Newsletter #19 - Baby Steps
So tell me, what are your thoughts on the election campaign so far? Has anything said or done so far changed your opinion ? With a week to go, it looks like the ALP will need a massive swing against them if there is going to be any changes. One thing that's guaranteed is that hoping we get a change in political parties to sort out our transmission issues is not a smart plan.
I have to apologise for not being more regular with our communication. As many of you would know it’s a busy time of year on the farm. Winter crops are being planted after some magnificent rain, the last hay of the season has been baled and we are getting ready for shearing.
Things are looking pretty good for winter but that’s not what’s made this a good week.
We have had our first win against EnergyCo and the transmission lines. Unfortunately it’s unlikely to be a big win , more like baby steps on our way to a much bigger and better result.
EnergyCo update:
EnergyCo have confirmed that HVTL’s will be moved away from Chaffey and Glenbawn dams.
As you know, we have done a huge amount of work on this subject since last year. VA had raised the issue with EnergyCo and Minister Penny Sharpe. We had no result until the bushfires between Christmas and New Year. Channel 7 raised the issue and then followed up once EnergyCo were caught lying about consulting with the RFS about HVTL placement. The media pressure resulted in EnergyCo reviewing the route.
We do NOT know where the lines will be moved to. Unfortunately, We don’t think it will be a significant move. This is the perfect opportunity for EnergyCo to do the right thing. If history is any guide I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Meeting May 8 with EnergyCo to discuss the new route
Media
Penny Sharpe/ NSW Farmers - partners in crime or stupidity in action?
Recently the NSW Farmers advocacy group released “ NSW Renewable Energy and Transmission Landholder Guide” (LINK to guide). The guide was funded (for an unknown amount of $$) by EnergyCo (VA issue #1- conflict of interest)
At their 2024 Annual Conference NSW Farmers voted on 18 motions that were about renewable projects and Net zero goals. All motions called for differing degrees of a halt, further investigation and greater community consultation. All motions were CARRIED. This is a clear indication of what NSW Farmers members expect from the group. These motions as a group reflected by far that the energy transition is the biggest issue for farmers currently.
By releasing the guide NSW Farmers is not advocating for member’s interests, they are in fact working with the proponent of many of the projects that farmers are objecting to. (VA issue #2)
NSW Farmers guide in NO WAY shows farmers how to object to renewables or transmission projects (VA Issue #3)
The release of the guide has been a major win for Penny Sharpe. Sharpe has been doing the media rounds promoting farmer support of the projects due to NSW Farmers work with EnergyCo and the guide. VA is sure that NSW Farmers did not set out to achieve this goal but it is clearly an act of political stupidity (VA Issue #5- We should expect better from our reps)
RESPONSE - OUTRAGE - VA and 12 other community groups from across NSW have responded with an open letter to the Media . The letter is reproduced at the bottom of the newsletter.
Media
An absurd climate change fact: A new four-lane highway is being carved through Brazil’s Amazon rainforest to make way for an influx of traffic from the COP30 climate summit in Belém later this year.
Have a great week ahead
Tim and the team at Valley Alliance
0438 676 596
Open Letter to the Media
On Behalf of Farmers Impacted by Transmission Lines & Renewable Projects in NSW
To the Editors, Journalists, and People of New South Wales,
We, the undersigned farmers and rural landowners of New South Wales, write to you with deep concern and a growing sense of betrayal.
As stewards of the land and the backbone of this state’s food and fibre production, we are being increasingly sidelined in discussions about the future of energy infrastructure. The rapid rollout of transmission lines across regional NSW—facilitated by government bodies such as EnergyCo and Transgrid—poses a grave threat to our land, our livelihoods, and the very way of life that sustains rural Australia.
Recently, the NSW Farmers Association released a document titled the NSW Renewable
Energy and Transmission Landholder Guide, which purports to support landholders during this
unprecedented wave of renewable energy infrastructure development. However, we feel
compelled to speak up: this guide does not represent us. Nor does it reflect the reality on the
ground.
NSW Farmers is an advocacy group funded by and for farmers. Its role is to provide specialist
advice and strong, independent advocacy in defence of our rights. Instead, this so-called “guide” reads as little more than a carefully worded public relations tool—designed to give Minister Penny Sharpe, EnergyCo, and Transgrid a veneer of legitimacy and the false impression that rural communities support the compulsory acquisition of land.
Let us be clear: we do not support it.
The guide fails to provide any tangible support or advice to members facing forced acquisition. It offers no legal strategy, no advocacy plan, no clear path for objection, and no commitment to
protecting our interests. It glosses over the devastating impact these projects will have: the
carving up of viable farmland, the erosion of property values, the stress on mental health, the
environmental devastation, increased bushfire risk and the long-term degradation of rural
businesses and communities.
Worse still, it fuels a misleading narrative in urban areas—that farmers are gladly accepting
transmission infrastructure on their land and being “well compensated.” This is false.
Compensation is not negotiation. A one-size-fits-all annual payment does not begin to account
for the generational loss and permanent scars these projects will leave behind.
NSW Farmers, by aligning themselves with this narrative, are not fulfilling their fundamental
mission. In doing so, they are silencing the voices of those they were created to represent.
We call on the media to dig deeper. To question the narrative being fed to city audiences. To
recognise that “green” infrastructure can still come at a very real and human cost when
implemented without consent, consultation, or fairness.
We call on NSW Farmers to stand up—truly and transparently—for the farmers of this state.
And we call on the people of New South Wales to understand: We need a safe, reliable,
affordable and secure energy system. We are not against progress. But we will not be collateral damage in the name of convenience, political ambition and legislated targets. Our land is not just property—it is our home, our work, our heritage, and our future.
We deserve a voice in decisions that affect us so profoundly.
Sincerely,
CWO REZist - Central New South Wales
Batting for Booralong (B4B)- New England
Burrendong SOS- Central West NSW
Friends of Kentucky Action Group - New England
Hills of Gold - Tamworth region
HumeLink Action Group - Southern New South Wales
NREN Inc - National Rational Energy Network - National
ReD4NE - An alliance of 11 disaffected rural communities in the New England area
Salisbury Plains Action Group- New England
Uarbry Tongy Lane Alliance - Central West NSW
Valley Alliance - Tamworth region
Voice For Walcha - New England
Yarrowick - New England
Media Contacts:
NSW Central - Emma Bowman ,CWO REZist 0429 942 190
NSW North - Tim White, Valley Alliance 0438 676 596
NSW South - Bill Kingwill, HumeLink Action Group 0427 267 800