On Thursday, August 28, the National Electricity (Victoria) Amendment (VicGrid Stage 2 Reform) Bill 2025 passed after a third reading.
VFF president Brett Hosking said the legislation risked further eroding trust at a time when co-operation was desperately needed to deliver the energy transition.
“This bill hands VicGrid coercive powers over landholders, while ignoring the need for genuine engagement, fair compensation and investment in rural communities,” he said.
“Farmers aren’t standing in the way of renewables, but we refuse to be trampled over in the process. Right now, the legislation locks in a system where rural Victoria carries the burden, while the benefits are shipped off elsewhere.”
During the debate, state Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell said the bill stripped a fundamental right and harmed farmers.
“At its heart, this bill strips away one of the most fundamental rights we have: the right to decide who enters our property and what is built upon it,” she said.
“These farms are people’s homes, not just empty pieces of land prime for the taking.”
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said that her party was not against renewables, but the bill was the problem.
“The useful parts of this bill are completely overshadowed by the outrageous and totally unacceptable parts of this bill,” she said.
State Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad echoed the comments of Ms Tyrrell and Ms Lovell, urging the house to think of more than the next election.
“We need to think beyond the next election to 2050 and well beyond that,” she said.
“There is a better way, and this bill is certainly not it.”
State Member for Northern Victoria Georgie Purcell spoke up about her support for renewables, while acknowledging some infrastructure, such as wind turbines, could be improved for the sake of wildlife.
“There have been incredibly legitimate concerns raised with this bill and more broadly with the way energy projects are planned in this state,” she said.
“We have all worked with the government on improving this, and I am now confident that we have landed in a place that is far better than when we started.”
It passed with 21 in favour, including Rural Development Minister Jaclyn Symes and Ms Purcell and 16 against, including Ms Lovell, Ms Broad and Ms Tyrrell.
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