Wednesday, 30 October 2024

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:28): (1232) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, and the action I seek is for the minister to halt the renewables push and extend the life of Victoria’s coal-fired power stations to protect our prime agricultural land from the destruction of renewable energy facilities and transmission lines. Yesterday it was revealed that Victorian farmers are under threat from the invasive renewable energy push. The 240-kilometre Victorian stretch of Transmission Company Victoria’s VNI West powerline will traverse about 250 farms and other private properties. That is 250 Victorian families who will lose productive farmland; that is not to mention the countless others who will be affected by the building of wind and solar energy facilities. I note that yet again none of these facilities are anywhere near the city, which will benefit from the destruction of our beautiful regional areas. By the time these so-called renewable energy facilities are decommissioned and the land is restored, the knowledge our farmers have right now will be gone. Those farming families will have moved on, and there will be no-one left to feed and clothe this country.

Currently Victoria’s three remaining coal-fired power stations provide 70 per cent of Victoria’s electricity requirements. This government seems determined to send Victoria back to the Dark Ages by shutting them down before having a viable baseload source of power. The technology is just not there. We have already been warned of rolling blackouts and/or brownouts during the summer by AEMO. The government blames ageing coal infrastructure. I blame the failure to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure by this government and many governments who have gone before. Alternatives to destroying our agricultural industries must be explored before it is too late. Other countries in the world seem to be finding other ways to power their cities and towns. Nuclear, gas, hydro – these are all viable options to power our state and lower our emissions, but for some unknown reason this government seems determined to power ahead with unreliable renewables. The action I seek is for the minister to halt the renewables push and extend the life of Victoria’s coal-fired power stations to protect our prime agricultural land from destruction via renewable energy facilities and transmission lines.