Agriculture
5 March, 2026
Fury over new Government laws to grab farm land
THE STATE Government is under fire from farmers and opposition MPs are ramming compulsory land acquisition laws through Parliament.
New laws will allow the Government to acquire land along the controversial VNI West renewable energy transmission line project from Stawell to Kerang.
Some property owners have already blocked land entry by VicGrid officials. They have erected No Access signs on farms.
Parliament only knew the laws were planned on Wednesday and by Thursday a Bill was making its way through the Legislative Council.
VFF president Brett Hosking said: "The Victorian Farmers' Federation is gutted that Parliament has backed laws allowing farmers’ land to be taken for transmission lines before the environmental assessment is even finished.
"This will pour fuel on the anxiety and uncertainty already gripping communities at the heart of the energy transition."
"Families now face the shadow of compulsory acquisition hanging over them while they are still trying to understand what a project means for their homes and livelihoods, as well as provide comprehensive information to the EES process."
"It tells us that those in charge don’t genuinely understand the sentiment on the ground. It sends a clear and devastating message to regional Victoria that getting towers in the ground matters more than delivering a robust Environmental Effects Statement and treating people with dignity."
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