General News
8 April, 2025
Farmland in lockdown
Parts of Western Victoria are in lockdown and it's not because of a pandemic.
Farm gates along the planned route of the Victoria to NSW Interconnector West Transmission line from Bulgana to near Kerang, are pad-locked in a David and Goliath battle to save their land.
Farmers have taken a stand against the rolling tide of transmission lines, solar, wind, and mining companies who plan to cross A-grade agricultural food-producing land with or without permission from the owners.
Almost 300 farmers, landowners, and agricultural workers, aimed at stopping the ''destruction of prime agricultural land'' gathered in a shearing shed in Kanya on Friday, March 29 to send a message to the government, that they will not let it happen.
Guest speakers, invited to tell the farmers how they would address renewables if elected to government, included Federal Shadow Minister for Energy Ted O'Brien, MP, LNP, Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources David Davis and Member for Mallee, Dr Anne Webster.
Peta Credlin from the Sky News Program, 'Credlin' who was expected to attend, was an apology.
Owner of Glendenar Multi Purpose Merino sheep, Ben Duxson, welcomed the gathering and said he believed agriculture was under attack like it had never been before.
The host's farming property is in the direct line of the VNI West project.
The gathering had a strong message for the visitors that their fight against the VNI West project would extend to them if they won government at the May Federal election and didn't bring a halt to these projects.
“VNI West is wrong, this is not the right project for the area," Mr Duxson said.
The VNI is a high-capacity 500 kV double-circuit transmission line aimed at connecting the electricity grids in NSW and Victoria via 80-metre high towers every few hundred meters.
He said it was heartening to hear Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, recognise the issues facing farmers, in parliament, through the growing numbers of renewable projects.
"It's a long time since we heard agriculture mentioned in Canberra," he said.
"We've been taken for granted for too long."
One young farmer, Billy Baldwin, took it one step further and asked the MPs for a commitment.
"Are you with us or against us?"
"Our parents and grandparents fought for this land in WWI and WWII and we've fought fires and floods and now we have to fight the Australian government for it," he said.
"If you win the election and don't live up to your promises, we'll fight you as hard as we're fighting this government."
The VNI West project referred to as a "destructive impotent infrastructure" by the gathering, is planned to cross 195 kilometres of landowners properties in the VNI West area.
A majority 95+ percent of them have refused access to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) personnel with their locked gates and signage.
The 'locked-gate' approach is the only option left to the farmers, they, say because of their minimal property rights in Victoria which are less than in other states.
Organisers hoped to get a commitment from the politicians the VNI West project would be cancelled if they won government in May.
Even though the visiting MPs made some commitments about supporting the protection of agricultrue land and not supporting new transmission projects, they stopped short of committing to cancelling the VNI West Project.
"That was disappointing," landowner Cindy O'Sullivan said.
Mr O'Brien said the reason they could not make that commitment was due to the lack of information available to them on what the various contracts had been committed to by the current government.
He said the financial managers of the project, the Australian Energy Market Operators (AEMO) had "stepped beyond its step" in its handling of the project and had only empowered bureaucrats.
"AEMO needs reform," he said.
The property Ms O'Sullivan shares with partner Greg Baldwin is in the path of the VNI West project and they are just as committed as many others in the direct line of the project and said that they'll continue to fight against it.
"It was disappointing the meeting closed with the absence of practical steps going forward, that was troublesome," she said.
Ross Johns questioned why the government subsidised these projects.
Mr Davis said he would put pressure on the government to turn off the subsidies.
Both Mr Davis and Mr O'Brien said they could only make change if they were in government.
One landowner quoted the Paris Agreement clause 21(b) that states climate change and renewables projects shouldn't threaten food production and that land must be used for its primary purpose. She asked the visitors for their opinion.
Mr O'Brien said he agreed with her.
A question about the recent Critical Minerals Road Map release, was side stepped by Mr O-Brien who said the meeting was specifically about the VNI West project but he was happy to have that conversation another time.
The morning of the gathering, Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi named May 3 for the Federal Election so if the visiting MPs were on the campaign trail, they took away a clear message, winning the May election was not the only battle they faced if they did not come up with the goods.
