Farming: Irrigator Water Priority and Protecting Farmland from Energy Projects

One Nation Victoria's state farming policy, published September 2026. The stated commitments are prioritising water allocation to irrigating farmers over what the party describes as speculative water holders, protecting agricultural land from large-scale industrial energy projects including wind and transmission infrastructure, and reinstating fisheries officer positions the party says were cut. Independent context: the Productivity Commission has examined water market speculation and found evidence of trading by non-irrigators, though it concluded the effect on prices is contested and recommended improved market transparency rather than restricting participation. On farmland and energy projects, the Australian Energy Market Operator's Integrated System Plan identifies new transmission as necessary to connect renewable generation, and the Victorian Farmers Federation has separately sought stronger landholder compensation and consultation rather than prohibition. Water allocation under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is a Commonwealth-led intergovernmental agreement, limiting what a Victorian parliament can change unilaterally. Supporters argue food production and regional communities carry the costs of both water trading and the energy transition.