Karl Stefanovic has joined the fight for dozens of Australian farmers whose land will soon be affected by renewable energy infrastructure. The podcast host traveled to the New South Wales Hunter Valley to speak with landowners impacted by the New England Renewable Energy Zone transmission project.
Project Details and Concerns
The billion-dollar project aims to connect wind, solar, and energy storage projects to the main electricity grid. Landowners in the Upper Hunter region claim they were never properly consulted about the transmission lines that will be built on their land. They fear that the kilometers-long, 200-meter-wide corridors and 80-meter towers will destroy prime agricultural land and cause property values to plummet.
Community Opposition
Landowners, residents, and businesses have formed the Protect the Valley group to oppose the project. Stefanovic, a former Today Show host, has now backed this group. He stated that he wants to give farmers a voice because 'no one is listening.'
'The cost of net zero is far more than you could have ever imagined, and it's causing serious pain,' he explained in a teaser clip for his latest podcast episode. 'The people we interviewed this week got a knock at the door from the government saying, "We're going to build these transmission towers to get renewable energy from its source into the grid." Plus, they're going to be four or five times bigger than this one behind me, and there's no guarantee it will work. We went out to Gundy to give these Aussies a voice because they don't have one – no one is listening.'
Farmer Testimony
In Stefanovic's latest weekly podcast, farmer Isa recalled the moment EnergyCo workers entered her cattle property to conduct a land assessment without warning and against the wishes of the owners. 'Renewable is not a free ticket to entry – it doesn't mean they can go about their business,' she told the podcast. 'I'm p***ed off, and the whole community is p***ed off. People are at breaking point.'
Public Support
Farmers were quick to praise Stefanovic for joining the fight. 'Thank you for sharing this incredibly important story that's being repeated across the country at unimaginable cost to the people and communities directly and indirectly affected,' one person wrote. Another added: 'As one of many landowners in the Walcha area that will be impacted immensely, thank you Karl for listening to the absolutely wonderful speakers who have been our inspiration to keep fighting.'
