English transcript

Scores of Victorian farmers opposed to this $7.6 billion transmission tower project rammed

right through the middle of many of their properties.

Last year the Victorian Government passed legislation granting power companies, and

you can't believe this, power to access private land in the path of the project.

And if you resist, ultimately they could put you in jail.

In February, farmers who blocked representatives from VNI West from conducting those surveys

on their land were given 30 days to allow them access or cop a fine.

Well, yesterday was D-Day for those farmers.

The 30 days was up.

One of them joins me now.

I've spoken to him again.

Ben Duxon, good to see you again, mate.

What happened up there yesterday and again today?

How are you, Steve?

Thanks for taking our call.

And you must be the hardest working reporter on Sky News.

You're everywhere.

But no, they've started to come at us again.

So as previously before Christmas in December last year, they tried to get access to our

farms, compulsory access to do EES studies, so the environmental studies to where the

line of the VNI West line is going.

So we were pretty resolute.

We had between 30 and 50 people at every gate last year, and we will do the same again this

year.

Yes, this coming week, we've got quite a few.

So we'll just keep pushing back.

We know the project's no good for Australians.

We've said that the governments need to go back and certainly get an energy policy that's

going to suit for the next 100, 200 years.