The Nationals have a plan to power up Euroa

09 October 2026

The Nationals have a plan to power up Euroa

The Liberal and Nationals have a plan to restore trust in electricity reliability for Euroa, Nagambie and properties along the BN11 feeder line from Benalla, protecting families, supporting local businesses and giving the region confidence to grow.

The Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland MP has announced the Liberal and Nationals' commitment to improve electricity reliability, ensuring AusNet has adequate investment in generation, storage, interconnection and demand response to meet the level of reliability expected by consumers.

Ms Cleeland said unreliable electricity was more than an inconvenience, particularly during summer, when losing power could leave residents struggling to escape dangerous heat and access essential services.

“When the power goes out during a summer heatwave, this is about much more than sitting in an uncomfortable house.

“Families can be left without air conditioning, struggling to escape the heat and keep their homes cool. For older residents, young children and people with medical needs, that can quickly become a serious health risk.

“There are also very real safety concerns when the power goes out. People can be unable to open their electric garage doors, while residents in areas with poor mobile coverage may lose access to Wi-Fi calling and struggle to contact emergency services when they need help.

“When you cannot cool your home, get in or out of your garage, or reliably call for help in an emergency, power reliability becomes a matter of health and safety.

“Our community deserves an electricity supply they can depend on, particularly during the hottest days of the year.”

Ms Cleeland said the economic consequences of unreliable power were also being felt across the region, with businesses facing lost trade, forced closures and additional costs to keep operating.

“For our local businesses, an outage can mean shutting the doors, turning customers away, losing refrigerated stock and missing out on valuable income during some of the busiest trading periods of the year.

“When businesses are having to consider buying expensive generators just to keep their operations running, we have to ask a serious question about the reliability of the electricity supply they are paying for.

“A generator should not be the price of doing business in regional Victoria. Small businesses already face enough costs without having to invest thousands of dollars in backup power because they cannot trust the supply from the grid.

“This is not just about the money lost during an outage. It is about the jobs, investment and future opportunities our region could miss out on if businesses cannot be confident they can operate here reliably.

“We want Euroa to attract new businesses, create local jobs and grow. That becomes much harder when unreliable power is another risk a business owner has to factor into their decision to invest.”

Ms Cleeland said the region needed a long-term plan to address reliability concerns and give households and businesses confidence in their electricity supply.

“People across our region have been raising these concerns for years. They deserve more than another summer of uncertainty.

“We need to restore confidence that when people turn on their air conditioner, open their business or rely on essential medical equipment, the power will be there.

“Our Liberal and Nationals team has a plan to put reliability first, support regional businesses and give our communities the confidence to invest in their future.”

Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction David Davis said reliable electricity was fundamental to the future of regional communities.

“Regional Victorians deserve an energy system that delivers when they need it most. Our plan is about ensuring the investment in generation, storage, interconnection and demand response needed to support a reliable supply.

“The Liberal and Nationals are committed to restoring confidence in Victoria's energy system, so families can stay safe through summer and regional businesses can invest, employ and grow with confidence.”

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