On Friday, August 23, hundreds of farmers rallied in Bendigo, to bring awareness to a number of issues facing rural communities, particularly the subject of renewables, and calling on the government for answers.

There were between 400 and 500 people in attendance at the rally at the All Seasons Resort Hotel on the outskirts of Bendigo, attracting not only concerned residents of the Buloke region, but from all over Victoria who have been dealing with various issues with the state government for a number of years.

The main issues being protested were transmission lines, mining and renewables (and all that’s involved) and the risk of these things to CFA volunteers.  Other issues also touched on were cost of living pressures, poor road conditions, lack of funding for medical needs of rural areas and concerns around dingoes being reintroduced into Victoria. 

It was all very civil and people were very supportive of each other, with no disrespectful behaviour.   

The hotel hosted a Rural Press Club of Victoria lunch with Premier Jacinta Allan, and protesters had aimed to pressure the state leader to set about change. Unfortunately while most people were waiting at the front entrance of the restaurant for Jacinta Allan, she snuck out the back entrance before anyone was able to speak with her. 

Sophie Steps In 
It was noted how many young people were in attendance on the day and one such youngster was not afraid to address the crowd. With Anne Webster unable to attended due to illness, 13-year-old local Sophie Burke, stepped in at short notice to speak bravely about her own future as a sixth generation farmer at Jeffcott:

“Hello everyone.  My name is Sophie Burke and I am 13 years old. My siblings, my cousins and I are all the 6th generation of our family on the farm near Donald.   

“I have seen my family go through the years of droughts, the plagues of grasshoppers, snails and mice.  Through the fires and the floods.  I have seen the stress when there are no crops to harvest, yet we have survived with little help from the government.  Now, this government wants to take our land for its transmission lines.  

“Despite being here for 150 years, each of our families have worked hard to pay for their own land – does our heritage matter?

“Once upon a time, women in agriculture wasn’t a thing.  These days women play a huge role in it.  My family has encouraged my sister and me, the same as my brothers, to be a part of our farm.  They encourage us to look to the future and see how each of us can be involved in it. What future is going to be left to us, if this government has its way?

“We are the ones who will have to pay for this government’s push for the transmission lines and renewables. We will have to pay higher taxes. We will have a reduction in our productive farmland and higher food prices, because of less farms to produce it on. We will have higher electricity bills, because renewables need to be replaced every 20-30 years, and de-commissioning them costs a fortune.

“Our land will lose value, and local farming families will leave. Communities will be torn apart as is already happening in some towns. There will be no one left to run our footy, netball and hockey clubs. Schools will have no choice but to close.  

“This is NOT what I want for my future.  

“My dad, uncles, extended family, neighbours and friends are all volunteers for the local CFA. The transmission lines are a huge fire risk. Did you know they will be over 80 metres tall, as tall as the MCG light towers? We are unable to get aerial support if we have a fire near the lines. The fire trucks aren’t allowed to get too close either, but this becomes very hard to judge when you’re in thick smoke. This will mean our house is at risk of burning down as well as the homes of many others. Not to mention our animals, machinery, sheds and the things we have worked hard for. I am worried that someone I know will die fighting a fire near a transmission line as they are so dangerous.  

“I have four siblings, 3 brothers and a sister. We all enjoy life on the land. We are learning how to care for the land, and we all want the opportunity to keep it going for future generations. 

“Please do not take it away from us. Thank you.”