Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was chased out of Berat, Victoria, by an angry convoy of up to 80 farmers’ tractors and trucks protesting Labour’s policies. The dramatic tractor chase unfolded minutes after the Bush Summit, highlighting profound rural discontent over emergency services levies and renewable energy infrastructure imposed on farmlands.

In a stunning display of regional fury, farmers from the Across Victoria Alliance surrounded the Berat Civic Hall with a heavy convoy of tractors, utes, and trucks. Their protest responded to recent government moves allowing transmission companies to install power poles and lines on farmland without consent. This flood of industrial infrastructure ignited widespread outrage.

The prime minister’s motorcade sped down the Midland Highway, sirens blaring, pursued by dozens of tractor drivers who voiced raw, unfiltered anger. These are the very Australians who feed the nation—now feeling betrayed and sidelined by policies perceived as destructive and disconnected from rural realities.

Protesters’ placards told the blunt story: “Shove your levy up your ass,” and “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” capturing the raw frustration of farmers who already contribute extensively to emergency services volunteering yet face new, burdensome state levies imposed by Premier Jacinta Allan’s government.

Inside the Bush Summit, the atmosphere was equally volatile. Prime Minister Albanese was repeatedly heckled by farmers during an interview with Herald Sun editor Sam Weir. The crowd jeered as Albanese touted renewable energy as vital, ignoring calls to recognize the harmful impact of renewable infrastructure sprawling across productive farmland.

The government’s recent legislative decision allows transmission companies to access farmland for renewable energy projects—solar farms, wind turbines, and power lines—without adequate farmer consent or compensation. Farmers are incensed at losing control over their land, signaling a breakdown in trust between rural communities and political leadership.

National Senator Bridget McKenzie arrived at the summit rally on a tractor, underscoring the solidarity between elected representatives and their agricultural constituents who feel marginalized. Holding a sign reading “Stop Labour’s towers,” McKenzie condemned the policy as a dismissive “out of sight, out of mind” approach by city-based politicians.

Albanese’s attempts to deflect criticism by emphasizing that no new coal power stations have been built were met with loud jeers. Farmers accused him of dishonesty, pointing out that market conditions were heavily shaped by government regulations and subsidies to prioritize renewables while suppressing coal.

The emergency services levy, designed ostensibly to fund regional emergency responders, has been a particular flashpoint. Farmers point to their immense voluntary contributions to agencies like the CFA, arguing the new tax is unjust and only compounds the financial strain on rural families already facing environmental and economic challenges.

Inside the hall, Albanese insisted on respect and engagement, yet his presence was insufficient to quell the anger. His refusal to acknowledge the immediate consequences of rapid renewable infrastructure rollout and his dismissive stance on alternative energy proposals deepened the rift with the summit attendees.

This unprecedented tractor chase symbolizes the devastating political fallout for the Labor Party in regional Australia. More than a protest, it’s a loud warning—farmers and rural communities feel abandoned, their lands being industrialized and taxed without meaningful consultation or benefit.

The footage capturing this political rejection will reverberate for months. It starkly illustrates how Labor’s climate agenda and emergency funding policies alienate nearly 40% of Australians who live outside capital cities, 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 to derail efforts to maintain support in critical rural electorates.

As renewables continue to spread and levies remain in place, confrontations between rural Australians and Labour politicians are sure to intensify. This spectacle is not an isolated incident—it foreshadows ongoing unrest in a landscape increasingly hostile to government mandates perceived as harmful.

For farmers, this event represents the culmination of years of escalating frustration with policies that prioritize ideological goals over practical regional needs. Their livelihoods, views, and community fabric are being sacrificed for a vision that many feel is detached from rural realities.

The Bush Summit turned from a platform for dialogue into a battleground of political failure, with the prime minister’s motorcade fleeing a scene of mounting dissent. This powerful visual metaphor marks a deep fracture between government and the backbone of Australia’s agricultural economy.

In conclusion, the dramatic expulsion of Prime Minister Albanese by an enraged convoy of farmers is more than a protest—it’s a defining moment of political reckoning. It exposes Labour’s profound disconnect with regional Australia and signals a volatile, uncertain future for rural political engagement.