Mr Duxson, founder of anti-renewable energy group Farmers Fightback and whose farm is proposed to be directly affected by the project, said the commitment was ‘a fantastic start’, but there was more to be done.
“It’s something that we have been advocating for behind closed doors – we’ve done a hell of a lot of work in the last four years in stating our case, stating the farmers’ case, making sure that people are aware,” he said.
“We started the Farmers Fightback campaign in February this year and on the back of not being listened to by politicians.”
Mr Duxson said the Coalition’s announcement came on the back of Nationals federal leader Matt Canavan and Member for Mallee Anne Webster committing to scrapping VNI West if they were elected.
“Without getting rid of net zero and getting rid of WRL and VNI West, this would’ve cost energy consumers in Victoria and all over Australia a hell of a lot of money,” he said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation, VFF, also welcomed the Coalition’s commitment, saying the decision was a major win for farming families and regional communities that have endured years of uncertainty, division and coercion.
VFF president and Minyip farmer Ryan Milgate said the decision to move from a ‘pause and review’ position to outright cancellation would bring much-needed hope to weary farmers and communities.
“VNI West has long been a failed project that is tearing apart generational farming families and would rip up some of the best farmland in the country” he said.
“From the very beginning this project had been fundamentally flawed on so many levels, this commitment from the Coalition is a huge step towards getting it thrown on the scrapheap forever.
“This pledge from the Coalition confirms what farmers and communities have been saying all along and there’s still time for the Carroll government to stand up for regional communities and do the same.”
Mr Milgate said the financial blowout – from its original $3.6-billion to at least $7.6-billion – was only part of the story, with VNI West also threatening some of Victoria’s most productive agricultural land.
“These are working farms, family businesses and communities that have been built over generations. They should never have been treated as collateral damage in energy planning,” he said.
Mr Milgate said the WRL must now face the same fate, with the VFF continuing to call for the project to also be scrapped.
“WRL has the same fundamental problems. It threatens highly productive farming land, disrupts farming families and communities and creates years of uncertainty for the people who have to live with these projects,” he said.
Ready to deliver
Liberals leader Jess Wilson said her team had a plan to fix energy shortfalls and higher prices, through opening the door to new gas supplies.
“Victoria doesn’t need more unnecessary poles and wires that bulldoze through regional communities, it needs more gas and more firm generation and that is exactly what my team will deliver,” she said.
“Regional communities need to know that I have their back, that my Liberal and Nationals team have their back and that we reject Labor’s plans to decimate agriculture and private property rights in this state.”
Ms Wilson said the Liberals and Nationals would not allow regional communities and farmers to bear the brunt of poor decisions by the government.
The Coalition promises to scrap Labor’s compulsory land access and acquisition laws; end Labor’s gas ban and open the doors to new conventional gas projects; keep coal-fired power stations open until their true end of life; cancel VicGrid’s fines for farmers protecting their land; and introduce urban solar parks to encourage solar and battery installations on commercial and industrial rooftops.
The Nationals Member for Lowan, and shadow minister for agriculture, Emma Kealy said the VNI West did not stack up, and had no social licence in the communities it impacts.
“From St Arnaud to the Wimmera, locals have fought VNI West every step of the way. We’ve listened, and in government, we’ll stop it,” she said.
The Nationals candidate for Ripon Jo Armstrong said families around St Arnaud deserved certainty.
“St Arnaud and the farming communities around it have lived under the shadow of this project for years, not knowing if their land would be next,” she said.
But RE-Alliance – an independent, not-for-profit organisation that works to ensure the transition to clean energy benefits regional communities – has warned cancelling VNI West would tear up years of planning by farmers, energy companies and small communities, while leaving unanswered questions about the state’s future electricity supply.
National director Andrew Bray said a stable, bipartisan energy policy was needed.
“Farmers who choose to host wind or solar should not have that choice taken away because the politics has changed in Melbourne,” he said.
“Proposed projects around Kerang, Quambatook and Meering West involve more than 200 wind turbines across farming properties. Farmers and communities have spent years planning for the projects VNI West was intended to unlock.
“Cancelling VNI West means lost income for farmers, lost work for regional contractors and fewer opportunities for surrounding communities to negotiate lasting regional benefits.”
Mr Bray said Victoria’s power problem – with ageing coal-fired power stations – would remain.
“The loudest opponents do not speak for every farmer,” he said.
“Many farmers have actively chosen to host projects so they can diversify income, strengthen their farm businesses and keep farming through droughts and volatile commodity prices.”
The entire August 26, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
