The Hon. Anne Webster, Member for Mallee, Media Release, 18 February 2026
Everyday Australians face another hit to their power bills after Transgrid applied to pass on to consumers the $1.1 billion of their cost over-runs in the 900-kilometre EnergyConnect project between NSW and South Australia.
Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster MP said the latest revelation yet again exposes the fallacy that ‘renewable’ energy is not the ‘cheapest form of electricity’.
“So-called ‘renewables’ depend on huge taxpayer subsidies – which you pay for – plus an estimated 28,000 kilometres of new transmission lines which – you guessed it – you also pay for,” Dr Webster said.
“The proposed VNI-West transmission line runs 280 kilometres through Mallee, to link with the EnergyConnect moneypit. VNI-West, too, has huge cost blowouts, originally estimated to cost $3.6 billion but on latest estimates, expected to cost $7.6 billion. Guess who will pay for that blowout? Correct – you, the energy customer.”
“Minister Bowen has mouthed weasel words that he wants consumers to pay no more than necessary. Minister, how much more will consumers pay for cost blowouts on EnergyConnect and VNI West which are just 1,200 kilometres combined of Labor’s proposed 28,000 kilometres of new transmission lines?”
The VNI West project has hit major hurdles in Mallee due to strong community opposition and the coercive practices and laws of the Victorian Labor government resulting in a failure to achieve social licence.
Dr Webster said one of the many insults implicit in the handling of the VNI West project is state and federal Labor’s utter disregard for prime agricultural land.
“I have stood with farmers and farming communities amplifying their concern that energy projects – be they transmission lines, wind turbines or blanket solar panels, let alone mining projects – put prime agricultural land out of production,” Dr Webster said.
“The global population is growing, food security is a huge concern and land available for farming is reducing. Why is Labor putting some of Australia’s best farming land out of production to tick a box on the global stage?”
“The Nationals position is clear – we will not race ahead of the rest of the world to achieve a political target on energy generation. Our focus is on a Cheaper, Better and Fairer energy system.
“The boom in artificial intelligence – with its insatiable appetite for energy – shows that gas will be a critical part of our energy future, and in the USA they are turning nuclear energy back on to meet the demand. Australia is blessed with every conceivable energy resource and it is economically reckless to put all our eggs in one basket.
“Victorians are paying on their energy bills for this folly and it simply must stop.”
