Farmers need fit-for-purpose support that has their back: Behind The Lines with Lucy Knight

Energy companies - big and small, corporate, as well as government-owned - have everyday farmers in their crosshairs as they race to stitch up vast parcels of land for wind turbines, solar farms and transmission lines.

The rapid transition to renewable energy has placed many farming families under immense financial, emotional, legal - even existential - pressure; yet farmers are significantly under-prepared and under-supported in these complex negotiations.

I have recently helped my own family through such negotiations, and it was gruelling.

Knowing your rights, understanding your options, and making decisions you feel comfortable with is like navigating a minefield.

The legal and financial support required to inform these decisions is immense and costly, and that's before construction starts.

The rules of engagement are murky. Guidelines have been developed and codes of conduct exist, but in what's become a high-stakes game, many land access negotiations are more closely resembling the wild west.

The situation can only get worse unless meaningful, national land-use parameters, which include equitable outcomes for farmers, are established.

With the Australian government adopting a renewable energy target of 82 per cent by 2030, the clock is ticking on approvals and it's clear - Australia's farmers are at the centre of a modern industrial revolution.

In a recent submission to an inquiry on transmission and social engagement, the National Farmers' Federation points to figures in the Australian Energy Market Operator's Integrated System Plan, which says meeting the ambitious target of 82pc, from the current 35pc, will require nine times the current large-scale renewable energy generation (mainly solar and wind farms).

NFF says AEMO has also mapped 10,000km of new transmission infrastructure to integrate new renewables into Australia's energy system.

It's time for a nationally-funded support agency to help farmers navigate the land access process which includes independent advice on farmers' rights, how and if they can say no to projects and what that means for compulsory acquisition powers.

Secrecy and non-disclosure contracts around compensation agreements should be scrapped so farmers have more knowledge and power to negotiate market-based payment deals and terms in a transparent environment.

Just as important as maximising compensation is fully understanding the tax implications for such projects and potential impacts on land rates or family succession tax exemptions, and ultimately any other long-term negatives on your asset class.

Once a project is determined to proceed, farmers need access to independent advice on the best ways to build in the protocols they need and want in their construction contracts to reduce some of the potential headaches.

The current system does little more than leave farmers out to dry to satisfy urban demand for new power that depends on the regions to go ahead.

If Australia is to make this transition in a fair and timely fashion, there needs to be significantly more focus on arming farmers with a legal and economic support crew that has their back.