Embargoed until 12:01 am Thursday 17 October 2024
Gippsland locals, former coal worker Tony Wolfe and CEO of the Gippsland Climate Change Network Darren McCubbin have joined a huge cross section of regional Australia living in the thick of our shift to renewable energy who have come together as part of a new film series.
Tony and Darren join former farmers, parents and community leaders to deliver frank and optimistic perspectives that highlight what regional Australia can be gaining from the energy shift.
Following the declaration of the Gippsland offshore wind zone in December 2022 and the granting of feasibility licences in May 2024, Tony Wolfe and Darren McCubbin provide two different perspectives on how an offshore wind industry might look in Gippsland.
Former coal worker Tony Wolfe said: “I was born in the Latrobe Valley and I’ve worked in the coal industry for well over 40 years. Offshore wind is a no-brainer for Gippsland because we are transitioning away from fossil fuels and we need something to replace that with.”
CEO of the Gippsland Climate Change Network Darren McCubbin said: “This region is mostly supportive of the change. We have been part of energy generation in Australia for a century. The idea now is that we’re going to change to cleaner renewables.”
Submissions to the Australian Senate’s Select Committee Inquiry on Energy Planning and Regulation close at the end of this week (18 October) and the regional stories in this film series have been profiled in a joint submission because they clearly articulate a range of issues for the Select Committee to consider, such as:
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How can traditional energy regions continue supplying power to our country via offshore wind?
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How can communities benefit from hosting large scale renewable infrastructure like wind and solar farms?
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How can communities own large scale renewables themselves?
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How can regional communities reliant on heavy industry be powered by offshore wind?
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Farmers have farmed with transmission for decades - what can we learn?
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What are the pros and cons of living next door to a wind farm?
RE-Alliance, Community Power Agency and Yes2Renewables have lodged a joint submission to the Inquiry, urging the Select Committee to carefully consider the regional stories highlighted by the films.
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray said: “What these five films show is that communities hosting renewable energy urgently need local support to engage directly with Australia’s energy shift.”
One solution being called for is for the Federal Government to fund Local Energy Hubs for regional communities in the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Local Energy Hubs would be a network of 50 outreach centres staffed by trusted locals to answer questions about transmission and renewable energy projects while helping households, businesses and farms get more value out of going electric.
For more information on Local Energy Hubs head to www.localenergyhubs.org.au.
About the film series
Produced by the New Joneses and hosted by Neighbours star Ryan Moloney (aka ‘Toadie’) the series ‘Good Neighbours’ follows Ryan as he hits the road to the Latrobe Valley and Horsham in Victoria and Wollongong, Goulburn and Crookwell in NSW to learn about Australia’s shift to renewable energy and the regional communities making it happen.
The ‘Good Neighbours’ series can be watched for free at www.thenewjoneses.com
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Tony Wolfe and Darren McCubbin are available for interview: please contact Kitty Walker on 0438 900 117 or [email protected] or Sean Kennedy on 0447 121 378 or [email protected]
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray is also available for comment to discuss the joint submission to the Select Committee Inquiry and the Local Energy Hubs campaign.
Media can access versions of the film series mentioned above for use in stories here.
Audio grabs for radio from each case study can be accessed here.
Hi-res images from the film can be accessed here.
About RE-Alliance: RE-Alliance is working to secure an energy transformation that delivers long-term benefits and prosperity for regional and rural Australia. They do this by listening to the needs of communities, facilitating collaboration across the renewables industry to deliver social outcomes and advocating for meaningful engagement and benefits for regions.
Contact details:
Kitty Walker on 0438 900 117 or [email protected]