Army of farmers confronts Victoria government in renewables standoff
Hundreds of furious farmers have confronted government workers over a “critical” issue - forming a blockade at the entry to a sheep and dairy farm in an act of defiance.
Hundreds of farmers have blocked the Victorian government from accessing land in another confrontation over a renewable energy project.
State agency VicGrid has been trying to conduct surveys on farmland for VNI West, a transmission line designed to move renewable energy from wind- and solar-rich areas to population centres.
VicGrid says it’s a crucial project to “keep the lights on” as the state retires coal and tries to hit its legislated goal of 95 per cent renewables by 2035.
But a grassroots movement against the project has been gathering steam for years.
On Tuesday, Kanya sheep and grain farmer Ben Duxson was the latest landowner to deny VicGrid access, part of a growing trend in the state.
Mr Duxson had the support of up to 400 other farmers who travelled to his property from across Victoria.
Drone footage showed the sheer scale of the protest, as a large crowd toted signs that read “stop Labor’s towers,” and “hands off our land”.
“VicGrid asked for the owner and said under section 93 we’ve got the right to come in, and we can come in,” Mr Duxson told news.com.au.
“We just say, ‘no, access denied.’ They don’t actually have the right - we’ll just keep locking the gate.”
It comes after the Victorian government passed a controversial bill allowing “authorised officers” to force entry onto private property with a court order and police support.
Anyone obstructing access could face fines of up to $6,000 - and potentially “reasonable force” - under the new law.
But Mr Duxson said farmers were not afraid of being fined or even arrested.
“I think we can double our numbers next time - are they going to fine us all?” he said.
“They’re going to need to bring in buses, and there’s not enough room in the jails.”
The farmer said the stand against VNI West had “unified” his community and support was pouring in from around Australia and overseas.
He opposed the project on the grounds that renewable energy systems were costly and inefficient, with components requiring frequent replacement.
Instead, he thought renewables had a part to play in a wider system that included coal and nuclear power.
“This is a government-induced energy crisis, it’s nothing to do with farmers holding up the project,” Mr Duxson said.
“It’s a bad policy and we’re not going to put up with it. That’s why people are standing at the gate, it’s on principle - it can’t work.”
In another encounter last month, a VicGrid worker was told by a group of farmers to “bugger off” while attempting to survey a sheep-cropping farm in Teddywaddy, north of Charlton.
Footage showed the contractor standing at the gate while another worker stood behind him and appeared to be filming with a body camera.
One of the farmers involved, James Burke, said the body camera was a common tactic and described VicGrid’s frequent visits as “predatory harassment behaviour”.
“These people that think they can come up into our area and take us on - they’ve got another thing coming,” Mr Burke told news.com.au.
In response to the protests, VicGrid CEO Alistair Parker said VNI West was a “crucial project to keep the lights on for all Victorians as we replace ageing coal-fired power with new renewable energy sources”.
“These surveys are about getting the best information so we minimise impacts on the landscape and on farming operations,” Mr Parker said in a statement.
“Our strong preference is always to agree voluntary access. That’s the way we want to keep working, because it leads to better outcomes for everyone.
“Safety comes first - for landholders, for community members and for our staff - and we’re asking everyone involved to approach this calmly and respectfully.”
Originally published as Army of farmers confronts Victoria government in renewables standoff
