The Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster MP said it is fitting that on National Agriculture Day one of the major threats to farming in Mallee, energy projects, have been exposed for their real cost of over $642 billion.

“Research out on Friday from Frontier Economics has laid waste to Prime Minister Albanese’s claims. Labor’s globally unprecedented experimental transition to an exclusively renewable energy mix will cost $520 billion more than they estimated,” Dr Webster said.

“At last count there are over 50 existing or proposed wind or solar projects within Mallee, with a rapidly expanding footprint into prime agricultural land.  Which is unsurprising given wind and solar simply cannot carry the load for Australia. The NEM Dashboard shows consistently over the last 12 months that coal and gas provided 63 per cent of Australia’s energy - baseload power – not intermittent wind or solar.

Dr Webster said nuclear energy placed on existing coal-fired power plant sites is the internationally proven solution for Australia’s energy and food security.

“All Australians will benefit from the Coalition’s balanced energy mix of renewables + gas + nuclear to replace Labor’s expensive and failing all-eggs-in-one-basket renewables only approach. Shifting to nuclear will keep 24/7 baseload power in the system, on tap, to drive prices down and keep the lights on while we decarbonise,” Dr Webster said.

Advocacy group Farms for Food recently shared footage of Litchfield, Donald and Watchem farming stalwart Jim ‘Spud’ Hepworth’s call for farmers to respect their intergenerational neighbour relationships and not buy into divisive energy and mining projects.  Project proponents have had a practice of using non-disclosure agreements to secure lucrative deals with individual farmers.  Dr Webster shared Spud’s testimony from the video in a parliamentary speech in Canberra last sitting week.

“Spud is spot on – the threats are coming thick and fast.  Wind turbines, solar panels, transmission lines like VNI-West (240km+ from Bulgana to Murrabit through Tragowel, Charlton etc) and WIRES (110km from Warracknabeal to Bulgana through Minyip and Rupanyup) - and increasingly active mineral sands proposals are carving up Mallee to put energy and mining first and second in Mallee. Food production and food security is at risk,” Dr Webster said.

“Farmers have a right to farm but Labor lords it over them as if farmers are peasants who own nothing, only farming at their feudal lord’s pleasure. It’s time private property rights were upheld.”

Frontier Economics are consultants used by all sides of politics to analyse the impact of government policies. Today's report can be accessed here.

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