Powerline grab: D’Ambrosio strips landholders’ appeal rights

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has trampled landholders’ rights in a rush to build 600km of transmission lines and towers across rural properties.

Lawyers for the Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance have been forced to rethink their strategy, after a ministerial order undermined their Supreme Court case against the Western Renewables Link.

Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has stripped landholders of the right to appeal against 60-metre pylons and high-voltage powerlines being strung across their properties, while trying to sweeten the deal with compensation payments.

Ms D’Ambrosio last week issued a “fast-tracking” order to block legal challenges and accelerate the roll out of the 190km Western Renewables Link, from Sydenham to Bulgana, and the 400km Victorian–NSW Interconnector West, from Bulgana to the NSW Dinawan energy hub.

Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio. Picture: David Geraghty

The Minister’s order states she is fast-tracking both transmission lines to funnel renewable wind and solar power into Melbourne and NSW, in response to fears “Victoria’s ageing coal plants may retire earlier than anticipated”.

Work on the VNI West corridor was not due to start until spring 2024, but the order allows AEMO to bring forward its surveys of hundreds of rural properties along the 400km corridor, from Bulgana to southeast of Kerang and west of Echuca.

Landholders say the minister is trampling on their rights in the rush to roll out transmission lines that could have major impacts on their communities, land values and farm productivity.

Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance advocate Vicki Johnson said the minister’s order had set a precedent that “slapped away scrutiny, oversight and challenges”.

Members of the alliance were due to appear before the Supreme Court last week to challenge the Australian Energy Market Operator’s investment test on the benefits of building the WRL across their land.

But Ms D’Ambrosio’s order states any challenges to AEMO’s investment test under the National Electricity Rules and National Electricity (Victoria) Act 2005 provisions “do not apply”.

The alliance’s lawyers are now mulling over what action they can take.

Ms D’Ambrosio has dismissed landholders’ concerns, telling the media on Friday the order was simply to “ensure projects get done in a timely fashion”.

In the meantime she announced landholder payments of $200,000 for every kilometre of new transmission lines built across their properties.

The payments will be made in annual instalments of $8000 over 25 years, and are on top of the Land Acquisition and Compensation Act payments that cover the market value of the land.

But landholders say the $8000 a year, equates to just 8 cents a square metre.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said the payment was nowhere near enough to offset the long term impact on landholders.

“It’s an arbitrary number that’s not enough to mean anything,” Ms Germano said. “The impact has to be assessed commercially, on production.”

Originally published as Powerline grab: D’Ambrosio strips landholders’ appeal rights