Council
10 July, 2024
Councillor laments missed engagement opportunity
A CORANGAMITE Shire councillor expressed their disappointment over “limited opportunity” for consultation on the Renewable Energy Zone Community Benefits Plan (CBP).
Councillors voted to make a submission into the Renewable Energy Zone CBP at last month’s council meeting.
Shire manager planning and building services Aaron Moyne said, in his report to council, the CBP had been prepared to deliver benefits to communities hosting new transmission and renewable energy infrastructure across the state.
“The need for VicGrid to prepare the CBP has arisen from the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework (VTIF), which identifies community engagement and benefit as one of its core principals,” he said.
“The CBP has been formed by recent consultation undertaken by VicGrid via Engage Victoria in late 2023 and early 2024.
“In July 2022, council also made a submission on the VTIF which identified the importance of targeted and genuine engagement with rural and regional communities, as an important component to Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) planning and development.”
Mr Moyne said council’s submission notes recent public engagement VicGrid had undertaken “has been poor, providing limited opportunity for community awareness and participation”.
“Future engagement must be targeted to affected communities within or nearby a proposed REZ and should not just be aimed towards regional centres or metropolitan areas, which are not directly impacted by transmission or renewable energy infrastructure,” he said.
“The focus of the submission builds upon previous matters raised by council regarding REZ planning and development, with a particular focus given to local communities in Corangamite Shire through the establishment of a community energy fund and its governance arrangements.”
Councillors supported the submission, with Cr Geraldine Conheady saying “this kind of advocacy is extremely vital”.
“We need to do all we can to inform the authorities of the issues that we all recognise in our area and do all we can to achieve a fair and proper outcome for our communities,” she said.
“I was disappointed the engagement was announced late and limited the opportunity for the public to participate.
“I think the submission has been extremely well done…I think it’s essential we do as much as we can to support our communities.”
Cr Ruth Gstrein said she felt, when dealing with the CBP, it was hard to know what was happening with the renewable energy zone of the Victorian Energy Plan.
“I’d encourage VicGrid to do some focus consultation. Up to now it has been quite poor,” she said.