AusNet’s Compulsory Land Bid Puts Farmers On Collision Course With Victoria’s Western Renewables Link
AusNet has asked the Victorian government for the authority to forcibly secure land easements for its Western Renewables Link, turning up the heat in its ongoing dispute with farmers over the high-profile grid project. An easement gives legal access to use a section of a property—typically without taking ownership of the entire farm. This is significant right now: Victoria updated its law in March, allowing transmission firms to push for compulsory easements even as an Environment Effects Statement—known as the EES—remains in progress. The EES serves as the state’s official probe into a project's environmental, social, and economic impacts.