Government Spin, Community Reality

The Victorian Government continues to present its renewable energy agenda as an urgent climate solution, but on the ground its actions tell a very different story.

At the Bush Summit in Ballarat, community members described the event as little more than “rent-a-crowd for a scripted set of announcements.” Carefully curated questions, pre-packaged talking points, and photo opportunities dominated proceedings. Many who attended left feeling they had been duped into watching a performance, not a genuine dialogue.

The crowd heckled the ever inept and bumbling PM and the smirking Premier.

Outside, however, the real story was unfolding. Almost 400 vehicles – fire trucks, tractors, utes – rolled through the rain-soaked streets in convoy. Roads were blocked, banners raised, and a clear message sent: regional communities will not quietly accept destructive projects or legislation imposed on them.

Meanwhile, the Government’s policy contradictions remain glaring. It bans coal-fired power stations here in the name of emissions reduction but continues to export coal overseas for others to burn. Domestically, it pushes massive transmission projects through farmland and bushland under the guise of reducing emissions even while experts acknowledge that Australia’s share of global emissions is tiny and any domestic cuts are swamped by export volumes.

The result is pain without gain. Communities and our precious environment bear the brunt – loss of land, loss of value, loss of trust – while emissions outcomes remain negligible.

What is driving this agenda is not climate integrity but the megalomaniac ego of a government out of touch and out of control and a convenient vehicle for political spin. As one participant put it, “the government does not give a stuff about climate or CO₂ reductions.”

This is why community resistance is growing stronger, not weaker. What the Government dismisses as “progress” is increasingly understood as hypocrisy, exploitation, and betrayal.

The PM was chased out of Ballarat on his way to visit a Chinese-owned farm in Lal Lal with wind turbines – if that doesn’t sum up where his allegiances lie, then what does?

Ballarat Bush Summitt and Rally in the News

Farmers Chase PM out of Ballarat

Bush Summit prime minister anthony albanese chased out of ballarat by angry victorian farmers in tractors in extraordinary scenes

Ballarat CBD at a Standstill

The Victorian government is advancing new legislation that would impose fines of up to $12,210 on farmers who refuse access for transmission towers and lines on their properties as part of the proposed 475-kilometre Victoria–New South Wales Interconnector (VNI West). Additional penalties include $4000 for failing to provide identification and $1200 for removing official notices.

The government argues these measures are necessary to ensure progress on renewable energy infrastructure, with payments of $8000 per kilometre of easement per year for 25 years offered to landholders as compensation. It insists fines will be a last resort after voluntary access efforts.

However, farmers and community groups have condemned the laws as heavy-handed and unjust. Across Victoria Alliance spokesman Andrew Weidemann warned of “war” and potential civil disobedience, claiming farmers are willing to face jail in opposition to what they see as violations of civil rights and productive farmland being sacrificed.

Protesters have already demonstrated at parliament, with further rallies planned.

The controversy comes amid spiralling project costs: VNI West’s budget has blown out from $3.9 billion to $7.6 billion, with forecasts it could reach $11.4 billion, costs ultimately passed on to consumers. Critics also argue the policy is hypocritical — banning coal-fired power locally while continuing to export coal overseas — and contend that renewable generation should be built closer to cities rather than running new high-voltage lines through farmland.

The opposition Coalition has pledged to repeal the legislation if elected in 2026, while experts warn transmission delays are already stalling Victoria’s clean energy transition and pushing up costs.

Let me be clear: those in rural Victoria are not being factored into the government’s transition to renewable energy – they are being bulldozed over.

Late last Thursday night, the Victorian Parliament passed sweeping legislation that gives government-appointed officers the right to enter private farmland – with police backup if necessary – to build transmission lines. Farmers who refuse to grant access can now be fined upwards of $12,000. This law isn’t about saving the environment – it’s about overruling rural communities and dismantling democracy.

First, let’s address the reality. The government claims these measures are “last resort,” that they’ve bent over backward to negotiate. But in practice, this is shorthand for “we don’t have time for your concerns.” Farmers and regional landholders across the state are livid. They’ve spent years offering alternatives, showing how transmission infrastructure can be placed in less damaging ways, or even undergrounded. Yet lawmakers rammed this through without proper consideration.

Here’s what this legislation really signals:

• It puts money and political convenience ahead of the people who actually make the economy run – farmers.

• It criminalizes dissent. If you stand up for your property rights and refuse access, congratulations – you could now be fined or arrested.

• It reveals a broader contempt for regional communities, coded under the virtue signal of “green energy.”

Meanwhile, the government’s track record on transparency is abysmal. Transmission projects like VNI West have already seen massive cost blowouts – from $3.9 billion to as much as $11.4 billion. Yet what did we see from politicians? Hollow assurances that prices wouldn’t rise, that “the lights must stay on,” and that we should trust them with the keys to our farms. It’s reminiscent of bank bailouts wrapped in benevolence – until the people notice their water rates and energy bills doubling.

Let’s remember: these are not abstract policies affecting faceless others. They impact people – husbands, wives, families – who have built life around their farms for generations. This is their water, their heritage, their children’s inheritance.

To be “green” should never mean trampling civil liberties and community consent. This government’s rush—this heavy-handed overreach—is not the way forward. Energy transition should mean uniting communities around sustainable solutions, not forcing solutions upon them. We need cooperative models, respectful dialogue, and real alternatives on the table.

In the words of many farmers I’ve been discussing this with: they’re willing to go to jail before watching bulldozers drive through what their ancestors built. That ought to give us all pause.

If the public remains silent while these laws stand, democracy in this state will lose a chapter. But if regional voices rally, if people from across walks of life stand with our farmers, we can stop this authoritarian piece of legislation and demand a genuine energy pathway that respects people and planet alike.

This isn’t just renewable energy – it’s reclaiming the right to land stewardship.

Vic Grid Legislation Passes Victorian Parliament