Member for Mallee Anne Webster used National Agriculture Day on November 15 to target energy projects as a major threat to farming in the Mallee electorate.

Dr Webster said research from Frontier Economics – consultants used by all sides of politics to analyse the impact of government policies – showed the cost of energy projects to be more than $642-billion.

“Labor’s globally unprecedented experimental transition to an exclusively renewable energy mix will cost $520-billion more than they estimated,” she said.

“At last count there are over 50 existing or proposed wind or solar projects within Mallee, with a rapidly expanding footprint into prime agricultural land. Which is unsurprising given wind and solar simply cannot carry the load for Australia. 

“The NEM Dashboard shows consistently over the past 12 months that coal and gas provided 63 per cent of Australia’s energy – baseload power – not intermittent wind or solar.”

Dr Webster said nuclear energy placed on existing coal-fired power plant sites was the internationally proven solution for Australia’s energy and food security.

“All Australians will benefit from the Coalition’s balanced energy mix of renewables, gas and nuclear to replace Labor’s expensive and failing all-eggs-in-one-basket renewables only approach,” she said. 

“Shifting to nuclear will keep 24-7 baseload power in the system, on tap, to drive prices down and keep the lights on while we decarbonise.”

Dr Webster said advocacy group Farms for Food shared footage of Litchfield, Donald and Watchem farming stalwart Jim ‘Spud’ Hepworth’s call for farmers to respect their intergenerational neighbour relationships and not buy into divisive energy and mining projects.  

She said project proponents had a practice of using non-disclosure agreements to secure deals with individual farmers.  

Dr Webster shared Mr Heptworth’s testimony from the video in a parliamentary speech in Canberra earlier this month.

“Spud is spot on – the threats are coming thick and fast,” Dr Webster said.

“Wind turbines, solar panels, transmission lines like VNI-West and WIRES, and increasingly active mineral sands proposals are carving up Mallee to put energy and mining first and second in Mallee. 

“Food production and food security is at risk.
Farmers have a right to farm but Labor lords it over them as if farmers are peasants who own nothing, only farming at their feudal lord’s pleasure.

“It’s time private property rights were upheld.”

The entire November 27, 2024 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire November,27, 2024 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!