The Dookie district sits within the Goulburn Valley — one of Victoria’s most important agricultural regions supporting food production, livestock systems, edible oils and biofuel feedstocks.

Verified local and industry data show:

• Wheat yields: 5–8 tonnes per hectare (dryland), supporting food and livestock feed supply

• Canola yields: 3–4 tonnes per hectare, supplying edible oils, livestock meal and biofuel feedstocks

Three local farms have also been selected for GrainCorp NEXT, a national low-emissions canola supply chain program involving only 12 farms Australia-wide, demonstrating the region’s importance to emissions-reduction initiatives already underway.

This land is already contributing to Victoria’s food system and energy transition.

The Goulburn Valley supports:

• grain and oilseed production

• livestock feed systems

• food manufacturing

• edible oil supply

• renewable biofuel feedstocks

Protecting this landscape protects both food security and climate goals. Fragmenting high-performing agricultural land with permanent infrastructure undermines the very systems required for a resilient low-carbon future.

Once this land is compromised, it cannot be replaced or relocated.

The Dookie landscape contains known and likely Aboriginal cultural heritage, including:

• greenstone and chert outcrops used for tool-making

• quarry sites

• ancient waterways and prior streams

• intact hill country and plains

Current planning relies on Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Sensitivity mapping based on coarse, statewide geological datasets. These datasets do not capture many landscape-scale cultural features present in this region.

Importantly:

• The absence of mapped sites does not indicate an absence of cultural heritage

• The area has not undergone comprehensive on-ground cultural surveys

• Much of the landscape remains relatively undisturbed, increasing the likelihood of undocumented sites

Planning decisions are therefore being made using incomplete cultural information.

The proposed REZ footprint overlaps:

• Brolga habitat

• wetlands and drainage lines

• remnant native vegetation

• broad floodplain systems across the Dookie plains

Since the decommissioning of historic stock and domestic channels, water now moves more naturally across the landscape. Despite this:

• No region-wide floodplain or cumulative hydrology assessment has been completed

• The risk of infrastructure blocking or redirecting natural flows has not been fully assessed

These risks directly affect agricultural productivity, ecosystems and downstream communities.

Dookie supports a growing visitor economy tied directly to its landscape and unique visual impact, including:

• Mount Major Summit Walk

• Dookie Rail Trail

• spring canola tourism

• cycling events

• weddings, retreats and regional hospitality

No comprehensive visual impact assessment has been undertaken from Mount Major or other key viewpoints, despite the scale and permanence of proposed infrastructure.

Industrial-scale development would permanently alter this unique landscape valued for its natural character and community amenity.

A Greater Shepparton City Council community survey found:

• 84% of respondents had no opportunity to participate in consultation

• 74% oppose the current REZ proposal

• 76% believe the boundary selection process is flawed

These findings indicate a clear failure to meaningfully engage with affected communities.