Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Hansard source

We learnt this week that Labor's fiscal recklessness on radical energy policy will cost taxpayers a mere $642 billion—$500 million more than they have claimed. But in my electorate of Mallee it's worse. Labor are acting like feudal lords. Mallee farmers are being treated like peasants. Farmers thought they had private property rights; however, Labor have pointed at Mallee from their capital city ivory tower and knocked over the safeguards, and—lo and behold—the energy sector raiders have swooped in to carve up Mallee farms and stir bad blood among small local communities.

In Mallee alone, over 50 energy projects have been enticed by a proposed 350 kilometres of huge towers to transmit energy south, from Warracknabeal through Bulgana and then north through Charlton and Tragowel. If those 50-plus projects get up, there'll be many more transmission lines than that.

Mineral sands companies are also carving up swathes of Mallee's prime agricultural land. Farmers severely doubt mining companies' claims that they can restore the land after they take their chunk of premium topsoil out.

Labor are traumatising farmers, who are treated like serfs, all so that Labor can rob regions to buy votes in the cities.

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