Article by Monique Patterson, courtesy of Stock & Land
20.02.2026
Victorians feel like their voices aren’t being heard because of legislation regarding renewable energy projects, according to Member for Lowan Emma Kealy.
Ms Kealy spoke on the Energy and Other Legislation Bill in Parliament this week.
“I am continuing to receive messages and emails and verbal feedback from my constituents that they feel completely shut out from this process,” she said.
“This is disturbing when we have got a large-scale, government funded organisation named VicGrid that has got this imperative set out by the Allan Labor government that they must do this, but it is more about the outcome than it is about taking local people along for that journey and also giving them an opportunity to have their say.
“Country people are enormously passionate people.
“They are pragmatic and they know that when things are not as they should be, they will call them out.
“But that does not mean that VicGrid should shy away and cut them out from their opportunity to be able to have their say.”
Ms Kealy said there had not been enough community consultation when it came to the VNI West transmission line project.
“We have even seen legislation through this place related to VicGrid and the VNI West infrastructure project which Labor have introduced that imposes a financial penalty for farmers who, for even simple reasons like protecting the biosecurity on their property, say no to government employees coming on their land,” she said.
“That is a step too far.”
Ms Kealy said upgrading the existing transmission lines was a better solution.
“We know the lines in western Victoria are aged and brittle and send energy in the wrong direction,” she said.
“It is for that reason that I believe the government should get on with upgrading those existing lines, and of course that would have a flow-on benefit for every single Victorian
“Those Victorians who want lower energy bills would get them because there would be less infrastructure required and there are already existing easements in the west of the state if you look at doing that job first.
“If your focus is you want to see more renewables in this state, then upgrade the existing lines, because there is far more renewable capacity able to come online by upgrading the existing infrastructure in the west of the state than there would be unlocked through VNI West.”
Ms Kealy said agriculture needed to be put front and centre when it came to these decisions.
“To put agriculture to the side and not give it priority, not consider it as part of the planning process, is negligent by any government,” she said.
“That is why the Liberals and Nationals have committed to ensuring that we prioritise and recognise the value of agricultural land as part of planning processes to roll out any project across the state.”