Dookie turns up the heat

The organisers of the meeting abandoned an attempt to break into small groups for discussions and instead switched to an open question and answer forum for about 90 minutes.

A huge tractor and harvester was parked near the entrance, supporting a sign telling VicGrid to leave Dookie.

Many were worried that the zone would open the way for compulsory acquisition of prime agricultural land, a situation that VicGrid denied would occur.

VicGrid chief executive Alastair Parker told Country News this week, in terms of wind, solar and batteries, there was no compulsory acquisition power.

He said he had heard concerns about this issue and that once land was in a renewable energy zone there was compulsory acquisition.

“That’s not the case,” he said.

“Where there is compulsory acquisition is for transmission lines, but that is a power that is only used as a last resort.

“We don’t expect to build any new transmission lines in this region.”

Farmers also complained there had been too little consultation.

VicGrid responded that the three Dookie meetings were a part of an extensive feedback process and they invited submissions, saying the draft zone was not set in stone.

VicGrid made note of the several points made by community members, saying that those comments reinforced the need for community feedback processes.

However, VicGrid was unable to provide Country News with dates for when the formal submission process would start and end.

Local cropping farmer Mark Harmer took the microphone towards the end of the evening, handing a bag of rich brown dirt to VicGrid employees.

Mr Harmer explained the importance of Dookie’s geology, stating that the soil is over 500 million years old and provides a unique top-soil depth of 20 metres.

“This is a very, very lucrative area for farming,” Mr Harmer said.

“You can keep that dirt there, but you aren’t getting any more.”

Earlier comments from cropping farmer Chris Ludeman reinforced the productivity of Dookie’s agricultural industry.

Mr Ludeman said from 2020 to 2024, Dookie averaged 6.5 tonnes per hectare, 1.2 tonnes higher than the northern Victorian average.

He also said last year Dookie’s on‑farm yields were 4 to 5.5 tonnes per hectare on just 158 millimetres of rainfall, a very high water‑use efficiency.

At the conclusion of Tuesday night’s meeting, Jodie Flemming, representing the Protect Dookie Group, put a series of demands to VicGrid, which included an extension to the consultation period, and a commitment to remove Dookie from the proposed renewable energy zone.

Mr Parker thanked the people who gave up their time to attend the meeting and for respectfully passing on their views.