Embargoed until 12:01 am Thursday 17 October 2024
Goulburn farmer Ed Suttle and Crookwell farmer Dimity Taylor 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.
Ed and Dimity join former farmers, parents, community leaders and former Councillors to deliver frank and optimistic perspectives that highlight what regional Australia can be gaining from the energy shift.
In two episodes, Ed shares the moving story of the Goulburn community coming together to invest in the Goulburn Solar Farm, while Dimity speaks to her direct experience of living and farming as a direct neighbour to a wind farm.
Goulburn farmer Ed Suttle said: “The community support for the Goulburn Solar Farm shows that we are a forward-thinking ‘we can do it’ type of community. We love the fact that nearly all the profit will stay within the community because it's local. It’s local people who own the shares, so the profit will stay here.”
Crookwell farmer Dimity Taylor: “For people who are going to have renewables coming to their communities, I say welcome it, and get involved. Communicate with the companies that are coming and really think about how you can maximise the benefits for your community. Think about how they can be good community partners, and what can they bring that's really going to help your community to flourish?
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 provide easy access to facts in local communities by hiring trusted and experienced local experts across subjects such as renewable energy developments, transmission projects, home electrification and battery storage, electric vehicles and more, tailored to the region.
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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Ed Suttle and Dimity Taylor are available for interview: please contact Kitty Walker on 0438 900 117 or kitty@re-alliance.org.au or Sean Kennedy on 0447 121 378 or sean.kennedy@climatemediacentre.org.au
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 kitty@re-alliance.org.au