The Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP
Member for New England
MEDIA RELEASE
15 April 2026
Joyce – Urges all New England and NSW residents – “I need your help”
Federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce is urging people concerned about EnergyCo’s new Transmission Line Corridor from Walcha to Bayswater to sign a petition urging the NSW Government to reject the proposal.
Hundreds of farmers along the proposed corridor are all united in pushing back on the Government forcibly acquiring land for two rows of 80 metre high transmission towers and power lines (500kv size, the height of the Sydney Opera House).
Mr Joyce said, “This line will cause huge impacts to prime agricultural land, irreversible damage to pristine biodiversity and will cost us all more in our future energy bills.
“The New England, Walcha and Scone need you. But, this is not just about them, it’s about the scary precedent it sets for government overreach,” Mr Joyce said.
“The Government is forcibly implementing policies in the Walcha district based on ideology, rather than consultation, best practice and fiscal prudence,” he added.
The petition reads:
The undersigned petitioners ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to officially reject the “New Route”, to instruct EnergyCo to develop an alternate route that uses pre-existing infrastructure, crown or public land, which does not impact privately owned prime agricultural country, the environment or their regional communities.
The residents directly impacted by this are trying to get their voices heard in the NSW Parliament and need 20,000 signatures in the next eight days (cut-off on 23/4/26).
Mr Joyce said “I implore you to go to the link below and sign the petition, it is sitting at 14,449 currently,” Mr Joyce concluded.