Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland MP has backed a Nationals private members bill that would strengthen protections for productive agricultural land and give greater weight to agriculture in Victoria’s planning system.
The Planning and Environment Amendment (Agricultural Land and Food Security) Bill 2026, introduced by Shadow Minister for Agriculture Emma Kealy, would establish a framework for identifying Strategic Agricultural Land and require the agricultural impacts of prescribed developments to be properly assessed.
Ms Cleeland said farmers across the Euroa electorate needed greater certainty about how decisions affecting their land would be made.
“Farmers in my electorate are being asked to navigate an increasingly complicated planning system, while more and more projects are being proposed on or around productive farmland,” Ms Cleeland said.
“They are not asking for development to stop. They are asking for the people making these decisions to properly understand what is being lost when that land is fragmented or taken out of production.
“That means looking at the impact on the farm business, access, water, biosecurity and long-term productivity – not just whether a project can technically fit on a map.”
The Bill would require consultation with Agriculture Victoria before significant planning decisions are made and ensure agricultural expertise is represented on advisory committees and Environment Effects Act inquiry panels. It would also strengthen rehabilitation requirements through mandatory bonds and ongoing monitoring, and establish a public register to track the cumulative impact of development on farmland.
Ms Cleeland said these measures were particularly important as regional communities faced increasing pressure from transmission infrastructure, renewable energy projects, urban growth and other developments.
“Once productive farmland is lost or permanently disrupted, it is very difficult to get it back,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Protecting our farmland is not about standing in the way of development. It’s about making sure development is properly planned, and that the people who rely on this land aren’t treated as an afterthought.
“Farmers across Victoria deserve a fair hearing when decisions are made about their land.”
