Farmers fear ‘land-grab’ By DAVID BRAITHWAITE   A LAST-MINUTE government amendment to a bill, which farmers fear could green-light power companies to compulsorily acquire their land for transmission lines before environmental and planning approvals were even finished, has gone through parliament. According to the Victoria Farmers Federation, the amendment to the Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Bill 2026 created a direct bypass around the state’s environmental protection laws. It allows, the VFF claimed, the government to force through transmission easements while an environment effects statement (EES) is still underway. The state government said the changes would not affect the EES process. VFF president Brett Hosking said the federation was “gutted that parliament has backed laws allowing farmers’ land to be taken for transmission lines before the environmental assessment is even finished”. “This will pour fuel on the anxiety and uncertainty already gripping communities at the heart of the energy transition,” he said. “Families now face the shadow of compulsory acquisition hanging over them while they are still trying to understand what a project means for their homes and livelihoods, as well as provide comprehensive information to the EES process. “It tells us that those in charge don’t genuinely understand the sentiment on the ground. It sends a clear and devastating message to regional Victoria that getting towers in the ground matters more than delivering a robust environmental effects statement and treating people with dignity.” Before it was adopted, Mr Hosking warned the amendment would damage perceptions of the EES process and strengthen the hand of power companies which are already treating communities with contempt. A state government spokesperson told the Express the bill would bring laws around transmission infrastructure in line with major transport projects and other states like New South Wales. The changes do not impact the EES process. Any requirements, conditions or environmental management measures determined through the EES process must be met before major works can begin. “Only Labor will build the energy infrastructure needed to keep the lights on and lower bills,” the spokesperson said. “The faster we can build new transmission lines, the faster we can connect renewable energy to the grid and the cheaper our energy prices will be. “Jess Wilson’s Liberals want to block laws that would help lower power bills for Victorian families – the very laws Nationals MP Emma Kealy called for.” The government spokesperson pointed to comments Ms Kealy, the shadow agriculture minister, made last year in parliament. “I call on Premier Allan: please, if you care about regional people, go out and do compulsory acquisition, as you would for a Melbourne project, and let our people deal with this, because the uncertainty is dividing families,” Ms Kealy said in parliament. Member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien said the government was showing contempt for farmers and regional landholders. “They’re not even pretending to care about consultation, process, or a fair go now. The government is just going to try and ride roughshod over people’s lives and farms and force their projects through,” Mr O’Brien said. “We opposed this legislation in the parliament strongly, and we will repeal it if elected to government. “These amendments are a slap in the face to regional people and cannot be tolerated.” Meanwhile, the Liberals and Nationals last month pledged to introduce strict new independent audits and economic impact assessments on new energy developments if they win November’s election. Under a Liberal and Nationals government, independent agricultural and economic impact assessments will become mandatory as part of the approvals process for major renewable energy projects and transmission developments to ensure prime farmland is protected. Mr O’Brien, who is also the state Nationals leader, said protecting Victoria’s food and fibre production must be a priority. “Our farmers are the backbone of our state, and the Liberals and Nationals will stand up to protect the prime agricultural land that underpins our food security and regional economies,” he said. “Victorian families rely on our farmers to put food on their tables and clothes on their backs. We must get the land-use balance right so farmers can continue to do what they do best.” Mr O’Brien said communities had been left frustrated by the government’s failure to properly consult or consider the cumulative impact of large-scale developments across regional Victoria. “Renewable energy projects and transmission lines have highlighted the growing concern that Labor is steamrolling regional communities and putting productive farmland at risk,” he said.

LV Express: Farmers fear ‘land-grab’ #News #BrettHosking #DannyOBrien

Farmland access up for debate By LIAM DURKIN   THE state opposition has confirmed it will oppose legislation it says allows public officials to force their way onto the land of farmers and other property owners. However, the state government maintains the bill is merely an extension of what is currently lawful. The National Electricity (Victoria) Amendment (VicGrid Stage 2 Reform) Bill 2025, currently before Parliament, will allow authorised officers to use force to enter private land for the purpose of electricity transmission works, including removing locks and opening gates without the consent of landowners. Individuals who resist face fines of up to $12,210, and $48,842 for body corporates. Offences under the legislation include hindering, obstructing or delaying authorised activity; obscuring, damaging or destroying a notice of proposed entry; failure to provide identification; and providing false identification, address, or evidence of ownership. Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources, David Davis said the state government was thumbing its nose at hard-working local communities in regional areas. “The bill is a departure from accepted democratic approaches and procedures, reflecting an increasingly authoritarian stance in a Labor government now in its 11th year,” Mr Davis said. “There is massive, and building opposition, from many rural communities to the imposition of renewables and associated wires and grids on those communities without their support or consent.” Mr Davis said the government was in a mess of its own making due to the slow rollout of transmission projects such as VNI West and Western Renewables Link delayed by years. “Production of electricity from coal is winding down from 2028 and Labor is ideologically opposed to gas,” Mr Davis said. “For these reasons, the Allan Labor government has panicked and will seek to acquire outrageous new powers to force through its so-called transition to renewables.” Leader of The Nationals and Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, said the state government’s approach was to bully and attack regional communities, rather than work with them. “This bill highlights Labor is steamrolling farmers and other landholders in its blind rush to renewables,” Mr O’Brien said. “This is an outrageous assault on farming families from a desperate government that is more interested in out-greening the Greens than respecting regional Victorians. “A government that respects rural Victorians would not be introducing legislation like this, on top of taking away their right to appeal against these projects at VCAT. “The Liberals and Nationals will hand back these rights to rural people, as well as reintroducing a two kilometre buffer zone between wind turbines and homes.” The state government however pointed out compulsory land access provisions already exist under the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (EIA). According to the state government, the proposed bill will ensure this existing power can be effectively enforced, and created a new role for authorised officers. “Authorised officers will always work with landowners before accessing land,” a state government spokesperson said. “This legislation will prevent inappropriate behaviour from private transmission companies and brings Victoria in line with other jurisdictions and the delivery of other vital major infrastructure such as transport and telecommunications.” Energy companies building new energy infrastructure will fund landowner payments and contribute to the Renewable Energy Zone Community Energy Fund, which will support regionally significant projects and initiatives that improve energy supply, efficiency, and affordability. “We created VicGrid to lead community consultation on the development of our Renewable Energy Zones and new transmission infrastructure to protect energy security as well as food and water security and ensure communities are consulted early in the planning process,” the government said. “We’ve heard from regional communities that the benefits of the energy transition need to be shared fairly, especially with those communities hosting new infrastructure – that’s why we are developing new community benefit funds and payments to landholders, significantly impacted neighbours and Traditional Owners.” Local host communities will identify and help design projects that will best benefit them. The funds will be formalised through legislation later this year before being given the green light. These funds are in addition to any direct developer benefit payments. They are expected to commence after Renewable Energy Zones have been declared following publishing of the first Victorian Transmission Plan later this year. Landholders hosting new electricity transmission infrastructure will receive payments of $8000 per kilometre of typical easement area per year for 25 years, indexed to inflation. This payment is in addition to the existing compensation arrangements for hosting transmission.

LV Express: Farmland access up for debate #News #DannyOBrien #DavidDavis

United health for Gippsland By STEFAN BRADLEY   GIPPSLAND health services will work together more closely under a new network, with the intention of improving care for locals and providing more opportunities for them to receive care close to home. Statewide, on July 1, the 12 Local Health Service Networks officially commenced. Each health service largely operates as usual, retaining its chief executive, board and identity. The state government said the move would support improved cooperation between local services, ensure doctors and specialists are available to care for patients closer to where they live, deliver clearer pathways in and out of hospital, and support better waitlist management across a region. The Gippsland Local Health Network brings Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH) together with Central Gippsland Health (CGH), Yarram and District Health Service (YDHS), Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Omeo District Health, Orbost Regional Health, South Gippsland Hospital and West Gippsland Healthcare Group Notably, Bass Coast Health (Wonthaggi) and Gippsland Southern Health Service (Leongatha and Korumburra) are part of the metropolitan Bayside Local Health Network. The state opposition previously labelled the plans “amalgamation by stealth”, but the government has disputed this. Forced amalgamation of the state’s health services was one of the 27 recommendations proposed by the expert advisory committee, as part of the government’s Health Services Plan, but this was rejected by the government. All other 26 recommendations were accepted in full or in principle. The state government said each network would identify and plan improvements to address the health needs of their local communities within a geographical region. “Victoria’s health system is one of the best in the world, and these reforms will keep us on track to deliver even better patient care through a reformed health system that is better integrated and connected, at the same time protecting the local services we know Victorians trust and rely on,” Health Minister Marry-Anne Thomas said. There are six networks in regional areas and six in metropolitan Melbourne. Earlier this year, Latrobe Regional Health Chief Executive, Don McRae moved to reassure health services would not be compromised. “It’s about making sure we are all on the same page, pulling in the same direction working for people in our community,” Mr McRae previously told the Express. “The (Gippsland) network will be tasked by the government to take on a certain role within the region and that will be to facilitate access and flow across the region and apply some quality improvement initiatives and opportunities, and to develop a workforce plan for the region to make sure we are bringing the right people into the region to be able to provide care for our communities, and to look at opportunities to share services.” The network groupings were determined following extensive consultation with health services, with consideration given to population growth, community need, clinical capability and distance between services. State Nationals leader and Member for Gippsland, South Danny O’Brien previously said Gippslanders should be very concerned about the impact the new health networks will have on local services. “We have been warning for some time that Labor wanted to merge Victoria’s health services into a handful of organisations. We’ve seen it today now with a new Gippsland network combining eight different services into one network,” he said at the time the new networks were announced. “While we are always keen to see efficiencies and sharing of resources across our health services, I am very concerned that this will actually lead to diminished local decision making in our rural and regional hospitals and ultimately a reduction in services.” Mr O’Brien said Gippsland health services would be overshadowed by larger hospitals. “What guarantees will the government provide that this won’t lead to services and funding being sucked back into the city?” he said. “In simple geographic terms how Leongatha and Korumburra fit in with ‘Bayside’ defies logic. “I am very concerned that the government is proceeding with its merger plan by stealth, which will see local services diminished and local control taken away from our hospitals.”

LV Express: United health for Gippsland #News #BassCoastHealth #DannyOBrien

State Budget: Operating surplus, yet debt continues By STEFAN BRADLEY   AN operating surplus, with a mountain of debt – it’s a challenging story for the state government’s 2025/26 State Budget. While Treasurer Jaclyn Symes for her first budget was keen to emphasise the state’s first surplus in a decade, the size of Victoria’s debt incurred and the interest that has to be paid has proven to be a massive challenge for the state government. At the 2025/26 State Budget lock-up in Melbourne – attended by the Latrobe Valley Express and other media organisations – Ms Symes said there was “no new taxes” revealed in the budget. And that’s because a new tax was previously announced, which was of course the emergency services levy, which has been known about for months, and recently passed in state Parliament. Protests against this new levy took place at state Parliament and a bit closer to home in Morwell. The tax is possibly the most controversial measure in a state budget for Gippslanders since the closure of the timber industry was moved forward. There’s also an increase to the congestion levy imposed on parking in parts of inner Melbourne to encourage public transport use. Nearly every major thing in this budget was previously announced. The two previous state budgets under Ms Symes’ predecessor, Tim Pallas attempted to rein in spending with cuts and taxes; this one appears to have partly moved away from that, which may be because an election is next year and the government is down in the polls. “I want my first budget to give people hope,” Ms Symes said, which is a sharp contrast from the doom and gloom of the last two budgets. The slogan they chose is ‘Focused On What Matters Most’, and it’s possible the state has taken cues from federal Labor’s successful election campaign that culminated in a landslide victory on May 3. What the state government is focusing on is similar issues of cost-of-living relief, healthcare and education. “We want young Victorians to have everything they need to succeed. It’s why this Budget invests more than $44 million to upgrade schools across the Eastern Victorian Region, including more than $500,000 for upgrades at Araluen Primary School in Sale,” Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh said in a media release. Mr McIntosh was keen to talk about public transport, a key issue for those in the Latrobe Valley. “In Gippsland, this budget will invest $42.8 million to deliver a regular 40-minute interpeak service across the day, between Traralgon and Southern Cross – realising the benefits of the Gippsland Line Upgrade,” he said. “But for parents in the region, every dollar counts. It’s why we’re making public transport free for Victorians under 18, delivering savings of up to $755 a year – per child. ” The scheme begins January 1, 2026. “Costs can also add up for seniors. It’s why with this budget; we’re also making statewide public transport free for Victorians aged 60 and over on weekends,” Mr McIntosh said. “From January 1, 2026, this change will help Victorians with a Seniors Card in eastern Victoria visit the grandkids or experience even more of our state – without the extra expense.” The Community Pharmacy Pilot has become a permanent investment; $18 million has been budged for pharmacists to treat Victorians without needing to see a GP. Leader of the state Nationals and Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, said the budget ignored the cost-of-living crisis and inflicted further pain on regional Victorians. “Labor is whacking us with a great big new emergency services tax that the budget now shows will cost us all an extra $3 billion in coming years,” Mr O’Brien said. “The Nationals and Liberals will scrap this tax if elected next year to ease the burden on regional Victorians. “Debt gets worse and we will be paying $28.9 million per day in interest – money that could be going to boosting regional hospitals, investing in schools and fixing our roads. “This budget yet again shows that Labor can’t manage money and regional Victorians are paying the price.”

LV Express: State Budget: Operating surplus, yet debt continues #News #DannyOBrien #EmergencyServicesandVolunteersFundLevy

Coach service set to remain as it currently is By STEFAN BRADLEY   IN response to community outcry, the state government has committed to not make changes to the Yarram/Leongatha to Southern Cross V/Line coach service that would have instead seen the bus terminate at East Pakenham station. The Koo Wee Rup Blackfish newsletter reported in its March issue the coach service, which begins either at Yarram or Leongatha and finishes at Southern Cross station in Melbourne, would instead run to East Pakenham Station after the Koo Wee Rup stop, and passengers would need to transfer to a train, under this change. “South Gippsland is poorly serviced by public transport. This seems to be taking that poor service to another level,” the publication said. The Koo Wee Rup Blackfish noted driving to the train station, transferring and waiting for the train would add additional time to the trip to Southern Cross, and make the Yarram/Leongatha coach “less viable as a commuter service”. “There are people who regularly commute in and out on the bus, some from much further out in South Gippsland,” they said. “By diverting to East Pakenham, we lose the easy airport transfer. Many locals stow their suitcases under the bus and walk them over to the SkyBus when they arrive at Southern Cross. Taking your luggage on a commuter train isn’t nearly as stress-free.” A Change.org petition set up on March 2 opposing the change was signed by more than 2000 people within days. The Yarram/Leongatha coach begins at Yarram, and stops at Alberton, Welshpool, Toora, Foster and so on. The other major stops include Leongatha, Korumburra, Koo Wee Rup, Cranbourne, Dandenong, Caulfield, and ending at either Southern Cross or Flinders Street Station. The 6.26am coach from Yarram on weekdays arrives at Southern Cross at around 10.21am, making the entire bus trip around four hours. After Koo Wee Rup, the coach skips Tooradin, Five Ways, Cranbourne, Dandenong and Caulfield, instead going straight to Southern Cross. If you wanted to go to those other stops, another coach departs at the same 6.26am time but requires commuters to change to another coach at Koo Wee Rup, and then switch to a metropolitan train at Dandenong, and it arrives at Southern Cross at 11.02am, adding about 40 minutes extra to the trip. The same two coaches run again from Yarram at 11.08am and 3.08pm on weekdays. There are five other times during the day you can catch the line, but they begin at Leongatha only. Similar options exist in the opposite direction from Southern Cross to Leongatha/Yarram, but some of the journeys begin on trains and depart at different times to the coaches. There are fewer services on Saturdays and Sundays, but they are the same on both days. The now-abandoned change would have seen the coach sometime after Koo Wee Rup terminate at East Pakenham and then passengers would switch to a train to go to Southern Cross or elsewhere. Presumably there would also be more train and bus transfers for those travelling from Southern Cross to Leongatha/Yarram. State Member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien said on March 3 he spoke to the Public Transport Minister’s office, which confirmed no final decision had been made. “I have made clear to the minister’s office that I would fight any such proposal – and that likely it would be very poorly received by most travellers from South Gippsland (and Bass Coast for that matter),” Mr O’Brien said. Member for Bass, Jordan Crugnale commented on the report and the “heaps of emails” she received about the matter. Ms Crugnale said noted community consultation on the matter would start in June and encouraged those in the public to have their say on the matter. Last year in the state budget, the government announced $30 million for improved bus and ferry services, including more frequent bus services for Leongatha and Yarram. “Any changes to any timetables are expected to be made in early 2026,” Ms Crugnale said. Ms Crugnale also acknowledged public transport options in the area were “not great”, and “current service timetabling does fail to provide good connections between routes and enough frequency, significantly impacting smaller towns and communities accessing larger centres”. “With the V/Line currently (sic) timetables, what I have heard many times over is that regional students can’t get to and from their tertiary institutions in a timely manner, families have to drive to attend a footy match in the city, and the added cost or hindrance altogether for people wanting to go to a concert or major event on any given night because they need to factor in an overnight stay,” she said. The state seat of Bass covers from the south-east Melbourne suburb of Clyde through to Inverloch and Phillip Island. The next day, on March 4, the state government ruled out any plans to terminate the Yarram/Leongatha coaches at East Pakenham. Regional spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), Paul Westcott said they received a number of “annoyed correspondence” about the dumped proposal when it came up. “The issue is connections, to and from the train stations. There’s uncertainty about continuation and going to the next service. It can be a hassle,” Mr Westcott said. “We have complaints about the lack of frequency of the Yarram/Leongatha line. The coach is slow, goes a long way and gets stuck in peak hour traffic in Melbourne, but at least you’re on the bus. “It does seem like a bus transfer to Pakenham or Dandenong is off the table because of the reaction to this, so they’ll have to go back to the drawing board.” Based on what he’d heard from the community, Mr Westcott said the best thing to do in this instance may be to simply increase the number of services and keep the route the same. “Make transfers as easy as possible, and the best way to have that is frequency of services,” he said. Setting up new services on the Gippsland Line has proven challenging for a whole host of reasons, but adding more coaches to the Yarram/Leongatha line should be easier. “There is nothing (stopping them). It’s just a question of buses and drivers,” Mr Westcott said. Editor of the Yarram-based newspaper The Bridge, Deb Lucas told the Express that many locals in the area used the Yarram/Leongatha coach, including the elderly, students and those without cars. “People who contacted me were quite upset (about the now-canned change). Uni students use it to go to Southern Cross, instead of going to the train station. Some use it to access medical services at Foster, or Leongatha,” Ms Lucas said. “It’s fairly long and arduous. Some are better off going to Traralgon first (via bus). But for the elderly it’s very helpful.”

LV Express: Coach service set to remain as it currently is: By STEFAN BRADLEY


 


IN response to community outcry, the state government has committed to not make changes to the Yarram/Leongatha to Southern Cross V/Line coach service that would have instead… #News #DannyOBrien #JordanCrugnale

Mirboo North remembers one year on By KATRINA BRANDON   LAST Thursday marked 12 months since the Mirboo North superstorm. The freak storm event tore through like a cyclone, destroying virtually everything in its path and reducing the usually quiet small town in the hills to ruins.…

LV Express: Mirboo North remembers one year on: By KATRINA BRANDON


 


LAST Thursday marked 12 months since the Mirboo North superstorm.


The freak storm event tore through like a cyclone, destroying virtually everything in its path and reducing the usually… #Community #DannyOBrien #MelinaBath

Roads an international embarrassment: O’Brien STAFF WRITERS   WHEN the Chinese government and undertakers are warning about the state of Victoria’s roads, it is clear we have a major problem. That’s according to Member for Gippsland South and Nationals Leader, Danny O’Brien, who is also Shadow…

LV Express: Roads an international embarrassment: O’Brien: STAFF WRITERS


 


WHEN the Chinese government and undertakers are warning about the state of Victoria’s roads, it is clear we have a major problem.


That’s according to Member for… #News #ChineseGovernmentWarningTourists #DannyOBrien

Morwell hears from Miss America on nuclear By LIAM DURKIN   COMMUNITY passion was evident on Sunday night, as locals congregated to hear from international nuclear experts in Morwell. The Nuclear for Australia roadshow made its way to the Latrobe Valley, with more than 200 people cramming…

LV Express: Morwell hears from Miss America on nuclear: By LIAM DURKIN


 


COMMUNITY passion was evident on Sunday night, as locals congregated to hear from international nuclear experts in Morwell.


The Nuclear for Australia roadshow made its way to the… #News #DaleHarriman #DannyOBrien

Local health networks forged, services won’t be compromised By LIAM DURKIN   LATROBE Regional Health Chief Executive, Don McRae has moved to reassure health services will not be compromised following the state government’s announcement of local health service networks. The networks are grouped together by…

LV Express: Local health networks forged, services won’t be compromised: By LIAM DURKIN


 


LATROBE Regional Health Chief Executive, Don McRae has moved to reassure health services will not be compromised following the state government’s announcement of local health… #News #DannyOBrien #DonMcRae

Targets not met By TOM HAYES   RECENT performance reports released by the Department of Health show that Latrobe Regional Health (LRH), Gippsland’s main acute mental health provider, is failing to meet mental health-based government service targets, according to…

LV Express: Targets not met: By TOM HAYES


 


RECENT performance reports released by the Department of Health show that Latrobe Regional Health (LRH), Gippsland’s main acute mental health provider, is failing to meet mental health-based government service… #News #DannyOBrien #DepartmentofHealth

Project on the ropes due to “ideological divide” STAFF WRITERS   A JAPANESE consortium has warned it is poised to pull $2.35 billion investment from a world-first coal to hydrogen project in the Latrobe Valley. The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project pioneered the conversion of brown coal…

LV Express: Project on the ropes due to “ideological divide”: STAFF WRITERS


 


A JAPANESE consortium has warned it is poised to pull $2.35 billion investment from a world-first coal to hydrogen project in the Latrobe Valley.


The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain… #News #DannyOBrien #HESCProject

Dan, Dan he’s the (Nats’) man By LIAM DURKIN   AND that little boy who started out as a cadet journalist grew up to be… a state political leader. Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien was last week elected unopposed as leader of the Victorian Nationals. The appointment…

LV Express: Dan, Dan he’s the (Nats’) man: By LIAM DURKIN


 


AND that little boy who started out as a cadet journalist grew up to be… a state political leader.


Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien was last week elected unopposed as leader of the… #News #DannyOBrien #DavidLittleproud

Focus still on Gippland South electorate: O’Brien NEW state Nationals leader Danny O'Brien says his responsibilities as Member for Gippsland South will come first. Mr O'Brien will......

Gippsland Times: Focus still on Gippland South electorate: O’Brien: NEW state Nationals leader Danny O'Brien says his responsibilities as Member for Gippsland South will come first. Mr O'Brien will...... #News #DannyOBrien #gippsland **Paywall**