Farmers ask government to prioritise renewables review

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has called on the Federal Government to prioritise a review report into community engagement on renewables projects.

Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer handed his findings on community engagement practices for renewable energy infrastructure projects to the government in December, with no timeline for the release of the report to the public available.

NFF President David Jochinke said the review was a step in the right direction and presented a real opportunity for the government to dispel the uncertainty hanging over the heads of farmers.

“Farmers are often the last to find out about these projects to be rolled out across their land,” Mr Jochinke said.

“This isn’t a NIMBY (not in my backyard) situation. Farmers support the transition to renewable energy, but they don’t want to see these projects being prioritised over growing food and fibre.”

Myers family future uncertain

There’s 1.5km of overhead transmission lines proposed across Victorian farmer Katherine Myers’ farm.

“The issue of transmission is huge. The Federal Government is planning 10,000km of new transmission lines in Australia over the next 10 to 20 years – our farm is just 1.5km,” Ms Myers said.

“That’s thousands of additional farmers or landholders out there who are going to be affected by this. It goes right from Northern Queensland to the southern tips of Tasmania.”

There are strict regulations on farming around high voltage electricity and for Ms Myers, the overhead transmission lines will prevent her family from growing potatoes on that land at Tourello, near Ballarat.

She believes a safer, more efficient and sustainable solution to the proposed transmission lines is to install them underground to build a grid “for the next 100 years, not for the past century”.

“It’s marginally more expensive upfront, but it is enormously more efficient. The minute you put electricity into a high voltage above ground option, you lose approximately 30% of that generated power,” she said.

Katherine Myers says she won't be able to farm potatoes on her farm where 1.5km of overhead transmission lines are proposed.

‘Report findings a good place to start collaboration’

Mr Jochinke said Ms Myers’ story was one he had heard from countless farmers across Australia, which is why finding a better way for energy projects was a key pillar in the NFF’s Keep Farmers Farming campaign.

“It’s the right thing to do to consult with landholders in the early stages of these projects that directly impact their livelihoods and food and fibre production,” he said.

“The government has the review outcomes in their hands, so we urge them to get moving on it to make things fairer for farmers. We want to work with government on this important issue and the findings of this report are a good place to start that collaboration.

“Our message to Canberra is simple. If you love Aussie grown, help us protect Aussie farms and keep farmers farming.”

A spokesperson for Minister Bowen, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy confirmed the government had received the Community Engagement Review late last year but could not give a timeline on the report’s public release.

“We know Australia needs better implementation of good community engagement practices, which is why this report will be released shortly once the government has considered the report findings,” they said.