DEBATE over one the Federal Government’s key climate policies is continuing to heat up, with a review into the way renewable energy companies have conducted negotiations released at the end of last week.
Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer’s review found 92 percent of residents were dissatisfied with the level of engagement from renewable energy developers.
But in contrast Farmers for Climate Action has released polling it has recently conducted suggesting renewable energy is well supported in the regions.
On the eve of a planned protest in Canberra tomorrow against the planned mass renewable energy project roll outs over the next seven years, FCA took its polling directly to the Federal Government to meet with Federal agriculture minister Murray Watt and talk up the money-making potential of renewable energy projects.
“Income during drought is vital when you’re trying to run a family farm and renewable energy delivers that,” chair Brett Hall said in a press release issued before the meeting.
“Typical payments being offered to farmers by wind companies are now more than $40,000 per turbine per year, and many farms host dozens of turbines whilst still farming sheep or cattle. Solar companies are now offering farmers around $1500 per hectare per year rent, and the farmer often continues to run sheep under the panels,
“The current National Farmers Federation president makes money from wind turbines on his land, and so does another previous NFF President. Sun and wind are modern commodities which make farmers serious money.”
How was the polling conducted?
FCA commissioned a polling company to survey 687 people living in three regional areas with large numbers of renewable energy projects – Central Qld and the NSW Hunter Valley and Illawarra region.
They asked residents of those regions what they saw as the biggest threat to their region, the biggest opportunity and what was most hurting the local region.
On each question survey respondents were asked to select one from a series of options (as outlined in image below).
The survey was conducted by Farmers for Climate Action but the respondents were not specifically farmers, rather, residents living in each region.
The results of the poll showed increased fires, flooding and droughts driven by climate change as the biggest threat, cost of living to be hurting the regions the most and renewable energy projects were a close second in the biggest opportunity behind tourism.
On the contrary, only a small percentage of respondents chose the construction of renewable energy projects and transmission lines as the issue they were most concerned about.
A point likely to be refuted by the organisation running tomorrow’s “rally against reckless renewables”.
FCA supports Dyer reviews findings
While FCA has released the polling to push for support of renewables, it did support the findings of the Dyor review. Chief executive officer Natalie Collard said last week that it was important for farmers voiced to be heard.
“The good and bad must be put on the table and dealt with, and we were glad to see legitimate concerns were printed in this review and were not hidden,” Ms Collard said.
“It’s important farmers’ voices continue to be heard as the recommendations are implemented.
“We can’t afford a repeat of the behavior we’ve seen from coal seam gas and coal developers in the transmission and renewable energy space. Some project proponents have failed badly and this review can be an important step towards improving practices of some operators, including government-owned operators, as the review states.”
NFF raises concerns about Dyor review
However, NFF president David Jochinke has raised a series of concerns. He said it exposed some serious issues in the renewable plan, but little to address them.
“This is a staggeringly poor reflection on the situation to date and it simply can’t go on,” Mr Jochinke said.
“Yet the report does very little to provide concrete solutions, instead referring to development of best practice guidelines and rating schemes.
“This is the exact kind of bureaucracy farmers and every day Australians are sick and tired of. It will do nothing to reassure farmers and communities their interests are being acknowledged or protected.
“It’s critical engagement is a two-way street and that engagement is genuine, addresses concerns and goes further than energy companies ticking a box ‘we’ve told them our plan’.”