VFF slams problematic renewables rollout & calls for a major energy transition reset

In the wake of the VicGrid Bill being passed through the Victorian Legislative Council last week, Victorian Farmers Federation President Brett Hosking has slammed the current rollout of energy projects, warning that a multi-billion dollar show of good faith may now be the only way to reset and move forward.

 “Right now, farmers and agricultural land are being left worse off. That’s the brutal truth,” Mr Hosking said at the Bush Summit in Ballarat last Friday.

 “These projects have failed every test. AusNet in particular has wasted years, engagement has been an unmitigated disaster and they have completely lost the trust of the very communities they need onside. That’s no way to deliver a cleaner and better future.” 

Mr Hosking said it was unacceptable that governments were ignoring the communities being asked to carry the load of Australia’s energy transition, and said the ball was now in their court to send a major signal to rebuild trust.

“Governments and project proponents need landholders at the table to get this done right. But right now the trust is so fundamentally broken that we’re not even having the conversation.”

“To my mind, we’d need a multi-billion dollar commitment on the table to reset this conversation. Currently we’re talking roads, hospitals and sporting facilities, but as people in the regions I think we’re entitled to those things at a minimum.” 

“We need to move to big picture thinking, not just tapping into cheaper energy in the regions, but going the next step and underwriting investments in things like local fertiliser production, onshore processing plants or biofuels production. They’re big ideas that will require serious investment.”

“People expect to see investments that will strengthen displaced industries for generations to come.” 

“A commitment of that scale might then pave the way for hard conversations on compensation, land use protections and coexistence that would still need to happen.”

 “Farmers want to be part of the solution, but not at the expense of their livelihoods. If rural Victoria is carrying the weight of future power generation, then governments must deliver the investment and protections to make sure our communities thrive,” Mr Hosking said.