor to improve its maintenance and replacement program of power poles.
On the night of March 18 last year a pole on her neighbour Jack Kenna's property snapped in high winds and started a fire which screamed south into the night.
It was one of four main bushfires in the south-west, all started by electrical infrastructure.
In the aftermath of the fires Mrs Porter found a see-through pole just metres from where the bushfire started which prompted her to organise independent testing of poles.
That testing found widespread issues, led to the replacement of eight poles and questions about the Powercor's whole inspection and maintenance program.
In response Powercor was forced into damage control and undertook a 19,000 pole inspection across the south-west.
Read more:
Powercor has an almost 550,000 pole system covering most of western Victoria.
Because of Mrs Porter's efforts Powercor has been forced to upgrade its pole standards and inspection regime but questions remain about pole replacements.
In 2017 Powercor only put in 1153 new poles - a small fraction of 1%.
This year it has committed to putting in 2200 poles - almost doubling its commitment to just under half of 1%.
The problem is that most of the poles in the system are more than 50 years old and have or are reaching their lifespan.
After the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission legal counsel assisting Jack Rush, QC, said the distribution system was degraded and the regulation Energy Safe Victoria was ineffective.
In the past decade nothing has changed.
ESV is still almost completely reliant on information and expertise provided by Powercor.
In the past couple of weeks, after an audit of Powercor's 19,000 pole check, ESV said the system was fit for purpose and there were no systemic issues.
It found 1.3% of poles should be replaced in the next 12 months but when that figures is extrapolated system wide to 7150 pole replacements, ESV quickly backed off.
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan invited federal energy minister Angus Taylor to a meeting at the Terang Town Hall in March this year.
Mr Taylor vowed to bring the state government, ESV and Powercor to account.
He sent a letter Ms D'Ambrosio - nothing else has happened.
After last November's state election, and the way electric services are provided, the state government has a mandate to sit on its hands in relation to Powercor.
All Mrs Porter and others burnt out farmers want is for a sustainable pole maintenance to be put in place - to save others from their pain.
Only 4% of bushfires are caused by electricity infrastructure but they make up 80% of deaths because they happen on days of catastrophic risk.
Powercor knows it should be replacing 14,000 poles a year just to maintain standards, an official told Mr Riordan that in a meeting.
During endless discussion about this issue it has been suggested that electricity be cut on days of extreme risk.
It has merit right up until you consider if there is a fire how would you fight it without power - communications alone would be a nightmare.
The idea of turning off the lights, sitting in the dark and praying is not good enough.
It would be easier to just put in place a sustainable pole maintenance program and help fix the problem.
Calls have been put into Ms D'Ambrosio and ESV for comment.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.
