Vol. No. Vol. 2718No. 1627
Wednesday, October January 16, 13, 2024 2016 Wednesday,
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SHOW FUN: Milea Clugston, 4, enjoys a ride at Rainbow’s annual agricultural and pastoral show yesterday. Specialty demonstrations, traditional sideshow alley and attractions, and children’s games entertained the crowd. The community supported the show with more than 1860 entries across all sections, with more than 620 photography entries, 474 student entries, 164 cut flowers, and a combined 260 home industries, culinary and craftwork entries. More pictures, page 16. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Farmland under attack BY LAUREN HENRY
W
immera-Mallee farmers are under increasing pressure from energy organisations who want to build infrastructure on their land.
Renewable energy companies, such as wind farms, along with Transmission Company Victoria’s VNI West transmission line project, which is currently informing landowners of its preferred route, are putting pressure on farmers to use their agricultural land. More than 70 people gathered at a public meeting at Brim Hall on September 30 to address a lack of information available about a proposed construction of the Warracknabeal and
Wilkur energy parks, and associated transmission lines. The Warracknabeal Energy Park, a project of energy company WestWind Energy, could include up to 230 turbines nearby the Murra Warra Wind Farm, if approvals are granted. The Wilkur Energy Park, if approved, will consist of 97 turbines, on 10,554 hectares of agricultural cropping farm land, 11 kilometres southwest of Birchip. Newly-appointed secretary Janet Addinsall said after a unanimous vote, an incorporated group called the Wimmera Mallee Environmental and Agricultural Protection Association was formed. She said topics discussed at the meeting included fire danger and im-
pact on the nearby landowners, and concern about a lack of aerial support for firefighting due to the proximity to the proposed turbines. Other topics included the availability and cost of insurance for landowners and the neighbours of the energy parks; the possibility of compulsory acquisition of land for transmission lines; whether turbines could interrupt radar signals affecting accurate weather reporting; and the effect on private development on land within a one-kilometre buffer zone of the energy parks. The group will have its next meeting on October 28. Quambatook farmer Brett Hosking said he had been contacted by 12 different renewable companies wanting
to build wind turbines on his property. “Our property has pulled out the short straw and we’ve been intersected by the VNI West transmission project,” he said. “What that brought with it was our country suddenly became fertile for wind development and energy development, so we’ve had countless different companies, effectively prospecting, cold calling us at home, at work, my wife at work, my parents at their home, and wanting to engage and explore the opportunity to build turbines on our property. “We’re still under this little bit of cloud of uncertainty ... the whole future of wind development in our area relies on this transmission line coming through – but we haven’t been
able to get clear information around exactly how that transmission line will impact us. “We don’t know what the size of towers are, what the scale of towers are, what the impact on our farming environment will be, so it’s very hard to then say ‘well actually we want to sign up to other infrastructure at the same time’. “To be perfectly honest, I think if we could go back two years and we were just growing crops and running sheep and cattle, then we would be so, so happy just to do that and not have to think about all these other things – which are good opportunities if people choose to – but for us, we love farming.” Continued page 5
IN THIS ISSUE • Worker accommodation boost • Mining project detailed • All set for Horsham Cup Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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