Victoria's Controversial Land Grab for Power Lines

0:00The latest headlines, weather, and stories right here on Sydney News today. Victorian Parliament has passed a controversial bill that lets transmission companies compulsorily acquire private farmland for power lines and renewable energy projects before environmental checks are done. The Upper House approved amendments to the Electricity Industry Act on Thursday, shifting from the old rule where such takeovers only happened as a last resort after a full environmental effect statement. Earlier this week, the government rushed these changes through, applying not just to the VNI West Project in Western Victoria, but to all potential. Power line statewide, including transmission and distribution easements. Farmers and rural communities feel betrayed and gutted, with many voicing defrostration over the lack of proper consultation. Low on MP, Emma Keely called the move sneaky, saying it ignores landholders who have fought to be heard after blocking workers from their properties for months. Victorian Farmers Federation President Brett Hosking describe it as heartbreaking, noting he has

1:03seen grown men cry over the stress. He warned, it undermines proper processes and heightened anxiety for families in the energy transition, affecting homes and livelihoods across the state. Across Victoria Alliance leaders, sland it as a betrayal of rural areas, claiming it threatens food production and hands power to energy firms. The Energy Minister has been contacted for comment, but for now, the new laws leave a cloud of uncertainty over Victorian farmland. This episode is supported by our sponsor. You know what is better than earbuds in bed? No earbuds at all.