STOP LABORS TOWERS NEWSLETTER
June 30th 2024

At the 4-year anniversary of fighting the Western Renewables Link (WRL) and the overlapping 1½ year anniversary of fighting the Victoria – New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West), this Newsletter is a recap about the community-led incorporated Association which has been working tirelessly for all those years to represent and advocate for all landholders, businesses, and communities that are directly, and indirectly, impacted by these two projects.

The following is Part 1 in which we explain ‘Who We Are’ – the Association and the Steering Committee.

For those of you who have been members on the journey with us from the early years but want a catch-up, and for those who have recently joined and want to make sure they are across who we are, and especially for those who haven’t really come across us before, please grab a cup of tea or coffee, a beer or a glass of wine and have a read.

In Part 2, which will be published later next week, we will dive a bit deeper into the two projects that we are all fighting, what has been done to fight them, and what you can do to help.

The Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance Inc. (MCHPA) is a community-led association which was formed and incorporated in July 2020 as an “umbrella” group representing landowners, individuals, communities, organisations, businesses and local groups who would potentially be impacted by the proposed WRL high voltage overhead transmission line and new terminal stations project (known in the early days as WVTNP).

In early 2023, landowners and communities located in the west and north-west of Victoria first became aware of the VNI West high voltage overhead transmission line and new terminal stations project being proposed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). It soon became clear to them that AEMO wanted to build VNI West along the Option 5 corridor proposed in a “Consultation Report” that they had published in late February 2023. However, in May 2023, the Minister for Energy and Resources of Victoria decreed (without community consultation!) that a different Option 5A was to be the corridor for VNI West.

From that time on, relationships between those impacted by each project grew, and on 16 May 2023 the MCHPA and those local action groups and individuals already dedicated to fighting VNI West allied under the banner of Regional Victoria Power Alliance (RVPA), which the MCHPA had registered as their trading name the day before.

The work of this strategic Alliance is now overseen by an enlarged RVPA Steering Committee (RVPA SC) comprising members from along both project corridors. This enables the sharing of resources and strategies and gives all of those who may be potentially impacted (whether directly or indirectly) a louder voice in the fight against both projects.

The RVPA has over 2,350 individual members and many 1000s more supporters through its social and newsletter networks.

The RVPA’s purpose and objectives reflect all our concerns about the impacts and heightened risks from both the WRL and VNI West projects to the landholders and communities within, and beyond, the respective proposed corridors. We will all advocate on behalf of our members, communities and the environment and demand that these projects be reassessed using a comprehensive triple bottom line process to determine if they are needed at all and to comprehensively understand their impacts.

The RVPA Steering committee now comprises four members from along the WRL proposed project corridor and five members from along the proposed VNI West corridor. We welcome expressions of interest from anyone who wants to join us and contribute to this Committee and its work. Throughout the years we had had many dedicated community members serve on the committee, and we thank them for their contribution. Most recently the committee’s long-standing Chair, Emma Muir, stepped down, however she continues to be heavily involved in the community campaign against these projects.

The list of Steering Committee members is here, and for your interest their biographies are below:

• Chair – Vicki Johnson (WRL affected community)
• Vice Chair – Dan Bolitho (VNI West affected community)
• Secretary – Steve Harper (WRL affected community)
• Treasurer – Archie Conroy (WRL affected community)
• General member – Gavin (WRL affected community)
• General member – Barry Batters (VNI West affected community)
• General member – Gerald Feeney (VNI West affected community)
• General member – Marcia McIntyre (VNI West affected community)
• General member – Matt McLoughlan (VNI West affected community)

The present Chair is Vicki Johnson (former Vice Chair) who has lived in an 1880s farmhouse on a small parcel of land in Clarkes Hill (north of Ballarat) since the late 1990s. She joined the SC in its early days as the liaison for the former Clarkes Hill and District Power Alliance and later became the representative for her region, which is half-way along the proposed WRL corridor, and for regions westwards to the end of the line. She continues to be a member of the Kingston and District Power Alliance as a part of this role.

Vicki has been a member of the MCHPA’s Legal Working Group since it was first established and has been integrally involved in writing letters and submissions for WRL and VNI West related matters, as well as making submissions to the Essential Services Commission about land access and transmission licence matters, and to VicGrid, since early 2022, about their proposed planning framework for REZ and transmission lines. For the last few years Vicki has worked closely with Gavin, the Chair of the Legal Working Group, on researching and developing each of the three legal actions that the MCHPA is undertaking.

Vicki has also been a member of AusNet’s Community Consultation Group for two years, advocating for all communities and landowners along the WRL line, and was at the forefront of establishing the alliance with the VNI West landholders and communities, and the RVPA itself. Although not directly impacted by WRL, she is driven by wanting to use her skills to help support landholders, communities and businesses wherever possible, to stop WRL and VNI West from irreversibly impacting their land, lives and livelihoods, and to ensure that our landscapes and the natural environment do not also suffer irreversible impact from these two projects.

The new Vice Chair, Daniel Bolitho, is a recent SC member from Tragowel (south-east of Kerang) where the new 800 x 300m VNI West terminal station is proposed to be built in the heart of his community. His family has lived and farmed in the area for 4 generations, traditionally using their irrigated property for sheep and cattle, but then pivoting over 30 years ago to become the largest emu farm in Australia. Dan is a registered mechanical engineer, returning to work with his family to assist with the expansion of their business.

The new terminal station is expected to be at a minimum 600m from Dan’s family home. As well as supporting the VNI West 500kV transmission lines, it will also become a connection point for the existing 220kv Bendigo-Kerang transmission lines (which are proposed to be cut to run in a v-pattern into it) and for the transmission lines of all the renewable energy generators that may be established in the region.

Dan’s region is within the late-chosen VNI West Option 5A corridor, and he has been working tirelessly, attending TCV, VicGrid and other information meetings, to inform himself on all the issues that his community and the wider region faces from both VNI West and renewable energy generators looking to take over high-yield irrigation land.

He has also brought his community’s concerns to the direct attention of the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (former and interim) and AEMO’s Group Manager of Victorian Network Services & Delivery, as well as to the Nationals member for the Division of Mallee, the local Gannawarra Council, and other community members at various meetings that he has organised to ensure everyone is engaged and informed.

Dan is open to discussions with any community members, whether they are for, against or undecided, to provide information to help them understand the direct and indirect impacts of the VNI West infrastructure, including how it will facilitate the huge expansions of renewables that will come to their food production zone.

Steve Harper joined the SC in the very early days, determined to safeguard his family’s way of life. Steve and his wife live on a property that combines environmental protection and prime agricultural land, nestled adjacent to the Lerderderg National Park. The proposed WRL threatens their sanctuary with the current proposed corridor taking up 40% of their property, rendering it unworkable, and towers will loom over their beloved family home making it uninhabitable.

Steve continues to serve as the long-time Chair of the Campaign and Communications Working Group, and he, with the help of his fellow volunteers, has tirelessly driven this aspect of the MCHPA’s work forward. He spearheaded the original “Stop AusNet’s Towers” campaign in late 2020, a rallying cry that resonated throughout the affected communities. Under his guidance, the MCHPA orchestrated successful 2022 Tractor Rallies in Melbourne, Ballarat, and Daylesford, capturing the attention of the state and garnering widespread support.

Moreover, Steve’s strategic vision led to the initiative of sending thousands of complaint letters to Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, ensuring that the voices of the community were heard loud and clear. He also played a critical role in organising numerous community “road show” meetings along the WRL line through 2021-2022, keeping the momentum alive even during the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has also showed an unwavering commitment to keeping the community informed through regular Newsletters. And his dedication extends to overseeing the MCHPA’s governance, ensuring that the organisation operates with transparency and accountability, reflecting the values it upholds.

Steve story is one of resilience, determination, and an unwavering commitment to protecting the land, the environment, and the way of life for generations to come. His efforts have helped galvanise communities to unite in their fight against the encroachment of the WRL, inspire others to join the cause and amplify the voices of those who refuse to be silenced.

The Treasurer is Archie Conroy who is an inaugural member of the SC. His family has been farming in Bunding (north-west of Ballan) for over 100 years, with the 5th generation now on the land.

His property will be directly impacted by 2.6 km of the proposed WRL transmission line running the length of their property. They currently run stud sheep and export breeding cattle and undertake irrigation on the river flats with plans to turn that area into market gardening. They irrigate their land with boom guns and until recently were intending to put in a centre pivot or lateral move irrigation system. All their farming activities are under threat from the transmission lines and associated issues with biosecurity and safety concerns.

Archie has a long affiliation with CFA starting in 1976. He has attended many fires and is deeply concerned for the safety of the CFA volunteers fighting around the proposed WRL and VNI West transmission lines and the new terminal stations. This, together with ensuring that communities can protect themselves, their families and their properties from the added risk of this type of infrastructure continues to be of paramount importance to him.

He has also recently become a member of AusNet’s Community Consultation Group so that he can give a voice and advocate even more strongly for the communities impacted by this project in its current form.

The other inaugural member of the SC is Gavin who comes from a generational farming family in Springbank. While his property is not within the route of the proposed WRL, he is deeply concerned that the line will significantly impact farming on the prime agricultural land in his local community and wider region, including the significant and intensive potato industry.

Gavin has been the Chair of the Legal Working Group since it was established (with Vicki as deputy Chair) and in this role he has worked with the dedicated volunteers in that group and overseen and been integrally involved in developing legal understanding of the electricity industry and the planning system, as well as the pursuit of member rights, proponent compliance and other legal obligations via external legal advice and actions.

It is Gavin’s belief that no one is above the law, and from early days the RVPA has found that AEMO and AusNet, with at times the aid of the Victorian Government, have sought to cut corners and/or not apply the normal law of the land as they should. He is unwavering in his conviction that all affected landholders and communities deserve proper and fair process.

In this instance that means these projects must be stopped now and a whole of system proper process must be put in place to properly plan with all communities affected where renewables are best located and how they are best connected to the grid, without imposing massive new and unnecessary safety, environmental and economic risks on regional Victorians.

Not long after the RVPA was established, one of the first landowners from along the proposed VNI West corridor who joined the enlarged SC was Barry Batters who is a cropping farmer and sheep producer in the St Arnaud area. He and his two sons are the 3rd and 4th generations on their land which could be impacted by some 4.5km of the proposed VNI West transmission line, severely impacting their farming operations.

Barry is also the Vice President of the St Arnaud branch of the Victoria Farmers Federation, and he joined TCV’s Community Reference Group to be able to advocate for the impacted landholders and communities. He also attends monthly meetings with Northern Grampians, Loddon, Gannawarra and Buloke councils regarding VNI West. His advocacy has also extended to numerous meetings with local, regional and Federal politicians, ensuring that they remain fully aware of the issues facing his region. Barry is also a Gooroc CFA volunteer who played an important part, along with Gerald, in organising the present CFA action against fighting fires around transmission lines and renewable energy infrastructure in their bushfire prone regions because of the safety risk for the CFA volunteers.

It is Barry’s strong belief that the VNI West project is not undergoing the appropriate investigative protocols and is being proposed in an ad-hoc fashion with no regard to agriculture and what value it has to the nation. He also believes that no consideration has been given to rural communities and their wellbeing and as such he feels that now is the time we need to stand up with a strong voice against the VNI West and WRL proposals.

Another early SC member from VNI West is Gerald Feeny, a grain grower from Gooroc (north of St Arnaud) whose family has been farming in the region for 150 years. The proposed VNI West line could run some 2km through the property he farms with his brother and nephew and will severely impact their farming operations.

Gerald is strongly rural and regional community minded – and has held many positions in which he has represented his wider region and its landholders, including as former deputy president of the VFF Grains Group, former Chair and Board member of Pulse Australia, former deputy Chair of the North Central Land Protection Board, and former Chair of the Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water Customer Services Committee. Gerald is also a Gooroc CFA volunteer and, with Barry, also played an important part in organising the present CFA action because of his concern about the safety risk for the CFA volunteers fighting fires around the industrial infrastructure proposed to be rolled out through their bushfire prone regions.

In light of the State Government and AEMO imposing themselves onto his community and the wider region, Gerald has felt compelled to help fellow farmers by using the skills and corporate experience he has accumulated over the years to develop an understanding of the often complex bureaucracy involved in the renewables roll out, and to deal directly with senior representatives of government and the energy industry, as well as with a range of local, regional and Federal politicians in advocating for all those who will be impacted by AEMO’s transmission lines and towers.

The fourth SC member from VNI West is Marcia McIntyre. Marcia is a 6th generation farmer from the Kanya area (south-west of St Arnaud) with a background in civil engineering. She and her husband and 6 children live on their farm and grow wheat, barley and canola along with grazing merino sheep. The proposed VNI West transmission line corridor is directly adjacent to their property, and it devastatingly runs right through their local community and through many of their neighbours’ and friends’ farms.

Marcia is also an executive of the Wallaloo and Gre Gre District Alliance which was established shortly after AEMO’s VNI West “Consultation Report” was published on 23 February 2023 to bring together concerned members of the wider community and provide them with support and information. She is also a member of TCV’s Community Reference Group, and her advocacy extends to having twice gone to Canberra, along with others impacted by VNI West, to talk with many politicians about their communities concerns around the impacts that VNI West will have on their land, lives and livelihoods.

Marcia is deeply concerned about the impact of VNI West on her friends, neighbours and the local community as well as about the potential industrialisation of the region by wind factories, an increased risk due to VNI West. Their farm is nestled in between several Internationally listed Key Biodiversity Conservation Reserves in a picturesque and highly productive farming area with a thriving community that Marcia cherishes and wishes very much for her children to continue to experience into the future. She is prepared to fight very hard for that, standing side by side with the rest of her community and all those impacted along WRL and VNI West.

The fifth SC member from VNI West is Matt McLoughlan who is a 6th generation broadacre cropping farmer from Wooroonook, between Charlton and Donald in Victoria’s eastern Wimmera region. His family have farmed in the district for over 150 years. Matt is also a broadacre agronomy consultant with 20 years industry experience, specialising in the production of wheat, barley, oats, canola, lentils, chickpeas, faba beans, field peas, lupins and vetch.

Matt’s own 125-year-old historic house is directly impacted by the proposed VNI West transmission line corridor, as well as 60% of his family farm likely to be significantly impacted by some 3.5 km of the line running diagonally through his paddocks. Many of Matt’s clients, neighbours and friends are also impacted by the proposed VNI West transmission line and the wind factories that it will facilitate in the Wimmera and Mallee regions of Victoria.

As a Wooroonook CFA member, respected community member, natural environment enthusiast and agricultural & sustainable food production advocate, Matt is actively involved in the RVPA to help research and highlight the implications of VNI West and wind factory developments in the region. This information is communicated with neighbours, communities, industry and government to try and achieve a better outcome for all involved.