Albanese, Allan confronted by boos, heckles and a protester with a noose at hostile event in Ballarat

Boos, heckles and even a protester with a noose greeted Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan at a forum in Ballarat on Friday, as the renewables rollout drew hostile backlash.

The Prime Minister received multiple interjections throughout a question and answer session at the end of his address at the event.

It came after he was asked a question virtually by a member of the public about regional communities “paying the cost” of the renewables transition and why the Government was allowing green energy firms to “tear our communities apart?”.

“I’ll continue to engage, but I won’t bullsh.t people,” Mr Albanese said.

“Quite clearly, governments haven’t done well enough in the engagement and community consultation and those processes. No question about that.

“I won’t come along and say we’re going to do something with new coal-fired power stations, when it didn’t happen.

“And I’m not going to come along and say the solution is something that might happen, sometime into the 2040s, which is what the previous . . . (the) Opposition’s nuclear plan was about.”

Some of the loudest jeers came during Ms Allen’s speech when she told the crowd at the Bush Summit “we’re supporting renewable energy projects as well”.

One woman in the crowd donning a white shirt which stated “Vic farmers” on it, stood on a chair with a noose draped around her neck.

While it was heating up inside the town hall-style event, despite the rain protesters also gathered outside against controversial land access legislation to facilitate new energy transmission projects.

The legislation, which would give new powers for authorised officers to force their way onto private land with the backing of police as part of the roll out, has passed the Upper House in Victoria after Labor won crossbench support.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley enjoyed a far warmer welcome and acknowledged the protesting farmers outside and their concerns around officials accessing land to build transmission lines.

Among the crowd was Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie, who appeared in a protesters tractor and held a sign against the transmission lines.

“Farmers now face the building of transmission lines across prime agricultural land near Ballarat,” Ms Ley said on stage, where she received cheers and applause throughout her address.

“They see vast solar and wind farms imposed without proper consultation.

“They are looking at a high stakes takeover of private property and local landscapes with no consultation — 80 meter tall towers, crisscrossing paddocks, crisscrossing productive farmland.

“A fire risk, a biosecurity risk, damaging fencing, coercive land access powers, forced access, criminalising farmers if they refuse access for surveys.

“What on earth is going on? I am shocked to read of what is passing through the Victorian Parliament.

“My mantra is simple; ‘if a farmer does not want a high transmission, a high powered transmission line across their farm line, then it should not happen’.

“Of course, renewable energy has a place in our future, but it’s absolutely essential that the impact on our farmers is fully taken into account.”

Ms Ley appeared to carefully word her response to questioning about the Coalition’s recent division over net zero.

The Liberal leader said the party was still in consultation after the election loss and would continue their review in a “constructive, policy-focused way”.

“Everywhere I go I talk to people about energy. We do need to have an energy policy that delivers affordable, reliable energy and plays Australia’s role in reducing emissions,” she said.

“But . . . it can’t come at any cost. So, we are working through everything that we need to.”