By HARRY CLARKE
A CONTINGENT from Queensland is among a group of farmers rallying outside Parliament House in Canberra today, calling for a senate inquiry into renewable energy development on agricultural land and the suspension of projects they say are harming rural communities.
The National Rally Against Reckless Renewables is campaigning against the “reckless rollout” more than 1000 renewable energy projects across the country under the government’s Powering Australia pipeline, most of which are in regional and rural areas.
The protest follows the release of the independent Community Engagement Review, commissioned by the Albanese Government to maximise engagement with, and benefit for, impacted communities in the planning, development and operation of renewables infrastructure.
It also comes as the Farmers for Climate Action group also gather in Canberra to highlight the benefits offered rural communities by green energy projects, such as employment and land access compensation revenue.
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National Rational Energy Group vice-chair and Kilkivan Action Group organiser Katy McCallum is campaigning, in particular, against the $14.2 billion Borumba Pumped Hydro and the Forest Wind projects in Queensland’s Wide Bay region.
The Boromba projects involves the construction of a high voltage transmission line connecting the energy generator to the grid via an existing substation outside Kilkivan.
“We are in the fight of our lives, things are bad up here,” McCallum (pictured) said.
“They are going to push this through and destroy our state because they can. We need a federal Senate Inquiry, this needs to stop.
“There has been no social, economic or environmental licence obtained by Powerlink for the proposed transmission lines throughout Kilkivan district and so our message to Powerlink has been simple – our gates are locked.”
Energy Minister Chris Bowen blamed the LNP for problems arising from renewables development, saying the party ignored the impacts of new energy assets, such as transmission lines, on regional and rural communities and failed to improve how our energy projects were rolled out during their time in government.
“Local landholders and regional communities are absolutely crucial to our renewable energy transformation,” Bowen (pictured) said.
“Where these projects are done well, communities benefit from more jobs, cheaper energy, better connectivity and more business opportunities. And I am/we are determined to make the transformation a positive experience for communities.
“After a decade of inaction from the Opposition, this (Community Engagement Review) adds to the work already underway to improve the role communities play in delivering the necessary transformation of our energy system to keep the lights on.”
National Party leader and shadow agriculture minister David Littleproud said the review failed examine the “real impacts” the construction of wind and solar farms were having on agricultural land.
He said the government’s renewable energy target of 82 percent by 2030 would exacerbate rising food and energy prices.
“The report appears nothing more than a cynical public relations exercise by the Albanese Labor Government to give Labor a green light to forge ahead steamrolling regional communities in its attempt to reach their reckless target,” Littleproud said.
“It is alarming that 92 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with the level of engagement from project developers.
“Labor’s plans to rip up agricultural land will destroy farming communities and reduce the supply of food, therefore driving up food prices.
“We have time to pause, to plan and to use common sense. Sadly, it’s becoming obvious that renewables are losing their social licence because they are destroying the very thing they were designed to protect, including native vegetation and endangered species.”