Farmers from Victoria’s western district at the steps of state parliament protesting the rollout of transmission lines through their region.Credit:Joe Armao.
But the peak agriculture lobby last week launched a “Keep Farmers Farming” campaign,warning that renewables projects coupled with a vast array of transmission lines to link them to the cities are damaging primary production.
Dutton has been travelling the east coast to visit local campaigns against offshore wind projects,which are crucial to Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s plans to create new,clean blue-collar jobs in Australia’s old industrial heartland in the Latrobe Valley,Wollongong,Newcastle and Central Queensland.
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Bowen launched a review of the community consultation process in July,which will report to government in December.
The slowdown of the rollout puts at risk the government’s pledge to ramp up clean energy in the electricity grid to bring power bills down by $275 by 2025.
Government-commissioned modelling shows the share of renewables in the grid needs to dramatically rise to 82 per cent by 2030. It is currently comprised of 57 per cent coal power,5 per cent gas,7 per cent hydro,18 per cent solar and 13 per cent wind.
David Jochinke last week replaced Fiona Simson as National Farmers’ Federation president. In Simson’s tenure the traditionally conservative lobby groupbroke ranks with the rural Nationals party with its net-zero commitment,prompting former Agriculture Minister DavidLittleproud to accuse the federation of “blindly setting a course” on emissions reduction.