Losing Our Forever Home

This story describes the deep, personal toll that Australia’s reckless push for renewable energy is having on rural families. It tells of a family that found their “forever home” in a peaceful rural community, only to see their dreams shattered by the encroaching industrialisation of renewable energy projects.

The family’s story begins a few hours southwest of Sydney, in a quiet rural community known for its rich farming history and relaxed lifestyle. It was here that they had found what they believed would be their forever home, a perfect spot to raise their children away from the stress of city life. The father, a hardworking farmer, was proud to have a beautiful view of the countryside, an essential part of their family’s peace and well-being. Together with their neighbours, they established a small livestock stud business and became part of a tight-knit community.

That tranquillity was shattered when global renewable energy giants descended on the area. Armed with government subsidies, they signed an agreement with one of their neighbours, a merchant banker from Sydney, to build a massive solar complex consisting of over a million solar panels. The 700ha solar farm would stretch across productive farmland, all within a stone’s throw of the family’s property. The infrastructure would include substations and high-voltage transmission lines, drastically altering the rural landscape they had grown to love. When the farmer approached the merchant banker about his concerns, he was coldly told, “Well, you don’t own the view, and I’m here to make a profit.”

The family’s dream of living in peace with stunning views was now threatened by a looming sea of black glass.

The farmer and other neighbours began to protest, forming an action group to raise awareness, post signs, attend local meetings, and lobby politicians. But the community was divided. A group of pro-renewable residents, supported by the developers, argued that the projects would benefit the area by combating climate change and creating economic opportunities. They accused the opposition of being climate change deniers and obstructing progress.

The family was deeply invested in the fight, hoping to protect their home and way of life. Their property was less than 300 meters from the proposed solar facility, and the substation would be even closer. The once-beautiful rural views were to be replaced with industrial black glass panels. Their concerns grew as they learned of the mounting pressure from developers and local authorities to proceed with the project.

The situation grew tense when protest signs put up by the action group were repeatedly stolen. Frustrated, the father and his neighbours set up trail cameras to catch the culprits. To their shock, the offenders were identified as members of the pro-renewable group. The incident was reported to the police, but by that point the damage had already been done and tension continued to rise as the developers pushed ahead, unchecked.

The father’s concerns for his property’s value deepened. “Who would want to live next to a property where all you can see is a sea of solar panels?” he lamented. Yet, despite their best efforts, the project seemed inevitable. The family nonetheless continued to fight, attending meetings, writing submissions, and doing everything they could to stop the project from going forward.

But then, the emotional toll took its toll in a way no one could have predicted. The family’s daughter, who had been accustomed to walking to the bus stop each morning through the quiet rural landscape, was verbally harassed one morning by a female driver. The woman, a member of the pro-renewable group, approached the young girl and yelled, “Your parents are nuts and should just piss off out of the district! You should be disgusted at your parents for stopping these solar farms.” The girl, frightened and confused, ran home in tears and never walked to the bus stop again.

This incident marked the breaking point. The mother, devastated by the harassment her daughter had endured, wanted to leave the area. The family’s once-hopeful future now felt impossible under the shadow of the renewable energy project. Their dream home, with its breathtaking views, had become a nightmare.

The family struggled to sell their property. The presence of the solar development was well-known, and potential buyers were few. Eventually, they accepted an offer for their home—$930,000 less than what they had paid for it just three years earlier. With heavy hearts they moved to southeast Queensland, leaving behind the life they had worked so hard to build.

The father returned to pack up the last of their belongings, taking one final look at the view from the front veranda. His heart was heavy with anger, frustration, and a deep sense of failure. He had not been able to protect his family’s forever home from the industrialisation that was consuming it.

His last job that morning was to transport the rifles to the police station. He retrieved the rifles and ammunition from the gun safe and placed them on the kitchen table, shaking with rage, suffering hopelessness, burnout, and exhaustion. The life he dreamed of had become a shattered nightmare. Incredible darkness came over him. He reached for the rifle, loaded it, and turned to face the view through the front doors. He steeled himself for what was to come next.

It would be a relief, he thought—an escape from the stress, anxiety, and emotional toil of feeling helpless. He had failed to save their little family’s forever home, and he had failed to provide a better life for his family. His finger clasped the trigger, and he closed his eyes, ready for the blackness to consume him.

His phone rang. He reluctantly opened his eyes, hesitated, and then answered the call. It was his wife. His disabled son had been pestering her to call dad to see when he would be home. “Soon, son, very soon,” he said to him. He wiped the tears from his eyes, unloaded the rifle, and placed it back in the safe.

These are the impacts of the government’s renewable energy policy on the lives of rural and regional Australians. These events are happening right now on our watch, aided by bad government policy and a political system that has lost touch with truth, reason, and reality—and cares little for the welfare of those constituents directly affected by this folly.