Tuesday, 15 August 2023

Electricity infrastructure

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:25): (229) My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Minister, as you might be aware, today there are hundreds of farmers gathering outside this place to protest the proposed route of the VNI West, which is from Bulgana to the New South Wales border, and the Western Renewables Link, which is from Sydenham to Bulgana. Minister, do you support the right of these farmers to farm their land without the interference of transmission lines?

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education, Minister for Agriculture) (12:26): I thank the member for his question. It is a question that I think Mrs McArthur might have asked during PAEC, and I have also had a number of questions raised regarding this land. What I have said – and this is absolutely a point – is that I am very interested in issues regarding productive land utilisation and I am always interested in hearing people’s views about that very important asset that farmers have as well as other people who work in the agricultural sector.

When I talk to farmers, what they raise with me are their concerns about drought and the impact of climate, their pride in being renowned producers of some of the world’s highest quality clean, green produce and their need for a highly skilled workforce. That is what the large number of farmers that I talk to talk to me about, including a whole range that I met last Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, whether it be at Budj Bim, whether it be at Hamilton, whether it be in Horsham, whether it be in Talbot and of course all those that were coming together at Sheepvention in Hamilton.

Joe McCracken: On a point of order, President, with the greatest of respect, I did ask the minister: do you support the right of farmers to farm their land without interference from transmission lines? I appreciate that there are other issues that the minister might be interested in, but I specifically draw her to the impact of transmission lines on productive farming land.

The PRESIDENT: I do not want to be a broken record, but I feel like the question was asking for an opinion again, which makes it difficult. The standing orders – I do not own them, everyone owns them – are pretty clear about asking a minister an opinion in a question. But I appreciate the minister is prepared to respond, so I will ask the minister to continue her response.

Gayle TIERNEY: I thank the member for providing me with an opportunity to again lend my absolute support towards farmers and the great work that they do. We understand that there are questions and concerns about the Western Renewables Link, the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector and other renewable energy projects and their impact on farmland. Of course we understand that. These include the impact on farming activities, visual amenity and equitable compensation. I am committed to supporting farmers, as I have said, and their communities through Victoria’s energy transition. The government will continue to work to get this right and proactively engage with impacted communities.

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (12:29): According to the Ballarat Courier on 20 June 2023 in an article titled ‘Western Renewables Link divides Labor MPs Martha Haylett, Lily D’Ambrosio at 2023 Victorian state conference’, which I am sure that you might have been at, the member for Ripon called for the government to ‘change strategy’ on a ‘fundamentally flawed project’. Minister, will you as part of the government, in terms of fighting for farmers, call for the project to be reconsidered?

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: I also have a number of concerns about referring to political party activities, and it was a question to seriously the wrong minister. You can add on farmers, you can add on ambulance drivers, you can add on all sorts of different occupations to a question, but it does not mean the question is to the right minister. I am not going to call the minister.

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, in relation to your ruling, Mr McCracken was talking about the farmers in his area. He was referring to –

Members interjecting.

Georgie Crozier: No, it is question time, Ms Shing, and I am raising it with the President, if you do not mind. He was also referring to a newspaper article in his region, so the supplementary was absolutely relevant to the substantive question which he asked. In relation to his question, it was around government policy and direction, and I fail to understand why it has been ruled out.

The PRESIDENT: Getting to the crux of the question, it was based around a newspaper article on a political state conference. The other issue is that the question was not directed to the correct minister. Ms Crozier, I am happy to review your concern. I have had concerns with a number of questions today around asking for an opinion and a number of other areas where the standing orders prescribe that it falls outside the remit of whether someone can ask a question. But I am always happy to look at my rulings, and if your point of order is correct I will get back to you. But at this point I am not going to put the question to the minister.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: I think it is unnecessary to reflect on my rulings. As I said, I do not own the standing orders; I just try my best to uphold them. We all agreed at the start of the term on the sessional orders and how the standing orders should be. I just do my best to uphold what we all agreed to at the start of the term. But my ego can take it that there will be times that I may be incorrect, so I will look into it.