‘No one understands local issues better’: rural councils call for greater role in renewable energy transition

Rural councils should be “deeply engaged” with the planning of renewable energy projects in their backyards to keep communities onside and streamline the energy transition, local government advocates have said.

But not all renewable projects require local government approval, meaning developers are left to deal directly with the community – to mixed results.

In New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, local councils generally have the power to approve solar farms, but not wind developments which lie with the state government.

Linda Scott, the president of the Australian Local Government Association, said approval powers aside, local governments should be central in planning because it results in “better community acceptance” and “speedier approvals”.

“Where local governments don’t have planning approvals for any major infrastructure project, proponents often forget to speak to local government,” Scott said. “This is almost always a mistake”.

Most of the footprint of the MacIntyre windfarm, the largest in the southern hemisphere, falls within the borders of Goondiwindi regional council in Southern Queensland. The Goondiwindi mayor, Lawrence Springborg, said local councils want a greater say in renewable energy projects.

“We’re not talking about being frustrating and just saying no for the sake of it,” he said. “We understand state priorities and prerogatives, we’re not arguing against that, but in many ways that just sees things being waved through, often without consideration [for local communities].”

Springborg said localised economic benefits of the windfarm are not yet commensurate to the project’s scale. “If we are hosting this for the benefit of our state or our nation or our planet, surely those hosting should be able to be a major beneficiary of economic opportunity,” he said.

The former energy infrastructure commissioner, Andrew Dyer, said while local councils can play an “integral part” in the development of renewable projects, final planning approvals should remain with state and territory governments.

He added that regional councils can face a conflict of interest if a councillor is a potential neighbour or host of a project, which he said is often the case.

“The planning processes for wind, solar and storage systems are very complex,” Dyer said. “By centralising planning, you centralise expertise.”

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MacIntyre’s footprint also partly extends into Southern Downs regional council. The mayor, Melissa Hamilton, said local government should have greater agency over how community benefit funds, established by most energy developers to build social licence, are distributed in regional communities.

“We don’t want to be at the whim of the proponent deciding to do a few community charity items that they choose,” Hamilton said. “No one understands your local issues better than people on the ground.”

The president of the Local Government NSW, Darriea Turley, said the energy transition must be carefully managed to reduce pressure on housing and infrastructure in regional communities.

She said local government should be entrusted with community benefit funds to manage on behalf of the community, which could allow them to bring together the funding of multiple projects to pay for legacy community projects, like swimming pools and road upgrades.

“Collectively managed, the funds can put larger community needs within reach that may not have been possible using the benefit payment from one project alone,” Turley said.

There are 37 renewable energy projects planned, proposed or under construction in the NSW central-west Orana renewable energy zone, many of which lie within Dubbo regional council. The mayor, Mathew Dickerson, said one of local governments’ “greatest frustrations” is a void of policy to guide negotiations between councils and energy developers.

“You want to get as much money as can for your community, but how much is the right amount? What’s fair and reasonable?” Dickerson said.

“I feel like we would have failed as a council if we look back in 10 years’ time and we don’t think ‘wow’ we’ve made the community a better place,” he said.