Vol. No. Vol. 2818No. 8 27
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Wednesday, 13, 2025 2016 Wednesday,January August 20,
Unhappy REZolution V
BY LAUREN HENRY
ehement opposition to the State Government’s energy plan was on show at a protest meeting at Marnoo on Monday morning.
The government’s finalised Victorian Transmission Plan, announced on Sunday, now includes major changes to the Renewables Energy Zones, REZ – areas where the government wants to build wind, solar and battery projects – with the Wimmera Southern Mallee zone more than doubling its footprint, and an area south of Harrow and Balmoral added to the South West REZ. The draft plan had previously outlined nine REZ – including two offshore – with the Wimmera Southern Mallee REZ located on the Henty Highway, north of Horsham and the other Grampians Wimmera zone across the Northern Grampians Shire, north of Stawell. But the finalised plan now includes both the Wimmera Southern Mallee REZ and Grampians Wimmera REZ as two sections in a Western REZ. The meeting was originally intended as a community conversation with Member for Mallee Anne Webster and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, also the federal shadow minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, but developed into a protest at Marnoo Recreation Reserve, with farmers bringing their tractors, trucks, abundance of signs to outline their views, and even a couple of dogs. Northern Grampians Cr Murray Emerson was also at the meeting – last month the council made a submission to formally oppose the REZ being placed in their shire. The Marnoo and surrounding communities have long been fighting against the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector, VNI, West project, which proposes a high-capacity double-circuit overhead transmission line that will cut across agricultural land, forming a conduit between the Western Renewables Link, WRL, pro-
STRONG ACTION: Watchem farmer Chris Colbert throws a Transmission Company Victoria document into the fire at a protest meeting at Marnoo on Monday. Farmers were protesting against renewable energy and transmission line projects, as well as the State Government’s Victorian Transmission Plan. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER ject at Bulgana, east of Stawell, to New South Wales. But the VNI West project was just one of the projects opposed at the meeting, with opponents of various renewable energy projects as well as the government’s planned REZs. Kanya farmer Marcia McIntyre said it was typical of the government to say ‘how much they had listened and how transparent’ their process was – but communities knew the truth. “Our community was determined not to be a REZ from the very beginning – we went to every meeting. We did hundreds of submissions,” she said. “We created our own mapping, which we were all involved in, and we added every person’s land to the map that was opposed. “The land that’s in the red there, they do not want, they will not host any turbines, solar panels, batteries and
transmission lines. It’s now 600,000 hectares and growing.” Ms McIntyre said claims that people would save $20 on their energy bills a year were not correct. “Everybody knows our bills are going up and they’re going to continue to go up. There’s no real evidence to support any reduction in bills – in fact, it’s the opposite. This really needs to be called out,” she said. “You would also think that avoiding prime agricultural land and areas with high biodiversity values would be a priority, but no, they put some of the best agricultural land in the state and they smashed it right up beside Kara Kara National Park, which includes a number of conservation reserves that are internationally recognised key biodiversity areas. “ It’s insane to think that putting a zone in this area is ever going to be successful.
“We just want to farm and grow food and fibre for Australia and the world.” Ms McIntyre said property owners in REZ areas faced land devaluation, disruption to community cohesion, a loss of community members, and increased fire risk and difficulty fighting fires. “There’s the inability of people to live in their own homes,” she said. “There’s contamination of soil and waterways with chemicals, continuous construction and road issues, noise, dust, worker camps, loss of birds, bats, and biodiversity. “There’s a long term cost to the shire, which we will all pay for via our rates. We will be fighting these renewable projects forever.” Wallaloo and Gre Gre District Alliance chair and farmer Ben Duxson said it was a ‘government-induced energy crisis’ that was forcing the changes.
“ We need to make sure we do make this about the economy,” he said. “Our fight is definitely not against the city people. Our fight is with the Labor governments at the moment, and their out-of-control way. They want to bulldoze and railroad us out here in the bush. “Our farms aren’t for sale. The gates are locked. “Get behind the people who are out there fighting for your land, fighting for your community to stay as it is – because we love our communities out here.” Ms McKenzie encouraged the farmers to ‘stay strong against a government that doesn’t respect them’. “Community after community have to stand up and say no to these projects being built because it has significant environmental, social and economic impact,” she said. “These projects are impacting the mental health and social cohesion of these communities, trashing the environment – some very significant environmental sites are going to be impacted by the rollout of these projects.” Dr Webster, shadow minister for regional development, local government, territories and regional communications, said she, Ms McKenzie and the Nationals supported the farmers. “We do not need Mallee turned into an industrial wasteland,” she said. “VNI West, WRL and the REZ are being driven by an ideology from Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which forces the states to fall into line with federal renewable energy targets. “These projects are being supported from federal coffers.” The plan outlines that expanding renewable power generation will cost $7.9-billion, but its modelling claims that Victorian energy bills could be $20 less for households and $50 lower for small businesses each year. Continued page 3
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