LIVING in idyllic bullock-finishing country of Yuleba North, Gary and Kerry Ladbrook's life has been turned upside down by the presence of intruders who want to change their landscape forever.

The Ladbrooks' 2362ha property, Bulah, is the site of a proposed major electricity sub-station and five high-voltage transmission lines that will form a central part of a transmission network project proposed by the state-owned Powerlink Queensland.

The project will link CSG sites in Blythdale and Fairview with Wandoan sub-station.

But while the development will supply electricity to the hundreds of gas wells and compressor plants Santos and Origin are developing in the region, Powerlink is seeking to categorise the project as "community benefit", which allows them to bypass the Petroleum and Gas Act and instead use the 1967 Acquisition of Land Act, which does not have the same degree of rights to landholders.

As a result, the Ladbrooks say they have been treated poorly by Powerlink.

"They pretend there is consultation, but there isn't any," Gary said.

"They don't seem to want to take responsibility for their actions.

"We have no say in where their lines will go and their washdown procedures are a joke."

The Ladbrooks also say Powerlink won't detail compensation and only a one-off payment will be made that does not cover all legal and accounting bills.

"We've got to do this all in our own time," Kerry said.

The Ladbrooks have organised an e-petition (number 2058-13) that calls for the designation of the project as private and asks the government to ensure compensation for landholders.

Warrego MP Howard Hobbs has sponsored the e-petition and said the 1967 Act gave landholders inadequate protection.

"The legislation hasn't caught up with the pace of industry," Mr Hobbs said.

"My view is that this is a private development and should be covered under the Mineral Resources Act."

Mr Hobbs said he was working with the relevant ministers to get the legislation changed.

"Landholders should get an on-going payment like those with wells on their properties," he said.

Powerlink said they sought approval for the project Community Infrastructure Designation (CID) process under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and land rights under the Acquisition of Land Act 1967 .

"CID is a planning approval process, it is not related to who is funding infrastructure," a spokesperson said.

Powerlink's Terry Miller said it was not possible to determine compensation amounts until "much later in the process when the final location of the infrastructure can be known".

That is not much use to the Ladbrooks who want to know now if the compensation will offset the impact.

"They should be taking responsibility for the impact they're causing," Kerry said. "If this was CSG we would have a conduct and compensation agreement in place."