General News
3 May, 2023
Turbine dollars decision deferred
MOYNE Shire councillors voted to delay a push for prospective wind farm developers to meet a minimum investment threshold within the community.
MOYNE Shire councillors voted to delay a push for prospective wind farm developers to meet a minimum investment threshold within the community.
A motion to introduce the minimum investment standard failed as councillors resolved at last week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council to defer the decision for a two-month period.
Further work and consultation on a set of minimum benchmarks a wind farm company would be requested to provide the community in which they are operating will be developed before the councillors return to the motion.
Mayor Karen Foster said wind farm companies already offered a range of community investment programs, but felt the investments were ad hoc and varied greatly between developments.
“At the moment we have some developments; offering annual grants programs to the wider community as low as $300 a turbine and some as high as $3000 a turbine,” she said.
“There are also vast differences between what is happening across Moyne when compared to other areas of the state.
“We have said that there needs to be a level playing field for communities which are impacted by developments.
“There’s no minimum standard set by the state government or industry, so council will use the guidelines to advocate for the best outcomes possible for host communities.”
The decision came after Moyne Shire councillors voted in September last year to oppose future developments of wind farms until the Victorian Government carried out strategic planning, which would include a threshold on the number of turbines operating in the shire.
The minimum standard draft before council included 11 elements of what would be included, however the motion was quickly foreshadowed to fail.
Cr Doukas questioned why there was no mention of community funding being directed residents to undertake noise testing training, and suggested some funding could be used to support residents wanting to take legal action against developers.
“We’ve turned out back on our community because we’ve relinquished responsibility but there is nothing in (the report) to help those people that are aggrieved by living next to a wind farm,” he said.
“I think there should be some sort of funding.”
Cr Ian Smith reiterated he was on board with the concept but felt the scope could be expanded beyond wind farms, such as covering those impacted by transmission line development.
He suggested the possibility of including or funding to support the development of wetlands to support animals and vegetation.
Cr Purcell suggested solar farms and other renewable energy fields could also be targeted under the standards.
Cr Jordan Lockett moved the motion, saying the social license of wind farm developers had expired and the motion was a “great starting point”.
“I think it’d be great to get some community feedback once this goes out, which can help us with our advocacy to MPs, and it can help us advocating to the wind farm companies because as we know the social license has expired, the contribution’s poor, it’s not enough, he said.”
The concept of residents getting greater community benefitrs from wind farm companies proved one of the more popular ideas to emerge from a 400-person, independent study the shire commissioned on wind farms in 2022.
The study highlighted the community was supportive of wind farms and renewable energy, but wanted to see more favourable benefits from wind farm developments.
In addition, there was 71 per cent agreement all residents should benefit from wind farms developed in the shire.
While all councillors showed strong agreement with the overall concept, Cr Doukas spoke against the motion, saying no community consultation or engagement with community engagement committees had been sought.
“It’s all about money, money, money,” he said.
“I think before we go anywhere with this and put our hand out or start asking wind farm companies for X amount of money, we should consult with the community to get their point of view.”
Cr Smith, Cr Lockett and Cr Gleeson voted in support of the motion, which failed 4-3.
“I want this to be the best document it can be to advocate to politicians and wind farm companies directly,” Cr Daniel Meade said in seeking a motion to defer for two months pending community consultation.
“It’s very difficult to advocate with a document that does not have a clear figure of what it costs and what we’re asking, per turbine, overall.
“MPs will find too much room for interpretation. It needs to be simplified by dollar amount per turbine.”
Cr Doukas sought clarification all community consultation, be it for, against or neutral, sent to the shire would be considered; which was accepted.
The motion to defer, pending community consultation, was carried 5-2 with Cr Lockett and Cr Smith voting against.
