Article by Harrison Christian, courtesy of News.com.au
24.11.2025
In August, controversial land access legislation passed giving the state government powers to force access to farmland for the construction of new transmission lines.
The law covers major projects such as VNI West and the Western Renewables Link (WRL), designed to replace retiring coal generation and move large volumes of new renewable energy from Victoria’s wind- and solar-rich regions to population centres.
But farmers have vowed to oppose the projects, even though they now face fines of up to $6,000 – and potentially “reasonable force” – for denying access.
In footage shared at the weekend, a Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) worker was seen at a gate on a rural property telling landowners he’d issued a “section 93 notice regarding a survey access”.
Another worker stood behind him and appeared to be filming with a body camera.
“We don’t give you permission to enter our property,” a farmer could be heard saying.
“No more needs to be said, move on,” the farmer continued, while another added: “You’ve been told – bugger off.”
“These people don’t want compensation. It’s not about money. They don’t want their farm split in half with a transmission line,” said a third.
““How would you feel if someone came along and stole your house?” another asked.
The TCV worker was told that farmers against the VNI West project were “getting stronger” and when he eventually ended the tense exchange and walked back to his vehicle, a woman called after him, “we’ll see you at the next farm”.
Farmer James Burke, who was there to support the landowner during the encounter at the sheep-cropping farm in Teddywaddy, north of Charlton, said it was the second time the TCV worker had visited and “he’s coming back on Wednesday”.
“It’s basically predatory harassment behaviour – the pressure that’s been put on the family is absolutely ridiculous,” Mr Burke told news.com.au.
“They try to force the farmer to agree to voluntary access. If a farmer says ‘No,’ and they come onto our property, that’s trespassing.”
He said on the Teddywaddy farm, as well as his own, there were biosecurity plans to prevent pests and diseases and TCV “need to adhere to that”.
The farming community was “very strong” and he predicted the dispute might result in people being “locked up” before giving access to their land.
“These people that think they can come up into our area and take us on – they’ve got another thing coming.”
Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) president Brett Hosking was supportive of farmers who opposed the transmission lines.
“These companies must consult with landholders on site-specific biosecurity needs before they access land,” Mr Hosking told news.com.au.
“We’ll keep fighting to ensure farmers’ voices are heard and their rights are upheld.”
Saturday’s video was viewed almost 140,000 times on social media and prompted hundreds messages of support from Aussies.
A petition launched by VFF to protect Victoria’s farmland from development projects had racked up more than 5,000 signatures on Monday.
Victorian grain farmer and Farmer Wants a Wife contestant Will Simpson also waded into the debate, saying on social media last week that “we’re simply asking for smarter, more respectful planning”.
“Victoria grows 23 per cent of Australia’s food from only 3 per cent of its farmland, so every hectare genuinely counts,” Mr Simpson said.
“It’s not just about farmers, it’s about food security, and communities, and the future we hand down.”
