<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/a-tale-of-two-summits-gina-rineharts-net-zero-siege-versus-farmings-renewable-lifeline/>
"Two summits. Two radically different visions for the future of farming in
Australia.
In a video address to
The Australian’s Bush Summit in Broome last week,
billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart painted wind, solar and transmission
projects as a scourge across rural Australia, describing their spread as having
a “heartbreaking impact” on farmers and their communities.
She warned of a “net-zero siege” shackling farmers with “restrictions,
paperwork and huge expense.”
But while Rinehart fostered alarm, in Canberra this week farmers are telling a
very different story.
At the inaugural Farming Forever Summit, hosted by Farmers for Climate Action
(FCA), producers from across the country shared first-hand accounts of how
renewables are not destroying their livelihoods, but saving them.
They spoke of wind turbines and solar panels that deliver steady, drought-proof
income streams, reinvestment opportunities for farm infrastructure, models that
allow grazing and cropping to continue alongside clean energy generation, and
the benefits of going fully electric.
Fourth-generation sheep and cattle farmer Charlie Prell told the summit that
wind turbines were the reason his family farm in Crookwell, NSW, survived.
“In the early 2000s my family farm was on the brink. Years of drought and low
commodity prices had pushed us to the edge of bankruptcy,” he said, standing
before an image of turbines on his property.
“The turning point that came into my life was those wind turbines … they saved
our farm. They allowed me to retire with dignity.”
For Prell and many others, renewables are not an imposition — they are a
lifeline."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
