'Piss off': VicGrid power line compensation plan puts residents on edge

The proposal would also pay landholders $200,000 per kilometre to host the lines and transmission towers, as well as creating community funds to spread the financial benefits more broadly.

The draft Renewable Energy Zone Community Benefits Plan is part of the state government's renewed effort to get regional communities back onside after years of mounting anger at perceived negligence and disengagement.

But landholders who have campaigned for four years against the power lines said the proposal is just a new attempt by the government to bulldoze its plans through.

The Victorian government has set ambitious renewable energy goals as it aims to meet the challenge of climate change.

But it has been roundly criticised in the past two years for its failure to engage with the people hit hardest by the transition to renewable energy, particularly when it comes to wind farms and high voltage transmission lines.

Even federal Labor MP for Ballarat, Catherine King, criticised the engagement process being overseen by her state counterparts in late 2022 to create transmission infrastructure through western Victoria.

"From Darley and Myrniong through to potato country in Newlyn, Mount Prospect and surrounds, the community has come together to fight against the plan put forward by AEMO and being built by AusNet," Ms King said at the time.

"It is increasingly clear to all of us the northern corridor proposed to build the transmission lines... is unviable."

The government appeared to acknowledge these errors when it launched the new draft community benefits plan on the Engage Victoria website.

"The Victorian government is committed to a new approach to planning transmission and renewable energy infrastructure, incorporating community views from the start of the process to make better decisions, minimise impacts and maximise tailored benefits for communities," it said.

Under the proposed compensation, people hosting the transmission lines on their property would get $200,000 per kilometre, paid in $8000 instalments over 25 years.

But neighbours would also stand to get compensation, with lump-sum payments of up to $40,000 for landholders "significantly impacted" by the transmission lines.

For neighbours in rural areas this means a dwelling, home, or "sensitive land use" on their property is within 400 metres of the lines, with compensation on a sliding scale as the lines are closer to the property.

The neighbour would have to prove "significant loss of visual amenity including surrounding natural landscape", with the lines or tower "clearly visible" from the dwelling.

It is unclear how the government settled on its 400 metre cut off for compensation.

The Western Renewables Link's own visual amenity expert said the 80-metre 500kv transmission towers would "dominate the landscape" for close to one kilometre, while the 60-metre 220kv towers would dominate everything within 700 metres.

The draft plan also proposes to form community funds to pay for projects that improve energy supply and affordability, or create new local jobs and innovation in the energy sector.

The money for the community funds would come from the transmission companies as well as renewable energy generators like wind farm companies. There was no detail on how much money would be involved.

The draft plan is open for community feedback until June 25, but opponents of the transmission plan said they were sceptical of the compensation.

Regional Victoria Power Alliance chair Vicki Johnson said the community benefits proposal was an attempt to buy off locals.

"They come along and say what money can we give you? And people are at that points like eff off, I don't like your money - just go away," Ms Johnson said.

She argued the government was offering cash rather than truly engaging with the most deeply affected communities.

"The presumption is the way they walked in in the first place for all of these projects is they will happen and good luck to everyone living there," she said.

Ms Johnson said the attitude from the government was still beset by "arrogance" and "disrespect".

"There's absolutely no thought to how devalued people's properties could be," she said.

"I mean, would you buy a house that when you sat out the back and had a barbecue you could see 20 towers going in different directions?"

Energy and Climate Action Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the plan was about making the green transition fair to all Victorians.

"By delivering benefits to regional communities, we're making sure everyone benefits from the energy transition," she said.

Regional Development Minister Harriet Shing said the government wanted to "partner" with regional communities.

"When we do this work to create the infrastructure necessary to deliver new energy across the grid as our population grows, it's only fitting that we make an investment into the communities where that impact is being felt," she said.