The lines may have been drawn, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be crossed.

New legislation pushed by the Victorian Government that allows renewable energy contractors to use “reasonable force” to gain entry to private properties is being slammed by local Coalition members.

Under the new bill discussed in parliament on Thursday, July 31, authorised officers may apply to the magistrates’ court for an entry order on various grounds, including entry to the land if it has been previously “refused, hindered, delayed or obstructed”.

Individuals who resist may face fines of up to $12,210 and up to $48,842 for corporate bodies.

Speaking for the legislation, state Member for Laverton Sarah Connolly said the government’s expectation were that transmission companies should reach voluntary land access agreements, and force-of-entry measures were something they hoped they “never have to use”.

“This is not a situation that has been easy to be in for anyone,” Ms Connolly said.

“But we also are in a situation where difficult decisions have to be made, and we are trying to make them as fairly as possible.”

The legislation passed in the upper house and has been moved to the lower house to be approved.

State member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland and state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell have both condemned the bill.

Ms Cleeland said her office had been inundated with calls from concerned landholders, particularly in areas such as Colbinabbin, Stanhope and Girgarre, where major transmission projects such as the Cooba Solar Farm have been approved despite disapproval from communities.

“People are genuinely angry and afraid,” Ms Cleeland said.

“They feel their voices are being ignored, their livelihoods dismissed and their property rights torn up.

Ms Lovell described the bill as “an extraordinary over-step” by the government.

“(It) tramples on long-standing democratic processes as Labor seeks to force the rollout of its botched energy policies,” she said.

“Removing landowners’ rights to appeal against these projects at VCAT shows complete disregard for rural Victorians and reflects an increasingly authoritarian stance from a Labor government now in its 11th year.”

VicGrid outlines it will continue to work with landowners to go gain “voluntary access” to properties before having to bring the legislation into play, and Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said she hoped there would be no reason to use force.

Ms Lovell also called on Ms D’Amborisio to reconsider the Central North Renewable Energy Zone, which is part of the proposed draft VicGrid plan to localise renewable projects across the state.

Among the plans are seven draft proposed renewable energy zones, including the Central North Renewable Energy Zone, which falls in Campaspe Shire and covers almost 160,000 hectares.

The draft proposal has received disapproval from Campaspe Shire Council, which has lodged a submission against the proposal due to concerns it conflicts with the shire’s development goals and priorities.

“The consultation process for this transmission plan has been a box-ticking exercise designed to pre-empt and ignore community objections,” Ms Lovell said.

“The minister must go back to the drawing board, and address the concerns of local government and affected residents in the Central North Renewable Energy Zone.”

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Sunday, 11th June 2023

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