Queensland farmers rally against 'reckless' renewables

The 50 protesters outside Parliament House said the rapid development of massive wind and solar farms as well as pumped hydro was putting communities at risk and in the process destroying prime agricultural land, pristine rainforest and wildlife habitat.

The Brisbane protest follows on from angry protests in Melbourne last week (see below) where farmers also drove trucks and tractors on city streets to express their anger.

Rally organiser and Central Queensland cattle producer Glen Kelly said regional communities were becoming increasingly anxious as renewable energy companies appeared to able to avoid the high level of regulation applied to agriculture and mining.

"Labor's plans are not looking after the environment," Mr Kelly said.

"They are destroying it."

The Kelly family's property Oaklea at Kalapa, about 30km west of Rockhampton, is near the Moah Creek project, part of the larger integrated Central Queensland Power project.

The Moah Creek project will see will 60 massive 275 metre high turbines strung out along 300 to 400m high mountain ridges.

"These things are huge - they're taller than the Tower of Power," Mt Kelly said, pointing to the imposing 259.8m high building that is home to Premier Anna Palaszczuk.

Nikki Kelly said Moah would require the clearing of 654 hectares of previously untouched vegetation.

"It'll also need 120 megalitres, or 60 Olympic sized pools, of water for dust suppression and the concrete foundations," Mrs Kelly said.

"Where are they going to find that in livestock country.

"About 23 Olympic-sized swimming pools of concrete will go into the ground and will never be removed.

"We are asking Labor to stop its reckless race, before it's too late."

In the firing line at the rally held at Speaker's Corner were other wind farm projects in Central Queensland, the promised $14.2 billion Borumba Pumped Hydro project in the Wide Bay and a $12 billion five-gigawatt Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Scheme in the Eungella.

Federal Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said common sense needed to prevail as renewable energy was already losing its social licence.

"The Nationals have been attempting to get a Senate Inquiry into renewables because irreversible damage to Queensland's rainforest and wildlife is at risk," Mr Littleproud said.

"The Nationals wholeheartedly standby and support our farmers who are rallying outside Queensland Parliament House.

"They just want common sense to prevail."

Mr Littleproud said Australia had committed to net zero emissions by 2050.

However, Labor's promise of 82 per cent renewables by 2030 had put too much pressure on the system and needed to subjected to a Senate inquiry.

Mr Littleproud said small scale modular nuclear capable of producing 300-400kW of power needed to be considered.

He also maintained his support for the proposed Urannah Water Scheme near Bowen, which includes a massive 970,000 megalitre dam, hydro power station and associated industrial and agricultural areas on the basis the project had been rigously and properly assessed, he said.

Katy McCallum from the Kilkivan Action Group said the local community "completely objected" to the irreparable damage being done to the region and the environment, "where so much amazing flora and fauna live."

Ms McCallum said in addition to "thousands of acres of solar panels", the Borumba Pumped Hydro project near Imbil has not met its requirements under social licence.

"Nobody in our area wants it," she said.

Federal Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, said families in the Eungella and Pioneer Valley were facing an uncertain future because of plans to build a massive hydro project.

"Eungella, best known for its pristine rainforests and platypus will be inundated with two dams forming the top reservoirs," Ms Landry said.

"The energy required to power the hydro plant will require wind turbines and a solar field, while prime farming land will also go under.

"It's hypocritical of Labor and the Greens to be more than willing to sacrifice the environment in the name of renewable energy."

Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O'Brien said the proposed Borumba Pumped Hydro and associated transmission lines will threaten communities from the Fraser Coast to Gympie, and through the South Burnett.

"Governments must listen to the voices of our community," Mr O'Brien said.

"The Borumba Pumped Hydro project has not met its requirements under social licence and nobody in our area wants it."

Federal Member for Flynn Colin Boyce said there were people all across Australia fighting renewable companies.

"This all directly correlates with the fact that the renewable energy sector is proposing huge infrastructure projects to meet (Climate Change and Energy) Minister Chris Bowen's 82 per cent renewable energy target by 2030," Mr Boyce said.

Meanwhile, Victorian farmers and landholders will be told this week if they are located on the proposed path of a controversial high voltage powerline.

Transmission Company Victoria says it has refined a 5km-50km VNI West area of interest into a draft corridor about 2km wide for the VNI West project which aims to connect the Victoria and NSW energy grids.

The project which led to angry protests in Melbourne last week will link wind farms in Victoria's west to energy hubs in Bulgana and Kerang before crossing into NSW.

TCV will begin calling landholders from this week to advise them that their property or farm is currently within the draft corridor for VNI West.

Landholders will be offered advice on issues such as farming with transmission lines, biosecurity arrangements, access agreements and compensation for easement and other payments.

Some of those landholders who were already identified as being on the proposed route have vowed to refuse the energy companies access to their land even though a cash carrot of $10,000 has been offered for immediate access.

TCV spokeswoman Nicola Falcon said: "This is a significant milestone as it now allows one-on-one conversations with farmers and landholders, to listen and answer questions related to their properties."