The State Government has proposed to call in the development assessment of a large-scale battery storage facility in Monduran in a move which has been welcomed by Bundaberg Regional Council.
The development proposal remains undecided after state legislation changed four days before Bundaberg Regional Council was due to decide the matter.
The legislative changes to the Planning (Battery Storage Facilities) and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation 2025, effective as of Friday 12 December, captured Battery Storage Facilities in the same assessment framework that already applied to solar and wind renewable projects.
This meant the State Government became the assessment manager for these types of facilities and Council was no longer able to decide the matter.
Despite these changes, on 5 February 2026, Council was served with a notice of appeal by the applicant, Iberdrola Australia Development Pty Ltd, seeking to appeal to the Planning and Environment Court the deemed refusal of its development application.
On 25 February 2026 Council received notice from Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie that he was proposing to call in the application.
Bundaberg Region Mayor Helen Blackburn said Council would welcome a Ministerial call in.
“From the moment the legislation was changed Council was no longer in a position to assess this development application.
“We were therefore surprised to be served with the notice of appeal.
“Given that it was Council’s understanding that the State automatically became the assessment manager as a result of the changes to the legislation, I wrote to the Planning Minister to ask him to call in the application or otherwise determine whether the appeal was valid given the changes to the legislation.
“We have now received confirmation from the Minister that he is considering this request.
“Further submissions are now invited to assist the Minister’s consideration of the call in request and Council will certainly be submitting within that process.
“We’re aware there is a high level of community interest in this matter and I am confident that their voices will be heard through this process.”
Anyone seeking further information about the Ministerial call-ins process should contact the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.
