This region is not defined by a single crop. It is a strategic food and energy production landscape.
Our concerns are not ideological. They are evidence-based, community-driven, and supported by independent, agricultural analysis and council data as it stands.
About the Campaign.
Protect Dookie & The Goulburn Valley is a community-led initiative supported by local farmers, Dookie & District Development Forum and local Dookie Life Members advocating for responsible renewable energy planning that protects strategic agricultural land, food and bioenergy systems, cultural landscapes, environmental values, and regional communities.
The campaign has been established in response to the proposed Central North Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), which overlays highly productive agricultural land that already contributes to Victoria’s food supply, livestock feed, edible oils and renewable biofuels.
This region is not an undeveloped or under-utilised landscape. It is a working, productive system that supports farming families, regional communities, biodiversity and cultural heritage while already playing a role in Victoria’s energy transition.
We strongly support renewable energy and Victoria’s transition to a low-carbon future. What we do not support is placing large-scale energy infrastructure in the wrong locations particularly on land that already plays a critical role in producing food, livestock feed, edible oils and renewable biofuels.
Why We Exist.
The proposed Central North Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) has been mapped across the Dookie district, a landscape recognised for its exceptional agricultural performance and its role in the broader Goulburn Valley production system.
This region supports:
high-yield wheat and canola production
livestock feed and food manufacturing supply chains
edible oil and biofuel feedstocks
nationally significant low-emissions agriculture initiatives
The same landscape also contains Aboriginal cultural heritage, wetlands and natural floodways, Brolga habitat, and key tourism assets such as Mount Major and the Dookie Rail Trail.
Independent analysis and Greater Shepparton City Council survey data identify significant gaps in planning, mapping and consultation, raising serious concerns about the suitability of the current REZ location.
Who we are.
Protect Dookie & The Goulburn Valley Group is an active community organisation. Focused on promoting a sustainable social environmental, and economic future for the town of Dookie and its surrounding areas.
We are local farmers, residents, Traditional Owner advocates, local businesses, tourism operators and community members with a shared interest in protecting this landscape and its future.
We are pro-renewables, pro-planning and pro-community.
Our ask.
What the community is calling for.
We believe renewable energy must be delivered in a way that strengthens food systems, energy transition goals and regional communities — not undermines them.
Our ask is simple, reasonable and evidence-based.
1. Pause and Review the Current REZ Boundary
2. Protect Strategic Food & Energy Production Land
3. Improve Cultural Heritage Assessment
4. Undertake Comprehensive Environmental & Floodplain Studies
5. Assess Landscape & Tourism Impacts Properly
6. Meaningful Community Consultation
7. Relocate REZ Infrastructure to Lower-Impact Areas
How you can support this ask.
Sign the Community Petition
Share accurate information
Engage respectfully in the planning process
Advocate for responsible renewable energy planning
Why the central REZ is in the wrong place.
Our concerns about the proposed Central North Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) are grounded in evidence, independent analysis, council data and on-the-ground knowledge of the Dookie and the broader Goulburn Valley region.
This region is not defined by a single crop. It is a strategic food and energy production landscape that already plays a critical role in Victoria’s food security, bioenergy supply chains, and regional resilience.
Read the evidence for yourself.