What changed
Around 300 people gathered outside Victoria’s parliament to oppose renewable-energy projects and proposed transmission lines. Organised by the Across Victoria Alliance, the protest brought together farmers, CFA volunteers, and supporters of One Nation and the National parties ahead of the November 28 state election.
Why it matters
This was more than a single-issue rally. Speakers tied opposition to projects such as the Western Renewables Link to complaints about rural services, crime, living costs and CFA funding. That combination gives the campaign a wider political reach than objections to towers and transmission routes alone.
The alliance, established in mid-2025, has become a vehicle for that mobilisation, with political advertising reportedly exceeding $66,000 over the past 90 days. Farmers Fightback founder Ben Duxson described the effort as “building an army out there,” while speakers presented the dispute as a fight against corporate and government overreach.
The sharpest tension is practical. The protest rejected renewable projects, yet the same projects are described as offering projected financial incentives to host farmers and communities. That leaves local communities weighing promised payments against concerns about land, control and trust in government.
Claims of corruption in the transmission sector were raised but are unverified here. The political consequence is also unsettled: the protest shows organised resistance heading into the election, but it does not establish that the campaign will change policy or the result.
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