Cleeland joins solar protestors but government says farmers can choose what they do with their land

“I made a simple commitment to the Benalla community,” Ms Cleeland said.

“We will put your rights back in your hands.

“For years, Labor has silenced regional communities and stripped away their ability to challenge decisions that fundamentally change their farms, their businesses and their communities.

“International companies should not be able to come on to your property without your permission, cut locks and fine you in the process — that ends under a Liberal and Nationals government.

“This is your land, your business and your community.”

The Victorian Government, however, said landowners had the right to decide how their property was used.

Victorian Energy and Resources Minister Jaclyn Symes said the government had listened to communities.

“Landholders decide whether they want to host solar, wind or battery projects,” Ms Symes said.

“Developers cannot force them to host a project or enter their property without permission.

“We’ve listened closely to communities in planning Victoria’s Renewable Energy Zones, and their feedback has helped shape the final outcomes.

“Renewable energy projects create new opportunities across regional Victoria, including giving farmers another reliable income stream to help drought-proof their income as well as making everybody’s power cheaper.”

However, Ms Cleeland said the rally showed people were not opposed to renewable energy, but wanted a genuine say over what happened on their land.

She said a Liberal and Nationals government would restore VCAT appeal rights for renewable energy developments, give local councils a real role in planning decisions, and reinstate a two-kilometre buffer to protect homes and families from large-scale infrastructure.

“It is your land and your rights that will be central to these decisions,” Ms Cleeland said.

Ms Cleeland said the plan was not about stopping renewable energy, but about locating it properly.

“There are enormous opportunities for solar on warehouses, factories and commercial rooftops,” she said.

“We should be putting renewable energy where the power is needed, rather than continuing to put pressure on the productive farmland that feeds Victoria.”

Ms Cleeland also said that a Liberal and Nationals government would establish urban solar parks and undertake a full review of Victoria's transmission plan and Renewable Energy Zone framework — pausing major transmission projects until that review was complete.

Ms Cleeland said farmers should not have to fight project by project.

“Farmers should not have to negotiate project by project while nobody looks at the cumulative impact on their farms, roads, fire preparedness, water, biosecurity and the long-term productivity of their land,” she said.