By LIAM DURKIN
THE state opposition has confirmed it will oppose legislation it says allows public officials to force their way onto the land of farmers and other property owners.
However, the state government maintains the bill is merely an extension of what is currently lawful.
The National Electricity (Victoria) Amendment (VicGrid Stage 2 Reform) Bill 2025, currently before Parliament, will allow authorised officers to use force to enter private land for the purpose of electricity transmission works, including removing locks and opening gates without the consent of landowners.
Individuals who resist face fines of up to $12,210, and $48,842 for body corporates.
Offences under the legislation include hindering, obstructing or delaying authorised activity; obscuring, damaging or destroying a notice of proposed entry; failure to provide identification; and providing false identification, address, or evidence of ownership.
Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources, David Davis said the state government was thumbing its nose at hard-working local communities in regional areas.
“The bill is a departure from accepted democratic approaches and procedures, reflecting an increasingly authoritarian stance in a Labor government now in its 11th year,” Mr Davis said.
“There is massive, and building opposition, from many rural communities to the imposition of renewables and associated wires and grids on those communities without their support or consent.”
Mr Davis said the government was in a mess of its own making due to the slow rollout of transmission projects such as VNI West and Western Renewables Link delayed by years.
“Production of electricity from coal is winding down from 2028 and Labor is ideologically opposed to gas,” Mr Davis said.
“For these reasons, the Allan Labor government has panicked and will seek to acquire outrageous new powers to force through its so-called transition to renewables.”
Leader of The Nationals and Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, said the state government’s approach was to bully and attack regional communities, rather than work with them.
“This bill highlights Labor is steamrolling farmers and other landholders in its blind rush to renewables,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This is an outrageous assault on farming families from a desperate government that is more interested in out-greening the Greens than respecting regional Victorians.
“A government that respects rural Victorians would not be introducing legislation like this, on top of taking away their right to appeal against these projects at VCAT.
“The Liberals and Nationals will hand back these rights to rural people, as well as reintroducing a two kilometre buffer zone between wind turbines and homes.”
The state government however pointed out compulsory land access provisions already exist under the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (EIA).
According to the state government, the proposed bill will ensure this existing power can be effectively enforced, and created a new role for authorised officers.
“Authorised officers will always work with landowners before accessing land,” a state government spokesperson said.
“This legislation will prevent inappropriate behaviour from private transmission companies and brings Victoria in line with other jurisdictions and the delivery of other vital major infrastructure such as transport and telecommunications.”
Energy companies building new energy infrastructure will fund landowner payments and contribute to the Renewable Energy Zone Community Energy Fund, which will support regionally significant projects and initiatives that improve energy supply, efficiency, and affordability.
“We created VicGrid to lead community consultation on the development of our Renewable Energy Zones and new transmission infrastructure to protect energy security as well as food and water security and ensure communities are consulted early in the planning process,” the government said.
“We’ve heard from regional communities that the benefits of the energy transition need to be shared fairly, especially with those communities hosting new infrastructure – that’s why we are developing new community benefit funds and payments to landholders, significantly impacted neighbours and Traditional Owners.”
Local host communities will identify and help design projects that will best benefit them.
The funds will be formalised through legislation later this year before being given the green light.
These funds are in addition to any direct developer benefit payments. They are expected to commence after Renewable Energy Zones have been declared following publishing of the first Victorian Transmission Plan later this year.
Landholders hosting new electricity transmission infrastructure will receive payments of $8000 per kilometre of typical easement area per year for 25 years, indexed to inflation. This payment is in addition to the existing compensation arrangements for hosting transmission.
