‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TOPICS: Clearing native habitat for Orana Renewable Energy Zone at Mudgee – Governments forcing access onto farmland – divide communities – social licence – AEMO report on Coal until 2049 versus Net zero 2050 – Social Media Ban implementation

KENNY  

Let's bring in Anne Webster. She's the Shadow Minister for Regional Development and the Member for Mallee in Victoria, she joins us from Melbourne. Thanks for joining us again Anne -  this is another flash point in Mudgee. You've had them in your neck of the woods in western Victoria, we've seen them up and down the coastline right around the country. Presumably, this is an issue that you're going to focus on into the New Year as well, because there are so many communities concerned about this rollout.

WEBSTER

Well, Chris, as we've discussed on many occasions, this is outrageous. How can you put a war into our environment, and whether that's our natural environment or whether it's farming land, in order to save the planet, it makes no sense. And when you have birds, when you have all kinds of fauna and flora being destroyed, to put up a an industrial size ... look, it's going to be a wasteland in the future, is my concern with our REZs throughout New South Wales and Victoria, you know, farmers are feeling, as you know, absolutely confronted on a daily basis, and they're going into harvest as well. So, we've got birds in nesting season who are losing their nests, and we've got farmers going into harvest who are being confronted by VicGrid. I'm looking forward to standing with my farmers at their farmgate to say to the Victorian Government, this is not okay.

KENNY

Yeah, so that's one of the issues - state governments trying to forcibly get onto the land of farmers to scope out potential transmission lines and the like. We've got communities complaining about offshore wind projects that can damage their environment. We've got others fighting wind farms and solar factories. But there's always this talk of division in these communities. Some people support it, some don't. Is it as simple as those who support it are the ones who have the have the transmission lines or the poles on their land and get the money out of it, and everybody else just has to put up with the sight of them without getting any financial reward?

WEBSTER

Look, I think you're right. The communities are very divided. There are, I would suggest to you, a minority, given the survey results in my electorate, a minority who are in support of the renewable projects going ahead, and also mining, mineral sands mining, let's not forget that. So, farmland is being attacked by every angle and by every government. Local governments, actually, are trying to stand up for their communities, but it's really, really difficult, and the railroading of our regional communities is simply ...  I've just never seen anything like it. And the communities, you know, we've got brothers not talking to brothers anymore, fathers not, you know ... having their kids who don't talk to them. It is, it really is a war zone in so many ways, and it's the lack of social licence is just appalling.

KENNY

Well, the issue is, though, I don't doubt any of that. I've seen it, and I've spoken to many communities around the country about this sort of thing, but there's no alternative. At the moment. Labor are just saying this is the only way that they know to get more energy into the system, that they're not abiding any other approach. So, we're locked into this process for many years to come .. and governments are going to win. The end, they're going to trample over the rights of landowners.

WEBSTER

Well, you know, we're facing a new era. I find it very interesting that AEMO's latest report says, well, actually, coal is going to remain in the system until 2049 - what comes next? 2050 net zero. I don't buy what the government and their agencies are telling us. As Australians, I think there is a general sense amongst us as Australians, you were talking about our culture before, that we have a, you know, she'll be right mate, but it's not going to be okay. And regional communities, our food security, all of those things are at risk, and we need to wake up to ourselves.

KENNY

We sure do. We sure do. Just before I let you go Anne, your thoughts on this social media ban, overwhelming public support for this, even if people are worried a little sceptical about how it's going to be implemented?

WEBSTER  

Yeah, absolutely. And look, the government have given us the list of, so far, of those banned big tech companies. But, you know, we've got Tiktok, apparently, have developed Lemon8, and we've got Yope and others. How many more platforms will be actually banned, and what kind of implementation strategy has the government got? You know, if we look at the energy rollout, I have no faith whatsoever that this government can achieve what it wants to achieve. We know that in European countries, specific European countries, there are slightly different bans. My suspicion is that Australia, this Labor Government has really tried to just get out on the front foot and say, Oh, we're doing it really well for all under sixteens. And what is the actual implementation? We don't know. And I can tell you right now that the Opposition has a very good eyesight on how it's being implemented.

KENNY

Well, good. We've got to follow that and the ... I think everybody supports the aims of this, but whether this is the right way to do it or not, yeah, time will tell. We'll know pretty soon, I think. Thanks for joining us, Anne. I appreciate it. Anne Webster there joining us from Melbourne.

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