<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/pay-people-for-their-time-six-ways-we-should-be-funding-regions-to-respond-to-the-energy-transition/>
"Every few months, another report is released with a familiar chorus: “There is
a critical need for more or better community consultation.”
The latest Energy and Water Ombudsman New South Wales (EWON) annual report,
published last week, states that “community members do not feel there is
genuine engagement.”
For anyone living near or inside a Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), this comes as
no surprise and one wonders why so little progress has been made when we have
been aware of this issue for more than a decade.
Ten years ago I worked at the Dubbo arm of the former NSW office of Environment
and Heritage, in what was the Regional Clean Energy Program.
This program supported communities to understand more about large-scale solar
and wind projects, assist with community energy initiatives, and explore
benefit sharing models. A research report done at the time for the program,
outlined the exact community consultation issues we are still grappling with
today.
What continues to be overlooked is the value regional communities bring to the
energy transition, not just as passive hosts of infrastructure, but as active
participants with deep local knowledge and lived experience.
I live on a farm in Narromine, on the edge of the Central West Orana REZ, so
have seen first-hand the consultation burden on some highly impacted towns and
community groups.
One Landcare representative told me she had been asked to attend five meetings
from various developers and governments in the one week.
People living in REZs are regularly asked to volunteer their time to provide
much-needed input for research, public consultations, workshops, social impact
assessments or other surveys.
And this isn’t paid work. It’s unpaid emotional and intellectual labour,
expected from community members who already juggle farms, jobs, families and
volunteer commitments.
I recognise consultation as an important part of public policy making however
when the need for input ramps up alongside the energy transition, with some
regions bombarded more than others, it’s a wonder governments and industry do
not budget to resource regional people to respond to one of the biggest changes
they will see in their lifetimes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
