Catalyst for Change
Non-profit futurist Think Tank based in Armidale NSW
with a vision for the future of the New England Region.
We meet with stakeholders and government at every level
to examine the issues and any conflicts
and follow up with recommendations and local action.
with a vision for the future of the New England Region.
We meet with stakeholders and government at every level
to examine the issues and any conflicts
and follow up with recommendations and local action.
Would you like to join our mailing list? Register by email - [email protected]
All our reports and submissions are available for download. Click on MORE
All our reports and submissions are available for download. Click on MORE
2024 May
11th May
For those of you wanting to attend Council's Extraordinary Meeting on Monday the
Have Your Say section starts at 3.00 pm.
I'm assuming there will be a big crowd again so come early if you want a seat.
Also Greta Gordon - Social development Officer for NGH asked if I could include a link to a survey regarding the proposed Armidale East BESS (Big Battery). Greta says: 'We are currently gathering the data from our targeted interviews to inform the Social Impact Assessment, which will be sent to you upon finalization'. As I reported earlier our team met with Greta by Zoom a few weeks ago to discuss the battery project which is linked to the Metz Solar Farm. Please take a few minutes to answer the survey. It helps these companies to know what our community is thinking.
Armidale East BESS - EIS Survey (surveymonkey.com)
For those of you wanting to attend Council's Extraordinary Meeting on Monday the
Have Your Say section starts at 3.00 pm.
I'm assuming there will be a big crowd again so come early if you want a seat.
Also Greta Gordon - Social development Officer for NGH asked if I could include a link to a survey regarding the proposed Armidale East BESS (Big Battery). Greta says: 'We are currently gathering the data from our targeted interviews to inform the Social Impact Assessment, which will be sent to you upon finalization'. As I reported earlier our team met with Greta by Zoom a few weeks ago to discuss the battery project which is linked to the Metz Solar Farm. Please take a few minutes to answer the survey. It helps these companies to know what our community is thinking.
Armidale East BESS - EIS Survey (surveymonkey.com)
10th May Friday Update
Well the big news is that will be a rescission motion to Margaret O'Connor's amendment to delay construction of the rail trail at the Extraordinary Council meeting on Monday at 4.00pm. It was signed by Sam Coupland, Todd Redwood, Paul Gaddes and Jon Galletly. Thank you to everyone who signed the petition and/or wrote a letter to Council. That made a big difference as it showed the high level of community support for the rail trail.
The Have Your Say with speakers for and against starts at 3.00pm. Last time the Chambers were packed with standing room only. Go early if you wish to get a seat.
On the agenda Cr Dorothy Robinson has a motion following the rescission motion. Here it is
Item: 12.1 Ref: AINT/2024/19524
Title: New England Rail Trail and associated matters Container:
ARC16/0025-7
Responsible Officer General Manager
Author: Dorothy Robinson, Councillor
Attachments: Nil
I hereby give notice of my intention to move the following motion at the Extraordinary Council
to be held on 13 May 2024.
NERT
1) That Council notes the information in the Background Supporting Information concerning
the prospects a reopening the rail line north or Armidale and the level of subsidy required
2) That council agrees to the timetable outlined in the NSW Public Works NERT Project
Program, including design, community consultation and
a. works with suitably qualified people to investigate the practicality within the
available $1 million contingency budget of constructing the trail from Armidale to
Dumaresq Stations without removing the rails and, if impractical, storing the rails for
potential future use
b. works with suitably qualified people to considers the feasibility at the design stage,
within the available contingency budget, of a sealed riding surface within urban
areas, and easy access to the trail at multiple locations from both north and south
Armidale
c. agrees to provide progress reports to council every 2 months.
3) That, subject to the NSW Government approvals required in the Transport Administration
Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022, council note and agree to the timetable in the NSW
Public Works Project Program entailing:
a. Commencing construction of the Armidale Railway Station to Dumaresq Trailhead
section of the New England Rail Trail with the BSBR funding offer of $5,410,000 once
necessary NSW Government approvals have been obtained
b. Delivering the remainder of the New England Rail Trail subject to obtaining 100%
grant funding for construction, and planning or other agreements to fund ongoing
maintenance
c. Endorsing NSW Public Works to appoint a Project Manager to manage the project
from early-stage investigation through to handover
d. Supporting the site-specific Regulation under the Transport Administration (General)
Regulation 2018 to authorise works on the train line
e. Delegating authority to the General Manager to sign all documents and deeds
relative to the License for minor works activities
f. Delegating authority to the General Manager to sign all documents, deeds and plans
relative to the 30-year long term Lease for the New England Rail Trail once necessary
NSW Government approvals have been obtained
g. Delegating authority to the General Manager to sign all documents and deeds
relevant to BSBR Grant funding received.
TRANSPORT
4) Prior to the draft Active Transport Strategy coming before Council, Council convenes an
Active Transport Committee, including representation by local cyclists, to develop the
ideas into workable solutions for our LGA based on:
a. an extended list of cyclist injury data over at least 20 years, and mechanical or digital
counts of cyclists using current facilities and nearby roads
b. a commitment by council to set up a 'near-miss' database to identify potential future
safety issues
c. a commitment by council to set up a fit-for-purpose report-it system that facilities
the reporting and public availability of dangerous road conditions for cyclists.
5) That Council commits to work with the NSW Government to provide better public
transport in our LGA including services to Brisbane and between Armidale, Guyra, Glen
Innes, Inverell and Tenterfield, ideally in a continuous loop.
COUNCILLOR INTERACTIONS
6) That council asks the GM to consider the excessive workload for councillors when large
numbers of reports are provided a few days before meetings or workshop and agrees to
develop a system to provide drafts in a more timely manner that would allow more
efficient use of councillors' time at meetings, workshops and briefing
7) That council requests the GM to develop a system alerting councillors to funding
opportunities such as the Regional Precincts and Partnerships (RPP) Grant and the
Growing Regions Fund as they arise.
CONFLICTS WITH PREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS
8) That any aspects of previous council resolutions in conflict with the above are rescinded.
Background Support Information:
Advice that Funding cannot be repurposed
After council voted to defer the project pending further information, ARC requested clarification
about whether the funds could be repurposed. The response from the National Emergency
Management Agency was that funding under the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery (BSBR)
Program must be spent in accordance with the individual grant agreement and cannot be
repurposed outside of these arrangements (see Appendix). This was also the opinion of the Hon
Barnaby Joyce MP, who stated in a radio interview on ABC on 29 April that he didn’t believe the
rail trail funding could be repurposed.
The Appendix (overleaf) shows the formal advice that the grant funding cannot be repurposed.
Future of rail transport north of Armidale
The NSW Government manages and subsidizes rail transport. The line north of Armidale has not
carried passengers for 35 years. The Armidale line to the south is reported to be the second
most subsidized line in NSW (according to information provided by council in their comments on
the LSPS). Other information indicates that fares cover only 17% of operating costs, so it seems
unlikely that the NSW Government will be reopening the northern rail line in the near future.
However, only the NSW Government can make this decision. Even if ARC wants to go ahead with
a rail trail, the first step is to follow the requirements set out in the Transport Administration
Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022, described perhaps incorrectly in the NSW Public Works
timetable as “legislation to close the railway (9.828 km)” and “Bill for closing railway - Legislation
is passed”. This is expected to take 4.5 months until 27 September 2024.
The time allocated for the NSW Government to make this decision will provide an opportunity
for interested parties to contact the NSW Government with information to support their views.
This would also be a good time for a wider discussion of the future of all public transport
services in our region.
This motion also recommends that council investigate all possible ways of preserving the rails
within the $1 million contingency available in addition to the $2.6 million direct construction
costs to avoid any unnecessary destruction of rail infrastructure.
Better transport in our LGA
The transport section of this motion commits ARC to working with the NSW Government to
provide better public transport in our LGA including services to Brisbane and between Armidale,
Guyra, Glen Innes, Inverell and Tenterfied, ideally in a continuous loop. All future bus services
should be wheelchair accessible, and (as in other countries) also have racks to carry bicycles. The
services should also allow residents of outlying areas easy access to medical services in Armidale
with shorter travel times than they had in the 1980s when passenger services operated on the
line to the north of Armidale. Modern public transport options could be considered, including
electric trackless trams, said to provide a much more comfortable ride that buses, and which are
now being used in a trial in Stirling, WA.
This motion also aims to enhance the draft Active Transport Strategy by convening an Active
Transport Committee, including representation by local cyclists, to develop the ideas into the
best possible solutions for our LGA achieving with the best possible value for money to attract
future funding and restore active transport to the levels Armidale had in the 1980s. Such a
restoration will require better data than available to the Active Transport Consultants, so the
motion also recommends setting up a database of ‘near miss’ incidents and other active
transport issues so they can be identified and remedied, thereby creating a safer environment
that encourages active transport and generates significant health benefits for our region.
Better council procedures
This motion also seeks to improve council procedures and allow councillors to more time to
consider draft reports prior to council meetings and also allow councillors more input into
applications for grant funding, as has happened in previous councils. Several councillors were
surprised to first learn about the $21.1 million application to the Regional Precincts and
Partnerships made on 29 February 2024 and the Growing Regions Funding Application for $1.8
million made on 15 January 2024 in the business paper for the April 2024 OCM.
Well the big news is that will be a rescission motion to Margaret O'Connor's amendment to delay construction of the rail trail at the Extraordinary Council meeting on Monday at 4.00pm. It was signed by Sam Coupland, Todd Redwood, Paul Gaddes and Jon Galletly. Thank you to everyone who signed the petition and/or wrote a letter to Council. That made a big difference as it showed the high level of community support for the rail trail.
The Have Your Say with speakers for and against starts at 3.00pm. Last time the Chambers were packed with standing room only. Go early if you wish to get a seat.
On the agenda Cr Dorothy Robinson has a motion following the rescission motion. Here it is
Item: 12.1 Ref: AINT/2024/19524
Title: New England Rail Trail and associated matters Container:
ARC16/0025-7
Responsible Officer General Manager
Author: Dorothy Robinson, Councillor
Attachments: Nil
I hereby give notice of my intention to move the following motion at the Extraordinary Council
to be held on 13 May 2024.
NERT
1) That Council notes the information in the Background Supporting Information concerning
the prospects a reopening the rail line north or Armidale and the level of subsidy required
2) That council agrees to the timetable outlined in the NSW Public Works NERT Project
Program, including design, community consultation and
a. works with suitably qualified people to investigate the practicality within the
available $1 million contingency budget of constructing the trail from Armidale to
Dumaresq Stations without removing the rails and, if impractical, storing the rails for
potential future use
b. works with suitably qualified people to considers the feasibility at the design stage,
within the available contingency budget, of a sealed riding surface within urban
areas, and easy access to the trail at multiple locations from both north and south
Armidale
c. agrees to provide progress reports to council every 2 months.
3) That, subject to the NSW Government approvals required in the Transport Administration
Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022, council note and agree to the timetable in the NSW
Public Works Project Program entailing:
a. Commencing construction of the Armidale Railway Station to Dumaresq Trailhead
section of the New England Rail Trail with the BSBR funding offer of $5,410,000 once
necessary NSW Government approvals have been obtained
b. Delivering the remainder of the New England Rail Trail subject to obtaining 100%
grant funding for construction, and planning or other agreements to fund ongoing
maintenance
c. Endorsing NSW Public Works to appoint a Project Manager to manage the project
from early-stage investigation through to handover
d. Supporting the site-specific Regulation under the Transport Administration (General)
Regulation 2018 to authorise works on the train line
e. Delegating authority to the General Manager to sign all documents and deeds
relative to the License for minor works activities
f. Delegating authority to the General Manager to sign all documents, deeds and plans
relative to the 30-year long term Lease for the New England Rail Trail once necessary
NSW Government approvals have been obtained
g. Delegating authority to the General Manager to sign all documents and deeds
relevant to BSBR Grant funding received.
TRANSPORT
4) Prior to the draft Active Transport Strategy coming before Council, Council convenes an
Active Transport Committee, including representation by local cyclists, to develop the
ideas into workable solutions for our LGA based on:
a. an extended list of cyclist injury data over at least 20 years, and mechanical or digital
counts of cyclists using current facilities and nearby roads
b. a commitment by council to set up a 'near-miss' database to identify potential future
safety issues
c. a commitment by council to set up a fit-for-purpose report-it system that facilities
the reporting and public availability of dangerous road conditions for cyclists.
5) That Council commits to work with the NSW Government to provide better public
transport in our LGA including services to Brisbane and between Armidale, Guyra, Glen
Innes, Inverell and Tenterfield, ideally in a continuous loop.
COUNCILLOR INTERACTIONS
6) That council asks the GM to consider the excessive workload for councillors when large
numbers of reports are provided a few days before meetings or workshop and agrees to
develop a system to provide drafts in a more timely manner that would allow more
efficient use of councillors' time at meetings, workshops and briefing
7) That council requests the GM to develop a system alerting councillors to funding
opportunities such as the Regional Precincts and Partnerships (RPP) Grant and the
Growing Regions Fund as they arise.
CONFLICTS WITH PREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS
8) That any aspects of previous council resolutions in conflict with the above are rescinded.
Background Support Information:
Advice that Funding cannot be repurposed
After council voted to defer the project pending further information, ARC requested clarification
about whether the funds could be repurposed. The response from the National Emergency
Management Agency was that funding under the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery (BSBR)
Program must be spent in accordance with the individual grant agreement and cannot be
repurposed outside of these arrangements (see Appendix). This was also the opinion of the Hon
Barnaby Joyce MP, who stated in a radio interview on ABC on 29 April that he didn’t believe the
rail trail funding could be repurposed.
The Appendix (overleaf) shows the formal advice that the grant funding cannot be repurposed.
Future of rail transport north of Armidale
The NSW Government manages and subsidizes rail transport. The line north of Armidale has not
carried passengers for 35 years. The Armidale line to the south is reported to be the second
most subsidized line in NSW (according to information provided by council in their comments on
the LSPS). Other information indicates that fares cover only 17% of operating costs, so it seems
unlikely that the NSW Government will be reopening the northern rail line in the near future.
However, only the NSW Government can make this decision. Even if ARC wants to go ahead with
a rail trail, the first step is to follow the requirements set out in the Transport Administration
Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022, described perhaps incorrectly in the NSW Public Works
timetable as “legislation to close the railway (9.828 km)” and “Bill for closing railway - Legislation
is passed”. This is expected to take 4.5 months until 27 September 2024.
The time allocated for the NSW Government to make this decision will provide an opportunity
for interested parties to contact the NSW Government with information to support their views.
This would also be a good time for a wider discussion of the future of all public transport
services in our region.
This motion also recommends that council investigate all possible ways of preserving the rails
within the $1 million contingency available in addition to the $2.6 million direct construction
costs to avoid any unnecessary destruction of rail infrastructure.
Better transport in our LGA
The transport section of this motion commits ARC to working with the NSW Government to
provide better public transport in our LGA including services to Brisbane and between Armidale,
Guyra, Glen Innes, Inverell and Tenterfied, ideally in a continuous loop. All future bus services
should be wheelchair accessible, and (as in other countries) also have racks to carry bicycles. The
services should also allow residents of outlying areas easy access to medical services in Armidale
with shorter travel times than they had in the 1980s when passenger services operated on the
line to the north of Armidale. Modern public transport options could be considered, including
electric trackless trams, said to provide a much more comfortable ride that buses, and which are
now being used in a trial in Stirling, WA.
This motion also aims to enhance the draft Active Transport Strategy by convening an Active
Transport Committee, including representation by local cyclists, to develop the ideas into the
best possible solutions for our LGA achieving with the best possible value for money to attract
future funding and restore active transport to the levels Armidale had in the 1980s. Such a
restoration will require better data than available to the Active Transport Consultants, so the
motion also recommends setting up a database of ‘near miss’ incidents and other active
transport issues so they can be identified and remedied, thereby creating a safer environment
that encourages active transport and generates significant health benefits for our region.
Better council procedures
This motion also seeks to improve council procedures and allow councillors to more time to
consider draft reports prior to council meetings and also allow councillors more input into
applications for grant funding, as has happened in previous councils. Several councillors were
surprised to first learn about the $21.1 million application to the Regional Precincts and
Partnerships made on 29 February 2024 and the Growing Regions Funding Application for $1.8
million made on 15 January 2024 in the business paper for the April 2024 OCM.
8th May
We currently have 4808 online signatures on our petition for locals and 250 signatures on the petition for non-locals. I have also received a few paper petitions but don't expect to do a count on those until the petition period closes on 19 June. You can follow all updates on two FB pages - a new supporters page and my own personal page.
https://www.facebook.com/maria.hitchcock.37
https://www.facebook.com/groups/409325998548705/
Yesterday we received news that there will be a rescission motion to the amendment at Council's Extraordinary meeting next Monday 13 April. The results of our petitions and the large number of letters and emails received by council have convinced the supportive councillors to take this step.
Let us be really clear on the issues here. It is not a debate between rail and trail. It is a debate between a rail trail and leaving the rail corridor to languish unused for the next unknown number of years. Our silent majority who came out in droves to sign the online petition want to see our region progress like everywhere else with a thriving economy, large tourist numbers, entrepreneurial endeavours and sensible decisions by council.
The Rail Romantics are pulling out every argument they can think of to stymie the project despite being officially informed by Barnaby Joyce and the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Hon. Jenny Aitchison that trains will never return to the Great Northern Line. That line was doomed in the 1920's when it was turned into a branch line after Sydney and Brisbane were connected by a single gauge line along the coastal route. They were also well aware that the National Emergency Management Authority had given us the grant for a single purpose - the rail-trail - and could not be used for anything else. The Rail Romantics are living in Fantasyland and want our whole community to join them.
The amendment did not say to cancel the rail trail. It said to delay the project thus ensuring that we would lose the $5.4m grant because time is very tight. That is what the community is furious about. NEV2030 is calling on those councillors to heed our community and get behind the NERT project which we consider to be an excellent repurposing of the defunct rail corridor.
We are now biting our fingernails hoping the amendment is rescinded on Monday, the original motion passed and the project begin. It shouldn't be like this.
Yesterday I received an email from Cr Susan McMichael saying:
I am against cost shifting from State & Federal governments, and in my speech in the council meeting, I mentioned the change of scope, and the cost of ongoing maintenance for council.
This was my reply
Dear Susan,
The question of cost shifting is not valid because the rail trail is a transformational project that will bring much needed revenue into this district.
Cost shifting occurs all the time as governments reassess their priorities. Armidale is vulnerable because approximately 30% of the region cannot be rated due to exemptions. Therefore we need all the revenue we can get. We have been informed that a consortium of business people are ready to donate maintenance for the section from Dumaresq Station to Ben Lomond. They believe in the future of Armidale Region. This means that there won't be any cost to ratepayers. As for a change of scope this was on the advice of the Public Works Authority who published a comprehensive report in the 24th April business papers.
Our petition has broken all records because people are angry. They are furious at the idea that yet again Council is ready to turn their backs on a difficult to obtain grant of $5.4m. They are furious at the pro-train lobby which refuses to accept official statements from Barnaby Joyce, Jenny Aitchison and others that trains will never return to the Great Northern Line. That line was doomed in the 1920s when it was decided to unite Sydney and Brisbane by a single gauge rail system along the coastal route. The GNR line is obsolete with degraded equipment and infrastructure. The world has moved on. NSW is full of small closed rail lines. Some have been turned into rail trails to the great benefit of their communities.
NEV2030 Institute would like to ask you to change your vote and allow this project to proceed. The community will be very grateful.
We currently have 4808 online signatures on our petition for locals and 250 signatures on the petition for non-locals. I have also received a few paper petitions but don't expect to do a count on those until the petition period closes on 19 June. You can follow all updates on two FB pages - a new supporters page and my own personal page.
https://www.facebook.com/maria.hitchcock.37
https://www.facebook.com/groups/409325998548705/
Yesterday we received news that there will be a rescission motion to the amendment at Council's Extraordinary meeting next Monday 13 April. The results of our petitions and the large number of letters and emails received by council have convinced the supportive councillors to take this step.
Let us be really clear on the issues here. It is not a debate between rail and trail. It is a debate between a rail trail and leaving the rail corridor to languish unused for the next unknown number of years. Our silent majority who came out in droves to sign the online petition want to see our region progress like everywhere else with a thriving economy, large tourist numbers, entrepreneurial endeavours and sensible decisions by council.
The Rail Romantics are pulling out every argument they can think of to stymie the project despite being officially informed by Barnaby Joyce and the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Hon. Jenny Aitchison that trains will never return to the Great Northern Line. That line was doomed in the 1920's when it was turned into a branch line after Sydney and Brisbane were connected by a single gauge line along the coastal route. They were also well aware that the National Emergency Management Authority had given us the grant for a single purpose - the rail-trail - and could not be used for anything else. The Rail Romantics are living in Fantasyland and want our whole community to join them.
The amendment did not say to cancel the rail trail. It said to delay the project thus ensuring that we would lose the $5.4m grant because time is very tight. That is what the community is furious about. NEV2030 is calling on those councillors to heed our community and get behind the NERT project which we consider to be an excellent repurposing of the defunct rail corridor.
We are now biting our fingernails hoping the amendment is rescinded on Monday, the original motion passed and the project begin. It shouldn't be like this.
Yesterday I received an email from Cr Susan McMichael saying:
I am against cost shifting from State & Federal governments, and in my speech in the council meeting, I mentioned the change of scope, and the cost of ongoing maintenance for council.
This was my reply
Dear Susan,
The question of cost shifting is not valid because the rail trail is a transformational project that will bring much needed revenue into this district.
Cost shifting occurs all the time as governments reassess their priorities. Armidale is vulnerable because approximately 30% of the region cannot be rated due to exemptions. Therefore we need all the revenue we can get. We have been informed that a consortium of business people are ready to donate maintenance for the section from Dumaresq Station to Ben Lomond. They believe in the future of Armidale Region. This means that there won't be any cost to ratepayers. As for a change of scope this was on the advice of the Public Works Authority who published a comprehensive report in the 24th April business papers.
Our petition has broken all records because people are angry. They are furious at the idea that yet again Council is ready to turn their backs on a difficult to obtain grant of $5.4m. They are furious at the pro-train lobby which refuses to accept official statements from Barnaby Joyce, Jenny Aitchison and others that trains will never return to the Great Northern Line. That line was doomed in the 1920s when it was decided to unite Sydney and Brisbane by a single gauge rail system along the coastal route. The GNR line is obsolete with degraded equipment and infrastructure. The world has moved on. NSW is full of small closed rail lines. Some have been turned into rail trails to the great benefit of their communities.
NEV2030 Institute would like to ask you to change your vote and allow this project to proceed. The community will be very grateful.
6th May
Am posting below an interim petition report sent to Council today. Also an interview with the Mayor about the rail trail.
Am posting below an interim petition report sent to Council today. Also an interview with the Mayor about the rail trail.
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Online petition link: https://chng.it/cVphfQFWrv
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Friday Update 3rd May 2024
As the team compiled the petition on Tuesday it just coincided with Ch 7 wanting to do an interview. They came out and filmed the team at work as well as individual interviews with Peter and myself. We were able to get our message out on the news that night. The online petition went live around 2.00pm on Tuesday and since then we have collected 3520 signatures - more than 3000 in three days! Social media has been running hot and I have now been blocked from the online Community Noticeboard and Thumbs Up Thumbs Down are burying my updates. The anti-rail trail lobby is worried. Over 60% of these signatures are from Facebook pages which means that the local New England population is sharing the petition to all their friends and groups. We are also being supported nationally by Rail Trails Australia and many other Bicycle groups. This has forced me to create a new petition for non-resident supporters which has gone out nationally. You can send your friends in other places this link and ask them to sign up. https://chng.it/mQPjmP7xgr
I will now be posting regular updates on the New England Rail Trail FB page so go there to read the latest news. https://www.facebook.com/newenglandrailtrailnsw/
As the team compiled the petition on Tuesday it just coincided with Ch 7 wanting to do an interview. They came out and filmed the team at work as well as individual interviews with Peter and myself. We were able to get our message out on the news that night. The online petition went live around 2.00pm on Tuesday and since then we have collected 3520 signatures - more than 3000 in three days! Social media has been running hot and I have now been blocked from the online Community Noticeboard and Thumbs Up Thumbs Down are burying my updates. The anti-rail trail lobby is worried. Over 60% of these signatures are from Facebook pages which means that the local New England population is sharing the petition to all their friends and groups. We are also being supported nationally by Rail Trails Australia and many other Bicycle groups. This has forced me to create a new petition for non-resident supporters which has gone out nationally. You can send your friends in other places this link and ask them to sign up. https://chng.it/mQPjmP7xgr
I will now be posting regular updates on the New England Rail Trail FB page so go there to read the latest news. https://www.facebook.com/newenglandrailtrailnsw/
Rail Trail Petition Tuesday 30th April 2024
At the Council meeting held 24 April, Cr O'Connor moved an amendment which was passed to delay the construction of the first section of the New England Rail Trail from Armidale Station to Dumaresq Station. A delay could mean Armidale losing an offer from the Federal Government's Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Fund of $5.4 million. These grants are very difficult to come by and this community has been eager to see a commencement of this transformative project which, based on data from other rail trails, should result in an enormous economic boost to our region.
Can you help by spreading these petitions both online and on paper.
We need as many signatures as we can get by 19th June
At the Council meeting held 24 April, Cr O'Connor moved an amendment which was passed to delay the construction of the first section of the New England Rail Trail from Armidale Station to Dumaresq Station. A delay could mean Armidale losing an offer from the Federal Government's Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Fund of $5.4 million. These grants are very difficult to come by and this community has been eager to see a commencement of this transformative project which, based on data from other rail trails, should result in an enormous economic boost to our region.
Can you help by spreading these petitions both online and on paper.
We need as many signatures as we can get by 19th June
Next Forum: 4th September - Meet the Candidates for the Armidale Regional Council election.
If you know someone who wants to stand for council please let them know of this event and ask them to get in touch with us.
If you know someone who wants to stand for council please let them know of this event and ask them to get in touch with us.
Weekly Update Friday 26th April
Last Wednesday it was standing room only at Council chambers for their monthly meeting. On the agenda was a motion to progress with Stage 1 of the Rail Trail from Armidale to Dumaresq. In the Have Your Say session we heard three speakers for and three against the Motion. The speakers for included our team member Peter Sniekers who has been involved with progressing the Rail Trail for several years.
The Stage 1 proposal came about because ARC had originally applied for money to complete the Guyra to Ben Lomond link. They received $5.4m - approximately half of the application. They also received money for maintenance of the line from the REZ. It was then decided to put the grant towards the first section - Armidale to Dumaresq. This makes good sense as Armidale is the major population base and the 18km return ride would be very popular with students, schoolchildren, townspeople and regional residents who want a safe ride. We all know people who have suffered serious accidents riding on our roads. NEV2030 met with council in 2022 suggesting that the trail start from Armidale for this very reason. A demonstrated popularity of Stage 1 would help with securing the rest of the funding required to complete the trail and link with the Glen Innes section.
The three speakers for the start of Stage 1 were very strong as opposed to the weak arguments (and speaking ability) of the anti trail lobby. The rail line has languished unused for over 30 years yet these people assume that some miracle will happen and a mysterious $2 billion will fall from the sky and result in passenger services to Wallangarra!!! The reason there is no current rail service is that there are NO PASSENGERS! Air travel has overtaken rail in regional Australia. The idea that we need the line for freight is laughable. What freight? Our futurist Think Tank NEV 2030 foresees cargo planes from Armidale taking chilled beef and lamb to Toowoomba and on to SE Asia. Who wants to live back in 1950?
It was obvious that the ensuing vote had been previously determined as the councillors who voted for a Trumpian delay in the project, put forward in an amendment by Margaret O'Connor, were all using the same talking points. These councillors supporting the amendment to delay the project (and risk losing the grant) were Debbie O'Brien, Susan McMichael, Dorothy Robinson, Brad Widders and Paul Packham. Despite being told by the Mayor and speakers that the grant could not be repurposed, they continued in their questioning and debate with the notion that the money could be better spent on other projects. This was a serious mis-calculation by the orchestrator of the vote for the delay as it looked like the five councillors were voting for a repurposing of the grant money. This would make their vote invalid I would think and leave it open to a rescission motion.
Social media is running hot with comments from some very angry residents countered by some weak defensive arguments from Trains North proponents who have no vision for the future of our community. I'm reminded how Armidale was set back for decades when successive Mayors supported the "City of the Arts' concept and sent prospective businesses to Tamworth.
A campaign will soon be underway. Please reply to this update if you want to help.
Remember also that Council elections are coming up in September. In 2017 all the obstructionist councillors who ran again were voted out including the sitting Mayor at the time. It is possible but we need to spread the word. NEV 2030 wants a future for Armidale blessed with prosperity. That means supporting projects that help business and tourism as well as our relaxed lifestyle.
Last Wednesday it was standing room only at Council chambers for their monthly meeting. On the agenda was a motion to progress with Stage 1 of the Rail Trail from Armidale to Dumaresq. In the Have Your Say session we heard three speakers for and three against the Motion. The speakers for included our team member Peter Sniekers who has been involved with progressing the Rail Trail for several years.
The Stage 1 proposal came about because ARC had originally applied for money to complete the Guyra to Ben Lomond link. They received $5.4m - approximately half of the application. They also received money for maintenance of the line from the REZ. It was then decided to put the grant towards the first section - Armidale to Dumaresq. This makes good sense as Armidale is the major population base and the 18km return ride would be very popular with students, schoolchildren, townspeople and regional residents who want a safe ride. We all know people who have suffered serious accidents riding on our roads. NEV2030 met with council in 2022 suggesting that the trail start from Armidale for this very reason. A demonstrated popularity of Stage 1 would help with securing the rest of the funding required to complete the trail and link with the Glen Innes section.
The three speakers for the start of Stage 1 were very strong as opposed to the weak arguments (and speaking ability) of the anti trail lobby. The rail line has languished unused for over 30 years yet these people assume that some miracle will happen and a mysterious $2 billion will fall from the sky and result in passenger services to Wallangarra!!! The reason there is no current rail service is that there are NO PASSENGERS! Air travel has overtaken rail in regional Australia. The idea that we need the line for freight is laughable. What freight? Our futurist Think Tank NEV 2030 foresees cargo planes from Armidale taking chilled beef and lamb to Toowoomba and on to SE Asia. Who wants to live back in 1950?
It was obvious that the ensuing vote had been previously determined as the councillors who voted for a Trumpian delay in the project, put forward in an amendment by Margaret O'Connor, were all using the same talking points. These councillors supporting the amendment to delay the project (and risk losing the grant) were Debbie O'Brien, Susan McMichael, Dorothy Robinson, Brad Widders and Paul Packham. Despite being told by the Mayor and speakers that the grant could not be repurposed, they continued in their questioning and debate with the notion that the money could be better spent on other projects. This was a serious mis-calculation by the orchestrator of the vote for the delay as it looked like the five councillors were voting for a repurposing of the grant money. This would make their vote invalid I would think and leave it open to a rescission motion.
Social media is running hot with comments from some very angry residents countered by some weak defensive arguments from Trains North proponents who have no vision for the future of our community. I'm reminded how Armidale was set back for decades when successive Mayors supported the "City of the Arts' concept and sent prospective businesses to Tamworth.
A campaign will soon be underway. Please reply to this update if you want to help.
Remember also that Council elections are coming up in September. In 2017 all the obstructionist councillors who ran again were voted out including the sitting Mayor at the time. It is possible but we need to spread the word. NEV 2030 wants a future for Armidale blessed with prosperity. That means supporting projects that help business and tourism as well as our relaxed lifestyle.
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Weekly Update Friday 19th April
What a fascinating evening we had on Wednesday at our Forum Scams and Cybercrime.
Many thanks to Sue and Ben from the National Australia Bank and our team member Martin Levins for their presentations and very helpful answers. Thank you to our team member Peter Sniekers for taking careful notes which are posted above.
Thanks also to the Armidale City Bowling Club for their in kind support.
After the Forum yesterday I deleted all cookies from my browsers, checked if my email had been pwned and decided to use PayPal for all internet payments. Others in the room have taken similar action. We now have some tools and some good websites to go to if we are targeted by scammers who want to deprive us of our money and/ or identity details.
In the News
Five Australians are among 37 individuals who have been arrested in relation to an alleged global phishing scam that targeted tens of thousands of people, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said today. Police said the scam involved 10,000 cybercriminals from around the world who used the platform LabHost to trick victims into providing their personal information, such as online banking logins, credit card details and passwords.Among the victims were 94,000 Australians, they said. Police arrested a man from Melbourne and a man from Adelaide, who they allege were both LabHost users, and charged them with cybercrime offences.
Read more:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-18/five-arrested-over-global-phishing-scam-global-sting/103738840?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=mail
Made in Australia
Critical minerals receive multi-million dollar support under Future Made in Australia policy
Michelle Grattan The Conversation April 16, 2024
Two major critical minerals projects in Queensland and South Australia are to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government loans as part of the Albanese government’s new Future Made in Australia policy. New loans worth $400 million will go to the Australian company Alpha HPA to deliver Australia’s first high-purity alumina processing facility in the Queensland port city of Gladstone. The project is expected to create about 490 jobs during construction and more than 200 when it is completed. The company will use Australian-owned intellectual property and technologies to produce high purity alumina, which is a critical mineral used in LED lighting, semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries and other high- tech applications. The loans will be provided by Export Finance Australia through the government’s $4 billion Critical Minerals Facility and Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. The government is also lending $185 million to Renascor Resources to fast track the first stage of its South Australian Siviour Graphite Project at Arno Bay on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsular. An earlier loan for the project was approved in February 2022.
Stage One will deliver about 150 construction jobs and 125 ongoing jobs when the project is operational. Stage Two is expected to involve another 225 construction jobs and more than 120 jobs operational once operating in Bolivar near Port Adelaide. Renascor Resources will deliver purified graphite for lithium-ion batteries needed for electric vehicles and renewable technologies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the two projects would help bring “good and secure jobs in manufacturing, and clean, reliable energy”. Resources Minister Madeleine King said Australia’s critical minerals and rare earths were “key to building renewable technologies such as solar panels, batteries and wind farms, as well as defence and medical technologies”. Queensland Premier Steven Miles – who faces an election this year – said the announcement by the Prime Minister showed “the confidence government and industry have in the great state of Queensland”.
Critical minerals are defined as metallic or non-metallic elements found in the earth that are both crucial for modern technologies or national security and face the risk of supply chain disruption. Australia has identified 26 such minerals, and in February added nickel to the list. Albanese announced plans to introduce a Future Made in Australia Act last week, saying he wanted to “bring together in a comprehensive and co-ordinated way a whole package of new and existing initiatives to boost investment, create jobs and seize the opportunities of a future made in Australia”. On Monday the government announced a Medical Science Co-investment Plan that identified priorities for government support including digital health, medical devices, innovative therapeutics and sustainability.
What a fascinating evening we had on Wednesday at our Forum Scams and Cybercrime.
Many thanks to Sue and Ben from the National Australia Bank and our team member Martin Levins for their presentations and very helpful answers. Thank you to our team member Peter Sniekers for taking careful notes which are posted above.
Thanks also to the Armidale City Bowling Club for their in kind support.
After the Forum yesterday I deleted all cookies from my browsers, checked if my email had been pwned and decided to use PayPal for all internet payments. Others in the room have taken similar action. We now have some tools and some good websites to go to if we are targeted by scammers who want to deprive us of our money and/ or identity details.
In the News
Five Australians are among 37 individuals who have been arrested in relation to an alleged global phishing scam that targeted tens of thousands of people, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said today. Police said the scam involved 10,000 cybercriminals from around the world who used the platform LabHost to trick victims into providing their personal information, such as online banking logins, credit card details and passwords.Among the victims were 94,000 Australians, they said. Police arrested a man from Melbourne and a man from Adelaide, who they allege were both LabHost users, and charged them with cybercrime offences.
Read more:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-18/five-arrested-over-global-phishing-scam-global-sting/103738840?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=mail
Made in Australia
Critical minerals receive multi-million dollar support under Future Made in Australia policy
Michelle Grattan The Conversation April 16, 2024
Two major critical minerals projects in Queensland and South Australia are to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government loans as part of the Albanese government’s new Future Made in Australia policy. New loans worth $400 million will go to the Australian company Alpha HPA to deliver Australia’s first high-purity alumina processing facility in the Queensland port city of Gladstone. The project is expected to create about 490 jobs during construction and more than 200 when it is completed. The company will use Australian-owned intellectual property and technologies to produce high purity alumina, which is a critical mineral used in LED lighting, semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries and other high- tech applications. The loans will be provided by Export Finance Australia through the government’s $4 billion Critical Minerals Facility and Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. The government is also lending $185 million to Renascor Resources to fast track the first stage of its South Australian Siviour Graphite Project at Arno Bay on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsular. An earlier loan for the project was approved in February 2022.
Stage One will deliver about 150 construction jobs and 125 ongoing jobs when the project is operational. Stage Two is expected to involve another 225 construction jobs and more than 120 jobs operational once operating in Bolivar near Port Adelaide. Renascor Resources will deliver purified graphite for lithium-ion batteries needed for electric vehicles and renewable technologies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the two projects would help bring “good and secure jobs in manufacturing, and clean, reliable energy”. Resources Minister Madeleine King said Australia’s critical minerals and rare earths were “key to building renewable technologies such as solar panels, batteries and wind farms, as well as defence and medical technologies”. Queensland Premier Steven Miles – who faces an election this year – said the announcement by the Prime Minister showed “the confidence government and industry have in the great state of Queensland”.
Critical minerals are defined as metallic or non-metallic elements found in the earth that are both crucial for modern technologies or national security and face the risk of supply chain disruption. Australia has identified 26 such minerals, and in February added nickel to the list. Albanese announced plans to introduce a Future Made in Australia Act last week, saying he wanted to “bring together in a comprehensive and co-ordinated way a whole package of new and existing initiatives to boost investment, create jobs and seize the opportunities of a future made in Australia”. On Monday the government announced a Medical Science Co-investment Plan that identified priorities for government support including digital health, medical devices, innovative therapeutics and sustainability.
Weekly Update Friday 12th April
Only a few days left before our
Forum 'Scams and Cybercrime'
Wednesday 17th April 5.30 pm Armidale City Bowling Club
Please RSVP as soon as possible or buy a ticket if that's more convenient.
This Forum will be a little different as we are having a couple of presentations to help you with accessing information on how to avoid being scammed by cybercriminals. The older generation is particularly vulnerable because we are more trusting in general.
Do you know someone wanting to run for council in the election in September?
Please let them know that we will be running a
Meet the Candidates event on Wednesday 4th September at the Armidale Bowlo
In the news this week
Cybercrime and children
From the SMH
Hundreds of teenagers are being targeted by overseas crime gangs who threaten to leak explicit photographs unless they pay hundreds of dollars, this masthead has learnt, days after revealing two Nigerian men were arrested over a vicious sextortion plot that drove a NSW boy to suicide.
Read the article: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/once-you-pay-i-will-delete-the-photo-how-scammers-are-snaring-hundreds-of-children-each-month-20240409-p5figt.html
ONPOINT Community Credit Union has some good advice.
We cannot expect kids to understand all the new threats that are evolving on social media sites, gaming platforms and other sites—but we can make them aware of the risks and reinforce best practices, giving them the skills they need to avoid falling victim or serving as an entryway to your information. Consistent security education about these risks can help reduce the risks to your family’s financial security and privacy.
Read more: https://www.onpointcu.com/blog/how-scammers-target-kids-online/
Renewables
Sydney set for giant pumped hydro project
Nick O'Malley SMH 11/4/24
A pumped-hydro scheme large enough to generate electricity for 500,000 homes for eight hours would be built on Sydney’s south-western fringe under a proposal by renewable energy company Zen Energy in a development agreement with WaterNSW. The Western Sydney Pumped Hydro project would see water pumped out of Lake Burragorang, 24 kilometres from the Warragamba dam wall, into a reservoir built in a former coal-washing facility west of Camden. It would then be released to spin a turbine to generate eight hours’ worth of electricity generation when demand is high.
Professor Ross Garnaut, a director and major shareholder of Zen Energy who was a climate and energy advisor to the Rudd and Gillard governments, said the site is perfect because it provides the access to water and elevation demanded by pumped hydro projects. It would also be built into land already disturbed by heavy industry and is close enough to Sydney that it would not need the construction of new transmission lines. The company hopes to complete the 1 gigawatt project by 2030 for less than $3 billion.
EVs are booming but electric bikes are really cutting emissions
Guardian 11/4/24
Australians are really getting on board with electric cars, but the number of electric bikes has also exploded – and data suggests the smaller EVs are having a bigger impact on oil demand. Electric vehicles as a whole displaced about 1.5m barrels of oil a day globally in 2022, according to Bloomberg. Two-thirds of that – almost 1m barrels a day – was just from electric bikes and mopeds, which are known as electric micromobility. Electric cars were responsible for a little over a sixth, with the remainder accounted for by vans, trucks and buses.
Only a few days left before our
Forum 'Scams and Cybercrime'
Wednesday 17th April 5.30 pm Armidale City Bowling Club
Please RSVP as soon as possible or buy a ticket if that's more convenient.
This Forum will be a little different as we are having a couple of presentations to help you with accessing information on how to avoid being scammed by cybercriminals. The older generation is particularly vulnerable because we are more trusting in general.
Do you know someone wanting to run for council in the election in September?
Please let them know that we will be running a
Meet the Candidates event on Wednesday 4th September at the Armidale Bowlo
In the news this week
Cybercrime and children
From the SMH
Hundreds of teenagers are being targeted by overseas crime gangs who threaten to leak explicit photographs unless they pay hundreds of dollars, this masthead has learnt, days after revealing two Nigerian men were arrested over a vicious sextortion plot that drove a NSW boy to suicide.
Read the article: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/once-you-pay-i-will-delete-the-photo-how-scammers-are-snaring-hundreds-of-children-each-month-20240409-p5figt.html
ONPOINT Community Credit Union has some good advice.
We cannot expect kids to understand all the new threats that are evolving on social media sites, gaming platforms and other sites—but we can make them aware of the risks and reinforce best practices, giving them the skills they need to avoid falling victim or serving as an entryway to your information. Consistent security education about these risks can help reduce the risks to your family’s financial security and privacy.
Read more: https://www.onpointcu.com/blog/how-scammers-target-kids-online/
Renewables
Sydney set for giant pumped hydro project
Nick O'Malley SMH 11/4/24
A pumped-hydro scheme large enough to generate electricity for 500,000 homes for eight hours would be built on Sydney’s south-western fringe under a proposal by renewable energy company Zen Energy in a development agreement with WaterNSW. The Western Sydney Pumped Hydro project would see water pumped out of Lake Burragorang, 24 kilometres from the Warragamba dam wall, into a reservoir built in a former coal-washing facility west of Camden. It would then be released to spin a turbine to generate eight hours’ worth of electricity generation when demand is high.
Professor Ross Garnaut, a director and major shareholder of Zen Energy who was a climate and energy advisor to the Rudd and Gillard governments, said the site is perfect because it provides the access to water and elevation demanded by pumped hydro projects. It would also be built into land already disturbed by heavy industry and is close enough to Sydney that it would not need the construction of new transmission lines. The company hopes to complete the 1 gigawatt project by 2030 for less than $3 billion.
EVs are booming but electric bikes are really cutting emissions
Guardian 11/4/24
Australians are really getting on board with electric cars, but the number of electric bikes has also exploded – and data suggests the smaller EVs are having a bigger impact on oil demand. Electric vehicles as a whole displaced about 1.5m barrels of oil a day globally in 2022, according to Bloomberg. Two-thirds of that – almost 1m barrels a day – was just from electric bikes and mopeds, which are known as electric micromobility. Electric cars were responsible for a little over a sixth, with the remainder accounted for by vans, trucks and buses.
Weekly Update Friday 5th April
The news broke yesterday that our local State Member, Adam Marshall, will step down on 13 May. Adam has been a very hard working outstanding MP who has demonstrated a genuine affection and respect for his constituents. He has contributed enormously to so many projects in our electorate from schools to hospitals and will be sorely missed. We wish him every success in his future endeavours
Forum 'Scams and Cybercrime' Wednesday 17th April Bowlo 5.30 - 7.30
With less than two weeks to go to our Forum it is time to RSVP or buy a ticket
Scams and cybercrime are in the news all the time and many of us experience fake messages and emails every day. We have an outstanding panel who will answer your questions and show you how to avoid becoming a victim. Don't delay - register now.
Save the date: Wednesday 4th September: Meet the Candidates - Council election.
If you know someone who is planning on running for council please let them know.
BESS Project
Yesterday three of our team met in a Teams meeting with Greta Gordon and her colleague Lisa of NGH Consulting in a Social Impact Consultation discussing the new 400 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at Metz planned by Future Renewable Vision (FRV) and linked to the existing solar farm. The Project site would use up to 10 hectares (ha), including construction laydown, compounds and stockpiling, a Crown reserve road corridor, and connection route to the nearby substation. More information can be viewed on the website: https://armidaleeastbess.com.au/
REZ Network Operator
The NSW Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has put out a tender for a REZ Network Operator.
Tender DetailsThe network operator will play a central role in establishing the New England REZ as the New South Wales’ second renewable energy zone. The New England REZ was formally declared by the Minister for Energy under section 19(1) of the EII Act and published in the NSW Gazette on 17 December 2021 (NE REZ Declaration). The NE REZ Declaration establishes an intended network capacity of 8GW for the New England REZ. Procurement of the New England REZ is expected to include arrangements, separate or combined, that will be responsible for:
a.design, construction, and commissioning of the New England REZ Network Infrastructure (RNI);
b.maintenance and operations of the RNI, including obtaining registration as a ‘Transmission Network Service Provider’ under the National Electricity Law with the rights and obligations that this entails;
c.financing the RNI; and
d.coordinating new generator connections, potentially including the development and construction of the required connection assets.
More details: https://www.tenders.nsw.gov.au/DCCEEW/?event=public.rft.show&RFTUUID=EC20ABAD-C47E-8E3F-B8ABF91616C213AF
In the News
Scammers are becoming patient: Banks say social media giants need to step up
Millie Muroi SMH 1 April
Bank experts have warned scammers are becoming more patient, targeting victims through drawn-out romance and investment scams promising lavish lifestyles, and have called on social media platforms to step up their role in scam prevention. While scam losses have been declining, the volume of some scam types have increased, including goods and services scams on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, according to ANZ head of customer protection Shaq Johnson and Westpac head of fraud Ben Young.
“The overwhelming majority of scams start on social media or via text message,” said Young. “There’s been a huge volume of buying and selling scams, and they always spike whenever there’s a scarcity in something, whether that’s COVID tests or Taylor Swift tickets.” Johnson said while banks were putting in more anti-scam measures, it was often too late when victims got to the point of transaction because of the huge emotional cost involved, and that social media companies needed to do more to combat fraud.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/scammers-are-becoming-patient-banks-say-social-media-giants-need-to-step-up-20240325-p5ff2f.html?utm_content=in_other_news&list_name=E2446F7A-1897-44FC-8EB8-B365900170E3&promote_channel=edmail&utm_campaign=am-smh&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=2024-04-02&mbnr=Mzg4MTA1Mg&instance=2024-04-02-06-53-AEDT&jobid=30360154
The news broke yesterday that our local State Member, Adam Marshall, will step down on 13 May. Adam has been a very hard working outstanding MP who has demonstrated a genuine affection and respect for his constituents. He has contributed enormously to so many projects in our electorate from schools to hospitals and will be sorely missed. We wish him every success in his future endeavours
Forum 'Scams and Cybercrime' Wednesday 17th April Bowlo 5.30 - 7.30
With less than two weeks to go to our Forum it is time to RSVP or buy a ticket
Scams and cybercrime are in the news all the time and many of us experience fake messages and emails every day. We have an outstanding panel who will answer your questions and show you how to avoid becoming a victim. Don't delay - register now.
Save the date: Wednesday 4th September: Meet the Candidates - Council election.
If you know someone who is planning on running for council please let them know.
BESS Project
Yesterday three of our team met in a Teams meeting with Greta Gordon and her colleague Lisa of NGH Consulting in a Social Impact Consultation discussing the new 400 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at Metz planned by Future Renewable Vision (FRV) and linked to the existing solar farm. The Project site would use up to 10 hectares (ha), including construction laydown, compounds and stockpiling, a Crown reserve road corridor, and connection route to the nearby substation. More information can be viewed on the website: https://armidaleeastbess.com.au/
REZ Network Operator
The NSW Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has put out a tender for a REZ Network Operator.
Tender DetailsThe network operator will play a central role in establishing the New England REZ as the New South Wales’ second renewable energy zone. The New England REZ was formally declared by the Minister for Energy under section 19(1) of the EII Act and published in the NSW Gazette on 17 December 2021 (NE REZ Declaration). The NE REZ Declaration establishes an intended network capacity of 8GW for the New England REZ. Procurement of the New England REZ is expected to include arrangements, separate or combined, that will be responsible for:
a.design, construction, and commissioning of the New England REZ Network Infrastructure (RNI);
b.maintenance and operations of the RNI, including obtaining registration as a ‘Transmission Network Service Provider’ under the National Electricity Law with the rights and obligations that this entails;
c.financing the RNI; and
d.coordinating new generator connections, potentially including the development and construction of the required connection assets.
More details: https://www.tenders.nsw.gov.au/DCCEEW/?event=public.rft.show&RFTUUID=EC20ABAD-C47E-8E3F-B8ABF91616C213AF
In the News
Scammers are becoming patient: Banks say social media giants need to step up
Millie Muroi SMH 1 April
Bank experts have warned scammers are becoming more patient, targeting victims through drawn-out romance and investment scams promising lavish lifestyles, and have called on social media platforms to step up their role in scam prevention. While scam losses have been declining, the volume of some scam types have increased, including goods and services scams on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, according to ANZ head of customer protection Shaq Johnson and Westpac head of fraud Ben Young.
“The overwhelming majority of scams start on social media or via text message,” said Young. “There’s been a huge volume of buying and selling scams, and they always spike whenever there’s a scarcity in something, whether that’s COVID tests or Taylor Swift tickets.” Johnson said while banks were putting in more anti-scam measures, it was often too late when victims got to the point of transaction because of the huge emotional cost involved, and that social media companies needed to do more to combat fraud.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/scammers-are-becoming-patient-banks-say-social-media-giants-need-to-step-up-20240325-p5ff2f.html?utm_content=in_other_news&list_name=E2446F7A-1897-44FC-8EB8-B365900170E3&promote_channel=edmail&utm_campaign=am-smh&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=2024-04-02&mbnr=Mzg4MTA1Mg&instance=2024-04-02-06-53-AEDT&jobid=30360154
Weekly Update Thursday 28th March
Team members Peter Sniekers, Martin Levins and I had a Teams meeting during the week with Sue Starkey and Ben Fittler of the Regional Australia Bank to plan their presentation for our Forum 'Scams and Cybecrime' - Wed. 17th April at the Bowlo at 5.30pm. It was good to meet our financial experts on the panel. Our discussion was highly productive and informative. Those of you attending will be well rewarded. The invitation is posted above.
Renewable Energy in Japan
Team member Peter Sniekers has just visited Japan and has a few comments:
'I have been interested in energy in Japan and their energy mix. All areas in Japan seem to be criss-crossed with huge transmission towers which dwarf those in Australia. (See photo below) With a pre-tsunami goal of expanding nuclear energy, Japan now has a fleet of decommissioned reactors in various stages of recommissioning following the 2011 tsunami and public backlash, and still problems at Fukashima and a public less supportive of nuclear than before. The latest energy mix figures are surprising and show Japan in 2020 generated more from RE (17+%)than nuclear (4%)and their nuclear plans have been wound back now with a 20-22% target in the medium term (compared with higher earlier goals), while the target for RE has been lifted. See table from world-nuclear.org for Japan.
Total generation for Japan (in 2020): 1018 TWh
Generation mix: natural gas 385 TWh (38%); coal 311 TWh (31%); hydro 87.5 TWh (9%); solar 79.1 TWh (8%); biofuels & waste 45.9 TWh (5%); nuclear 38.8 TWh (4%); oil 31.9 TWh (3%); wind 9.0 TWh.
Import/export balance: Zero imports and exports.*
Total consumption: c. 907 TWh
Per capita consumption: c. 7200 kWh in 2020
The table on Japan is mentioned in units of TWh which are Terawatt hours: so for clarity: One terawatt is equal to 1000000 megawatts or 1000 gigawatts – it's useful for conceptualizing how much energy is being used worldwide.
In October 2012 the new Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), which had taken over from the Nuclear & Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), announced that henceforth nuclear power plant restart reviews would comprise both a safety assessment by the NRA and the briefing of affected local governments by the operators. The assessment would be based on safety guidelines in the New Regulatory Requirements formulated by the NRA in July 2013 after public consultation. In rule making, the NRA commissioners referred to the guidelines of the IAEA, Finland, France and the USA, as well as the former NISA July 2011 stress test rules and provisional 30-point measures, issued in April 2012, that were applied to the restarts of Ohi 3&4.
Team members Peter Sniekers, Martin Levins and I had a Teams meeting during the week with Sue Starkey and Ben Fittler of the Regional Australia Bank to plan their presentation for our Forum 'Scams and Cybecrime' - Wed. 17th April at the Bowlo at 5.30pm. It was good to meet our financial experts on the panel. Our discussion was highly productive and informative. Those of you attending will be well rewarded. The invitation is posted above.
Renewable Energy in Japan
Team member Peter Sniekers has just visited Japan and has a few comments:
'I have been interested in energy in Japan and their energy mix. All areas in Japan seem to be criss-crossed with huge transmission towers which dwarf those in Australia. (See photo below) With a pre-tsunami goal of expanding nuclear energy, Japan now has a fleet of decommissioned reactors in various stages of recommissioning following the 2011 tsunami and public backlash, and still problems at Fukashima and a public less supportive of nuclear than before. The latest energy mix figures are surprising and show Japan in 2020 generated more from RE (17+%)than nuclear (4%)and their nuclear plans have been wound back now with a 20-22% target in the medium term (compared with higher earlier goals), while the target for RE has been lifted. See table from world-nuclear.org for Japan.
Total generation for Japan (in 2020): 1018 TWh
Generation mix: natural gas 385 TWh (38%); coal 311 TWh (31%); hydro 87.5 TWh (9%); solar 79.1 TWh (8%); biofuels & waste 45.9 TWh (5%); nuclear 38.8 TWh (4%); oil 31.9 TWh (3%); wind 9.0 TWh.
Import/export balance: Zero imports and exports.*
Total consumption: c. 907 TWh
Per capita consumption: c. 7200 kWh in 2020
The table on Japan is mentioned in units of TWh which are Terawatt hours: so for clarity: One terawatt is equal to 1000000 megawatts or 1000 gigawatts – it's useful for conceptualizing how much energy is being used worldwide.
In October 2012 the new Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), which had taken over from the Nuclear & Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), announced that henceforth nuclear power plant restart reviews would comprise both a safety assessment by the NRA and the briefing of affected local governments by the operators. The assessment would be based on safety guidelines in the New Regulatory Requirements formulated by the NRA in July 2013 after public consultation. In rule making, the NRA commissioners referred to the guidelines of the IAEA, Finland, France and the USA, as well as the former NISA July 2011 stress test rules and provisional 30-point measures, issued in April 2012, that were applied to the restarts of Ohi 3&4.
Weekly Update Friday 22nd March
It's been a busy week. I spent two days attending a Leadership Action Initiative Workshop in Uralla run by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. Attendees came from all over the Tablelands (Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Inverell, Uralla, Walcha, Armidale and included four of our Mayors. We looked at what is important in our region (what we value most), where we are heading as far as growth and development is concerned and how the REZ will influence change.
Forum 'Scams and Cybercrime' Wednesday 17th April Bowlo 5.30 - 7.30
Easter is coming up so please register for our next Forum as soon as you can before the distractions surrounding this important time of the year diverts our attention.
In the News this week
The Jacqui Lambie Network is the latest victim of ‘cybersquatting’. It’s the tip of the iceberg of negative political ads online
The Conversation March 14, 2024
Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie is furious. Amid the Tasmanian election campaign (in which she’s running candidates), her party, the Jacqui Lambie Network, has fallen victim to one of the many pitfalls in the world of online political advertising.
Her party’s website is lambienetwork.com.au. You might understand her anger, then, after finding out the Tasmanian Liberal party created a website to campaign against her, called lambienetwork.com. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it difference.
This is a textbook example of what’s known as cybersquatting. It’s when internet domain names that are similar to existing trademarked material or the names of people or organisations are bought up by competitors to use against the original. In fact, the major parties have purchased a heap of domain names.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/the-jacqui-lambie-network-is-the-latest-victim-of-cybersquatting-its-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-of-negative-political-ads-online-225774
Australian eSafety commissioner puts tech companies on notice over reports terror-related content still being shared
by Josh Taylor The Guardian Tues 19th March 2024
Australia’s online safety regulator has issued notices to Telegram, Google, Meta, Reddit and X asking how they are taking action against terror material on their platforms. It is five years since an Australian murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand, and broadcast the massacre on Facebook live. Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said she still receives reports that video and other perpetrator-produced material from terror attacks are being shared on mainstream platforms, although there were now slightly less on mainstream platforms such as X and Facebook. She said there was new violent extremist content, including beheadings, tortures, kidnapping and rapes coming online that the platforms may not be identifying as quickly. Under the legal notices issued this week, Inman Grant used her powers under the Online Safety Act to ask the companies a set of questions about their systems and processes to identify the content and prevent people being exposed to it, noting each company would have differences.
Read More: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/19/australian-esafety-commissioner-tech-companies-terror-related-content-shared-google-telegram-meta-reddit-
Bunnings Warning - Be aware of scams
Be cautious when encountering SMS or email scams and look out for red flags such as official-sounding email addresses, content with spelling or grammar mistakes, and urgent calls-to-action. If you have received a scam message, please forward to [email protected].
Lastly, if you suspect that your account has been compromised, we strongly recommend updating your login details immediately. To update your password, log in to your Bunnings account, go to My Account, and select Change password. Please also contact us at [email protected].
It's been a busy week. I spent two days attending a Leadership Action Initiative Workshop in Uralla run by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. Attendees came from all over the Tablelands (Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Inverell, Uralla, Walcha, Armidale and included four of our Mayors. We looked at what is important in our region (what we value most), where we are heading as far as growth and development is concerned and how the REZ will influence change.
Forum 'Scams and Cybercrime' Wednesday 17th April Bowlo 5.30 - 7.30
Easter is coming up so please register for our next Forum as soon as you can before the distractions surrounding this important time of the year diverts our attention.
In the News this week
The Jacqui Lambie Network is the latest victim of ‘cybersquatting’. It’s the tip of the iceberg of negative political ads online
The Conversation March 14, 2024
Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie is furious. Amid the Tasmanian election campaign (in which she’s running candidates), her party, the Jacqui Lambie Network, has fallen victim to one of the many pitfalls in the world of online political advertising.
Her party’s website is lambienetwork.com.au. You might understand her anger, then, after finding out the Tasmanian Liberal party created a website to campaign against her, called lambienetwork.com. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it difference.
This is a textbook example of what’s known as cybersquatting. It’s when internet domain names that are similar to existing trademarked material or the names of people or organisations are bought up by competitors to use against the original. In fact, the major parties have purchased a heap of domain names.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/the-jacqui-lambie-network-is-the-latest-victim-of-cybersquatting-its-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-of-negative-political-ads-online-225774
Australian eSafety commissioner puts tech companies on notice over reports terror-related content still being shared
by Josh Taylor The Guardian Tues 19th March 2024
Australia’s online safety regulator has issued notices to Telegram, Google, Meta, Reddit and X asking how they are taking action against terror material on their platforms. It is five years since an Australian murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand, and broadcast the massacre on Facebook live. Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said she still receives reports that video and other perpetrator-produced material from terror attacks are being shared on mainstream platforms, although there were now slightly less on mainstream platforms such as X and Facebook. She said there was new violent extremist content, including beheadings, tortures, kidnapping and rapes coming online that the platforms may not be identifying as quickly. Under the legal notices issued this week, Inman Grant used her powers under the Online Safety Act to ask the companies a set of questions about their systems and processes to identify the content and prevent people being exposed to it, noting each company would have differences.
Read More: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/19/australian-esafety-commissioner-tech-companies-terror-related-content-shared-google-telegram-meta-reddit-
Bunnings Warning - Be aware of scams
Be cautious when encountering SMS or email scams and look out for red flags such as official-sounding email addresses, content with spelling or grammar mistakes, and urgent calls-to-action. If you have received a scam message, please forward to [email protected].
Lastly, if you suspect that your account has been compromised, we strongly recommend updating your login details immediately. To update your password, log in to your Bunnings account, go to My Account, and select Change password. Please also contact us at [email protected].
Weekly Update Friday 15th March
We are now turning our attention to Cyber security and have finalised our panel and invitation for the next Forum. The invitation is attached. We are also organising another Forum to be held on Wednesday 19th June on Home and Car Security as this seems to be a major issue at the moment.
In the news this week
Scam Crackdown Bearing Fruit
By Joseph Brookes InnovationAus 7 March 24
Reported scam losses are down more than 40 per cent after industry teamed with regulators and law enforcement to combat stings last year, as the consumer regulator pushes for more protections. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb revealed the latest drop – a 41.7 per cent or $25.2 million decrease on reported losses to Scamwatch in December — while committing to continue pursuing scammers over the next year.
“This represents the sixth straight month of declining losses in Scamwatch reports compared to the corresponding month in 2022,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said in an address to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia in Sydney on Thursday. The decrease in reported losses compared to a year earlier comes after the establishment of the National Anti Scam Centre by the Albanese government last year and its first “fusion cell” targeting investment scams. Effectively a taskforce, the cell brings together banks, telcos and digital platforms to work with the corporate regulator against scams. The cell has referred more than 800 websites for takedown and shares intelligence with industry and law enforcement.
Earlier this year, the National Anti Scam Centre was credited with alerting a consumer about an imposter bond scam, helping to stop them transferring $300,000 to scammers. “All of this is positive, but the job is far from done and a whole of ecosystem legislative framework with mandatory, enforceable codes remains critical to ensure Australia becomes the world’s hardest target for scammers,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
Read more: https://www.innovationaus.com/scam-crackdown-bearing-fruit/
We teach school kids about safe sex. We need to teach safe sexting too
The Conversation March 15, 2024
Sexting involves taking self-made naked or partially naked sexual photos, videos or explicit texts and sending them online or via a mobile phone. They are more commonly referred to as “nudes” or “dick pics” by young people. A 2021 survey of almost 7,000 Australian teenagers (aged 14 to 18) found sexting was “ordinary practice” for young people. Of those surveyed, 86% reported they had received sexts and 70% said they had sent them. Our new research explores Australian teens’ experiences with sexting and sext education. We conducted 49 interviews with 30 young Australians (aged 11 to 17), with 19 repeat interviews a year later. Our findings show how current messages to simply avoid sexting do not work for young people. While the risks should be acknowledged, education should also include how to be respectful and safe with sexting.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/we-teach-school-kids-about-safe-sex-we-need-to-teach-safe-sexting-too-224748
We are now turning our attention to Cyber security and have finalised our panel and invitation for the next Forum. The invitation is attached. We are also organising another Forum to be held on Wednesday 19th June on Home and Car Security as this seems to be a major issue at the moment.
In the news this week
Scam Crackdown Bearing Fruit
By Joseph Brookes InnovationAus 7 March 24
Reported scam losses are down more than 40 per cent after industry teamed with regulators and law enforcement to combat stings last year, as the consumer regulator pushes for more protections. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb revealed the latest drop – a 41.7 per cent or $25.2 million decrease on reported losses to Scamwatch in December — while committing to continue pursuing scammers over the next year.
“This represents the sixth straight month of declining losses in Scamwatch reports compared to the corresponding month in 2022,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said in an address to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia in Sydney on Thursday. The decrease in reported losses compared to a year earlier comes after the establishment of the National Anti Scam Centre by the Albanese government last year and its first “fusion cell” targeting investment scams. Effectively a taskforce, the cell brings together banks, telcos and digital platforms to work with the corporate regulator against scams. The cell has referred more than 800 websites for takedown and shares intelligence with industry and law enforcement.
Earlier this year, the National Anti Scam Centre was credited with alerting a consumer about an imposter bond scam, helping to stop them transferring $300,000 to scammers. “All of this is positive, but the job is far from done and a whole of ecosystem legislative framework with mandatory, enforceable codes remains critical to ensure Australia becomes the world’s hardest target for scammers,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
Read more: https://www.innovationaus.com/scam-crackdown-bearing-fruit/
We teach school kids about safe sex. We need to teach safe sexting too
The Conversation March 15, 2024
Sexting involves taking self-made naked or partially naked sexual photos, videos or explicit texts and sending them online or via a mobile phone. They are more commonly referred to as “nudes” or “dick pics” by young people. A 2021 survey of almost 7,000 Australian teenagers (aged 14 to 18) found sexting was “ordinary practice” for young people. Of those surveyed, 86% reported they had received sexts and 70% said they had sent them. Our new research explores Australian teens’ experiences with sexting and sext education. We conducted 49 interviews with 30 young Australians (aged 11 to 17), with 19 repeat interviews a year later. Our findings show how current messages to simply avoid sexting do not work for young people. While the risks should be acknowledged, education should also include how to be respectful and safe with sexting.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/we-teach-school-kids-about-safe-sex-we-need-to-teach-safe-sexting-too-224748
Weekly Update Friday 8th March
Hello everyone,
What a fabulous event we had last Wednesday - our panel of experts was outstanding giving us so much important information about the current state of the solar industry and some future trends. We want to thank them for their time and expertise.
Next Forum - Wednesday 17th April - Scams and Cybercrime
We have decided to move on from renewables and approach another highly discussed issue which is affecting us all in different ways. Our panel of experts will include two representatives from the Regional Australia Bank, a police officer and our team member Martin Levins from UNE. The invitation will be sent out next week.
In the News - East Mall Upgrade from Armidale Regional Council's Enews
See the plans and talk to consultants today Friday 9-4pm (shopfront under Imperial Hotel) or Have Your Say (up to 29th March)
Plans to revitalise Armidale’s East Mall and make it a more appealing precinct for visitors, locals and business owners went on display on Friday 1 March 2024. The draft plans for the upgrade of East Mall largely stem from the Armidale City Mall Vibrancy Plan which was developed between 2015 and 2017 in close consultation with business owners. Armidale Mayor Sam Coupland said previous feedback from the community during the Mall Vibrancy Plan consultation reinforced the need to address traffic flow and increase parking opportunities.
“The overall aesthetic and appeal of the east mall also needed to be addressed due to a prolonged decline in business health with empty shops, little pedestrian traffic and an overall poor streetscape. “We are very optimistic and excited about the draft plans for the improvement of the East Mall and I am eager to share this with the community to get their feedback and hopefully an endorsement to move ahead and create a vibrant East Mall precinct.”
The Draft East Mall Plan objectives include:
The Draft East Mall Plan will be public exhibition from March 1 to 29.
To make a submission and to view the draft plans visit our Your Say Armidale Page.
Hello everyone,
What a fabulous event we had last Wednesday - our panel of experts was outstanding giving us so much important information about the current state of the solar industry and some future trends. We want to thank them for their time and expertise.
Next Forum - Wednesday 17th April - Scams and Cybercrime
We have decided to move on from renewables and approach another highly discussed issue which is affecting us all in different ways. Our panel of experts will include two representatives from the Regional Australia Bank, a police officer and our team member Martin Levins from UNE. The invitation will be sent out next week.
In the News - East Mall Upgrade from Armidale Regional Council's Enews
See the plans and talk to consultants today Friday 9-4pm (shopfront under Imperial Hotel) or Have Your Say (up to 29th March)
Plans to revitalise Armidale’s East Mall and make it a more appealing precinct for visitors, locals and business owners went on display on Friday 1 March 2024. The draft plans for the upgrade of East Mall largely stem from the Armidale City Mall Vibrancy Plan which was developed between 2015 and 2017 in close consultation with business owners. Armidale Mayor Sam Coupland said previous feedback from the community during the Mall Vibrancy Plan consultation reinforced the need to address traffic flow and increase parking opportunities.
“The overall aesthetic and appeal of the east mall also needed to be addressed due to a prolonged decline in business health with empty shops, little pedestrian traffic and an overall poor streetscape. “We are very optimistic and excited about the draft plans for the improvement of the East Mall and I am eager to share this with the community to get their feedback and hopefully an endorsement to move ahead and create a vibrant East Mall precinct.”
The Draft East Mall Plan objectives include:
- Providing an increase in the number of car parking spaces within East Mall.
- Balancing the provision of vehicular and pedestrian access whilst providing for an increase in the opportunity for street trading activities.
- Providing flexibility in the use of the East Mall by incorporating opportunities to restrict vehicular movements for special events.
- Ensuring the East Mall has improved pedestrian connections with the Central Mall (i.e. across the Faulkner Street Intersection) and eastern sections of Beardy Street (i.e. Marsh Street Intersection).
- Consideration of the East Mall in context with the surrounding road and pedestrian network, with connections to Coles Shopping Centre Complex and surrounding carparking opportunities being of key importance.
- Respecting and reflecting Armidale’s rich heritage into concepts for the East Mall, including its heritage buildings.
- Ensuring that there are multiple opportunities for genuine and constructive feedback to be sought and incorporated throughout the project.
The Draft East Mall Plan will be public exhibition from March 1 to 29.
To make a submission and to view the draft plans visit our Your Say Armidale Page.
Weekly Update Friday 1st March
Forum
Only a few days left till our Forum 'The Solar Revolution' next Wednesday 6th March at the Bowlo at 5.30pm. You can register up until Tuesday 5th March. Don't delay. We have an excellent panel of experts. If you are on the land this is your chance to hear Professor Lamb talk about agrivoltaics and how renewables will be a future major player in agriculture. As a former Distinguished Professor of UNE he has spent more than 25 years working as a front line researcher in technology and data-enabled agriculture. He also established the UNE SMART Farms initiative. Ed Campbell of Meralli Solar co-founded Seek+Deploy, a bespoke communications agency supporting regionally based innovators, entrepreneurs and change makers. Much of Seek+Deploy’s work is focussed on the renewable sector and supporting the transition to a clean energy future. New England Solar Power was one of the first local companies to install rooftop solar in our area and is currently filling the demand for battery installations. Their representative Peter Kemp will be happy to answer your questions about rooftop solar and batteries. The invitation is attached - please share with friends and colleagues.
In the news this week
No nuclear option for $275m green-manufacturing grants
By Sam McKeith South Coast Register February 26 2024
Grants from a NSW $275 million green manufacturing fund will not go towards nuclear projects as the state says the technology is not part of its plans to reach net-zero emissions. Under the Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative program, announced on Monday, businesses can access grants for manufacture of renewable energy systems, low-carbon products and clean-technology innovation.
The program is part of the state's legislated pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050. But Climate Change Minister Penny Sharpe ruled out any grants going to projects such as the development of small modular nuclear reactors, despite a Newspoll on Monday showing two-thirds of younger Australians backed the technology.
Read more
https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/8534727/no-nuclear-option-for-275m-green-manufacturing-grants/
Qld premier announces $570m battery industry strategyBy Fraser Barton The Senior February 22 2024
Queensland is poised to become Australia's renewable energy "superpower" after unveiling a $570 million battery industry investment. Premier Steven Miles on Thursday announced the multimillion dollar strategy that is forecast to contribute $1.3 billion to the economy and create 9100 jobs by 2030. The five-year plan will deliver jobs in battery technologies and manufacturing and "supercharge" industry innovation, commercialisation, investment and supply chain growth, he said. It's hoped the strategy will strengthen Queensland's position as a globally competitive investment destination. Mr Miles backed Queensland's battery market to excel on the world stage thanks to an abundance of resources and a skilled workforce."These are highly technology-driven jobs and if we get the technology investment here, we can compete on price," he said on Thursday. "What we also have is that security of supply ... for big economies, Japan, Europe and North America, that certainty of supply has a real value." Mr Miles said the strategy developed plans to not only export critical minerals and manufactured batteries overseas but also implement them into local industry and the energy grid. Under the plan, $105 million will be allocated towards establishing the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre with the federal government.
Think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) said Queensland was becoming the nation's "cleantech leader". "The battery strategy is further evidence that Queensland is not just undergoing an energy transition but a complete transformation from a legacy coal and gas petrostate to a renewable energy and critical minerals superpower," CEF director Tim Buckley said. The Queensland Conservation Council welcomed the battery strategy, saying it was a step toward the state realising its significant clean manufacturing potential. Mr Miles announced an emissions target of 75 per cent below 2005 levels by 2035 when he became premier in December. Laws to legislate the increased emissions reductions were introduced to parliament last week.
Forum
Only a few days left till our Forum 'The Solar Revolution' next Wednesday 6th March at the Bowlo at 5.30pm. You can register up until Tuesday 5th March. Don't delay. We have an excellent panel of experts. If you are on the land this is your chance to hear Professor Lamb talk about agrivoltaics and how renewables will be a future major player in agriculture. As a former Distinguished Professor of UNE he has spent more than 25 years working as a front line researcher in technology and data-enabled agriculture. He also established the UNE SMART Farms initiative. Ed Campbell of Meralli Solar co-founded Seek+Deploy, a bespoke communications agency supporting regionally based innovators, entrepreneurs and change makers. Much of Seek+Deploy’s work is focussed on the renewable sector and supporting the transition to a clean energy future. New England Solar Power was one of the first local companies to install rooftop solar in our area and is currently filling the demand for battery installations. Their representative Peter Kemp will be happy to answer your questions about rooftop solar and batteries. The invitation is attached - please share with friends and colleagues.
In the news this week
No nuclear option for $275m green-manufacturing grants
By Sam McKeith South Coast Register February 26 2024
Grants from a NSW $275 million green manufacturing fund will not go towards nuclear projects as the state says the technology is not part of its plans to reach net-zero emissions. Under the Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative program, announced on Monday, businesses can access grants for manufacture of renewable energy systems, low-carbon products and clean-technology innovation.
The program is part of the state's legislated pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050. But Climate Change Minister Penny Sharpe ruled out any grants going to projects such as the development of small modular nuclear reactors, despite a Newspoll on Monday showing two-thirds of younger Australians backed the technology.
Read more
https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/8534727/no-nuclear-option-for-275m-green-manufacturing-grants/
Qld premier announces $570m battery industry strategyBy Fraser Barton The Senior February 22 2024
Queensland is poised to become Australia's renewable energy "superpower" after unveiling a $570 million battery industry investment. Premier Steven Miles on Thursday announced the multimillion dollar strategy that is forecast to contribute $1.3 billion to the economy and create 9100 jobs by 2030. The five-year plan will deliver jobs in battery technologies and manufacturing and "supercharge" industry innovation, commercialisation, investment and supply chain growth, he said. It's hoped the strategy will strengthen Queensland's position as a globally competitive investment destination. Mr Miles backed Queensland's battery market to excel on the world stage thanks to an abundance of resources and a skilled workforce."These are highly technology-driven jobs and if we get the technology investment here, we can compete on price," he said on Thursday. "What we also have is that security of supply ... for big economies, Japan, Europe and North America, that certainty of supply has a real value." Mr Miles said the strategy developed plans to not only export critical minerals and manufactured batteries overseas but also implement them into local industry and the energy grid. Under the plan, $105 million will be allocated towards establishing the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre with the federal government.
Think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) said Queensland was becoming the nation's "cleantech leader". "The battery strategy is further evidence that Queensland is not just undergoing an energy transition but a complete transformation from a legacy coal and gas petrostate to a renewable energy and critical minerals superpower," CEF director Tim Buckley said. The Queensland Conservation Council welcomed the battery strategy, saying it was a step toward the state realising its significant clean manufacturing potential. Mr Miles announced an emissions target of 75 per cent below 2005 levels by 2035 when he became premier in December. Laws to legislate the increased emissions reductions were introduced to parliament last week.
Weekly Update Friday 23rd February
Congratulations to the team at Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA) for a highly successful Home Grown Garden Tour last weekend. The best way to inspire people to grow more of their own food is to actually show them that it can be done in frosty Armidale and can be a very pleasurable experience.
Forum 'The Solar Revolution'
Please register as soon as possible for our upcoming Forum 'The Solar Revolution' to be held at the Armidale City Bowlo on Wednesday 6th March from 5.30 - 7.30. See the attached invitation. Solar is constantly in the news and rooftop solar is being taken up more and more by Australians everywhere as they see the economic benefits that ensue. Armidale's take-up is close to the national average of 30% but battery installation is still fairly expensive for most households. We have a top panel of experts to answer your questions - you can't miss this event.
Origin acquires renewables developer Walcha Energy
In the News this week
Origin Energy (Origin) has acquired renewable energy developer Walcha Energy, including its proposed Ruby Hills Wind Farm and Sailsbury Solar Farm projects with a planned capacity of more than 1,300 MW. The acquisition complements the purchase of the nearby ‘Warrane’ property in July 2023, increasing Origin’s renewable project development interests within the NSW Government designated New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). Origin’s Head of Energy Supply and Operations, Greg Jarvis said, “The acquisition of Walcha Energy is consistent with Origin’s ambition to lead the energy transition, and specifically our strategic priority to accelerate renewables and storage in our portfolio. “Through Walcha and the earlier acquisition of the ‘Warrane’ property, Origin’s portfolio now includes several projects with promising wind and solar resources within the New England REZ, close to recently published transmission line investigation routes. “We look forward to building on the work already completed on these renewables projects, bringing Origin’s scale, expertise and track record in developing and operating large scale energy and resource projects across Australia. “We’re committed to keeping the community informed and updated about our plans and will work closely with host landholders, councils, traditional owners, and key community stakeholders as we progress these development projects through the approval stages and beyond. “We plan to add to the strong local presence Walcha Energy have had in the New England region for over a decade and will continue with the shop front presence in Walcha,” Mr Jarvis said. Origin’s immediate focus will be on engaging with landowners and the local community, and completing the technical studies required for a scoping report which will inform a future Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The proposed Sailsbury Solar Farm is around 10km south of Uralla and the proposed Ruby Hills Wind Farm is 10km west of Walcha, in the southern part of the New England REZ. In 2023, Origin acquired the ‘Warrane’ property, which is around 18km north-west of Armidale in the central part of the New England REZ. A lease arrangement is in place to maintain and manage the property as an ongoing agricultural operation and this will continue during the development of a wind farm project, to be known as the Northern Tablelands Wind Farm.
Congratulations to the team at Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA) for a highly successful Home Grown Garden Tour last weekend. The best way to inspire people to grow more of their own food is to actually show them that it can be done in frosty Armidale and can be a very pleasurable experience.
Forum 'The Solar Revolution'
Please register as soon as possible for our upcoming Forum 'The Solar Revolution' to be held at the Armidale City Bowlo on Wednesday 6th March from 5.30 - 7.30. See the attached invitation. Solar is constantly in the news and rooftop solar is being taken up more and more by Australians everywhere as they see the economic benefits that ensue. Armidale's take-up is close to the national average of 30% but battery installation is still fairly expensive for most households. We have a top panel of experts to answer your questions - you can't miss this event.
Origin acquires renewables developer Walcha Energy
In the News this week
Origin Energy (Origin) has acquired renewable energy developer Walcha Energy, including its proposed Ruby Hills Wind Farm and Sailsbury Solar Farm projects with a planned capacity of more than 1,300 MW. The acquisition complements the purchase of the nearby ‘Warrane’ property in July 2023, increasing Origin’s renewable project development interests within the NSW Government designated New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). Origin’s Head of Energy Supply and Operations, Greg Jarvis said, “The acquisition of Walcha Energy is consistent with Origin’s ambition to lead the energy transition, and specifically our strategic priority to accelerate renewables and storage in our portfolio. “Through Walcha and the earlier acquisition of the ‘Warrane’ property, Origin’s portfolio now includes several projects with promising wind and solar resources within the New England REZ, close to recently published transmission line investigation routes. “We look forward to building on the work already completed on these renewables projects, bringing Origin’s scale, expertise and track record in developing and operating large scale energy and resource projects across Australia. “We’re committed to keeping the community informed and updated about our plans and will work closely with host landholders, councils, traditional owners, and key community stakeholders as we progress these development projects through the approval stages and beyond. “We plan to add to the strong local presence Walcha Energy have had in the New England region for over a decade and will continue with the shop front presence in Walcha,” Mr Jarvis said. Origin’s immediate focus will be on engaging with landowners and the local community, and completing the technical studies required for a scoping report which will inform a future Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The proposed Sailsbury Solar Farm is around 10km south of Uralla and the proposed Ruby Hills Wind Farm is 10km west of Walcha, in the southern part of the New England REZ. In 2023, Origin acquired the ‘Warrane’ property, which is around 18km north-west of Armidale in the central part of the New England REZ. A lease arrangement is in place to maintain and manage the property as an ongoing agricultural operation and this will continue during the development of a wind farm project, to be known as the Northern Tablelands Wind Farm.
Weekly Update Friday 16th February
Forum
It's time to register for our third renewables Forum, 'The Solar Revolution' to be held Wed. 6th March at 5.30pm at the Bowlo. We have an outstanding panel. You can't miss it. The invitation is attached. Please share.
On the subject of natural disasters NOVA is hosting two talks by John Cleland - CEO of Essential Energy on Future Proofing the Energy Grid (10 - 11.30) and Leveraging Grid stability (5.30 - 7.30) on Tuesday 27th Feb.
www.unesri.com.au Click on events
Trains North Petition
The Trains North Petition of 10,000 + paper signatures was tabled and discussed briefly in Parliament on Thursday 8th February. There were two speakers - our local member Mr Adam Marshall who presented the petition on behalf of Trains North and the Hon Jennifer Aitchison, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads. Trains North have been campaigning for several years to have the Great Northern Rail Line re-opened for passenger services despite the line remaining unused for over 30 years and in a great state of deterioration. An alternative usage for the rail corridor as a rail trail to attract active tourism is proposed by local community groups and has received widespread support in our region, including strong support from Glen Innes Severn and Armidale Regional Councils.The rail trail has a deliverable business case which has passed both NSW and Commonwealth Treasury scrutiny and as a result has been successful in attracting over $14M funding already toward construction of the Armidale to Glen Innes project. Trains North of Armidale has presented no valid business case.
Victorian Disaster
On Tuesday afternoon, about 620,000 Victorian homes and businesses blacked out. About 530,000 were through power outages caused primarily by downed power lines, and another 90,000 via load shedding — a deliberate "last resort" option where the market operator directs power companies to switch off electricity to consumers. With an average household size of 2.52 — and businesses often even more — the total number of Victorians without power for part of the sweltering afternoon is likely more than 1.5 million. So how did one of Victoria's largest-ever power outage events happen? Read more:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-14/victoria-melbourne-power-outage-storms-how-did-it-happen/103464714
Forum
It's time to register for our third renewables Forum, 'The Solar Revolution' to be held Wed. 6th March at 5.30pm at the Bowlo. We have an outstanding panel. You can't miss it. The invitation is attached. Please share.
On the subject of natural disasters NOVA is hosting two talks by John Cleland - CEO of Essential Energy on Future Proofing the Energy Grid (10 - 11.30) and Leveraging Grid stability (5.30 - 7.30) on Tuesday 27th Feb.
www.unesri.com.au Click on events
Trains North Petition
The Trains North Petition of 10,000 + paper signatures was tabled and discussed briefly in Parliament on Thursday 8th February. There were two speakers - our local member Mr Adam Marshall who presented the petition on behalf of Trains North and the Hon Jennifer Aitchison, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads. Trains North have been campaigning for several years to have the Great Northern Rail Line re-opened for passenger services despite the line remaining unused for over 30 years and in a great state of deterioration. An alternative usage for the rail corridor as a rail trail to attract active tourism is proposed by local community groups and has received widespread support in our region, including strong support from Glen Innes Severn and Armidale Regional Councils.The rail trail has a deliverable business case which has passed both NSW and Commonwealth Treasury scrutiny and as a result has been successful in attracting over $14M funding already toward construction of the Armidale to Glen Innes project. Trains North of Armidale has presented no valid business case.
Victorian Disaster
On Tuesday afternoon, about 620,000 Victorian homes and businesses blacked out. About 530,000 were through power outages caused primarily by downed power lines, and another 90,000 via load shedding — a deliberate "last resort" option where the market operator directs power companies to switch off electricity to consumers. With an average household size of 2.52 — and businesses often even more — the total number of Victorians without power for part of the sweltering afternoon is likely more than 1.5 million. So how did one of Victoria's largest-ever power outage events happen? Read more:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-14/victoria-melbourne-power-outage-storms-how-did-it-happen/103464714
Weekly Update Friday 9th February
Forum
Registrations and ticket sales are starting to come in for our Forum on 6th March 'The Solar Revolution'. This is the third in our renewables series 'The Changing Face of New England' and we have a fabulous lineup of experts to answer your questions.
Am attaching the invitation below.
Save the date: 17th April New Forum: Scams and Cybercrime
Health
Congratulations to Associate Professor Michelle Guppy who has been appointed Head of the School of Rural Medicine at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales. Team member Dr John Nevin spoke to Dr. Guppy about the promised Murrumbidgee Scheme which was to be introduced across Australia including into our electorate this year. The scheme seeks to make the industrial award conditions for General Practice training to be put on par with other specialities as serious deficiencies in the existing scheme had made General Practice less attractive as a specialty. This had led to falling numbers of recent graduates choosing to train in General Practice and the evolving crisis in Primary Health Care across Australia. Dr. Guppy explained that one registrar training for Rural General Practice had been appointed to work from Tamworth Base Hospital working in the Emergency Department and in General Practice. As the scheme is new it is being trialled in Tamworth prior to be more widely implemented. Armidale is yet to take on registrars for training in General Practice under the scheme as Medical Practices are working on overcoming the GP shortage. As numbers improve, there will be more time available for the training of registrars under the Murrumbidgee scheme. One benefit will be the increased availability of doctors in Emergency Departments as well as in General Practice. As the post graduate training program in General Practice takes many years, the GP shortage will take some years to benefit overall from this change.
It is pleasing that both State and Federal Governments have recognised the problem and are cooperating to try and solve it.
In the news
9/2/24
Details of Transgrid's preferred route for 200km of the NSW section of the VNI West project have been made public. Landholders with properties in the path of transmission lines have vowed to fight the project, but some farmers are set to benefit. Community members have until March 4 to provide feedback before a final route is determined.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-09/farmers-divided-transgrid-vni-west-transmission-line-route/1034356589/2/24
8/2/24
From X (Twitter)
I installed solar in Sept - first full qtr with it plus extra hot in Brissy, running AC with gay abandon. I'm in credit with provider by $400. Very happy.
Power prices right now because of renewables being generated on our roof tops and out in the Victorian regions where the wind farms have cows and sheep grazing under them. Triple benefit for those communities
China’s MASSIVE Desert Project Is About To Change The World
Video to watch (Information is authentic and balanced and covered by many other news sources. Ed)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX_PeNzz-Lw
Farmers protest in Central West
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-07/renewable-energy-zone-central-west-nsw-farmers/103432874?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=mail&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
4/2/24
Rallies held in support of off-shore wind
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-04/rallies-held-in-support-of-offshore-wind-hopes-for-jobs/103418356
Forum
Registrations and ticket sales are starting to come in for our Forum on 6th March 'The Solar Revolution'. This is the third in our renewables series 'The Changing Face of New England' and we have a fabulous lineup of experts to answer your questions.
Am attaching the invitation below.
Save the date: 17th April New Forum: Scams and Cybercrime
Health
Congratulations to Associate Professor Michelle Guppy who has been appointed Head of the School of Rural Medicine at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales. Team member Dr John Nevin spoke to Dr. Guppy about the promised Murrumbidgee Scheme which was to be introduced across Australia including into our electorate this year. The scheme seeks to make the industrial award conditions for General Practice training to be put on par with other specialities as serious deficiencies in the existing scheme had made General Practice less attractive as a specialty. This had led to falling numbers of recent graduates choosing to train in General Practice and the evolving crisis in Primary Health Care across Australia. Dr. Guppy explained that one registrar training for Rural General Practice had been appointed to work from Tamworth Base Hospital working in the Emergency Department and in General Practice. As the scheme is new it is being trialled in Tamworth prior to be more widely implemented. Armidale is yet to take on registrars for training in General Practice under the scheme as Medical Practices are working on overcoming the GP shortage. As numbers improve, there will be more time available for the training of registrars under the Murrumbidgee scheme. One benefit will be the increased availability of doctors in Emergency Departments as well as in General Practice. As the post graduate training program in General Practice takes many years, the GP shortage will take some years to benefit overall from this change.
It is pleasing that both State and Federal Governments have recognised the problem and are cooperating to try and solve it.
In the news
9/2/24
Details of Transgrid's preferred route for 200km of the NSW section of the VNI West project have been made public. Landholders with properties in the path of transmission lines have vowed to fight the project, but some farmers are set to benefit. Community members have until March 4 to provide feedback before a final route is determined.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-09/farmers-divided-transgrid-vni-west-transmission-line-route/1034356589/2/24
8/2/24
From X (Twitter)
I installed solar in Sept - first full qtr with it plus extra hot in Brissy, running AC with gay abandon. I'm in credit with provider by $400. Very happy.
Power prices right now because of renewables being generated on our roof tops and out in the Victorian regions where the wind farms have cows and sheep grazing under them. Triple benefit for those communities
China’s MASSIVE Desert Project Is About To Change The World
Video to watch (Information is authentic and balanced and covered by many other news sources. Ed)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX_PeNzz-Lw
Farmers protest in Central West
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-07/renewable-energy-zone-central-west-nsw-farmers/103432874?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=mail&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
4/2/24
Rallies held in support of off-shore wind
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-04/rallies-held-in-support-of-offshore-wind-hopes-for-jobs/103418356
Weekly Update Friday 2nd February
We are back on deck with lots of exciting plans for 2024.
First up we are planning our first Forum for the year which will be held on
Wednesday 6th March at the Armidale City Bowling Club from 5.30 - 7.30. (Download invitation below)
This is the third Forum in our series 'The Changing Face of New England' and is entitled 'The Solar Revolution'.
We have invited the following panel of experts:
Ed Campbell, Director of Business Development - Meralli Solar
(Topic: Large scale solar)
Prof. David Lamb - Deputy CEO and Chief Scientist - Food Agility CRC
(Topic: Agrivoltaics)
Peter Kemp - New England Solar Power
(Topic: Rooftop Solar and Battery Installation)
As you can see we have extended the time to 7.30 to allow more time for questions. We have also introduced a ticketing system with trybooking.com as an option for your convenience. So many organisations are now using ticketing systems that the process should be familiar to many of you. Of course you can still RSVP as before if you don't wish to purchase a ticket.
On 29th January we sent in our submission re the Draft Wind Energy Guidelines. (See below)
We are back on deck with lots of exciting plans for 2024.
First up we are planning our first Forum for the year which will be held on
Wednesday 6th March at the Armidale City Bowling Club from 5.30 - 7.30. (Download invitation below)
This is the third Forum in our series 'The Changing Face of New England' and is entitled 'The Solar Revolution'.
We have invited the following panel of experts:
Ed Campbell, Director of Business Development - Meralli Solar
(Topic: Large scale solar)
Prof. David Lamb - Deputy CEO and Chief Scientist - Food Agility CRC
(Topic: Agrivoltaics)
Peter Kemp - New England Solar Power
(Topic: Rooftop Solar and Battery Installation)
As you can see we have extended the time to 7.30 to allow more time for questions. We have also introduced a ticketing system with trybooking.com as an option for your convenience. So many organisations are now using ticketing systems that the process should be familiar to many of you. Of course you can still RSVP as before if you don't wish to purchase a ticket.
On 29th January we sent in our submission re the Draft Wind Energy Guidelines. (See below)
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Weekly Update Friday 1st December
Team member Peter Snielers and I attended the Community engagement for the new Draft Energy guidelines this morning. The Armidale meeting was attended by a number of Booralong residents as well as several Armidale professionals, the Mayor Sam Coupland and Cr Jon Galletly. Matt Riley (Director DPE) handled the meeting really well and it was chaired by a member of the Independent Chairing Panel which the govt uses for these meetings - someone from a local govt background (probably a former Mayor) who knows how to keep things civil.
Here are some personal observations.
1. The developer of the Booralong Wind Farm - Squadron Energy has been fairly aggressive in its dealings with the locals which has been quite upsetting.
2. The draft guidelines only apply to new projects.
3. Prime agricultural land is considered when planning a solar farm.
4. Councils have not been consulted on where the better sites are for wind/solar farms. That seems to be up to the developers or landowners.
5. Energy Co is responsible for decisions re the various REZs. DPE does the approvals based on whether specific criteria have been met. The new guidelines are the basis for this criteria. The old guidelines were vague about distances for dwellings from wind towers. The new guidelines are more specific.
6. Matt Riley urged people to send in their submissions and they will all be considered.
7. The time for submissions has been extended to 29th January 2024.
To view the contents of the framework and provide feedback, please visit our webpage at www.planning.nsw.gov.au/energy-policyframework.
Your feedback will help us refine the framework before we finalise it.
For more information contact us on
[email protected]
In the news
Australia needs ‘substantial increase’ in large-scale renewables projects to meet decarbonisation targets
Peter Hannan The Guardian Wed 29Nov
New investments in solar and wind farms and batteries declined further in the September quarter, falling below one-tenth of the pace required for Australia to meet its decarbonisation targets for the electricity sector, the Clean Energy Council said.
As delegates gather in the United Arab Emirates for a global climate conference, Cop28, the latest data shows the capacity of new projects reaching final investment signoff in Australia was near its lowest level since the survey began in 2018.
During the quarter, just two new generation plants with 161MW of capacity secured investment commitment – the 120MW Munna Creek solar farm in Queensland, and a hybrid wind, solar and storage project at the Jundee Mine in Western Australia.
“The rate of investment slowed more dramatically over the past year as a result of higher project costs, complex permitting processes, a congested grid and intensifying global competition in the race to net zero,” he said.
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/29/australia-needs-substantial-increase-in-large-scale-renewables-projects-to-meet-decarbonisation-targets?CMP=morningmailau_email
And finally - a Video explaining
How Hydrogen powered vehicles work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUrmiu5hcyo
Team member Peter Snielers and I attended the Community engagement for the new Draft Energy guidelines this morning. The Armidale meeting was attended by a number of Booralong residents as well as several Armidale professionals, the Mayor Sam Coupland and Cr Jon Galletly. Matt Riley (Director DPE) handled the meeting really well and it was chaired by a member of the Independent Chairing Panel which the govt uses for these meetings - someone from a local govt background (probably a former Mayor) who knows how to keep things civil.
Here are some personal observations.
1. The developer of the Booralong Wind Farm - Squadron Energy has been fairly aggressive in its dealings with the locals which has been quite upsetting.
2. The draft guidelines only apply to new projects.
3. Prime agricultural land is considered when planning a solar farm.
4. Councils have not been consulted on where the better sites are for wind/solar farms. That seems to be up to the developers or landowners.
5. Energy Co is responsible for decisions re the various REZs. DPE does the approvals based on whether specific criteria have been met. The new guidelines are the basis for this criteria. The old guidelines were vague about distances for dwellings from wind towers. The new guidelines are more specific.
6. Matt Riley urged people to send in their submissions and they will all be considered.
7. The time for submissions has been extended to 29th January 2024.
To view the contents of the framework and provide feedback, please visit our webpage at www.planning.nsw.gov.au/energy-policyframework.
Your feedback will help us refine the framework before we finalise it.
For more information contact us on
[email protected]
In the news
Australia needs ‘substantial increase’ in large-scale renewables projects to meet decarbonisation targets
Peter Hannan The Guardian Wed 29Nov
New investments in solar and wind farms and batteries declined further in the September quarter, falling below one-tenth of the pace required for Australia to meet its decarbonisation targets for the electricity sector, the Clean Energy Council said.
As delegates gather in the United Arab Emirates for a global climate conference, Cop28, the latest data shows the capacity of new projects reaching final investment signoff in Australia was near its lowest level since the survey began in 2018.
During the quarter, just two new generation plants with 161MW of capacity secured investment commitment – the 120MW Munna Creek solar farm in Queensland, and a hybrid wind, solar and storage project at the Jundee Mine in Western Australia.
“The rate of investment slowed more dramatically over the past year as a result of higher project costs, complex permitting processes, a congested grid and intensifying global competition in the race to net zero,” he said.
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/29/australia-needs-substantial-increase-in-large-scale-renewables-projects-to-meet-decarbonisation-targets?CMP=morningmailau_email
And finally - a Video explaining
How Hydrogen powered vehicles work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUrmiu5hcyo
Weekly Update Friday 17th November
I hope you are enjoying this rain. Our tank is filling gradually and the countryside has greened up remarkably. What a change! Congratulations to the organisers of the New England Garden Festival last weekend. It was a huge success with thousands of gardeners visiting from all over the region. Planning is already underway for the 2024 event.
Renewables
Tony Wood (Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute) reported today in The Conversation
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen today announced a scheme to underwrite the risk of investing in new renewable energy generation and storage. The expansion of the national Capacity Investment Scheme follows a successful pilot study with New South Wales. The government paid A$1.8 billion for just over a gigawatt of capacity, through a combination of batteries and other storage. Bowen says the scheme “underwrites new renewable generation and storage, providing certainty for renewable investors and cheaper, cleaner energy for households and businesses”. And if all goes well, the scheme will provide a financial return to taxpayers... Under the expanded scheme, successful projects will be offered contracts in which a revenue floor and ceiling are agreed with the Commonwealth. This scheme will be rolled out with regular six-monthly tenders from the second quarter of the 2024–25 financial year through to 2027.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/the-government-will-underwrite-risky-investments-in-renewables-heres-why-thats-a-good-idea-218427
Bladeless Wind Turbines
At our Forum on 8th November Matt Riley answered a question by saying that we don't know what new technologies lie ahead of us. NEV Team member Peter Sniekers has been looking at bladeless wind turbines.
'Bladeless technology is still very much in infancy but as far as I can tell the largest bladeless turbine so far produces 1kW of energy; meaning to replace a conventional 3mW bladed tower would require 3000 such towers!
See video at https://youtu.be/pS2mhjdKdAA?si=6OcGeM2KJsewoBW4
This video is dated April 2021.
So yes it is safer for birds: but less efficient, not yet in wholesale commercial applications. I also read that because the bladeless tower itself oscillates it puts more pressure and potential fatigue / failure on foundation and pivot points.
So like hydrogen, nuclear and nuclear fusion etc, bladeless wind towers could be in the mix in the future but not in the short to medium term except in small scale applications such as in tandem with rooftop solar.
Vortex (Spanish company) seems to be at the forefront of applications and research and yet they too describe the R&D as a “marathon” they are involved in and at the moment applications are small scale at best. ie. nowhere near the replace-coal-fired-power-station scale!'
Renewables vs Nuclear
It's all a matter of cost and time. Team member Dr John Nevin contributed this article.
The CSIRO has modelled the cost of renewable energy that is firmed – meaning made reliable, mainly via batteries and other storage technologies. It found the necessary transmission lines and storage would add only $25 to $34 per megawatt hour.
In short, a reliable megawatt hour from renewables costs around a fifth of one from a nuclear plant. We could build a renewables grid large enough to meet demand twice over, and still pay less than half the cost of nuclear.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/is-nuclear-the-answer-to-australias-climate-crisis-216891
I hope you are enjoying this rain. Our tank is filling gradually and the countryside has greened up remarkably. What a change! Congratulations to the organisers of the New England Garden Festival last weekend. It was a huge success with thousands of gardeners visiting from all over the region. Planning is already underway for the 2024 event.
Renewables
Tony Wood (Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute) reported today in The Conversation
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen today announced a scheme to underwrite the risk of investing in new renewable energy generation and storage. The expansion of the national Capacity Investment Scheme follows a successful pilot study with New South Wales. The government paid A$1.8 billion for just over a gigawatt of capacity, through a combination of batteries and other storage. Bowen says the scheme “underwrites new renewable generation and storage, providing certainty for renewable investors and cheaper, cleaner energy for households and businesses”. And if all goes well, the scheme will provide a financial return to taxpayers... Under the expanded scheme, successful projects will be offered contracts in which a revenue floor and ceiling are agreed with the Commonwealth. This scheme will be rolled out with regular six-monthly tenders from the second quarter of the 2024–25 financial year through to 2027.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/the-government-will-underwrite-risky-investments-in-renewables-heres-why-thats-a-good-idea-218427
Bladeless Wind Turbines
At our Forum on 8th November Matt Riley answered a question by saying that we don't know what new technologies lie ahead of us. NEV Team member Peter Sniekers has been looking at bladeless wind turbines.
'Bladeless technology is still very much in infancy but as far as I can tell the largest bladeless turbine so far produces 1kW of energy; meaning to replace a conventional 3mW bladed tower would require 3000 such towers!
See video at https://youtu.be/pS2mhjdKdAA?si=6OcGeM2KJsewoBW4
This video is dated April 2021.
So yes it is safer for birds: but less efficient, not yet in wholesale commercial applications. I also read that because the bladeless tower itself oscillates it puts more pressure and potential fatigue / failure on foundation and pivot points.
So like hydrogen, nuclear and nuclear fusion etc, bladeless wind towers could be in the mix in the future but not in the short to medium term except in small scale applications such as in tandem with rooftop solar.
Vortex (Spanish company) seems to be at the forefront of applications and research and yet they too describe the R&D as a “marathon” they are involved in and at the moment applications are small scale at best. ie. nowhere near the replace-coal-fired-power-station scale!'
Renewables vs Nuclear
It's all a matter of cost and time. Team member Dr John Nevin contributed this article.
The CSIRO has modelled the cost of renewable energy that is firmed – meaning made reliable, mainly via batteries and other storage technologies. It found the necessary transmission lines and storage would add only $25 to $34 per megawatt hour.
In short, a reliable megawatt hour from renewables costs around a fifth of one from a nuclear plant. We could build a renewables grid large enough to meet demand twice over, and still pay less than half the cost of nuclear.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/is-nuclear-the-answer-to-australias-climate-crisis-216891
Weekly Update Friday 17th November
At our Forum on 8th November, one of our panel of experts, Matt Riley, mentioned that the new Draft guidelines for wind farms would be released very soon. (See above for pdf.) These are essentially guidelines for developers for on shore wind farms in NSW and have been revised from the original 2016 guidelines. Off shore wind farms come under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth and are not included.
The Have Your Say Period extends until 18th December for submissions.
There will be two consultations in our region on:
Thursday 30th November from 5.30 - 7.30pm at Walcha Veterinary Supplies
Friday 1st December from 9.00 - 11.30 in the Dumaresq Room, Rydges Hotel, Armidale
Online: Wednesday 6th December at 1.30pm (You need to register to get a link).
The draft Wind Energy Guideline:
• identifies desirable areas for wind energy development based on a range of considerations including wind resource potential, proximity to transmission, and land use constraints.
• provides advice to assist the industry in selecting sites and designing projects
• includes new guidance on landscape and visual impact assessment in a technical supplement. The new visual impact methodology builds on foundational principles from the existing guideline but provides a wholly revised approach to provide greater certainty and expedite decision-making. This includes a setback for wind turbines that are fully visible from people’s homes (for example 2 km from a turbine 250 m tall).
• includes minor updates to align the noise impact assessment methodology with updates to the South Australian wind farm noise guidelines (2021) (these updates do not change the noise criteria and would not materially change modelling results)
• adopts a new noise criterion of 50dB(A) for passive recreation areas within National Parks to minimise land use conflicts
• includes a calculator for estimating the potential costs of decommissioning to ensure host landowners are well informed about the likely costs, and
• addresses commonly raised concerns including traffic and transport management, aviation risk and nightlighting.
Modular Nuclear Reactors
One political party is advocating Small Modular Nuclear Reactors as an alternative to Renewable Energy projects. This article from the Guardian was published on 9th November.
Opposition climate and energy spokesperson had pointed to SMRs as a solution to Australia’s energy needs, but experts raise questions over price tag
Adam Morton Climate and environment editor The Guardian Thu 9 Nov 2023 18.46 AEDT
The only company to have a small modular nuclear power plant approved in the US – cited by the Australian opposition as evidence of a “burgeoning” global nuclear industry – has cancelled its first project due to rising costs. NuScale Power announced on Wednesday that it had dropped plans to build a long-promised “carbon free power project” in Idaho. It blamed the decision on a lack of subscribers for the plant’s electricity.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/09/small-modular-nuclear-reactor-that-was-hailed-by-coalition-as-future-cancelled-due-to-rising-costs
Wind turbines in Germany
At our Forum it was mentioned that Germany was pulling down its wind turbines. The suggestion didn't ring true so we investigated where the idea came from and tracked it down in this article from BeyondFossilFuels. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has been left without cheap Russian gas and has been looking for ways to keep its manufacturing sector operating with enough energy. This includes coal.
ERKELENZ, 28 AUGUST 2023 – As devastating wildfires continue to ravage Europe as a consequence of the climate emergency, German energy giant RWE has begun dismantling operational wind turbines near its sprawling Garzweiler open pit coal mine in North Rhine Westphalia with the intention of excavating a further 15 to 20 million tonnes of coal. The demolitions are part of a deal brokered with Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Economics Minister for North Rhine Westphalia, Mona Neubaur, that is supposed to see RWE wind down its coal operations by 2030 [1]. RWE is Europe’s second largest CO2 emitter from coal power stations [2], and has razed over 100 villages in the Rhineland region to make way for its coal operations. Germany’s government is still aiming to exit coal by 2030.
“The current climate emergency requires urgent and concerted efforts to accelerate the deployment of every single wind turbine, solar panel and heat pump that we can muster. Anything that diverts from this critical endeavour, especially the dismantling of renewable energy sources to extract more fossil fuels, must be unequivocally prohibited,” said Fabian Hübner, senior campaigner in Germany at Beyond Fossil Fuels.
https://beyondfossilfuels.org/2023/08/28/rwe-tears-down-operational-wind-turbines-in-grab-for-more-coal/#:~:text=ERKELENZ%2C%2028%20AUGUST%202023%20–%20As,a%20further%2015%20to%2020
At our Forum on 8th November, one of our panel of experts, Matt Riley, mentioned that the new Draft guidelines for wind farms would be released very soon. (See above for pdf.) These are essentially guidelines for developers for on shore wind farms in NSW and have been revised from the original 2016 guidelines. Off shore wind farms come under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth and are not included.
The Have Your Say Period extends until 18th December for submissions.
There will be two consultations in our region on:
Thursday 30th November from 5.30 - 7.30pm at Walcha Veterinary Supplies
Friday 1st December from 9.00 - 11.30 in the Dumaresq Room, Rydges Hotel, Armidale
Online: Wednesday 6th December at 1.30pm (You need to register to get a link).
The draft Wind Energy Guideline:
• identifies desirable areas for wind energy development based on a range of considerations including wind resource potential, proximity to transmission, and land use constraints.
• provides advice to assist the industry in selecting sites and designing projects
• includes new guidance on landscape and visual impact assessment in a technical supplement. The new visual impact methodology builds on foundational principles from the existing guideline but provides a wholly revised approach to provide greater certainty and expedite decision-making. This includes a setback for wind turbines that are fully visible from people’s homes (for example 2 km from a turbine 250 m tall).
• includes minor updates to align the noise impact assessment methodology with updates to the South Australian wind farm noise guidelines (2021) (these updates do not change the noise criteria and would not materially change modelling results)
• adopts a new noise criterion of 50dB(A) for passive recreation areas within National Parks to minimise land use conflicts
• includes a calculator for estimating the potential costs of decommissioning to ensure host landowners are well informed about the likely costs, and
• addresses commonly raised concerns including traffic and transport management, aviation risk and nightlighting.
Modular Nuclear Reactors
One political party is advocating Small Modular Nuclear Reactors as an alternative to Renewable Energy projects. This article from the Guardian was published on 9th November.
Opposition climate and energy spokesperson had pointed to SMRs as a solution to Australia’s energy needs, but experts raise questions over price tag
Adam Morton Climate and environment editor The Guardian Thu 9 Nov 2023 18.46 AEDT
The only company to have a small modular nuclear power plant approved in the US – cited by the Australian opposition as evidence of a “burgeoning” global nuclear industry – has cancelled its first project due to rising costs. NuScale Power announced on Wednesday that it had dropped plans to build a long-promised “carbon free power project” in Idaho. It blamed the decision on a lack of subscribers for the plant’s electricity.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/09/small-modular-nuclear-reactor-that-was-hailed-by-coalition-as-future-cancelled-due-to-rising-costs
Wind turbines in Germany
At our Forum it was mentioned that Germany was pulling down its wind turbines. The suggestion didn't ring true so we investigated where the idea came from and tracked it down in this article from BeyondFossilFuels. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has been left without cheap Russian gas and has been looking for ways to keep its manufacturing sector operating with enough energy. This includes coal.
ERKELENZ, 28 AUGUST 2023 – As devastating wildfires continue to ravage Europe as a consequence of the climate emergency, German energy giant RWE has begun dismantling operational wind turbines near its sprawling Garzweiler open pit coal mine in North Rhine Westphalia with the intention of excavating a further 15 to 20 million tonnes of coal. The demolitions are part of a deal brokered with Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Economics Minister for North Rhine Westphalia, Mona Neubaur, that is supposed to see RWE wind down its coal operations by 2030 [1]. RWE is Europe’s second largest CO2 emitter from coal power stations [2], and has razed over 100 villages in the Rhineland region to make way for its coal operations. Germany’s government is still aiming to exit coal by 2030.
“The current climate emergency requires urgent and concerted efforts to accelerate the deployment of every single wind turbine, solar panel and heat pump that we can muster. Anything that diverts from this critical endeavour, especially the dismantling of renewable energy sources to extract more fossil fuels, must be unequivocally prohibited,” said Fabian Hübner, senior campaigner in Germany at Beyond Fossil Fuels.
https://beyondfossilfuels.org/2023/08/28/rwe-tears-down-operational-wind-turbines-in-grab-for-more-coal/#:~:text=ERKELENZ%2C%2028%20AUGUST%202023%20–%20As,a%20further%2015%20to%2020
Weekly Update Friday 10th November
Our Forum event on Wednesday night had over 100 participants which is excellent given the time of year with so many conflicting events happening at the moment. My thanks to our panel of experts which did a sterling job in informing us of the issues surrounding wind farms. NEV2030 team member Peter Sniekers took careful notes during the event for this report and I thank him for his effort.
Report on the Forum held 8th November at the Bowlo by Peter Sniekers
“The Changing Face of New England No.2: The Windfarm Experience”
Main points
Panel member presentations:
Keith Appleby (Director Infrastructure Services, Glen Innes Severn Council):
Glen Innes was the region’s guinea pig for large scale wind farming; Stage 1 of the the White Rock Wind Farm (built by Goldwind Global), 175Mw across 75 turbines, was the region’s first wind farm development, and was the biggest project ever undertaken in the Glen Innes Severn LGA.
Alexandra Hall (Regional Director – NEREZ, EnergyCo NSW)
EnergyCo was formed in 2020 under the Electricity Infrastructure Act: objective is to develop a roadmap to transition the State from coal-based energy to renewable energy (RE).
Dr Sujata Allan (GP Armajun Aboriginal health Service, Armidale; Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA))
Role on the panel: to look at the literature on wind farms and health, as a medical practitioner, based on rigorous evidence demonstration.
Matthew Riley (Director Energy and resource Policy, NSW Dept Planning and Environment (DPIE)
DPIE does approve wind energy projects. Approval is by a triple-bottom line approach to make a decision to proceed with a project or not.
Dr Steve Debus ( Ornithologist UNE and consultant on impacts of wind farms on local bird species).
Has undertaken bird surveys on tablelands for Local Land Services especially woodland brid species and raptors. Experience on assessing impact of wind farms on bird populations.
Q: Trinity Hooper, Inverell: Questioned the NHMRC health study referred to. Understood the result also mentioned that additional research was needed given the migraines, stress etc reported by some respondents. What do you know about that?
A: Dr Sujata Allan: Yes they did say that. More research has been done. Evidence is mounting that they still haven’t found consistent evidence of direct health impacts. They concede that noise can cause some stress in some individuals which gives rise to other issues. NHMRC conclusion was one of “no major concern” regarding heath impacts from wind farms, and they do not make such statements lightly.
Q: Has there been any research on the mental health impacts of RE projects splitting the local community.
A: Wherever the community is divided there will be increased stress and associated mental health impacts.
Q: Stuart Grills; Guyra / Boorolong area . Thanked panel.
Question to Matt Riley: is disappointed that new wind farm guidelines have not yet been released.
Question: If a turbine is proposed on a site where non-compensated landholders are in opposition to that siting and they complain – will that siting be rejected?
A: Matt Riley: (Also disappointed that the guidelines have not been released). Setback parameters will be defined in the new Guidelines. Approval will be determined by distance, mitigating factors (topography, vegetation etc), noise criteria etc. Is strict in terms of preventing “annoyance”: so the criteria in the new Guidelines will assist in addressing the issue.
Q: Jim Scott, retired UNE academic. Is concerned with Newton’s Third Law of Physics: that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. So is capturing wind energy benign, or will it impact on global circulation patterns?
A: Matt Riley: All development has some kind of impact. No matter what we do there is an impact. However the consequences of no action on RE will be a coal-destroyed environment; which is greater than the consequences of action. Alexandra Hall: The NEREZ area is some 15,000 square kilometres but only a tiny percentage of that area will actually be developed, ie. It won’t be a complete coverage. Dr Sujata Allan: And coal fired power stations emit cancer-causing outfall / emissions: therefore the health impacts from RE projects are much much lower than those from fossil fuel projects.
Q: Lindsay Bridge from Quirindi: Why do they suggest turbines / solar panels have such a short life (25 years) . He has been using BP solar panels since 1979 and they are still at full power.
A: Matt Riley: 25 years is used as an estimate of effective life for solar / wind projects. It is a long time in terms of technological change. Over that time a lot of technology will be redundant so projects can be retrofitted; then again there may be newer forms of energy we don’t yet know about: eg. move to hydrogen, possible nuclear fusion etc.
Q: Suella Tritton – Boorolong Wind farm: Question for NEV2030 panel: takes issue with the statement on the invitation that Europe is moving to renewables “... in an effort to slow down the destructive force of climate change” when in fact Europe is moving away from renewables (to gas / nuclear)?
A: Maria Hitchcock: Has seen wind farms and solar farms across Europe – no evidence Europe is moving away from RE. Some infrastructure to convert gas for use is being pursued in response to Russia turning off the gas pipeline.
Alexandra Hall: All long term energy modelling assumes gas will be part of the energy mix.
Q: John Peatfield: RED4NE : Am not against RE. It is all very well to hear about defence of the NEREZ in Armidale, but in the smaller communities such as Ben Lomond, Guyra, Boorolong, Walcha it is a completely different picture. The sheer size of the NEREZ is concerning us. 8 Gigawatts is quoted – that is “produced energy” which would require more like over 15 Gigawatts of projects. That, plus the required transmission lines / batteries leads to huge cumulative impacts. Where are the cumulative impact studies and ombudsman promised by the Standing Committee enquiry? ; and why the secrecy of overseas RE developers?
A: Alexandra Hall: Andrew Dyer is the Development Ombudsman independent of EnergyCo and can be contacted.
Cumulative Impact studies: Yes will be multiple studies for multiple projects / working with Councils and is part of the EIS process. Those requirements will look at other various impacts including housing, amenity etc.
Q: Cameron Greig (Walcha): “Social Licence” is a cornerstone of EnergyCo but will have to be defined?
A: Alexandra Hall: It is an intangible similar to cultural heritage value etc. Not actually defined in the Act. However if there is significant community push-back to a project then that would defy “social licence”. Social Licence is the long term relationship between the developer and the community. It is not attempting for 100% full consensus. It will vary between projects. The question that needs to be addressed is: “Is the proponent being recklessly dismissive of social concerns?” It is not an absolute measure, it is not a box-ticking exercise. Keith Appleby: People who reside in the smaller villages are passionate about their environment which needs to be factored in.
Q: Karen Zirkler – Kentucky. Will be surrounded by the Thunderbolt Energy Hub. Stage 1 is nearly at determination stage. Who will be accountable if the development goes awry? . Has due diligence been done on alternative forms of energy?
A: Alexandra Hall: Due diligence: Yes - Net Zero targets, assessment of possibility of reducing footprints of REZs, looking at alternatives available: result is that this is the best way to have a deliverable and reliable energy grid. This is not an energy race, it is a venture capital (VC) race. Where are the VC funds being directed globally? - to RE projects. RE projects win on a number of factors – including cost / deliverability. This is the best result given the challenge.
Forum closed at 6:45pm.
Next forum : Changing Face of New England No 3: March 2024 Topic: tba
Our Forum event on Wednesday night had over 100 participants which is excellent given the time of year with so many conflicting events happening at the moment. My thanks to our panel of experts which did a sterling job in informing us of the issues surrounding wind farms. NEV2030 team member Peter Sniekers took careful notes during the event for this report and I thank him for his effort.
Report on the Forum held 8th November at the Bowlo by Peter Sniekers
“The Changing Face of New England No.2: The Windfarm Experience”
Main points
Panel member presentations:
Keith Appleby (Director Infrastructure Services, Glen Innes Severn Council):
Glen Innes was the region’s guinea pig for large scale wind farming; Stage 1 of the the White Rock Wind Farm (built by Goldwind Global), 175Mw across 75 turbines, was the region’s first wind farm development, and was the biggest project ever undertaken in the Glen Innes Severn LGA.
- Council was not the consent / approval authority. The only management input to the project for Council was the management of local roads: eg. impact of traffic, how to maintain and restore roads, ensure safety etc.
- Council “got through” the development but it was not all smooth sailing. Sometimes had to apply pressure to developers for action.
- The delivery of large scale wind farm components to site required high-level co-ordination.
- During construction phase, empty shops on the main street were filled, and they remain filled today due to the significant and continued increase in economic activity.
- Some of the challenges included the supply of water required for the development (for concrete and watering of unsealed roads) and access to gravel for the turbine bases construction.
- Council saw the opportunity and purchased a property for development of a quarry and benefited financially as a result.
Alexandra Hall (Regional Director – NEREZ, EnergyCo NSW)
EnergyCo was formed in 2020 under the Electricity Infrastructure Act: objective is to develop a roadmap to transition the State from coal-based energy to renewable energy (RE).
- NSW is the most coal-reliant state in Australia and with an ageing “fleet” of coal-fired power stations.
- Most of the current power stations are approaching the end of their operational life.
- Old power stations can fail catastrophically as happened in SE Qld recently.
- Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) are areas of high RE resources. New England is an 8 Gigawatt RE zone, comprised of wind, solar, pumped hydro and battery potential.
- EnergyCo also helps develop long term policy on the REZs. An example is the “Access Scheme” where the Government charges RE projects for access to the grid, and these fees are returned to the impacted communities.
Dr Sujata Allan (GP Armajun Aboriginal health Service, Armidale; Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA))
Role on the panel: to look at the literature on wind farms and health, as a medical practitioner, based on rigorous evidence demonstration.
- The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), reported on the health impact of wind farms following a review in 2015.
- The findings reported that there is no evidence of direct health impacts, although noise may cause stress which can give rise to other psychological impacts.
- A 2023 study on infrasound from wind farms (ie. the level of sound below the frequency of human hearing) undertook a randomised control trial with controls by way of a monitored experiment . It measured impacts on sleep, mental awareness and other markers. Results indicated that after 72 hours of exposure to infrasound there was no appreciable difference in any of the psychological markers tested for.
Matthew Riley (Director Energy and resource Policy, NSW Dept Planning and Environment (DPIE)
DPIE does approve wind energy projects. Approval is by a triple-bottom line approach to make a decision to proceed with a project or not.
- NSW has the strictest noise conditions for wind farms in the world.
- Also looks at transport issues, biodiversity issues, environmental issues, visual amenity etc.
Dr Steve Debus ( Ornithologist UNE and consultant on impacts of wind farms on local bird species).
Has undertaken bird surveys on tablelands for Local Land Services especially woodland brid species and raptors. Experience on assessing impact of wind farms on bird populations.
- Raptor nesting sites can be affected – importance of site selection for wind turbines to minimise impact.
- Turbine strike an issue especially for birds of prey.
- Wind farms can also give rise to habitat loss for woodland bird species as a result of clearing.
- Often the habitat loss is not counteracted by “biodiversity offsets” given these are often new plantings so the offset is not effective in the short / medium term.
- There are about 10 threatened woodland bird species and about 5 threatened birds of prey species in the region so potential conflict with wind farm developments exists.
- Also increased risk of road kill due to increased traffic movements, and electrocution on the new built grid-connect infrastructure.
Q: Trinity Hooper, Inverell: Questioned the NHMRC health study referred to. Understood the result also mentioned that additional research was needed given the migraines, stress etc reported by some respondents. What do you know about that?
A: Dr Sujata Allan: Yes they did say that. More research has been done. Evidence is mounting that they still haven’t found consistent evidence of direct health impacts. They concede that noise can cause some stress in some individuals which gives rise to other issues. NHMRC conclusion was one of “no major concern” regarding heath impacts from wind farms, and they do not make such statements lightly.
Q: Has there been any research on the mental health impacts of RE projects splitting the local community.
A: Wherever the community is divided there will be increased stress and associated mental health impacts.
Q: Stuart Grills; Guyra / Boorolong area . Thanked panel.
Question to Matt Riley: is disappointed that new wind farm guidelines have not yet been released.
Question: If a turbine is proposed on a site where non-compensated landholders are in opposition to that siting and they complain – will that siting be rejected?
A: Matt Riley: (Also disappointed that the guidelines have not been released). Setback parameters will be defined in the new Guidelines. Approval will be determined by distance, mitigating factors (topography, vegetation etc), noise criteria etc. Is strict in terms of preventing “annoyance”: so the criteria in the new Guidelines will assist in addressing the issue.
Q: Jim Scott, retired UNE academic. Is concerned with Newton’s Third Law of Physics: that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. So is capturing wind energy benign, or will it impact on global circulation patterns?
A: Matt Riley: All development has some kind of impact. No matter what we do there is an impact. However the consequences of no action on RE will be a coal-destroyed environment; which is greater than the consequences of action. Alexandra Hall: The NEREZ area is some 15,000 square kilometres but only a tiny percentage of that area will actually be developed, ie. It won’t be a complete coverage. Dr Sujata Allan: And coal fired power stations emit cancer-causing outfall / emissions: therefore the health impacts from RE projects are much much lower than those from fossil fuel projects.
Q: Lindsay Bridge from Quirindi: Why do they suggest turbines / solar panels have such a short life (25 years) . He has been using BP solar panels since 1979 and they are still at full power.
A: Matt Riley: 25 years is used as an estimate of effective life for solar / wind projects. It is a long time in terms of technological change. Over that time a lot of technology will be redundant so projects can be retrofitted; then again there may be newer forms of energy we don’t yet know about: eg. move to hydrogen, possible nuclear fusion etc.
Q: Suella Tritton – Boorolong Wind farm: Question for NEV2030 panel: takes issue with the statement on the invitation that Europe is moving to renewables “... in an effort to slow down the destructive force of climate change” when in fact Europe is moving away from renewables (to gas / nuclear)?
A: Maria Hitchcock: Has seen wind farms and solar farms across Europe – no evidence Europe is moving away from RE. Some infrastructure to convert gas for use is being pursued in response to Russia turning off the gas pipeline.
Alexandra Hall: All long term energy modelling assumes gas will be part of the energy mix.
- However only 5 nuclear reactors are being constructed globally at present. No small scale reactors are being constructed.
- Those 5 being built have all run multi-billions of Euros over budget. The EIS work for these projects commenced thirty years ago.
- In Australia nuclear energy is prohibited by federal legislation. Plus we don’t have the time.
- Australia is awash with RE resources especially wind and sun (eg. Japan does not have that option and are looking at Hydrogen). So nuclear energy is not necessarily bad, just economically and by legislation it doesn’t work in Australia.
- Dr Sujata Allan: Also hasn’t heard that Europe is moving away from RE. Price of RE has dropped exponentially over the years so is getting cheaper relative to other forms of energy.
Q: John Peatfield: RED4NE : Am not against RE. It is all very well to hear about defence of the NEREZ in Armidale, but in the smaller communities such as Ben Lomond, Guyra, Boorolong, Walcha it is a completely different picture. The sheer size of the NEREZ is concerning us. 8 Gigawatts is quoted – that is “produced energy” which would require more like over 15 Gigawatts of projects. That, plus the required transmission lines / batteries leads to huge cumulative impacts. Where are the cumulative impact studies and ombudsman promised by the Standing Committee enquiry? ; and why the secrecy of overseas RE developers?
A: Alexandra Hall: Andrew Dyer is the Development Ombudsman independent of EnergyCo and can be contacted.
Cumulative Impact studies: Yes will be multiple studies for multiple projects / working with Councils and is part of the EIS process. Those requirements will look at other various impacts including housing, amenity etc.
Q: Cameron Greig (Walcha): “Social Licence” is a cornerstone of EnergyCo but will have to be defined?
A: Alexandra Hall: It is an intangible similar to cultural heritage value etc. Not actually defined in the Act. However if there is significant community push-back to a project then that would defy “social licence”. Social Licence is the long term relationship between the developer and the community. It is not attempting for 100% full consensus. It will vary between projects. The question that needs to be addressed is: “Is the proponent being recklessly dismissive of social concerns?” It is not an absolute measure, it is not a box-ticking exercise. Keith Appleby: People who reside in the smaller villages are passionate about their environment which needs to be factored in.
Q: Karen Zirkler – Kentucky. Will be surrounded by the Thunderbolt Energy Hub. Stage 1 is nearly at determination stage. Who will be accountable if the development goes awry? . Has due diligence been done on alternative forms of energy?
A: Alexandra Hall: Due diligence: Yes - Net Zero targets, assessment of possibility of reducing footprints of REZs, looking at alternatives available: result is that this is the best way to have a deliverable and reliable energy grid. This is not an energy race, it is a venture capital (VC) race. Where are the VC funds being directed globally? - to RE projects. RE projects win on a number of factors – including cost / deliverability. This is the best result given the challenge.
Forum closed at 6:45pm.
Next forum : Changing Face of New England No 3: March 2024 Topic: tba
Weekly Update Friday 3rd November
We have pleasure in announcing that Matthew Riley will be joining our panel.
Matthew Riley is the Director of Energy and Resources Policy in the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. He has been working with the department for over 10 years during which time he has worked on the assessment of mining and renewable energy projects, systems reform, and energy policy. He led the development of the Large-scale Solar Energy guidelines which were released in August 2022, including a new approach to visual impact assessment. He is currently leading a review of the government’s wind energy guidelines to deal with a range of issues, including visual and landscape impacts, and to help host communities benefit from the transition to renewable energy. It is timely to have Matt join us as the new wind energy guidelines were released for public comment last week.
NOVA Electrification & Opportunities for community and business Event (Monday 30th October)
Three NEV2030 team members attended this excellent talk by Professor Renate Egan (Executive Director for the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, the national centre for photovoltaics research led by UNSW, in partnership with ANU, UQ, CSIRO University of Melbourne and Monash). She is also Deputy Head of School (Engagement) in the School of Solar PV and Renewable Energy Engineering. Renate has been at the forefront of solar technology for years. She told us that the cost of solar has been dropping over time from $20 per kWh to $0.20. 30% of houses in Australia now have rooftop solar which makes Australia a world leader on solar participation. The uptake of EVs is slowly accelerating. Businesses and commercial premises are still lagging behind due mostly to the fact that the buildings are largely leased. During the discussion that followed James Hay (CEO of EnergyCo) said that there is an urgency to replace the ageing coal fired power stations. Renewables are by far the cheapest option. The REZ regions will be receiving a large amount of funding. Central West Orana has received $28m in early funding with more to come.
Council resolution (from Adam Marshall's Weekly Report)
A Renewable Energy Community Benefit Framework – that promotes benefit sharing strategies associated with the development of renewable energy projects in the Armidale region – has been adopted at this week’s Ordinary Council Meeting. “The creation of the Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), where Armidale is the epicentre, is our one-off mining boom,” said Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland. “As a responsible council we need to ensure that any benefits that can be derived from the creation of the REZ are not only shared throughout the community but more importantly provide an intergenerational benefit. “As one of the host locations for the New England REZ, we want to work with renewable developers who are interested in being good corporate citizens and integrate with the community. The framework draws a clear position from Council that the minimum community benefit threshold is 1.5 percent of the capital value of the development...With the establishment of the Renewable Energy Community Benefit Framework Council will now turn its mind to establishing a “Future Fund” that will see the proceeds of planning agreements for renewable energy projects invested for future generations.
Local Manufacturing of Solar Panels
Chris Bowen reported on (X) on 2/11/23 'A future made in Australia means manufacturing renewables here. Delighted to join the Prime Minister today to launch Australian manufacturing for SunDrive, the Australian inventors of the world’s most efficient solar panel. Our manufacturing future is bright!'
Cost of Nuclear Power
Reuben Finighan is a research fellow at the Superpower Institute writing in 'The Conversation' 3rd Nov. 2023
There are four arguments against investment in nuclear power: Olkiluoto 3, Flamanville 3, Hinkley Point C, and Vogtle. These are the four major latest-generation plants completed or near completion in Finland, the United States, the United Kingdom and France respectively. Cost overruns at these recent plants average over 300%, with more increases to come. The cost of Vogtle, for example, soared from US$14 billion to $34 billion (A$22-53 billion), Flamanville from €3.3 billion to €19 billion (A$5-31 billion), and Hinkley Point C from £16 billion to as much as £70 billion (A$30-132 billion), including subsidies. Completion of Vogtle has been delayed by seven years, Olkiluoto by 14 years, and Flamanville by at least 12 years. A fifth case is Virgil C, also in the US, for which US$9 billion (A$14 billion) was spent before cost overruns led the project to be abandoned. All three firms building these five plants – Westinghouse, EDF, and AREVA – went bankrupt or were nationalised. Consumers, companies and taxpayers will bear the costs for decades. By contrast, average cost overruns for wind and solar are around zero, the lowest of all energy infrastructure.
We have pleasure in announcing that Matthew Riley will be joining our panel.
Matthew Riley is the Director of Energy and Resources Policy in the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. He has been working with the department for over 10 years during which time he has worked on the assessment of mining and renewable energy projects, systems reform, and energy policy. He led the development of the Large-scale Solar Energy guidelines which were released in August 2022, including a new approach to visual impact assessment. He is currently leading a review of the government’s wind energy guidelines to deal with a range of issues, including visual and landscape impacts, and to help host communities benefit from the transition to renewable energy. It is timely to have Matt join us as the new wind energy guidelines were released for public comment last week.
NOVA Electrification & Opportunities for community and business Event (Monday 30th October)
Three NEV2030 team members attended this excellent talk by Professor Renate Egan (Executive Director for the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, the national centre for photovoltaics research led by UNSW, in partnership with ANU, UQ, CSIRO University of Melbourne and Monash). She is also Deputy Head of School (Engagement) in the School of Solar PV and Renewable Energy Engineering. Renate has been at the forefront of solar technology for years. She told us that the cost of solar has been dropping over time from $20 per kWh to $0.20. 30% of houses in Australia now have rooftop solar which makes Australia a world leader on solar participation. The uptake of EVs is slowly accelerating. Businesses and commercial premises are still lagging behind due mostly to the fact that the buildings are largely leased. During the discussion that followed James Hay (CEO of EnergyCo) said that there is an urgency to replace the ageing coal fired power stations. Renewables are by far the cheapest option. The REZ regions will be receiving a large amount of funding. Central West Orana has received $28m in early funding with more to come.
Council resolution (from Adam Marshall's Weekly Report)
A Renewable Energy Community Benefit Framework – that promotes benefit sharing strategies associated with the development of renewable energy projects in the Armidale region – has been adopted at this week’s Ordinary Council Meeting. “The creation of the Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), where Armidale is the epicentre, is our one-off mining boom,” said Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland. “As a responsible council we need to ensure that any benefits that can be derived from the creation of the REZ are not only shared throughout the community but more importantly provide an intergenerational benefit. “As one of the host locations for the New England REZ, we want to work with renewable developers who are interested in being good corporate citizens and integrate with the community. The framework draws a clear position from Council that the minimum community benefit threshold is 1.5 percent of the capital value of the development...With the establishment of the Renewable Energy Community Benefit Framework Council will now turn its mind to establishing a “Future Fund” that will see the proceeds of planning agreements for renewable energy projects invested for future generations.
Local Manufacturing of Solar Panels
Chris Bowen reported on (X) on 2/11/23 'A future made in Australia means manufacturing renewables here. Delighted to join the Prime Minister today to launch Australian manufacturing for SunDrive, the Australian inventors of the world’s most efficient solar panel. Our manufacturing future is bright!'
Cost of Nuclear Power
Reuben Finighan is a research fellow at the Superpower Institute writing in 'The Conversation' 3rd Nov. 2023
There are four arguments against investment in nuclear power: Olkiluoto 3, Flamanville 3, Hinkley Point C, and Vogtle. These are the four major latest-generation plants completed or near completion in Finland, the United States, the United Kingdom and France respectively. Cost overruns at these recent plants average over 300%, with more increases to come. The cost of Vogtle, for example, soared from US$14 billion to $34 billion (A$22-53 billion), Flamanville from €3.3 billion to €19 billion (A$5-31 billion), and Hinkley Point C from £16 billion to as much as £70 billion (A$30-132 billion), including subsidies. Completion of Vogtle has been delayed by seven years, Olkiluoto by 14 years, and Flamanville by at least 12 years. A fifth case is Virgil C, also in the US, for which US$9 billion (A$14 billion) was spent before cost overruns led the project to be abandoned. All three firms building these five plants – Westinghouse, EDF, and AREVA – went bankrupt or were nationalised. Consumers, companies and taxpayers will bear the costs for decades. By contrast, average cost overruns for wind and solar are around zero, the lowest of all energy infrastructure.
Weekly Update Friday 27th October
Forum Wednesday 8th November 5.30 - 6.45pm Bowlo Auditorium
The RSVPs are coming in quickly now. Make sure you register for this event. If it is anything like the last riveting Forum you shouldn't miss it. We had over 130 people in attendance last time and we anticipate a similar response this time. It's a very concerning issue in our region.
Renewables are in the news everywhere.
The Conversation (October 23) published the following article by Peter Burnett (Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University)
How to beat ‘rollout rage’: the environment-versus-climate battle dividing regional Australia
Here are some excerpts:
The goal of achieving net zero by 2050 requires nothing less than an economic and social transformation. That includes extensive construction of wind and solar farms, transmission lines, pumped hydro, critical mineral mines and more. Australia needs to move fast – the Australian Energy Market Operator says 10,000km of high-voltage transmission lines need to be built to support the clean energy transition – but we are already lagging badly. The problem is that moving fast inflames what is often fierce opposition from local communities. They are especially concerned with the environmental impacts of vast electricity towers and lines running across land they love...Net zero, nature protection and “rollout rage” feel like a toxic mix. Yet we have to find a quick way to deliver the clean energy projects we urgently need...To get agreement, we need a better way than the standard project-based approval processes and private negotiations between developers and landowners. The underlying principle must be that all citizens, not just directly affected groups, bear the burden of advancing the common good...
The Nature Positive Plan may also improve the second element – regional planning – by helping it deal with “green on green” disputes through its proposed “traffic light” system of environmental values. Places with the highest environmental values (or significant Indigenous and other heritage values) would be placed in “red zones” and be protected from development, climate-friendly or not. Development would be planned in orange and green zones, but require biodiversity offsets in orange zones. The catch is that most current biodiversity offsets, which commonly involve putting land into reserve to compensate for land cleared, are environmental failures. Read the whole article:
https://theconversation.com/how-to-beat-rollout-rage-the-environment-versus-climate-battle-dividing-regional-australia-213863
A new design for wind towers published in Time Magazines Best Inventions for 2023 (October 24)
Keystone Tower Systems Spiral Welded Wind TowerWind power is among the greenest sources of energy around, but the sheer size and weight of wind turbines makes building and transporting them challenging. Keystone Tower Systems, aided by more than $7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, solved these issues with a spiral welding technique previously used to make steel pipelines. The process lets the company ship flat sheets of steel, then curl them into cylinders onsite, which means the towers can be built twice as tall as regular turbines, at 10 times the speed.
Forum Wednesday 8th November 5.30 - 6.45pm Bowlo Auditorium
The RSVPs are coming in quickly now. Make sure you register for this event. If it is anything like the last riveting Forum you shouldn't miss it. We had over 130 people in attendance last time and we anticipate a similar response this time. It's a very concerning issue in our region.
Renewables are in the news everywhere.
The Conversation (October 23) published the following article by Peter Burnett (Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University)
How to beat ‘rollout rage’: the environment-versus-climate battle dividing regional Australia
Here are some excerpts:
The goal of achieving net zero by 2050 requires nothing less than an economic and social transformation. That includes extensive construction of wind and solar farms, transmission lines, pumped hydro, critical mineral mines and more. Australia needs to move fast – the Australian Energy Market Operator says 10,000km of high-voltage transmission lines need to be built to support the clean energy transition – but we are already lagging badly. The problem is that moving fast inflames what is often fierce opposition from local communities. They are especially concerned with the environmental impacts of vast electricity towers and lines running across land they love...Net zero, nature protection and “rollout rage” feel like a toxic mix. Yet we have to find a quick way to deliver the clean energy projects we urgently need...To get agreement, we need a better way than the standard project-based approval processes and private negotiations between developers and landowners. The underlying principle must be that all citizens, not just directly affected groups, bear the burden of advancing the common good...
The Nature Positive Plan may also improve the second element – regional planning – by helping it deal with “green on green” disputes through its proposed “traffic light” system of environmental values. Places with the highest environmental values (or significant Indigenous and other heritage values) would be placed in “red zones” and be protected from development, climate-friendly or not. Development would be planned in orange and green zones, but require biodiversity offsets in orange zones. The catch is that most current biodiversity offsets, which commonly involve putting land into reserve to compensate for land cleared, are environmental failures. Read the whole article:
https://theconversation.com/how-to-beat-rollout-rage-the-environment-versus-climate-battle-dividing-regional-australia-213863
A new design for wind towers published in Time Magazines Best Inventions for 2023 (October 24)
Keystone Tower Systems Spiral Welded Wind TowerWind power is among the greenest sources of energy around, but the sheer size and weight of wind turbines makes building and transporting them challenging. Keystone Tower Systems, aided by more than $7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, solved these issues with a spiral welding technique previously used to make steel pipelines. The process lets the company ship flat sheets of steel, then curl them into cylinders onsite, which means the towers can be built twice as tall as regular turbines, at 10 times the speed.
Weekly Update Friday 13th October
Forum
We have added local GP Dr Sujata Allan to the panel to answer any health related questions regarding wind farms. She has been involved with Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) for 10 years with leadership roles including previously being on the board. She has spoken at many community events and conferences around NSW and interstate about the impact of environmental issues and climate change on health - both to health professionals and the general community. Now is the time to register for this event. The new invitation is above.
Careers for Net Zero Fair Debuts in Melbourne (EcoVoice 6/10/23)
Thursday 26 October 2023 9:00 AM – 5 PM Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
The Clean Energy Council and the Energy Efficiency Council are partnering to host the inaugural Careers for Net Zero Fair, inviting everyday Australians to learn more about career pathways that support net zero emissions, and how their skills can be used to accelerate our nation’s growing clean economy. The event is free. Held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, the free event will give attendees the opportunity to rub shoulders with industry leaders, learn about the rewarding benefits of entering rapidly growing and innovative sectors, as well as discover current job opportunities, connect with recruiters, and build valuable industry connections.
The event will be the first of its kind and aims to inspire and attract more workers to actively choose a clean economy career path to ensure Australia’s workforce is equipped with the right skills to achieve the nation’s 2030 emissions reduction and net zero target by 2050. The Careers for Net Zero Fair is expected to attract 5,000 visitors, including recent graduates, seasoned professionals, students, migrant workers, educators, job hunters and more from across the nation. For more information about the Careers for Net Zero Fair and how to register, visit www.careersfornetzero.org.au
29 September 2023
The Chair of the newly established NSW Upper House Select Committee on the Feasibility of Undergrounding the Transmission Infrastructure for Renewable Energy Projects, Cate Faehrmann MLC, has condemned the Government’s commencement of compulsory acquisition processes in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) prior to receiving planning approval for the project. “It is unconscionable for EnergyCo to notify landholders that their properties will be compulsorily acquired as soon as November when their project hasn’t even received planning approval,” says Ms Faehrmann. “The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was only lodged yesterday and the community will only have 28 days to make objections. Not only is this a ridiculously short turnaround for an 8,000 page document, but to be sending out compulsory acquisition notices at this stage is indicative of just how farcical the consultation process has become for projects declared ‘state significant infrastructure’. EnergyCo progressing to compulsory acquisition despite not expecting a planning decision until mid-2024 makes a mockery of the state’s entire planning process. If this is how all the REZs are going to be undertaken, the Government needs to do better to ensure these projects have the social licence needed to enable them to progress swiftly. The Committee is planning a visit to Central-West Orana as soon as we are able to understand the impact transmission lines will have on the area. We are doing the community consultation that a project like this needs because clearly the Government isn’t. I’m calling on the Government and EnergyCo to immediately pause any works or compulsory acquisitions for the Central-West Orana transmission lines. I’m also urging the Independent Planning Commission to extend the consultation period of the project’s EIS exhibition,” said Cate Faehrmann.
Forum
We have added local GP Dr Sujata Allan to the panel to answer any health related questions regarding wind farms. She has been involved with Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) for 10 years with leadership roles including previously being on the board. She has spoken at many community events and conferences around NSW and interstate about the impact of environmental issues and climate change on health - both to health professionals and the general community. Now is the time to register for this event. The new invitation is above.
Careers for Net Zero Fair Debuts in Melbourne (EcoVoice 6/10/23)
Thursday 26 October 2023 9:00 AM – 5 PM Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
The Clean Energy Council and the Energy Efficiency Council are partnering to host the inaugural Careers for Net Zero Fair, inviting everyday Australians to learn more about career pathways that support net zero emissions, and how their skills can be used to accelerate our nation’s growing clean economy. The event is free. Held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, the free event will give attendees the opportunity to rub shoulders with industry leaders, learn about the rewarding benefits of entering rapidly growing and innovative sectors, as well as discover current job opportunities, connect with recruiters, and build valuable industry connections.
The event will be the first of its kind and aims to inspire and attract more workers to actively choose a clean economy career path to ensure Australia’s workforce is equipped with the right skills to achieve the nation’s 2030 emissions reduction and net zero target by 2050. The Careers for Net Zero Fair is expected to attract 5,000 visitors, including recent graduates, seasoned professionals, students, migrant workers, educators, job hunters and more from across the nation. For more information about the Careers for Net Zero Fair and how to register, visit www.careersfornetzero.org.au
29 September 2023
The Chair of the newly established NSW Upper House Select Committee on the Feasibility of Undergrounding the Transmission Infrastructure for Renewable Energy Projects, Cate Faehrmann MLC, has condemned the Government’s commencement of compulsory acquisition processes in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) prior to receiving planning approval for the project. “It is unconscionable for EnergyCo to notify landholders that their properties will be compulsorily acquired as soon as November when their project hasn’t even received planning approval,” says Ms Faehrmann. “The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was only lodged yesterday and the community will only have 28 days to make objections. Not only is this a ridiculously short turnaround for an 8,000 page document, but to be sending out compulsory acquisition notices at this stage is indicative of just how farcical the consultation process has become for projects declared ‘state significant infrastructure’. EnergyCo progressing to compulsory acquisition despite not expecting a planning decision until mid-2024 makes a mockery of the state’s entire planning process. If this is how all the REZs are going to be undertaken, the Government needs to do better to ensure these projects have the social licence needed to enable them to progress swiftly. The Committee is planning a visit to Central-West Orana as soon as we are able to understand the impact transmission lines will have on the area. We are doing the community consultation that a project like this needs because clearly the Government isn’t. I’m calling on the Government and EnergyCo to immediately pause any works or compulsory acquisitions for the Central-West Orana transmission lines. I’m also urging the Independent Planning Commission to extend the consultation period of the project’s EIS exhibition,” said Cate Faehrmann.
Weekly Update Friday 6th October
The weather is a bit topsy turvy at the moment but I'm sure we all welcomed the rain which fell on Wednesday evening. It appears that we may have to rely on thunderstorms this spring and summer to fill our tanks again. The bush fires have started already and if you live near bushland please act early to prepare pets, valuables, photos and documents for a quick evacuation. Do think about scanning your photos and documents and storing onto memory sticks or portable hard drives - so much easier to transport. Photographing furniture, electronic items and rooms in your house will also assist with insurance claims.
Meeting
The team met with the new UNE Vice-Chancellor: Professor Chris Moran, along with Deputy VC Research: Professor Chris Armstrong and Director, Corporate Communications & Events: Mr Bryn Griffiths. NEV2030 is concerned that UNE might be missing out on some of the lucrative opportunities that will become available with the REZ. We talked about the new partnership between Sturt University and Transgrid in setting up a Training Centre that is planning training programs for both renewables and future smart agricultural practices. We are pleased that the Archives have re-opened and we explained how we have been advocating for an After-hours Medical Clinic.
Professor Moran has a background in resources and is keen to hear what people have to say about the way the REZ is being introduced and managed. He sees similarities between the mining and energy sectors and the conflicts that ensue. He believes that communities are often not well prepared for such intrusions in our midst and that the community needs to be well organised to respond to negative aspects of planning. One thing that NEV has been pursuing for over a year now is local training for tradespeople with absolutely no response from government despite training being included in all the planning documents. It's no wonder then that a new report reinforces what we have been saying all along.
Here is an SMH article published on 3 October
Nation’s skills not match-fit for net zero, government agency warns
Angus Thompson
Australia isn’t match-fit to train people in the skills the nation desperately needs to slash its emissions, a key government agency has warned, as Labor pledges an overhaul of the beleaguered vocational sector to ensure it is up to the task. Jobs and Skills Australia says the nation’s ability to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 is at risk while the tertiary sector can’t keep pace with the demand to train people in emerging occupations. It said the pipeline of young tradies would need to increase dramatically as separate figures showed the take-up of the Albanese government’s new energy apprenticeships was just 13 per cent in the program’s first nine months.
The government has set aside $95.6 million over nine years for 10,000 places in the subsidised new energy apprenticeships program. Trainees are eligible if they undertake a trade that is mostly in renewables. Jobs and Skills wants the scheme to be opened up to include trades that aren’t directly in renewables but require many of the same skills. It is also calling for apprenticeship training targets, better use of international students, women and Indigenous Australians in the clean energy sector, and for STEM subjects to be further encouraged in high schools.
“Without addressing these fundamental, underlying constraints, the student pipeline won’t be match-fit to address the growing and evolving skills needs of the sector,” the agency says in a draft report on the country’s clean energy capacity.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nation-s-skills-not-match-fit-for-net-zero-government-agency-warns-20231002-p5e90o.html?btis=
The weather is a bit topsy turvy at the moment but I'm sure we all welcomed the rain which fell on Wednesday evening. It appears that we may have to rely on thunderstorms this spring and summer to fill our tanks again. The bush fires have started already and if you live near bushland please act early to prepare pets, valuables, photos and documents for a quick evacuation. Do think about scanning your photos and documents and storing onto memory sticks or portable hard drives - so much easier to transport. Photographing furniture, electronic items and rooms in your house will also assist with insurance claims.
Meeting
The team met with the new UNE Vice-Chancellor: Professor Chris Moran, along with Deputy VC Research: Professor Chris Armstrong and Director, Corporate Communications & Events: Mr Bryn Griffiths. NEV2030 is concerned that UNE might be missing out on some of the lucrative opportunities that will become available with the REZ. We talked about the new partnership between Sturt University and Transgrid in setting up a Training Centre that is planning training programs for both renewables and future smart agricultural practices. We are pleased that the Archives have re-opened and we explained how we have been advocating for an After-hours Medical Clinic.
Professor Moran has a background in resources and is keen to hear what people have to say about the way the REZ is being introduced and managed. He sees similarities between the mining and energy sectors and the conflicts that ensue. He believes that communities are often not well prepared for such intrusions in our midst and that the community needs to be well organised to respond to negative aspects of planning. One thing that NEV has been pursuing for over a year now is local training for tradespeople with absolutely no response from government despite training being included in all the planning documents. It's no wonder then that a new report reinforces what we have been saying all along.
Here is an SMH article published on 3 October
Nation’s skills not match-fit for net zero, government agency warns
Angus Thompson
Australia isn’t match-fit to train people in the skills the nation desperately needs to slash its emissions, a key government agency has warned, as Labor pledges an overhaul of the beleaguered vocational sector to ensure it is up to the task. Jobs and Skills Australia says the nation’s ability to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 is at risk while the tertiary sector can’t keep pace with the demand to train people in emerging occupations. It said the pipeline of young tradies would need to increase dramatically as separate figures showed the take-up of the Albanese government’s new energy apprenticeships was just 13 per cent in the program’s first nine months.
The government has set aside $95.6 million over nine years for 10,000 places in the subsidised new energy apprenticeships program. Trainees are eligible if they undertake a trade that is mostly in renewables. Jobs and Skills wants the scheme to be opened up to include trades that aren’t directly in renewables but require many of the same skills. It is also calling for apprenticeship training targets, better use of international students, women and Indigenous Australians in the clean energy sector, and for STEM subjects to be further encouraged in high schools.
“Without addressing these fundamental, underlying constraints, the student pipeline won’t be match-fit to address the growing and evolving skills needs of the sector,” the agency says in a draft report on the country’s clean energy capacity.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nation-s-skills-not-match-fit-for-net-zero-government-agency-warns-20231002-p5e90o.html?btis=
Weekly Update Friday 22nd September
We can now confirm that our next Forum in the series 'The Changing Face of New England No 2: the Windfarm Experience" will be held on Wednesday 8th November at the Bowlo from 5.30 - 6.45pm. The invitation will be sent out when we have confirmed our speakers. The Ahn Do event is on the same evening at 7.30pm at Lazenby Hall. It will be possible to attend both as we will finish our event at 6.45pm to allow people time to get to UNE.
RED4NE
John Peatfield of RED4NE has written to our three Mayors asking for their support for the recommendations made following the recent Upper House Enquiry into Undergrounding of Transmission Lines. These are:
1. To hold a Cumulative Impact Study for each REZ
2. To appoint an independent Ombudsman
Reminder: AEIC Review of community engagement practices Closes 1 October.
Send submissions to: https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/aeic-review-of-community-engagement-practices
This group has put together an estimate of local resources needed to construct the wind tower foundations alone including sand, cement, water and gravel for roads. You can visit their website for further information https://red4ne.com.au/
Regional Development Australia (RDA) Northern Inland Online Newsletter 17/9/23
included is a link to the
Sapphire Wind Farm Community Fund
Closes: 22nd of September 2023 - 4:00 pm
Value: Undisclosed
Run By: Sapphire Wind Farm
Funding for projects in the Inverell Shire to enhance and enrich community initiatives throughout the local community. There are 2 rounds per year which began in 2019 and this is the 10th Round. The website allows you to look up all the community projects which received funding. Most grants are around $5,000 but some are over $20,000.
https://inverell.nsw.gov.au/building-and-development/wind-farms/sapphire-wind-farm-community-fund/
Mayor Robert Bell Uralla reported in Uralla Wordsworth 18/9/23
Council also had an address from Dr Jarra Hicks, Community Power Agency, on a Community-Owned Solar opportunity in Uralla. This would involve being able to own and invest in shares in the Thunderbolt Solar Farm, to be constructed by Meralli Solar. It is hoped that this project will increase electricity reliability in Uralla, as this would feed directly to the Uralla sub-station. More information will be provided over the next couple of months in cooperation with ZNet.
The Thunderbolt Energy Hub Wind Energy Project is up to the Assessment Stage where NSW DPIE assesses the Development Application and public submissions. After that comes the final stage where there is a Determination by the NSW Minister of Planning or the Independent Planning Commission who will make a final decision on the Development Application. (Thunderbolt Newsletter September 2023 - pdf is attached)
The Clean Energy Council has put together the
Australian Guide to Agrisolar for large-scale solar for proponents and farmers
Released in March 2021 (pdf attached to this email)
This guide has been developed to share knowledge and learnings from agrisolar practices around Australia and the world, to assist proponents of utility-scale solar, and the landholders and farmers who work with them, to integrate agricultural activities into solar farm projects. As solar grazing is the dominant form of agrisolar for utility-scale solar, this guide has a strong focus on sharing the knowledge and learnings from Australian projects that have integrated solar grazing practices to date, providing:
• case studies from solar farms currently employing solar grazing
• information on the benefits of solar grazing for proponents and farmers
• practical guidance for both farmers and proponents considering solar grazing
Health
Dr Daniel Mastroianni, the new GP registrar at the West Armidale Medical Centre was interviewed on ABC Radio on Monday. When asked why he came to Armidale he replied that he'd been influenced by the 7.30 Report that filmed NEV2030s Forum on the GP Crisis in Armidale.
The AMA hosted the Rural Medical Training Summit in Canberra last week. (Report from their website
ama.com.au and shared by NEV 2030 team member Dr John Nevin)
The summit brought together key decision makers, stakeholders, academics, policymakers, and experts to discuss how to create pathways to support medical training in rural and regional areas.
The summit, led by the AMA's Council of Doctors in Training and Council of Rural Doctors, showcased models currently being used by the medical profession to help create rural and regional speciality training opportunities and support the health and wellbeing of doctors working and training in rural and regional areas.
The summit explored how international medical graduates can be best supported to undertake specialty training in rural Australia. The expertise of participants will inform and guide future AMA policy and advocacy for rural specialist medical training.
The AMA launched their AMA plan for improving access to rural general practice. The plan outlines a clear strategy for improving access to primary healthcare for rural communities and addressing general practitioner shortages in rural areas. Key recommendations from the plan include the establishment of a National Rural Health and Workforce Strategy and the development of sustainable training pathway for doctors in rural areas.
Data from the Nous Group shows the health-spend gap between urban and the 7 million Australians who live in rural areas was $6.55 billion, or $848.02 per capita per year. In addition, the recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows potentially avoidable deaths and hospitalisations were two to three times higher in remote and very remote areas compared with major cities. Without timely access to primary care from GPs, the burden of disease and pressure within hospital systems will continue to increase.
A report on the summit will made available in the coming weeks.
Neoen Project Manager Change
From the end of September, Thunderbolt’s project manager will
change from Joanna Murphy to Aaron Gutteridge. Our contact
details remain the same.
We can now confirm that our next Forum in the series 'The Changing Face of New England No 2: the Windfarm Experience" will be held on Wednesday 8th November at the Bowlo from 5.30 - 6.45pm. The invitation will be sent out when we have confirmed our speakers. The Ahn Do event is on the same evening at 7.30pm at Lazenby Hall. It will be possible to attend both as we will finish our event at 6.45pm to allow people time to get to UNE.
RED4NE
John Peatfield of RED4NE has written to our three Mayors asking for their support for the recommendations made following the recent Upper House Enquiry into Undergrounding of Transmission Lines. These are:
1. To hold a Cumulative Impact Study for each REZ
2. To appoint an independent Ombudsman
Reminder: AEIC Review of community engagement practices Closes 1 October.
Send submissions to: https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/aeic-review-of-community-engagement-practices
This group has put together an estimate of local resources needed to construct the wind tower foundations alone including sand, cement, water and gravel for roads. You can visit their website for further information https://red4ne.com.au/
Regional Development Australia (RDA) Northern Inland Online Newsletter 17/9/23
included is a link to the
Sapphire Wind Farm Community Fund
Closes: 22nd of September 2023 - 4:00 pm
Value: Undisclosed
Run By: Sapphire Wind Farm
Funding for projects in the Inverell Shire to enhance and enrich community initiatives throughout the local community. There are 2 rounds per year which began in 2019 and this is the 10th Round. The website allows you to look up all the community projects which received funding. Most grants are around $5,000 but some are over $20,000.
https://inverell.nsw.gov.au/building-and-development/wind-farms/sapphire-wind-farm-community-fund/
Mayor Robert Bell Uralla reported in Uralla Wordsworth 18/9/23
Council also had an address from Dr Jarra Hicks, Community Power Agency, on a Community-Owned Solar opportunity in Uralla. This would involve being able to own and invest in shares in the Thunderbolt Solar Farm, to be constructed by Meralli Solar. It is hoped that this project will increase electricity reliability in Uralla, as this would feed directly to the Uralla sub-station. More information will be provided over the next couple of months in cooperation with ZNet.
The Thunderbolt Energy Hub Wind Energy Project is up to the Assessment Stage where NSW DPIE assesses the Development Application and public submissions. After that comes the final stage where there is a Determination by the NSW Minister of Planning or the Independent Planning Commission who will make a final decision on the Development Application. (Thunderbolt Newsletter September 2023 - pdf is attached)
The Clean Energy Council has put together the
Australian Guide to Agrisolar for large-scale solar for proponents and farmers
Released in March 2021 (pdf attached to this email)
This guide has been developed to share knowledge and learnings from agrisolar practices around Australia and the world, to assist proponents of utility-scale solar, and the landholders and farmers who work with them, to integrate agricultural activities into solar farm projects. As solar grazing is the dominant form of agrisolar for utility-scale solar, this guide has a strong focus on sharing the knowledge and learnings from Australian projects that have integrated solar grazing practices to date, providing:
• case studies from solar farms currently employing solar grazing
• information on the benefits of solar grazing for proponents and farmers
• practical guidance for both farmers and proponents considering solar grazing
Health
Dr Daniel Mastroianni, the new GP registrar at the West Armidale Medical Centre was interviewed on ABC Radio on Monday. When asked why he came to Armidale he replied that he'd been influenced by the 7.30 Report that filmed NEV2030s Forum on the GP Crisis in Armidale.
The AMA hosted the Rural Medical Training Summit in Canberra last week. (Report from their website
ama.com.au and shared by NEV 2030 team member Dr John Nevin)
The summit brought together key decision makers, stakeholders, academics, policymakers, and experts to discuss how to create pathways to support medical training in rural and regional areas.
The summit, led by the AMA's Council of Doctors in Training and Council of Rural Doctors, showcased models currently being used by the medical profession to help create rural and regional speciality training opportunities and support the health and wellbeing of doctors working and training in rural and regional areas.
The summit explored how international medical graduates can be best supported to undertake specialty training in rural Australia. The expertise of participants will inform and guide future AMA policy and advocacy for rural specialist medical training.
The AMA launched their AMA plan for improving access to rural general practice. The plan outlines a clear strategy for improving access to primary healthcare for rural communities and addressing general practitioner shortages in rural areas. Key recommendations from the plan include the establishment of a National Rural Health and Workforce Strategy and the development of sustainable training pathway for doctors in rural areas.
Data from the Nous Group shows the health-spend gap between urban and the 7 million Australians who live in rural areas was $6.55 billion, or $848.02 per capita per year. In addition, the recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows potentially avoidable deaths and hospitalisations were two to three times higher in remote and very remote areas compared with major cities. Without timely access to primary care from GPs, the burden of disease and pressure within hospital systems will continue to increase.
A report on the summit will made available in the coming weeks.
Neoen Project Manager Change
From the end of September, Thunderbolt’s project manager will
change from Joanna Murphy to Aaron Gutteridge. Our contact
details remain the same.
|
|
Weekly Update Friday 15th September
Renewables
The Office of the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commission is conducting a Community Engagement Review that will assess and make recommendations to bolster reforms in community engagement around the planning and deployment of renewable energy infrastructure upgrades and developments. Andrew Dyer, Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, has been appointed to lead the Review. I received the following invitation.
The Commissioner would value your contribution to the Review via the online public consultation process, available here, open until 5.00pm on Sunday 1 October 2023.
If anyone on our mailing list is interested in participating I'm sure it would be welcomed. The Review will deliver a report to the Federal Minister by the end of 2023. The Report will include key recommendations for the government to consider. Information about the Review and public consultation process is available here. Should you have any questions about the submission process, please contact the Review Secretariat by email at [email protected].
ARC Renewables Community Fund Framework.
The Community Fund is the windfall Council will get from the REZ. We don't know how much is involved but it will be millions over several years. It's supposed to be a 'reward' for invading the LGA. Would welcome your ideas. You can download the Draft Framework on Council's Have Your Say webpage and put in a submission. Uralla and Walcha will be going through a similar process.
NEV 2030 put forward the following rationale:
1. The Renewables Community Fund must either attract revenue or be revenue neutral.
2. It must be sustainable and encourage renewables at the household level.
3. It must not be spent on projects that require an increase in council funding for on-going maintenance, such as parks or gardens.
4. It must be equitable for both town and rural residents.
5. It should improve the lives of all of our citizens.
6. It must provide a future for our youth and encourage them to stay in the region by providing training opportunities.
7. It should have a separate community advisory body. Minutes of meetings should be posted online and a Fund Budget needs to be posted annually separate to Council's budget.
Regional Australia
The Regional Australia Institute has just released a progress report showing that there has been a shift in demographics with a new emphasis on regional Australia. The report highlights that regional Australia is a better place to live, work and invest than it was 12 months ago. More than 90,200 jobs were advertised in regional Australia in July this year – 2.7% higher than this time last year. Meanwhile, metropolitan jobs declined by 10%. We have seen population in the regions increase from 9.5 million to 9.6 million; the number of childcare services in regions has increased by 5.2%; the proportion of overseas arrivals in regions has increased from 17.4% to 18.5%; and over half of employment in renewable energy generation has been in the regions. Our recently released research – Big Movers 2023 – has shown us that the regional renaissance we are experiencing is here to stay, with more people than ever voting with their feet, and millennials are leading the charge.
Active Transport
By now you will have seen all those purple e-scooters around Armidale - you might even have ridden one. This trial initiated by our Mayor Sam Coupland is an exciting development and follows other towns which have introduced the concept of shared e-bikes and e-scooters. An article written in The Conversation reports on the Brisbane experience.
Five years on, Brisbane’s e-scooters and e-bikes are winning over tourists and residents as they open up the city
The Conversation Richard Buning, The University of Queensland; Wendy Pham, The University of Queensland
Brisbane was the first Australian city to accept rideshare e-scooters. After some growing pains, residents, visitors and the city itself are enjoying the benefits, a new study finds. Read more
Renewables
The Office of the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commission is conducting a Community Engagement Review that will assess and make recommendations to bolster reforms in community engagement around the planning and deployment of renewable energy infrastructure upgrades and developments. Andrew Dyer, Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, has been appointed to lead the Review. I received the following invitation.
The Commissioner would value your contribution to the Review via the online public consultation process, available here, open until 5.00pm on Sunday 1 October 2023.
If anyone on our mailing list is interested in participating I'm sure it would be welcomed. The Review will deliver a report to the Federal Minister by the end of 2023. The Report will include key recommendations for the government to consider. Information about the Review and public consultation process is available here. Should you have any questions about the submission process, please contact the Review Secretariat by email at [email protected].
ARC Renewables Community Fund Framework.
The Community Fund is the windfall Council will get from the REZ. We don't know how much is involved but it will be millions over several years. It's supposed to be a 'reward' for invading the LGA. Would welcome your ideas. You can download the Draft Framework on Council's Have Your Say webpage and put in a submission. Uralla and Walcha will be going through a similar process.
NEV 2030 put forward the following rationale:
1. The Renewables Community Fund must either attract revenue or be revenue neutral.
2. It must be sustainable and encourage renewables at the household level.
3. It must not be spent on projects that require an increase in council funding for on-going maintenance, such as parks or gardens.
4. It must be equitable for both town and rural residents.
5. It should improve the lives of all of our citizens.
6. It must provide a future for our youth and encourage them to stay in the region by providing training opportunities.
7. It should have a separate community advisory body. Minutes of meetings should be posted online and a Fund Budget needs to be posted annually separate to Council's budget.
Regional Australia
The Regional Australia Institute has just released a progress report showing that there has been a shift in demographics with a new emphasis on regional Australia. The report highlights that regional Australia is a better place to live, work and invest than it was 12 months ago. More than 90,200 jobs were advertised in regional Australia in July this year – 2.7% higher than this time last year. Meanwhile, metropolitan jobs declined by 10%. We have seen population in the regions increase from 9.5 million to 9.6 million; the number of childcare services in regions has increased by 5.2%; the proportion of overseas arrivals in regions has increased from 17.4% to 18.5%; and over half of employment in renewable energy generation has been in the regions. Our recently released research – Big Movers 2023 – has shown us that the regional renaissance we are experiencing is here to stay, with more people than ever voting with their feet, and millennials are leading the charge.
Active Transport
By now you will have seen all those purple e-scooters around Armidale - you might even have ridden one. This trial initiated by our Mayor Sam Coupland is an exciting development and follows other towns which have introduced the concept of shared e-bikes and e-scooters. An article written in The Conversation reports on the Brisbane experience.
Five years on, Brisbane’s e-scooters and e-bikes are winning over tourists and residents as they open up the city
The Conversation Richard Buning, The University of Queensland; Wendy Pham, The University of Queensland
Brisbane was the first Australian city to accept rideshare e-scooters. After some growing pains, residents, visitors and the city itself are enjoying the benefits, a new study finds. Read more
Weekly Update Friday 8th September
The Forum we held on Wednesday evening attracted around 130 people from the three LGAs and it went very smoothly. Thank you to everyone for remaining respectful in what is a very emotional time for many of you.
I'd like to thank our three Mayors, Sam Coupland ARC, Robert Bell USC and Eric Noakes WC for their professionalism and honesty in answering questions from the floor. I think many of us learned a lot during the event and we look forward to hosting the next one. Details will be sent out when they are finalised.
Our Think Tank is totally independent and financed by donations at the door only. We thank those of you who supported us with your donations last night. We are now looking at hiring a Video cameraperson to film the proceedings at our next Forum.
Report
Team member Peter Sniekers put together an excellent summary of the proceedings and I will post it below as well as in an attached document for you to share. We want to put together a more comprehensive report and would like to invite you to send us some comments of your own experiences with the REZ. Let us know if you want your comments to be anonymous. If you belong to an Action Group tell us about your aims and objectives.
We are living through a very important historical time and the voices of the people need to be documented. Having residents of the three LGAs come together like this was also highly unusual and I hope we can all support each other and our councils to make the best of what is being thrown at us. NEV2030 will help where we can and we want to thank the media for promoting the cause. ABC Radio broadcast an excellent segment yesterday morning prepared by their journalist Brigitte Murphy who attended the event. As we receive more information we will share this with you. Please encourage friends and colleagues to join our mailing list so that they will be 'in the loop'.
Maria Hitchcock (Convenor)
Summary of proceedings by Team member Peter Sniekers
Mayors’ presentations:
Mayor Sam Coupland (Armidale Regional Council):
· Home to the New England Solar Farm – stage 1 complete (300MW). Stage 2 under construction. Stage 3 dropped for now.
o Some landowners saw the solar farms as a way of drought proofing their properties and had linked up to create very large projects like the New England Solar Farm.
o The companies have been making private agreements with these landowners.
· There are four major developments planned for Uralla LGA with other large projects around Kentucky and Kyabra in the pipeline.
· Developers need EnergyCo (Energy Corporation of NSW) approval.
· However transmission lines approval is a different process.
· Council receives community development funds from RE developers. Uralla Council has developed a Grants Committee to ensure the money coming to the LGA will be equitably distributed. Council wants to see more imaginative projects delivered with these funds other than only straight community development, and wants to look at other sources of funding to deliver ongoing benefits. These other sources include:
o 1.5% of RE project capital costs (currently being negotiated)
o A share of the EnergyCo connection fee paid by developers.
o A share of new transmission line costs.
· Major concerns of large RE projects include:
o To ensure these large RE projects do not start construction concurrently (to minimise impacts on local infrastructure / housing / services / accommodation etc).
o Handling waste.
o Decommissioning at end of project life.
· What will happen will challenge all of us. Collaboration is essential. Need better communication so we are on the front foot rather than playing catch-up.
Mayor Eric Noakes (Walcha Council)
· Councils are struggling with the high amount of community anxiety resulting from the way the NEREZ is being introduced into Walcha LGA.
o People see their community as being under siege.
o There has been an information void.
o He asked people to not lash out at council / developers / neighbours, but direct their frustrations at the State Government and EnergyCo.
· Other issues raised:
o Benefits will include employment, share of community funds delivering community benefits. However,
o Walcha cannot fit the estimated number of construction workers expected
o Could destroy tourism in the region
o Will put pressure on water / waste services and resources.
o Could disrupt use of Oxley Highway.
· We are too far down the road to turn projects away.
· Many people from outside are involved: EnergyCo, DPIE, TfNSW (Transport for NSW), project developers.
· Lack of collaboration between State and Federal governments.
· Any biodiversity offset funds from projects should be spent within the community where the project is located.
· Local Government should be closest to the community; however in the NEREZ process Local Government has been disenfranchised.
o At the same time Council is resource challenged .
o “Consultation / Engagement” is more than just providing information. It is real discussion and collaboration.
Question / Answer session:
Q: How much of the regional tip has been filled with broken solar panels?
A: Sam Coupland: Unsure / will take on notice. Councils do not have to take the waste. There are companies that now recycle the components of old or damaged panels and council could just set up a collection point. Robert Bell: There is an opportunity for us to have our own recycling facility. UNSW is undertaking research into recycling solar panels.
Q: Have Councils in the NEREZ agreed to the number of turbines, the number of GW of RE power? Who will be funding extra maintenance on roads (damaged during construction)? What about impact on access to health / hospitals and emergency services due to projects’ road use?
A: Eric Noakes: A limit of turbine numbers has not been discussed. Planning has not yet been completed. Projects will pay for road maintenance but we don’t know which routes projects will use to bring in material.
Q: Oxley Highway needs a lot of work. Is there a timeframe and cost? Who is going to pay.
A: Eric Noakes: No answer on timeframe. A report is being prepared by GHD. Companies using the road will pay
Q: Large projects will have social impacts: Large numbers of employees coming will impact rental availability and will increase rents. Local renters will leave town. How can Councils prevent population loss?
A: Sam Coupland: We know it is coming. Armidale will likely be the “dormitory” for the NEREZ workers due to its size. Sees Armidale setting up a 'village' for the FIFO workers so that they don't put pressure on the rental market. The 'village' could then become a resource afterwards for crisis accommodation or other after construction. Councils need to work with developers, Planning, EnergyCo to ensure community does not miss out.
Q: Minutes of last COREM meeting were requested but not provided to a local group, and suspect nothing has been done. What have you been doing?
A: Sam Coupland: The group has been working hard behind the scenes and are proud of progress. Details are confidential but will be reflected in the revised Wind Energy Guidelines being developed, and the positives in those guidelines are directly as a result of COREM activity. There is nothing sinister here – don’t appreciate the accusation from the floor. Eric Noakes: again – anger is misdirected: direct it at the right people. This is a slow process.
Q: Did Councils put in objections to the Winterbourne project in the NEREZ? Don’t think there is majority support for the project.
A: Eric Noakes: That project predates the NEREZ and is not part of the NEREZ (although will be within the boundaries of the NEREZ). Robert Bell: recalls at the time of initial project discussion there was almost universal support / appreciation for the project due to the decline of the local timber industry. But now there are issues of cumulative impact, access to water / gravel, impact on roads etc to consider as a result of multiple projects.
Statement: Maria Hitchcock: NEV2030 has been advocating to the government for training opportunities in the NEREZ rather than relying on FIFO employees.
Q: Yarrowyck area: an area of high biodiversity, but is in planning area for a windfarm. Biodiversity maps are 6-7 years out of date. What is being done?
A: Robert Bell: Yes agree – Uralla Shire Council is advocating for biodiversity mapping updates and for biodiversity offsets to be spent locally. However until the Yarrowyck project lodges planning documents, Councils have nothing to respond to regarding biodiversity concerns.
Q: There has been an information void from State member and Council. I will be looking at 1.6 million solar panels and want screening vegetation. I am also concerned about erosion and flooding from the increased runoff from solar panels.
A: Robert Bell: Any questions / concerns and requests like these for the New England Solar Farm can be forwarded to Council who can send to developers for comment and response. Runoff management forms part of the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for the project.
Q: Why can’t turbine blades / wind farm materials be transported by train?
A: Robert Bell: Was looked at but uneconomic and not feasible physically. Every tunnel / bridge is inaccessible – the components are just too large (65-80m in length).
Q: Why did Uralla object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm?
A: Robert Bell: At the time 2-3 turbines were in the Uralla Shire Council footprint, and most of the gravel required would have come from Uralla, and there had been no consultation.
Q: When the NEREZ was announced were the Mayors and community consulted?
A: Robert Bell: Announcement was made in November 2021 with little consultation and we are playing catch up. Eric Noakes: There was no pre-consultation before concept launch.
Q: From wildlife group: Advocating for cancelling all RE projects and all region go to 100% rooftop solar instead. Can Councils negotiate to put all solar panels on rooftops in the region?
A: Sam Coupland; Yes can make that suggestion to EnergyCo.
Q: Would it be useful to urge State Government to be more transparent and actually “plan”? ie. Have better planning processes?
A: Sam Coupland: Recommend send email to your Council Mayor with those recommendations and we can pass on.
Q: Is there going to be a cumulative impact study done on RE projects in the NEREZ?
A: Sam Coupland: Understand one has not yet been done, but EnergyCo is funding such a study and is developing Terms of Reference currently. Robert Bell: DPIE is now also asking for that in their planning processes, especially on roads / amenity / land use etc.
Next forum : Changing Face of New England No 2: Wind Farms
The ARC Draft Renewable Energy Community Benefit Framework has just been posted on the ARC website. The pdf is attached. See
https://yoursay.armidale.nsw.gov.au/draft-community-benefit-framework
Submissions are invited and must be addressed to the General Manager, Armidale Regional Council, PO Box 75A, Armidale, NSW 2350, or sent by email to [email protected](External link)
Submissions must be received by Monday 25 September 2023
The Forum we held on Wednesday evening attracted around 130 people from the three LGAs and it went very smoothly. Thank you to everyone for remaining respectful in what is a very emotional time for many of you.
I'd like to thank our three Mayors, Sam Coupland ARC, Robert Bell USC and Eric Noakes WC for their professionalism and honesty in answering questions from the floor. I think many of us learned a lot during the event and we look forward to hosting the next one. Details will be sent out when they are finalised.
Our Think Tank is totally independent and financed by donations at the door only. We thank those of you who supported us with your donations last night. We are now looking at hiring a Video cameraperson to film the proceedings at our next Forum.
Report
Team member Peter Sniekers put together an excellent summary of the proceedings and I will post it below as well as in an attached document for you to share. We want to put together a more comprehensive report and would like to invite you to send us some comments of your own experiences with the REZ. Let us know if you want your comments to be anonymous. If you belong to an Action Group tell us about your aims and objectives.
We are living through a very important historical time and the voices of the people need to be documented. Having residents of the three LGAs come together like this was also highly unusual and I hope we can all support each other and our councils to make the best of what is being thrown at us. NEV2030 will help where we can and we want to thank the media for promoting the cause. ABC Radio broadcast an excellent segment yesterday morning prepared by their journalist Brigitte Murphy who attended the event. As we receive more information we will share this with you. Please encourage friends and colleagues to join our mailing list so that they will be 'in the loop'.
Maria Hitchcock (Convenor)
Summary of proceedings by Team member Peter Sniekers
Mayors’ presentations:
Mayor Sam Coupland (Armidale Regional Council):
- The introduction of the New England renewable Energy Zone (NEREZ) will be the biggest change to the region since European settlement.
- We cannot stop it from coming because it and all the Renewable Energy (RE) projects involved (including grid projects) are State significant developments. The State Government is the consent authority. However maybe we can “shape” it.
- It's like a freight train thundering into our communities being controlled by higher authorities, which local Councils however will need to navigate.
- Councils were not consulted before planning started and to create a united voice, REZ regional mayors have now formed their own coalition with mayors from New England (Armidale, Uralla, Walcha, Glen Innes), the Hunter and Central West (called Coalition of Renewable Energy Mayors – COREM).
- There is real polarisation and a wide range of attitudes in this room and in the community on the NEREZ. Let’s use today to explore possibilities. We all have to live here.
· Home to the New England Solar Farm – stage 1 complete (300MW). Stage 2 under construction. Stage 3 dropped for now.
o Some landowners saw the solar farms as a way of drought proofing their properties and had linked up to create very large projects like the New England Solar Farm.
o The companies have been making private agreements with these landowners.
· There are four major developments planned for Uralla LGA with other large projects around Kentucky and Kyabra in the pipeline.
· Developers need EnergyCo (Energy Corporation of NSW) approval.
· However transmission lines approval is a different process.
· Council receives community development funds from RE developers. Uralla Council has developed a Grants Committee to ensure the money coming to the LGA will be equitably distributed. Council wants to see more imaginative projects delivered with these funds other than only straight community development, and wants to look at other sources of funding to deliver ongoing benefits. These other sources include:
o 1.5% of RE project capital costs (currently being negotiated)
o A share of the EnergyCo connection fee paid by developers.
o A share of new transmission line costs.
· Major concerns of large RE projects include:
o To ensure these large RE projects do not start construction concurrently (to minimise impacts on local infrastructure / housing / services / accommodation etc).
o Handling waste.
o Decommissioning at end of project life.
· What will happen will challenge all of us. Collaboration is essential. Need better communication so we are on the front foot rather than playing catch-up.
Mayor Eric Noakes (Walcha Council)
· Councils are struggling with the high amount of community anxiety resulting from the way the NEREZ is being introduced into Walcha LGA.
o People see their community as being under siege.
o There has been an information void.
o He asked people to not lash out at council / developers / neighbours, but direct their frustrations at the State Government and EnergyCo.
- Winterbourne Wind Farm was 12 years in planning yet hardly anyone knew about it. That lack of transparency and proper consultation has led to much anger in the community.
- Decommissioning is a real issue and one problem is accountability when projects are on-sold.
- There will be enormous pressure on their limited services, on roads, housing, etc. during the construction phase.
· Other issues raised:
o Benefits will include employment, share of community funds delivering community benefits. However,
o Walcha cannot fit the estimated number of construction workers expected
o Could destroy tourism in the region
o Will put pressure on water / waste services and resources.
o Could disrupt use of Oxley Highway.
· We are too far down the road to turn projects away.
· Many people from outside are involved: EnergyCo, DPIE, TfNSW (Transport for NSW), project developers.
· Lack of collaboration between State and Federal governments.
· Any biodiversity offset funds from projects should be spent within the community where the project is located.
· Local Government should be closest to the community; however in the NEREZ process Local Government has been disenfranchised.
o At the same time Council is resource challenged .
o “Consultation / Engagement” is more than just providing information. It is real discussion and collaboration.
Question / Answer session:
Q: How much of the regional tip has been filled with broken solar panels?
A: Sam Coupland: Unsure / will take on notice. Councils do not have to take the waste. There are companies that now recycle the components of old or damaged panels and council could just set up a collection point. Robert Bell: There is an opportunity for us to have our own recycling facility. UNSW is undertaking research into recycling solar panels.
Q: Have Councils in the NEREZ agreed to the number of turbines, the number of GW of RE power? Who will be funding extra maintenance on roads (damaged during construction)? What about impact on access to health / hospitals and emergency services due to projects’ road use?
A: Eric Noakes: A limit of turbine numbers has not been discussed. Planning has not yet been completed. Projects will pay for road maintenance but we don’t know which routes projects will use to bring in material.
Q: Oxley Highway needs a lot of work. Is there a timeframe and cost? Who is going to pay.
A: Eric Noakes: No answer on timeframe. A report is being prepared by GHD. Companies using the road will pay
Q: Large projects will have social impacts: Large numbers of employees coming will impact rental availability and will increase rents. Local renters will leave town. How can Councils prevent population loss?
A: Sam Coupland: We know it is coming. Armidale will likely be the “dormitory” for the NEREZ workers due to its size. Sees Armidale setting up a 'village' for the FIFO workers so that they don't put pressure on the rental market. The 'village' could then become a resource afterwards for crisis accommodation or other after construction. Councils need to work with developers, Planning, EnergyCo to ensure community does not miss out.
Q: Minutes of last COREM meeting were requested but not provided to a local group, and suspect nothing has been done. What have you been doing?
A: Sam Coupland: The group has been working hard behind the scenes and are proud of progress. Details are confidential but will be reflected in the revised Wind Energy Guidelines being developed, and the positives in those guidelines are directly as a result of COREM activity. There is nothing sinister here – don’t appreciate the accusation from the floor. Eric Noakes: again – anger is misdirected: direct it at the right people. This is a slow process.
Q: Did Councils put in objections to the Winterbourne project in the NEREZ? Don’t think there is majority support for the project.
A: Eric Noakes: That project predates the NEREZ and is not part of the NEREZ (although will be within the boundaries of the NEREZ). Robert Bell: recalls at the time of initial project discussion there was almost universal support / appreciation for the project due to the decline of the local timber industry. But now there are issues of cumulative impact, access to water / gravel, impact on roads etc to consider as a result of multiple projects.
Statement: Maria Hitchcock: NEV2030 has been advocating to the government for training opportunities in the NEREZ rather than relying on FIFO employees.
Q: Yarrowyck area: an area of high biodiversity, but is in planning area for a windfarm. Biodiversity maps are 6-7 years out of date. What is being done?
A: Robert Bell: Yes agree – Uralla Shire Council is advocating for biodiversity mapping updates and for biodiversity offsets to be spent locally. However until the Yarrowyck project lodges planning documents, Councils have nothing to respond to regarding biodiversity concerns.
Q: There has been an information void from State member and Council. I will be looking at 1.6 million solar panels and want screening vegetation. I am also concerned about erosion and flooding from the increased runoff from solar panels.
A: Robert Bell: Any questions / concerns and requests like these for the New England Solar Farm can be forwarded to Council who can send to developers for comment and response. Runoff management forms part of the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for the project.
Q: Why can’t turbine blades / wind farm materials be transported by train?
A: Robert Bell: Was looked at but uneconomic and not feasible physically. Every tunnel / bridge is inaccessible – the components are just too large (65-80m in length).
Q: Why did Uralla object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm?
A: Robert Bell: At the time 2-3 turbines were in the Uralla Shire Council footprint, and most of the gravel required would have come from Uralla, and there had been no consultation.
Q: When the NEREZ was announced were the Mayors and community consulted?
A: Robert Bell: Announcement was made in November 2021 with little consultation and we are playing catch up. Eric Noakes: There was no pre-consultation before concept launch.
Q: From wildlife group: Advocating for cancelling all RE projects and all region go to 100% rooftop solar instead. Can Councils negotiate to put all solar panels on rooftops in the region?
A: Sam Coupland; Yes can make that suggestion to EnergyCo.
Q: Would it be useful to urge State Government to be more transparent and actually “plan”? ie. Have better planning processes?
A: Sam Coupland: Recommend send email to your Council Mayor with those recommendations and we can pass on.
Q: Is there going to be a cumulative impact study done on RE projects in the NEREZ?
A: Sam Coupland: Understand one has not yet been done, but EnergyCo is funding such a study and is developing Terms of Reference currently. Robert Bell: DPIE is now also asking for that in their planning processes, especially on roads / amenity / land use etc.
Next forum : Changing Face of New England No 2: Wind Farms
The ARC Draft Renewable Energy Community Benefit Framework has just been posted on the ARC website. The pdf is attached. See
https://yoursay.armidale.nsw.gov.au/draft-community-benefit-framework
Submissions are invited and must be addressed to the General Manager, Armidale Regional Council, PO Box 75A, Armidale, NSW 2350, or sent by email to [email protected](External link)
Submissions must be received by Monday 25 September 2023
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Weekly Update Friday 1st September
Renewables
I attended a webinar during the week run by AEMC (Australian Energy Market Commission). The Commissioner Andrew Dyer was also in attendance. Basically they are trying to improve the regulatory framework around social licence. This was requested by Federal Minister Bowen.
It centres around the way landowners and communities are consulted regarding transmission lines. They are aware that there have been many problems in the consultation process and admit that engagement personnel so far have been lacking in the right skills and training for this fairly sensitive job. They suggest that executive officers need to get out and support their staff. Also consultation needs to continue right through the planning process and more community stakeholders need to be consulted. We shall see! On another point the Select Committee Enquiry Report into undergrounding of transmission lines has been released. No surprises there - it was always going to come down to cost.
The SMH published this summary online yesterday.
Premier backs overhead cables to deliver renewable energy
Premier Chris Minns has vowed to push ahead with the construction of overhead power cables across the state, warning a delayed rollout could undermine the transition to renewable energy and threaten supply and prices. Amid a fraught debate over how to connect regional wind and solar projects to the east coast grid, some landowners have demanded power cables be buried underground. But Minns said this could triple the cost and delay the effort to shore up power supply ahead of the retirement of coal-fired power stations.
Transmission methods have been hugely divisive amid concerns from some groups that overhead power lines would have negative impacts on the environment, agriculture and property values. Those concerns prompted a parliamentary inquiry into the feasibility of transmission infrastructure being built underground, which is due to publish its report today. However, Minns has made it clear that his government cannot afford to go underground: “If you do it underground, that’s going to add cost and it’s going to add delay.”
The Australian Energy Market Operator has also used its annual statement to once again warn that delays to new energy projects could risk power outages over the next 10 years, including as early as this summer. The Minns government has flagged that it may be forced to keep Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station, Eraring, open beyond its current expected closure date of 2025.
Renewables
I attended a webinar during the week run by AEMC (Australian Energy Market Commission). The Commissioner Andrew Dyer was also in attendance. Basically they are trying to improve the regulatory framework around social licence. This was requested by Federal Minister Bowen.
It centres around the way landowners and communities are consulted regarding transmission lines. They are aware that there have been many problems in the consultation process and admit that engagement personnel so far have been lacking in the right skills and training for this fairly sensitive job. They suggest that executive officers need to get out and support their staff. Also consultation needs to continue right through the planning process and more community stakeholders need to be consulted. We shall see! On another point the Select Committee Enquiry Report into undergrounding of transmission lines has been released. No surprises there - it was always going to come down to cost.
The SMH published this summary online yesterday.
Premier backs overhead cables to deliver renewable energy
Premier Chris Minns has vowed to push ahead with the construction of overhead power cables across the state, warning a delayed rollout could undermine the transition to renewable energy and threaten supply and prices. Amid a fraught debate over how to connect regional wind and solar projects to the east coast grid, some landowners have demanded power cables be buried underground. But Minns said this could triple the cost and delay the effort to shore up power supply ahead of the retirement of coal-fired power stations.
Transmission methods have been hugely divisive amid concerns from some groups that overhead power lines would have negative impacts on the environment, agriculture and property values. Those concerns prompted a parliamentary inquiry into the feasibility of transmission infrastructure being built underground, which is due to publish its report today. However, Minns has made it clear that his government cannot afford to go underground: “If you do it underground, that’s going to add cost and it’s going to add delay.”
The Australian Energy Market Operator has also used its annual statement to once again warn that delays to new energy projects could risk power outages over the next 10 years, including as early as this summer. The Minns government has flagged that it may be forced to keep Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station, Eraring, open beyond its current expected closure date of 2025.
Weekly Update Friday 25th August
Health (SMH 24/8/23)
Funding shake-up for hospitals
The Minns government will embark on a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the state’s $33 billion health network, vowing to crack down on wasteful spending and flagging changes to spending on locum doctors and hospital emergency departments. Health Minister Ryan Park will today announce the terms of reference for a special commission of inquiry into health spending, which will conduct a root-and-branch review of the hospital system, including the Local Health District structure.
Park said severe strain is being placed on hospital emergency departments’ staff as a result of failures in primary care. The inquiry, which will be led by senior counsel Richard Beasley and operate with royal commission-style powers, will examine the creeping over-reliance on emergency care in hospitals and whether current funding “supports or obstructs” access to community health providers such as GPs.
The inquiry will look at the use of locum doctors, visiting medical officers and agency staff, after the Herald revealed the state pays millions of dollars to third-party companies to find temporary staff. Park said the inquiry will also examine whether spending $1 billion a year on locum doctors and visiting specialists is the most efficient use of resources. The inquiry, which was a key demand of the Health Services Union before the state election, is due to report its findings by August next year.
Health (SMH 24/8/23)
Funding shake-up for hospitals
The Minns government will embark on a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the state’s $33 billion health network, vowing to crack down on wasteful spending and flagging changes to spending on locum doctors and hospital emergency departments. Health Minister Ryan Park will today announce the terms of reference for a special commission of inquiry into health spending, which will conduct a root-and-branch review of the hospital system, including the Local Health District structure.
Park said severe strain is being placed on hospital emergency departments’ staff as a result of failures in primary care. The inquiry, which will be led by senior counsel Richard Beasley and operate with royal commission-style powers, will examine the creeping over-reliance on emergency care in hospitals and whether current funding “supports or obstructs” access to community health providers such as GPs.
The inquiry will look at the use of locum doctors, visiting medical officers and agency staff, after the Herald revealed the state pays millions of dollars to third-party companies to find temporary staff. Park said the inquiry will also examine whether spending $1 billion a year on locum doctors and visiting specialists is the most efficient use of resources. The inquiry, which was a key demand of the Health Services Union before the state election, is due to report its findings by August next year.
Weekly Update Friday 18th August
Thank you to those of you who have registered for the Forum on Wednesday 6th September.
Next Forum Wednesday 6th September Bowlo 5.30 - 7.00
Don't forget to register for our coming Forum which appears to be sparking a lot of interest in our community.
This Forum is the first in a series entitled
The Changing Face of New England which we hope to run over the next six months. We start with
The cumulative social impact of the New England REZ on our communities and we have invited a panel of local Mayors to answer your questions. Am attaching the invitation for you to share.
Health (SMH 24/8/23)
The Minns government will embark on a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the state’s $33 billion health network, vowing to crack down on wasteful spending and flagging changes to spending on locum doctors and hospital emergency departments. Health Minister Ryan Park will today announce the terms of reference for a special commission of inquiry into health spending, which will conduct a root-and-branch review of the hospital system, including the Local Health District structure.
Park said severe strain is being placed on hospital emergency departments’ staff as a result of failures in primary care. The inquiry, which will be led by senior counsel Richard Beasley and operate with royal commission-style powers, will examine the creeping over-reliance on emergency care in hospitals and whether current funding “supports or obstructs” access to community health providers such as GPs.
The inquiry will look at the use of locum doctors, visiting medical officers and agency staff, after the Herald revealed the state pays millions of dollars to third-party companies to find temporary staff. Park said the inquiry will also examine whether spending $1 billion a year on locum doctors and visiting specialists is the most efficient use of resources. The inquiry, which was a key demand of the Health Services Union before the state election, is due to report its findings by August next year.
Thank you to those of you who have registered for the Forum on Wednesday 6th September.
Next Forum Wednesday 6th September Bowlo 5.30 - 7.00
Don't forget to register for our coming Forum which appears to be sparking a lot of interest in our community.
This Forum is the first in a series entitled
The Changing Face of New England which we hope to run over the next six months. We start with
The cumulative social impact of the New England REZ on our communities and we have invited a panel of local Mayors to answer your questions. Am attaching the invitation for you to share.
Health (SMH 24/8/23)
The Minns government will embark on a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the state’s $33 billion health network, vowing to crack down on wasteful spending and flagging changes to spending on locum doctors and hospital emergency departments. Health Minister Ryan Park will today announce the terms of reference for a special commission of inquiry into health spending, which will conduct a root-and-branch review of the hospital system, including the Local Health District structure.
Park said severe strain is being placed on hospital emergency departments’ staff as a result of failures in primary care. The inquiry, which will be led by senior counsel Richard Beasley and operate with royal commission-style powers, will examine the creeping over-reliance on emergency care in hospitals and whether current funding “supports or obstructs” access to community health providers such as GPs.
The inquiry will look at the use of locum doctors, visiting medical officers and agency staff, after the Herald revealed the state pays millions of dollars to third-party companies to find temporary staff. Park said the inquiry will also examine whether spending $1 billion a year on locum doctors and visiting specialists is the most efficient use of resources. The inquiry, which was a key demand of the Health Services Union before the state election, is due to report its findings by August next year.
forumrezsocialimpact_6th_september2023invitation.pdf | |
File Size: | 80 kb |
File Type: |
Weekly Update Friday 18th August
Next Forum Wednesday 6th September Bowlo 5.30 - 7.00
RSVPs are starting to come in for our Forum which appears to be sparking a lot of interest in our community. This Forum is the first in a series entitled The Changing Face of New England which we hope to run over the next six months. We start with
The cumulative social impact of the New England REZ on our communities and we have invited a panel of local Mayors to answer your questions. See invitation below. Please feel free to share it through your networks.
Crime
Two weeks ago we asked you if you had noticed an increase in youth crime in our area. We are very happy to say that it appears Armidale is a very safe place to live with a reduction in various crimes over the years. Team Member Martin Levins sent in a statistical document from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (see attached) entitled:
NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2018-202
The 60 month trend for
Break and Enter was down 8.7%
Motor Vehicle theft was down 8.1%
Steal from Motor vehicle was down 15.7%
Other stealing offences were down 12%
Most other categories remained stable
Intimidation, stalking and harassment was up 7.6%
Breach AVO was up 13.5%
Breach bail was up 17.4%
Health
The news today is all about a dispute between the State Government and GP Practices over Payroll Tax. Team member Dr John Nevin contributed the following article:
https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/gps-sound-the-alarm-over-20-dollar-fee-hike-following-tax-ruling-20230816-p5dwya.html?btis
Surely we don't want to jeopardise the survival of our GP clinics any more than the pressure they are already under. Hopefully the medical lobby will fight to reverse this suggestion.
It was also reported that Health Minister Ryan Park has rejected Adam Marshall's bill to split off New England from HNEH. He misses the point that the current situation isn't fair and will never be fair while all decisions are being made in Newcastle. We need to maintain the rage!
Next Forum Wednesday 6th September Bowlo 5.30 - 7.00
RSVPs are starting to come in for our Forum which appears to be sparking a lot of interest in our community. This Forum is the first in a series entitled The Changing Face of New England which we hope to run over the next six months. We start with
The cumulative social impact of the New England REZ on our communities and we have invited a panel of local Mayors to answer your questions. See invitation below. Please feel free to share it through your networks.
Crime
Two weeks ago we asked you if you had noticed an increase in youth crime in our area. We are very happy to say that it appears Armidale is a very safe place to live with a reduction in various crimes over the years. Team Member Martin Levins sent in a statistical document from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (see attached) entitled:
NSW Recorded Crime Statistics 2018-202
The 60 month trend for
Break and Enter was down 8.7%
Motor Vehicle theft was down 8.1%
Steal from Motor vehicle was down 15.7%
Other stealing offences were down 12%
Most other categories remained stable
Intimidation, stalking and harassment was up 7.6%
Breach AVO was up 13.5%
Breach bail was up 17.4%
Health
The news today is all about a dispute between the State Government and GP Practices over Payroll Tax. Team member Dr John Nevin contributed the following article:
https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/gps-sound-the-alarm-over-20-dollar-fee-hike-following-tax-ruling-20230816-p5dwya.html?btis
Surely we don't want to jeopardise the survival of our GP clinics any more than the pressure they are already under. Hopefully the medical lobby will fight to reverse this suggestion.
It was also reported that Health Minister Ryan Park has rejected Adam Marshall's bill to split off New England from HNEH. He misses the point that the current situation isn't fair and will never be fair while all decisions are being made in Newcastle. We need to maintain the rage!
forumrezsocialimpact_6th_september2023invitation.pdf | |
File Size: | 80 kb |
File Type: |
Weekly Update Sunday 13th August
Save the date!
Wednesday 6th September 2023 Bowlo 5.30 - 7.00pm
Forum: The cumulative social impact of the New England REZ on our communities.
We are hoping to have a small panel of local Mayors to answer your questions.
All questions will be from the floor.
Save the date!
Wednesday 6th September 2023 Bowlo 5.30 - 7.00pm
Forum: The cumulative social impact of the New England REZ on our communities.
We are hoping to have a small panel of local Mayors to answer your questions.
All questions will be from the floor.
Health
Excellent news! (See attached photos)UNE MEDICAL CENTRE ANNOUNCES THE ARRIVAL OF THREE NEW GPS
The UNE Medical Centre is pleased to announce the addition of three new general practitioners to its team. The new doctors set to join the practice by September, will help to redress the workforce shortage that has been affecting the Armidale area for some time. The addition comes at a time when many regional and rural communities Australia-wide are struggling to access ongoing health care. The NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) previously found that 70 per cent of rural medical practices were seeking staff.
“It’s a genuine pleasure to be able to share the news of arriving GPs to the community after months of recruitment challenges. I am immensely grateful to our staff, our patients, and our communities for their dedication and unwavering support during what has been an unprecedented challenge in regional health. We are fully committed to strengthening the rural workforce and ensuring that our community will have access to the critical healthcare services they need and deserve.” – David Schmude, CEO, UNE Life.
Dr James “Jim” Marshall has commenced as GP at the Centre, he is excited to join the team and lend his considerable experience in improving access in regional health. “As a Rural Generalist GP I am passionate about the role of proactive primary healthcare in improving health outcomes in rural & regional communities. I’m excited to join a team that shares this ethos and to identify opportunities for the UNE Medical Centre that offer new solutions to improve access to health care for existing and new patients.” Dr Mandana Arshi has recently moved to Armidale with her young family and will be commencing as a GP at the centre in September. She is excited to work alongside the team at UNE Medical centre, immerse herself in the New England community and support families across the region. “I am looking forward to providing you with the best possible healthcare and ensuring that your family maintain optimal health. It is going to be a pleasure to work and be involved in the Armidale community”
Split from Hunter New England Health
Adam Marshall MP has put forward a private members bill in parliament to make another positive move in this on-going action. You can hear what he has to day in this podcast from TuneFM.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0bEH1hgQOQECelnbb5xadX
Active Transport Workshop
Peter Sniekers and I have been invited to take part in this workshop on Monday with consultants and other community members. I will report on the workshop next week.
Excellent news! (See attached photos)UNE MEDICAL CENTRE ANNOUNCES THE ARRIVAL OF THREE NEW GPS
The UNE Medical Centre is pleased to announce the addition of three new general practitioners to its team. The new doctors set to join the practice by September, will help to redress the workforce shortage that has been affecting the Armidale area for some time. The addition comes at a time when many regional and rural communities Australia-wide are struggling to access ongoing health care. The NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) previously found that 70 per cent of rural medical practices were seeking staff.
“It’s a genuine pleasure to be able to share the news of arriving GPs to the community after months of recruitment challenges. I am immensely grateful to our staff, our patients, and our communities for their dedication and unwavering support during what has been an unprecedented challenge in regional health. We are fully committed to strengthening the rural workforce and ensuring that our community will have access to the critical healthcare services they need and deserve.” – David Schmude, CEO, UNE Life.
Dr James “Jim” Marshall has commenced as GP at the Centre, he is excited to join the team and lend his considerable experience in improving access in regional health. “As a Rural Generalist GP I am passionate about the role of proactive primary healthcare in improving health outcomes in rural & regional communities. I’m excited to join a team that shares this ethos and to identify opportunities for the UNE Medical Centre that offer new solutions to improve access to health care for existing and new patients.” Dr Mandana Arshi has recently moved to Armidale with her young family and will be commencing as a GP at the centre in September. She is excited to work alongside the team at UNE Medical centre, immerse herself in the New England community and support families across the region. “I am looking forward to providing you with the best possible healthcare and ensuring that your family maintain optimal health. It is going to be a pleasure to work and be involved in the Armidale community”
Split from Hunter New England Health
Adam Marshall MP has put forward a private members bill in parliament to make another positive move in this on-going action. You can hear what he has to day in this podcast from TuneFM.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0bEH1hgQOQECelnbb5xadX
Active Transport Workshop
Peter Sniekers and I have been invited to take part in this workshop on Monday with consultants and other community members. I will report on the workshop next week.
Weekly Update Friday 4th August
Something a little different today.
The team met last Tuesday to do some planning for the next few months. We are hoping to run a few Forums before the end of the year. One topic that was mentioned for a future Forum was the rise in youth crime in Armidale. Apparently there are TikTok Videos being circulated of young people filming themselves in the act. How true is this? All answers will remain confidential as is our usual practice.
Please send us your feedback by answering the following questions.
There is a second NSW parliamentary enquiry being held to probe whether improvements have been made to regional healthcare. The original inquiry ended up with 44 recommendations. Have they been met?
They are asking for your submissions. You can read about it here
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-03/second-nsw-parliamentary-inquiry-into-regional-healthcare/102679958
Here is a link to the makeup of the committee
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2979
You can lodge an online submission by clicking on SUBMISSIONS on that page.
Submissions are due in September.
APVMA
Council is fighting any moves to move the APVMA back to Canberra. You can follow developments on these FB pages.
https://www.facebook.com/sam.coupland.35
https://www.facebook.com/toddredwood.arc/
Here's a press release.
Mayor urges Minister to do the right thing by the local community and keep the APVMA in Armidale
Mayor of Armidale, Cr Sam Coupland, urged the Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt, to ‘take the politics out’ of any decision on the future of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (“APVMA”) and commit to keeping the organisation based in Armidale.
Noting the Strategic Review of the APVMA released in July this year which found significant issues with the culture and management of the organisation, Cr Coupland said Armidale was not to blame on the issues at the APVMA and should not be made the scapegoat for a decision which will decimate the local economy.
“It is well within the Minister’s power to get on the front foot and commit to the APVMA remaining in Armidale. This will provide certainty to the 150 employees and their families and does not preclude the APVMA then undertaking any internal cultural and managerial changes that may be needed,” he said.
“Good management in 2023 is less about location and more about making a job attractive to attract top talent and Armidale has that in spades.
“If Canberra has a problem with the APVMA, they need to make better decisions about who they put into roles, not kick an entire regional community in the guts for something that is beyond their control.
“To blame a township on mismanagement within an organisation, and to then punish that community in the process is ludicrous and I challenge the Government to come up with a regional Australian community which is better suited to being host to the APVMA.”
He noted the Armidale community boasts a world class University with research focussed on the agricultural sector, it was the first in the country to get the NBN with fibre to the premises and has multiple daily flights to and from Sydney and Brisbane so you can get most places in a day from Armidale by air.
“This is not the Commonwealth Games, it doesn’t happen once every four years if we bid for it,” said Mayor Coupland
“This is about daily lives and income and families and the people who are doing amazing work, despite the decisions being made above them and beyond their control.
“Another 150 jobs in Canberra is a drop in the ocean, but the loss of 150 jobs in a regional community such as Armidale, that has a catastrophic impact. It potentially means we not only lose out on these jobs but it means we lose out on teacher positions, on nursing positions at the local hospital and the economic activity that comes with those jobs.”
“Ultimately, the minister's decision as to the location of the APVMA will speak volumes about his commitment to regional Australia. If he opts for an about face and drags the APVMA back to Canberra it won't just be the lives and livelihoods of the employees that he impacts, but the message will be one of re-centralisation and abandoning the regions.”
Something a little different today.
The team met last Tuesday to do some planning for the next few months. We are hoping to run a few Forums before the end of the year. One topic that was mentioned for a future Forum was the rise in youth crime in Armidale. Apparently there are TikTok Videos being circulated of young people filming themselves in the act. How true is this? All answers will remain confidential as is our usual practice.
Please send us your feedback by answering the following questions.
- Do you believe there is a rise in youth crime in Armidale region? Yes/No
- If so what do you think is happening?
- Do you have a personal experience? Tell us briefly what happened.
- Why do you think there is a rise in youth crime now? What do you think might be a contributing factor? (eg. social media, current fad, etc.)
- What should be done about it? Can the community help?
- Should NEV2030 run a Forum on this topic?
There is a second NSW parliamentary enquiry being held to probe whether improvements have been made to regional healthcare. The original inquiry ended up with 44 recommendations. Have they been met?
They are asking for your submissions. You can read about it here
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-03/second-nsw-parliamentary-inquiry-into-regional-healthcare/102679958
Here is a link to the makeup of the committee
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2979
You can lodge an online submission by clicking on SUBMISSIONS on that page.
Submissions are due in September.
APVMA
Council is fighting any moves to move the APVMA back to Canberra. You can follow developments on these FB pages.
https://www.facebook.com/sam.coupland.35
https://www.facebook.com/toddredwood.arc/
Here's a press release.
Mayor urges Minister to do the right thing by the local community and keep the APVMA in Armidale
Mayor of Armidale, Cr Sam Coupland, urged the Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt, to ‘take the politics out’ of any decision on the future of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (“APVMA”) and commit to keeping the organisation based in Armidale.
Noting the Strategic Review of the APVMA released in July this year which found significant issues with the culture and management of the organisation, Cr Coupland said Armidale was not to blame on the issues at the APVMA and should not be made the scapegoat for a decision which will decimate the local economy.
“It is well within the Minister’s power to get on the front foot and commit to the APVMA remaining in Armidale. This will provide certainty to the 150 employees and their families and does not preclude the APVMA then undertaking any internal cultural and managerial changes that may be needed,” he said.
“Good management in 2023 is less about location and more about making a job attractive to attract top talent and Armidale has that in spades.
“If Canberra has a problem with the APVMA, they need to make better decisions about who they put into roles, not kick an entire regional community in the guts for something that is beyond their control.
“To blame a township on mismanagement within an organisation, and to then punish that community in the process is ludicrous and I challenge the Government to come up with a regional Australian community which is better suited to being host to the APVMA.”
He noted the Armidale community boasts a world class University with research focussed on the agricultural sector, it was the first in the country to get the NBN with fibre to the premises and has multiple daily flights to and from Sydney and Brisbane so you can get most places in a day from Armidale by air.
“This is not the Commonwealth Games, it doesn’t happen once every four years if we bid for it,” said Mayor Coupland
“This is about daily lives and income and families and the people who are doing amazing work, despite the decisions being made above them and beyond their control.
“Another 150 jobs in Canberra is a drop in the ocean, but the loss of 150 jobs in a regional community such as Armidale, that has a catastrophic impact. It potentially means we not only lose out on these jobs but it means we lose out on teacher positions, on nursing positions at the local hospital and the economic activity that comes with those jobs.”
“Ultimately, the minister's decision as to the location of the APVMA will speak volumes about his commitment to regional Australia. If he opts for an about face and drags the APVMA back to Canberra it won't just be the lives and livelihoods of the employees that he impacts, but the message will be one of re-centralisation and abandoning the regions.”
Weekly Update Friday 28th July
On Thursday Dr John Atchison OAM and I attended the NSW Upper House Standing Committee inquiry into the feasibility of undergrounding transmission lines which was held at the Bowlo. We left early to move onto the Forum being held at Nova into GP Training, recruitment and retention that had been organised by Dr Brian Connor. Our team member Dr Julie Roberts joined us there.
Inquiry (see attached documents below)
The Inquiry which was attended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee had called for a small number of witnesses to address the committee and answer questions under oath. Committee Chair, the Hon Emily Suvaal MLC, said: 'We have already received hundreds of written submissions from the community and various organisations regarding the inquiry. An opportunity was given to a small number of individuals to have their say.
Witnesses included Dr John Peatfield of Uralla representing ReD4NE, Mark Fogarty, Director of Bushtricity and Mr Greg Piper of Coolah. Councils were represented by Mayor Sam Coupland, Daniel Boyce and Jon Galletly of ARC, Ms Kate Jessup GM of Uralla Shire and Mayor Eric Noakes of Walcha Council along with several staff members and Mr Jayson McKellar of the RFS.
We were struck by the way undergrounding of Transmission lines was not the main focus of the witness statements and answers despite the Terms of Reference which are:
(a) the costs and benefits of undergrounding,
(b) existing case studies and current projects regarding similar undergrounding of transmission lines
in both domestic and international contexts,
(c) any impact on delivery timeframes of undergrounding, and
(d) any environmental impacts of undergrounding.
Instead, the witnesses focussed on the way the whole REZ developed in a somewhat unco-ordinated way. NEV2030 can confirm that observation as we have been trying to get local training established but have hit brick walls all along the line. When questioned about the consultation process it was agreed that communities were told what was going to happen rather than have the opportunity to object or negotiate. It was felt that Energy Co has been tasked with the job of pushing projects through including transmission lines. It appeared to be a case of the common government playbook - decide, announce, defend.
The first that landowners were alerted to Transmission lines affecting their properties was in the form of a letter. This came on top of several community campaigns fighting off wind farms in the region. There seemed to be a remarkable lack of transparency in what was being proposed at Energy Co's June consultation meetings. Some rural landowners believed that undergrounding lines might be the answer to removing the spectacle of unsightly towers but the witnesses appeared to have been unable to source any credible scientific information regarding the issue of undergrounding.
Energy Co claims that grazing and cropping can carry on as normal under overhead transmission lines with a quarantine area of about 20m either side of a tower. In an ABC media release dated 21st June this year, it was stated that the Hume Link project would cost 4x the projected costs if lines were to be undergrounded. Underground lines would be harder to maintain, the land above the lines would be restricted against most farming practices, maintenance and repair of a problem could take up to two months and the lines which run at up to 100C would heat the soil above and around with serious effects. NEV2030 is also aware of the fact that the New England Tablelands are characterised by large areas of granite and basalt rock which would impede digging and tunnelling.
As well as the cost factor being discussed, the issue of regional areas having to bear the burden of providing cheap electricity for city residents was mentioned. Rural landowners are fearful of a devaluation of their properties and on the whole many community groups want to see an independent study which includes the effect of the REZ on individuals and their communities.
Health
The Forum at Nova looked at recruitment, accreditation, training and retention of GPs in rural health districts. We watched presentations made by professionals from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP). Dr Connor introduced the session by telling us that training of GPs was now being done by the Colleges who were also tasked with accreditation and placement of doctors. Both ACRRM and RACGP are aware of the developing GP crisis in regional areas and wanted to assure us that they were working towards the goal of training more GPs for rural areas.
ACRRM has a program of training rural Generalists and providing supervision for registrars. This can be a bit tricky as the program requires a hospital and they have not been able to include Armidale Hospital in their program. Ideally they would like to see registrars do their entire training in a regional centre where they would then move into a local Practice.
RACGP's goal is a strong GP profession. They are offering generalist pathways with 6 month commitments to an area. Their experience is that generalists tend to spend more than 6 months in an area and some have returned to the region after accreditation.
Supervision can be a problem as GPs are already overloaded and may not be able to take on the extra burden. One solution to this is remote supervision which is being started by the West Armidale Clinic. Telehealth should never be seen as taking the place of primary care but is useful as a secondary method of communicating with patients.
The Single Employer Model (Murrumbidgee Model) was mentioned as not being the panacea that many people believe. The reason for this is because it is based on the hospital system and for years hospitals have been luring doctors away from general practice. There is no guarantee that the SEM would deliver GPs to Private practice unless there was some enticement.
One of the major problems with the health system overall is the enormous level of bureaucracy which impedes the recruitment and placement of GPs especially international doctors. This needs to be streamlined.
On Thursday Dr John Atchison OAM and I attended the NSW Upper House Standing Committee inquiry into the feasibility of undergrounding transmission lines which was held at the Bowlo. We left early to move onto the Forum being held at Nova into GP Training, recruitment and retention that had been organised by Dr Brian Connor. Our team member Dr Julie Roberts joined us there.
Inquiry (see attached documents below)
The Inquiry which was attended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee had called for a small number of witnesses to address the committee and answer questions under oath. Committee Chair, the Hon Emily Suvaal MLC, said: 'We have already received hundreds of written submissions from the community and various organisations regarding the inquiry. An opportunity was given to a small number of individuals to have their say.
Witnesses included Dr John Peatfield of Uralla representing ReD4NE, Mark Fogarty, Director of Bushtricity and Mr Greg Piper of Coolah. Councils were represented by Mayor Sam Coupland, Daniel Boyce and Jon Galletly of ARC, Ms Kate Jessup GM of Uralla Shire and Mayor Eric Noakes of Walcha Council along with several staff members and Mr Jayson McKellar of the RFS.
We were struck by the way undergrounding of Transmission lines was not the main focus of the witness statements and answers despite the Terms of Reference which are:
(a) the costs and benefits of undergrounding,
(b) existing case studies and current projects regarding similar undergrounding of transmission lines
in both domestic and international contexts,
(c) any impact on delivery timeframes of undergrounding, and
(d) any environmental impacts of undergrounding.
Instead, the witnesses focussed on the way the whole REZ developed in a somewhat unco-ordinated way. NEV2030 can confirm that observation as we have been trying to get local training established but have hit brick walls all along the line. When questioned about the consultation process it was agreed that communities were told what was going to happen rather than have the opportunity to object or negotiate. It was felt that Energy Co has been tasked with the job of pushing projects through including transmission lines. It appeared to be a case of the common government playbook - decide, announce, defend.
The first that landowners were alerted to Transmission lines affecting their properties was in the form of a letter. This came on top of several community campaigns fighting off wind farms in the region. There seemed to be a remarkable lack of transparency in what was being proposed at Energy Co's June consultation meetings. Some rural landowners believed that undergrounding lines might be the answer to removing the spectacle of unsightly towers but the witnesses appeared to have been unable to source any credible scientific information regarding the issue of undergrounding.
Energy Co claims that grazing and cropping can carry on as normal under overhead transmission lines with a quarantine area of about 20m either side of a tower. In an ABC media release dated 21st June this year, it was stated that the Hume Link project would cost 4x the projected costs if lines were to be undergrounded. Underground lines would be harder to maintain, the land above the lines would be restricted against most farming practices, maintenance and repair of a problem could take up to two months and the lines which run at up to 100C would heat the soil above and around with serious effects. NEV2030 is also aware of the fact that the New England Tablelands are characterised by large areas of granite and basalt rock which would impede digging and tunnelling.
As well as the cost factor being discussed, the issue of regional areas having to bear the burden of providing cheap electricity for city residents was mentioned. Rural landowners are fearful of a devaluation of their properties and on the whole many community groups want to see an independent study which includes the effect of the REZ on individuals and their communities.
Health
The Forum at Nova looked at recruitment, accreditation, training and retention of GPs in rural health districts. We watched presentations made by professionals from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP). Dr Connor introduced the session by telling us that training of GPs was now being done by the Colleges who were also tasked with accreditation and placement of doctors. Both ACRRM and RACGP are aware of the developing GP crisis in regional areas and wanted to assure us that they were working towards the goal of training more GPs for rural areas.
ACRRM has a program of training rural Generalists and providing supervision for registrars. This can be a bit tricky as the program requires a hospital and they have not been able to include Armidale Hospital in their program. Ideally they would like to see registrars do their entire training in a regional centre where they would then move into a local Practice.
RACGP's goal is a strong GP profession. They are offering generalist pathways with 6 month commitments to an area. Their experience is that generalists tend to spend more than 6 months in an area and some have returned to the region after accreditation.
Supervision can be a problem as GPs are already overloaded and may not be able to take on the extra burden. One solution to this is remote supervision which is being started by the West Armidale Clinic. Telehealth should never be seen as taking the place of primary care but is useful as a secondary method of communicating with patients.
The Single Employer Model (Murrumbidgee Model) was mentioned as not being the panacea that many people believe. The reason for this is because it is based on the hospital system and for years hospitals have been luring doctors away from general practice. There is no guarantee that the SEM would deliver GPs to Private practice unless there was some enticement.
One of the major problems with the health system overall is the enormous level of bureaucracy which impedes the recruitment and placement of GPs especially international doctors. This needs to be streamlined.
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Weekly Update Friday 21st July
This week we met with David Schmude, Chief Executive Officer, UNE Life Student HQ. This includes the UNE Medical Centre. We had asked for this meeting to see how he felt about an After Hours Clinic for Armidale. The UNE Medical Center is in the same situation as many of our other medical centres in Armidale - suffering from a lack of GPs. 70% of the patient cohort is students which has been inflated with the return of face to face teaching at the university.
Dave has been actively recruiting for more GPs and is confident of attracting several doctors to the practice within the next six months. He understands that until there is more stability in the local health area, it will be difficult to introduce an After Hours Service. NEV 2030 is aware that such a service needs to be on neutral ground and will only happen with a collaborative effort between the various practices in Armidale. Dave is very supportive of such a scheme as it will relieve pressure on the Emergency Department of the Armidale Hospital. Several After Hours Clinics have been set up in the Hunter for this very reason.
It's a tricky proposal as we understand Insurance requirements for practising GPs often preclude them from working outside of the practice if it is corporate owned. Obviously supply and demand is also an issue - there will be times of the year, such as winter, when there is a need for GP services around the clock. There has been a proposal for the UNE facilities on the hospital grounds to be the venue for such a clinic. That would have to be approved by UNE executive. It would also need support in the form of reception staffing and record keeping.
The New England Division of General Practice has also made suggestions in the past supporting the proposal. NEV2030 intends to speak to a number of stakeholders to determine the level of support in our local community for such a service and we would love to hear from you. Obviously nothing much will happen until we are assured of a realistic increase in the number of GPs locating to Armidale. That may take a few years.
So what is happening in the ACT?
Canberra After Hours Locum Medical Service (CALMS Ltd) is a medical deputising service owned and operated by Canberra General Practitioners. CALMS Ltd is a not-for-profit company. Each member doctor of CALMS Ltd has agreed to participate on a roster to provide appropriate medical after hours care in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
CALMS Ltd has been providing after hours medical services to residents of Canberra since 1971. It has grown over the years, and is now offering services to all people living in or visiting the ACT, with the support of the ACT Government. As an organisation CALMS Ltd is committed to providing quality care, and is an accredited medical deputising service. Although our surgeries are co-located on the Hospital grounds, we are not part of the Hospital system. There are three clinics.
CALMS Tuggeranong Surgery - Tuggeranong Community Health Centre,
CALMS Southside Surgery - Building 12, Level 2 Pre Admissions clinic The Canberra Hospital,
CALMS Northside Surgery - Day Procedure Unit, Level 2 Marion Building, North Canberra Hospital
CALMS Ltd can provide the following services:
You will be expected to pay for the service. There is a reduced fee for pensioners and health care card holders. The CALMS staff will be able to give you an estimate of the fee that may be charged, and how much of that will be reimbursed from Medicare, and pensioner concessions prior to booking an appointment. After you have paid your bill, you will be issued with a receipt which may be used to claim a rebate from Medicare if the patient is entitled to Medicare Benefits. CALMS Ltd is a private billing surgery. Payment is required at the time of consultation. Your doctor will advise the fee payable, which may vary as all our doctors set their fees independently.
This week we met with David Schmude, Chief Executive Officer, UNE Life Student HQ. This includes the UNE Medical Centre. We had asked for this meeting to see how he felt about an After Hours Clinic for Armidale. The UNE Medical Center is in the same situation as many of our other medical centres in Armidale - suffering from a lack of GPs. 70% of the patient cohort is students which has been inflated with the return of face to face teaching at the university.
Dave has been actively recruiting for more GPs and is confident of attracting several doctors to the practice within the next six months. He understands that until there is more stability in the local health area, it will be difficult to introduce an After Hours Service. NEV 2030 is aware that such a service needs to be on neutral ground and will only happen with a collaborative effort between the various practices in Armidale. Dave is very supportive of such a scheme as it will relieve pressure on the Emergency Department of the Armidale Hospital. Several After Hours Clinics have been set up in the Hunter for this very reason.
It's a tricky proposal as we understand Insurance requirements for practising GPs often preclude them from working outside of the practice if it is corporate owned. Obviously supply and demand is also an issue - there will be times of the year, such as winter, when there is a need for GP services around the clock. There has been a proposal for the UNE facilities on the hospital grounds to be the venue for such a clinic. That would have to be approved by UNE executive. It would also need support in the form of reception staffing and record keeping.
The New England Division of General Practice has also made suggestions in the past supporting the proposal. NEV2030 intends to speak to a number of stakeholders to determine the level of support in our local community for such a service and we would love to hear from you. Obviously nothing much will happen until we are assured of a realistic increase in the number of GPs locating to Armidale. That may take a few years.
So what is happening in the ACT?
Canberra After Hours Locum Medical Service (CALMS Ltd) is a medical deputising service owned and operated by Canberra General Practitioners. CALMS Ltd is a not-for-profit company. Each member doctor of CALMS Ltd has agreed to participate on a roster to provide appropriate medical after hours care in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
CALMS Ltd has been providing after hours medical services to residents of Canberra since 1971. It has grown over the years, and is now offering services to all people living in or visiting the ACT, with the support of the ACT Government. As an organisation CALMS Ltd is committed to providing quality care, and is an accredited medical deputising service. Although our surgeries are co-located on the Hospital grounds, we are not part of the Hospital system. There are three clinics.
CALMS Tuggeranong Surgery - Tuggeranong Community Health Centre,
CALMS Southside Surgery - Building 12, Level 2 Pre Admissions clinic The Canberra Hospital,
CALMS Northside Surgery - Day Procedure Unit, Level 2 Marion Building, North Canberra Hospital
CALMS Ltd can provide the following services:
- Attendance by a doctor at a designated surgery during designated clinic times.
- Attendance by a doctor at your residence if deemed clinically appropriate.
- With your consent, consultation records are forwarded to your nominated GP.
You will be expected to pay for the service. There is a reduced fee for pensioners and health care card holders. The CALMS staff will be able to give you an estimate of the fee that may be charged, and how much of that will be reimbursed from Medicare, and pensioner concessions prior to booking an appointment. After you have paid your bill, you will be issued with a receipt which may be used to claim a rebate from Medicare if the patient is entitled to Medicare Benefits. CALMS Ltd is a private billing surgery. Payment is required at the time of consultation. Your doctor will advise the fee payable, which may vary as all our doctors set their fees independently.
Weekly Update Friday 14th July
This week I attended a meeting of environmental professionals and community representatives. This was the inaugural meeting of the New England Biodiversity Reference Group which is being co-ordinated by Heidi McElnea - Engagement Co-ordinator for the Community Power Agency. While much discussion has been taking place on the Tablelands regarding Wind Farms, Solar farms, hydro schemes and big batteries, we are now starting to look at transmission lines which will connect all those renewables projects and carry the power to where it is needed. Obviously wherever you install massive structures like the transmission towers you interfere with natural eco-systems and the alliance has been formed to advise on and monitor any major problems with a loss of biodiversity in the REZ. It's still early days and I'll be able to tell you more in a later report.
Energy Co's website (https://www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/) has some useful information. They conducted information sessions in late June and will probably conduct more later.
So how will the transmission lines impact landowners and the environment?
Their factsheet says that:
This week I attended a meeting of environmental professionals and community representatives. This was the inaugural meeting of the New England Biodiversity Reference Group which is being co-ordinated by Heidi McElnea - Engagement Co-ordinator for the Community Power Agency. While much discussion has been taking place on the Tablelands regarding Wind Farms, Solar farms, hydro schemes and big batteries, we are now starting to look at transmission lines which will connect all those renewables projects and carry the power to where it is needed. Obviously wherever you install massive structures like the transmission towers you interfere with natural eco-systems and the alliance has been formed to advise on and monitor any major problems with a loss of biodiversity in the REZ. It's still early days and I'll be able to tell you more in a later report.
Energy Co's website (https://www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/) has some useful information. They conducted information sessions in late June and will probably conduct more later.
So how will the transmission lines impact landowners and the environment?
Their factsheet says that:
- Cropping is permitted up to 30 metres from the base of a transmission structure to provide clearance for maintenance access.
- Grazing can continue as normal under transmission lines
- Utilities including drainage, sewer and water are permitted if more than 20 metres from transmission structures and pipes are made of earthenware or plastic. Electrically conductive materials such as metal pipes must not be installed within 30 metres of tower structures.
- Irrigation low to the ground is generally permitted. Water streams should never be directed at transmission lines.
- Vehicles and machinery passing under transmission lines must be limited to a height of 4.3 metres, unless otherwise agreed with EnergyCo.
- Ploughing is permitted up to 20 metres from the base of a transmission structure. This buffer is in place to ensure machinery does not disturb transmission structure earthing.
- Trees must be no more than three metres tall at maturity and must not be planted within 30 metres of transmission structures. Tree plantings must not be too dense so as to prevent fire hazards.
Weekly Update Friday 7th July
It's been a busy week. On Tuesday I met with Andrew Collins of the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project at Walcha. Andrew is Stakeholder Engagement Manager for Vestas Development Australia which is controlling the project. The next day we met by Zoom with Jason Kendall (Senior Manager – Special Projects | Delivery) plus two associates from Transgrid. Jason is based in Wagga and is developing a Clean Energy Training Centre in association with Charles Sturt University. Here are a few notes about our meetings. I also attach a Press Release from Adam Marshall and replies to our submissions from the Ministers.
Winterbourne Wind Farm
Vestas is a company based in Denmark with many projects in Australia. Their website says
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe, and with +166 GW of wind turbines in 88 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else.
The Winterbourne Wind Farm is a 700Mw development of 119 turbines. It is a designated State Development Project which is near to completion in the planning stages and hopes to begin construction towards the end of next year. There has been a small vocal group objecting to the project but the population of Walcha is supportive because of the financial benefit to the town which is calculated to be $35m over 30 years, money which will probably be administered by council. A recent survey of residents said they would like to see this money being spent on parks and sporting facilities and providing training and skill upgrading opportunities for locals. The wind farm will connect to the existing transmission line and is independent of the Transgrid line.
Clean Energy Training Centre
The Centre is planning to offer training by providing core safety, licensing and competency short courses to at least 3 500 participants to fill the coming 1500 trade and competency based jobs. Obviously Transgrid's focus is on transmission but the concept could be adapted for other REZ's with different courses. The Centre also plans to upskill and offer verification for as many as 200 internationally qualified tradespeople at Certificate and Diploma levels.
The clever part of this training centre is that it will have two main areas - it intends to also provide digital farming training to landowners thus connecting Digital farming and Renewable Energy. They aim to promote the most economical and environmentally friendly land management practices. With our Smart farm already operating and making wonderful progress, it's a model that would fit easily into New England.
The Training Centre hopes to set up both outdoor and indoor training environments such as a small sub-station, a 400m dual circuit transmission line, a small scale solar farm and battery and facilities for tower construction.
The undercover set up will focus on lower level plant operation and trade hand skills. At the moment they are seeking to partner with other companies, find the gaps in training opportunities and attract government funding.
It's been a busy week. On Tuesday I met with Andrew Collins of the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project at Walcha. Andrew is Stakeholder Engagement Manager for Vestas Development Australia which is controlling the project. The next day we met by Zoom with Jason Kendall (Senior Manager – Special Projects | Delivery) plus two associates from Transgrid. Jason is based in Wagga and is developing a Clean Energy Training Centre in association with Charles Sturt University. Here are a few notes about our meetings. I also attach a Press Release from Adam Marshall and replies to our submissions from the Ministers.
Winterbourne Wind Farm
Vestas is a company based in Denmark with many projects in Australia. Their website says
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe, and with +166 GW of wind turbines in 88 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else.
The Winterbourne Wind Farm is a 700Mw development of 119 turbines. It is a designated State Development Project which is near to completion in the planning stages and hopes to begin construction towards the end of next year. There has been a small vocal group objecting to the project but the population of Walcha is supportive because of the financial benefit to the town which is calculated to be $35m over 30 years, money which will probably be administered by council. A recent survey of residents said they would like to see this money being spent on parks and sporting facilities and providing training and skill upgrading opportunities for locals. The wind farm will connect to the existing transmission line and is independent of the Transgrid line.
Clean Energy Training Centre
The Centre is planning to offer training by providing core safety, licensing and competency short courses to at least 3 500 participants to fill the coming 1500 trade and competency based jobs. Obviously Transgrid's focus is on transmission but the concept could be adapted for other REZ's with different courses. The Centre also plans to upskill and offer verification for as many as 200 internationally qualified tradespeople at Certificate and Diploma levels.
The clever part of this training centre is that it will have two main areas - it intends to also provide digital farming training to landowners thus connecting Digital farming and Renewable Energy. They aim to promote the most economical and environmentally friendly land management practices. With our Smart farm already operating and making wonderful progress, it's a model that would fit easily into New England.
The Training Centre hopes to set up both outdoor and indoor training environments such as a small sub-station, a 400m dual circuit transmission line, a small scale solar farm and battery and facilities for tower construction.
The undercover set up will focus on lower level plant operation and trade hand skills. At the moment they are seeking to partner with other companies, find the gaps in training opportunities and attract government funding.
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m23_1884-1__response_-_ems_final.pdf | |
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Weekly Update Saturday 1st July
Visitor Information Centre
In November 2021 we asked the community for their opinions of the VIC. Most of them were very positive but there were a few suggestions made such as:
1. Council needs to apply for a liquor licence to sell bottles of local wines (high revenue raising)
2. There are very few books by local authors - we have quite a number of them in Armidale
3. How about CDs by local bands or the orchestra. We have a vibrant cultural life yet it doesn't seem to be mentioned.
4. There is too much emphasis on paper. We have moved beyond that in the 21st century. I'd like to see a big screen on the central wall with lots of videos of the gorge country and main attractions such as NERAM, UNE, Museums, galleries, hospitality venues, etc. It would also help to advertise those.
Yesterday we met with Aimee Hutton (manager of Customer Experience) and Kath Frazier (new VIC Manager) to get an update on improvements to the VIC since that time. We were very happy with the meeting and thank Aimee and Kath for giving up their time to meet with us. Both officers are dynamic people ensuring progress. There have been a number of personnel changes in this space which has slowed down change but an audit of resources is now underway. We were happy to hear that Council is now moving towards some Video presentations and the use of QR codes. There will always be a place for paper pamphlets for older travellers although the supply of these is now dwindling - National Parks is not producing them anymore in my experience. The VIC is now moving to mostly local produce from our LGA although there will always be a call for standard souvenir items. The VIC does not have a liquor licence and there is no desire to obtain one. Unfortunately this decision by Council is probably prompted by protectionism - a curse which is rife in Armidale and keeps our commercial sector from thriving.
We talked about marketing events and the problem of there being multiple calendars. Aimee is working on this and some of the event calendars have now been incorporated into a single one. The problem is that people do have to subscribe to an online calendar and people have multiple interests. Aimee asks event organisers to go to the Council website and add their event. The VIC is also receiving a makeover with paint and infrastructure being refreshed and the seating area being made more comfortable and inviting. Apparently there is need of a waiting room for the Heritage bus and a few other bus services. The VIC also has a welcome pack for new residents including doctors. Some work has been done to assist with accommodation and childcare for new doctors relocating to Armidale. One problem at the moment which is being looked at is the provision of night child care for nurses. There is a possibility of hiring well vetted UNE students as nannies.
Health
Council has also been working with local medical providers on improving the Primary Health Workforce by setting up a Health Pillar committee. Dr Brian Connor who is a member of that committee sent the following note:
'A proposed meeting with accreditation and recruitment bodies in relation to Rural General Practice will be held at NOVA in Faulkner Street on Thursday 27 July at midday. Everyone is welcome and all General Practices have been notified. The Medical Colleges are apparently taking it seriously enough to want to attend in person . The meeting has the backing of the local Council “Health Pillar Committee“. You need to RSVP to Cherene Spendelove at NOVA'.
You may have also heard that our local member Adam Marshall MP is introducing a bill into parliament to split the New England and Hunter Health Areas following the success of our petition last year. People in the region are still very unhappy with the current situation.
Visitor Information Centre
In November 2021 we asked the community for their opinions of the VIC. Most of them were very positive but there were a few suggestions made such as:
1. Council needs to apply for a liquor licence to sell bottles of local wines (high revenue raising)
2. There are very few books by local authors - we have quite a number of them in Armidale
3. How about CDs by local bands or the orchestra. We have a vibrant cultural life yet it doesn't seem to be mentioned.
4. There is too much emphasis on paper. We have moved beyond that in the 21st century. I'd like to see a big screen on the central wall with lots of videos of the gorge country and main attractions such as NERAM, UNE, Museums, galleries, hospitality venues, etc. It would also help to advertise those.
Yesterday we met with Aimee Hutton (manager of Customer Experience) and Kath Frazier (new VIC Manager) to get an update on improvements to the VIC since that time. We were very happy with the meeting and thank Aimee and Kath for giving up their time to meet with us. Both officers are dynamic people ensuring progress. There have been a number of personnel changes in this space which has slowed down change but an audit of resources is now underway. We were happy to hear that Council is now moving towards some Video presentations and the use of QR codes. There will always be a place for paper pamphlets for older travellers although the supply of these is now dwindling - National Parks is not producing them anymore in my experience. The VIC is now moving to mostly local produce from our LGA although there will always be a call for standard souvenir items. The VIC does not have a liquor licence and there is no desire to obtain one. Unfortunately this decision by Council is probably prompted by protectionism - a curse which is rife in Armidale and keeps our commercial sector from thriving.
We talked about marketing events and the problem of there being multiple calendars. Aimee is working on this and some of the event calendars have now been incorporated into a single one. The problem is that people do have to subscribe to an online calendar and people have multiple interests. Aimee asks event organisers to go to the Council website and add their event. The VIC is also receiving a makeover with paint and infrastructure being refreshed and the seating area being made more comfortable and inviting. Apparently there is need of a waiting room for the Heritage bus and a few other bus services. The VIC also has a welcome pack for new residents including doctors. Some work has been done to assist with accommodation and childcare for new doctors relocating to Armidale. One problem at the moment which is being looked at is the provision of night child care for nurses. There is a possibility of hiring well vetted UNE students as nannies.
Health
Council has also been working with local medical providers on improving the Primary Health Workforce by setting up a Health Pillar committee. Dr Brian Connor who is a member of that committee sent the following note:
'A proposed meeting with accreditation and recruitment bodies in relation to Rural General Practice will be held at NOVA in Faulkner Street on Thursday 27 July at midday. Everyone is welcome and all General Practices have been notified. The Medical Colleges are apparently taking it seriously enough to want to attend in person . The meeting has the backing of the local Council “Health Pillar Committee“. You need to RSVP to Cherene Spendelove at NOVA'.
You may have also heard that our local member Adam Marshall MP is introducing a bill into parliament to split the New England and Hunter Health Areas following the success of our petition last year. People in the region are still very unhappy with the current situation.
Weekly Update Friday 16th June
Regional Seniors Travel Card
Our local State member, Adam Marshall MP, is promoting a paper petition to maintain the Regional Seniors Travel Card due to be axed in the September State Budget. A community petition has been launched and Mr Marshall is urging residents to sign it. The card gives seniors a $250 prepaid card that can be used for pre-booked rail travel, coaches, taxis and even fuel for a private vehicle. It is a big help for pensioners feeling the pinch in these inflationary times and puts money into our local economy. Currently 12,034 Northern Tablelands seniors have a travel card giving the region a $3m boost. At the moment the program is 'under review'.
I have always maintained that if Northern Tablelands residents want to stop our services from being taken away we have to fight for them (as long as the request is reasonable and affordable). People in the bush tended to be somewhat passive in the past allowing successive governments to pull the rug time and time again. Not any longer! It's time to be heard.
Paper petitions need 10,000 signatures to force a debate in parliament. Our health petition achieved 16,000 signatures. You need to download the attached petition, print it out and sign it. Circulate it among friends and workplace colleagues, take it along to any club events you attend. As this is a State-wide petition, there should be a lot of support from other regional centres. If you know someone in another regional town please forward the pdf to them and encourage them to circulate it.
Regional Seniors Travel Card
Our local State member, Adam Marshall MP, is promoting a paper petition to maintain the Regional Seniors Travel Card due to be axed in the September State Budget. A community petition has been launched and Mr Marshall is urging residents to sign it. The card gives seniors a $250 prepaid card that can be used for pre-booked rail travel, coaches, taxis and even fuel for a private vehicle. It is a big help for pensioners feeling the pinch in these inflationary times and puts money into our local economy. Currently 12,034 Northern Tablelands seniors have a travel card giving the region a $3m boost. At the moment the program is 'under review'.
I have always maintained that if Northern Tablelands residents want to stop our services from being taken away we have to fight for them (as long as the request is reasonable and affordable). People in the bush tended to be somewhat passive in the past allowing successive governments to pull the rug time and time again. Not any longer! It's time to be heard.
Paper petitions need 10,000 signatures to force a debate in parliament. Our health petition achieved 16,000 signatures. You need to download the attached petition, print it out and sign it. Circulate it among friends and workplace colleagues, take it along to any club events you attend. As this is a State-wide petition, there should be a lot of support from other regional centres. If you know someone in another regional town please forward the pdf to them and encourage them to circulate it.
save_the_regional_seniors_travel_card_community_petition.pdf | |
File Size: | 116 kb |
File Type: |
Weekly Update Friday 9th June
New Team Member
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Mr Peter Sniekers B Ag Econ, Grad Dip Bus Mangt (UNE) to our Think Tank Team. Peter will bring valuable government and economic development experience to our active advocacy role.
Peter has qualifications in Agricultural Economics (UNE), a Graduate Diploma in Business Management (UNE Northern Rivers), Registered Representative qualifications on the Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE), and a Certificate of Export Procedures and Documentation from the Australian Institute of Export/Export Council of Australia. He has recently retired from his job as Business Development Manager/ Agribusiness Development Manager, NSW Dept Regional NSW, 2001-2023.
You can read more about Peter's extensive portfolio on the Our Team page.
Health
Dr John Nevin and I met to develop a strategy towards advocating for an After Hours Clinic for Armidale. The first step is to find out what local support there would be for such a facility. We will be contacting stakeholders over the next few weeks to see what they say. There are a few proposals we can put to them and will keep you updated as replies come back.
Dr Brian Connor contacted me during the week to say that there will be an event run by NOVA fairly soon to discuss the problems of training and retaining doctors in regional areas and what solutions might exist. If you are not on NOVA's mailing list you can apply via their website.
Visitor Information Centre
We are in the process of organising a meeting with council officers to discuss the new plans for the Armidale VIC and will keep you updated when that occurs.
New Team Member
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Mr Peter Sniekers B Ag Econ, Grad Dip Bus Mangt (UNE) to our Think Tank Team. Peter will bring valuable government and economic development experience to our active advocacy role.
Peter has qualifications in Agricultural Economics (UNE), a Graduate Diploma in Business Management (UNE Northern Rivers), Registered Representative qualifications on the Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE), and a Certificate of Export Procedures and Documentation from the Australian Institute of Export/Export Council of Australia. He has recently retired from his job as Business Development Manager/ Agribusiness Development Manager, NSW Dept Regional NSW, 2001-2023.
You can read more about Peter's extensive portfolio on the Our Team page.
Health
Dr John Nevin and I met to develop a strategy towards advocating for an After Hours Clinic for Armidale. The first step is to find out what local support there would be for such a facility. We will be contacting stakeholders over the next few weeks to see what they say. There are a few proposals we can put to them and will keep you updated as replies come back.
Dr Brian Connor contacted me during the week to say that there will be an event run by NOVA fairly soon to discuss the problems of training and retaining doctors in regional areas and what solutions might exist. If you are not on NOVA's mailing list you can apply via their website.
Visitor Information Centre
We are in the process of organising a meeting with council officers to discuss the new plans for the Armidale VIC and will keep you updated when that occurs.
Weekly Update Friday 2nd June
Health
We met by Zoom on Tuesday morning with Anita Kauffman (Armidale) and Wendy Wilks (Inverell). Both are New England representatives on Hunter New England Health Board. The topic to be discussed was an After Hours Clinic for Armidale. If a successful model could be found clinics in other centres could be opened. We know that the Hunter area has a number of After Hours clinics and Canberra has been running such a service for several years. These clinics take pressure off the Emergency Department at the hospital and would be a tremendous help in areas where patients are struggling to find a GP. They usually open from 5.00 pm to 10pm. Earlier this year we met with the Interim VC, Prof. Simon Evans to discuss the possibility of using Medical School premises at the hospital for such a service. We also know that Dr Vicki Howell is interested in the potential of starting up an After Hours Clinic in Armidale. Anita and Wendy wanted to know how the Board could help and suggested we contact Susan Hayman in Tamworth.
After the meeting I realised that if we wanted to take this matter further we needed a firm proposal. We would be interested in hearing from anyone who has any ideas.
Health
We met by Zoom on Tuesday morning with Anita Kauffman (Armidale) and Wendy Wilks (Inverell). Both are New England representatives on Hunter New England Health Board. The topic to be discussed was an After Hours Clinic for Armidale. If a successful model could be found clinics in other centres could be opened. We know that the Hunter area has a number of After Hours clinics and Canberra has been running such a service for several years. These clinics take pressure off the Emergency Department at the hospital and would be a tremendous help in areas where patients are struggling to find a GP. They usually open from 5.00 pm to 10pm. Earlier this year we met with the Interim VC, Prof. Simon Evans to discuss the possibility of using Medical School premises at the hospital for such a service. We also know that Dr Vicki Howell is interested in the potential of starting up an After Hours Clinic in Armidale. Anita and Wendy wanted to know how the Board could help and suggested we contact Susan Hayman in Tamworth.
After the meeting I realised that if we wanted to take this matter further we needed a firm proposal. We would be interested in hearing from anyone who has any ideas.
Weekly Update Friday 26th May
This week Dr John Atchison and I attended the NOVA Innovations Series where we listened to a panel of Health professionals talking about their experiences in this sector. If you are not familiar with NOVA they are based in the old Library building and hold regular panel discussions usually on a Monday at noon. We sent off our submission tot he premier regarding descrimination against regional apprentices who are forced to travel great distances to attend TAFE training. (See attached). We also received a letter of support for our advocacy of local training in the renewables area from Adam Marshall MP, our local State Member. (See attached).
On Wednesday we met online with Dr Eric Nordberg of UNE who is a founder of their Renewables Hub and Dr Mark Apthorpe, the NSW Energy Infrastructure Jobs advocate. This was an initial online meeting where we introduced ourselves and shared what we had done in the Renewables area. Mark has been in the job for 12 months now and he has visited all of the 5 NSW REZs talking to stakeholders and observing what is happening with projects, construction, housing, etc. His first report to the Minister confirms what people have been saying for months in our region. Basically local training opportunities should be an imperative for our school leavers, existing tradespeople and others wanting to settle in our region. Here is his introductory summary from the report (see attached).
Across NSW, and particularly in the REZs where the Jobs Advocate has consulted, there is currently a shortage of workers. Infrastructure projects with similar timing and skills requirements to the REZ, such as housing construction, transport infrastructure and natural disaster recovery are expected to exacerbate this problem. These worker shortages are diverse and span the sector, from professional workers such as engineers and project developers through to construction workers, riggers, electricians and truck drivers. Workforce shortages could inflate costs and cause delays for REZ projects, leading to worse outcomes for the electricity grid and NSW electricity customers. Workforce shortages are not unique to the REZs and will need a coordinated approach across all levels of government. Stakeholders identified upskilling of existing workers in the region, greater participation from underrepresented groups and underemployed people, and internal as well as international migration as potential ways to alleviate workforce shortages. Stakeholders also expressed concerns about overreliance on itinerant labour for past renewable energy projects. While this approach addresses immediate labour shortages, there is a perception that local workers are not being given adequate opportunities to participate. Stakeholders argued that direct employment of local workers would increase community support as the economic benefits of renewable energy projects would be more visible. It was also argued that local workers are more likely than itinerant labour to spend money in the local economy, leading to a higher multiplier effect. Where local workers are not available, stakeholders suggested that new arrivals be encouraged to live in the region long-term. The large pipeline of infrastructure planned in many regions indicates there are sufficient employment opportunities for new arrivals to stay beyond the length of a single project. Stakeholders believed this approach would encourage new arrivals to actively participate in the local community and it would be less disruptive than a churn of itinerant labour.
Piece by piece many groups are now advocating for the same outcomes. With any luck our voices will be heard and we will see some developments starting to happen. The benefit to our region would be enormous.
This week Dr John Atchison and I attended the NOVA Innovations Series where we listened to a panel of Health professionals talking about their experiences in this sector. If you are not familiar with NOVA they are based in the old Library building and hold regular panel discussions usually on a Monday at noon. We sent off our submission tot he premier regarding descrimination against regional apprentices who are forced to travel great distances to attend TAFE training. (See attached). We also received a letter of support for our advocacy of local training in the renewables area from Adam Marshall MP, our local State Member. (See attached).
On Wednesday we met online with Dr Eric Nordberg of UNE who is a founder of their Renewables Hub and Dr Mark Apthorpe, the NSW Energy Infrastructure Jobs advocate. This was an initial online meeting where we introduced ourselves and shared what we had done in the Renewables area. Mark has been in the job for 12 months now and he has visited all of the 5 NSW REZs talking to stakeholders and observing what is happening with projects, construction, housing, etc. His first report to the Minister confirms what people have been saying for months in our region. Basically local training opportunities should be an imperative for our school leavers, existing tradespeople and others wanting to settle in our region. Here is his introductory summary from the report (see attached).
Across NSW, and particularly in the REZs where the Jobs Advocate has consulted, there is currently a shortage of workers. Infrastructure projects with similar timing and skills requirements to the REZ, such as housing construction, transport infrastructure and natural disaster recovery are expected to exacerbate this problem. These worker shortages are diverse and span the sector, from professional workers such as engineers and project developers through to construction workers, riggers, electricians and truck drivers. Workforce shortages could inflate costs and cause delays for REZ projects, leading to worse outcomes for the electricity grid and NSW electricity customers. Workforce shortages are not unique to the REZs and will need a coordinated approach across all levels of government. Stakeholders identified upskilling of existing workers in the region, greater participation from underrepresented groups and underemployed people, and internal as well as international migration as potential ways to alleviate workforce shortages. Stakeholders also expressed concerns about overreliance on itinerant labour for past renewable energy projects. While this approach addresses immediate labour shortages, there is a perception that local workers are not being given adequate opportunities to participate. Stakeholders argued that direct employment of local workers would increase community support as the economic benefits of renewable energy projects would be more visible. It was also argued that local workers are more likely than itinerant labour to spend money in the local economy, leading to a higher multiplier effect. Where local workers are not available, stakeholders suggested that new arrivals be encouraged to live in the region long-term. The large pipeline of infrastructure planned in many regions indicates there are sufficient employment opportunities for new arrivals to stay beyond the length of a single project. Stakeholders believed this approach would encourage new arrivals to actively participate in the local community and it would be less disruptive than a churn of itinerant labour.
Piece by piece many groups are now advocating for the same outcomes. With any luck our voices will be heard and we will see some developments starting to happen. The benefit to our region would be enormous.
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Weekly Update Friday 19th May
Last week I spoke about meeting up with representatives of the Community Power Agency and the Lumea Transgrid Group regarding training for renewables in our area. This was picked up by the Northern Daily Leader (thanks Eva) and published on Tuesday this week. Not long afterwards, NEV2030 was contacted by Dr Mark Apthorpe, the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Jobs Advocate who works out of Newcastle. We will be attending an initial Zoom meeting this week with Dr Apthorpe and Dr Eric Nordberg who along with Joel Gribble have started up a Renewables Hub at UNE. See attached for details of the Advocate's role.
As well as this we will be writing to the Premier of NSW about the way regional apprentices are being discriminated against in order to gain qualifications. New England electrical apprentices have to travel to Tamworth. Coffs Harbour bricklayer apprentices have to travel to Newcastle or the Gold Coast. These are just a few of the examples. In former times they could do their training locally.
Last week I spoke about meeting up with representatives of the Community Power Agency and the Lumea Transgrid Group regarding training for renewables in our area. This was picked up by the Northern Daily Leader (thanks Eva) and published on Tuesday this week. Not long afterwards, NEV2030 was contacted by Dr Mark Apthorpe, the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Jobs Advocate who works out of Newcastle. We will be attending an initial Zoom meeting this week with Dr Apthorpe and Dr Eric Nordberg who along with Joel Gribble have started up a Renewables Hub at UNE. See attached for details of the Advocate's role.
As well as this we will be writing to the Premier of NSW about the way regional apprentices are being discriminated against in order to gain qualifications. New England electrical apprentices have to travel to Tamworth. Coffs Harbour bricklayer apprentices have to travel to Newcastle or the Gold Coast. These are just a few of the examples. In former times they could do their training locally.
about_the_electricity_infrastructure_jobs_advocate.pdf | |
File Size: | 79 kb |
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Weekly Update Friday 12th May
Tuesday was a BIG day!
First we met with Heidi McElnea, Engagement Officer of the Community Power Agency to talk about future training opportunities for renewables in New England. There is a workforce participation plan which could include sponsoring traineeships. It could be that most training will be done through private Training institutions rather than TAFE which needs a massive overhaul.
We then met with Claire Stewart (Senior Manager - Community and Special projects - Lumea Transgrid Group). Claire was accompanied by colleagues Fiona McKenzie and Allison Mudford. Our discussion centred around ideas for community benefits coming from the REZ development. It appears that much of this funding will go directly to councils who will then distribute. We emphasised the need to include small community grants programs and training initiatives like a scholarship fund.
Health
The budget was released on Tuesday. One of our team members Dr John Nevin has written the following analysis (attached)
Tuesday was a BIG day!
First we met with Heidi McElnea, Engagement Officer of the Community Power Agency to talk about future training opportunities for renewables in New England. There is a workforce participation plan which could include sponsoring traineeships. It could be that most training will be done through private Training institutions rather than TAFE which needs a massive overhaul.
We then met with Claire Stewart (Senior Manager - Community and Special projects - Lumea Transgrid Group). Claire was accompanied by colleagues Fiona McKenzie and Allison Mudford. Our discussion centred around ideas for community benefits coming from the REZ development. It appears that much of this funding will go directly to councils who will then distribute. We emphasised the need to include small community grants programs and training initiatives like a scholarship fund.
Health
The budget was released on Tuesday. One of our team members Dr John Nevin has written the following analysis (attached)
budget_response_nevin_may23.pdf | |
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Weekly Update Friday 5th May
It's been a quiet week. We had our regular meeting last Tuesday to plan ahead.
It was a shame that we had to cancel the Forum but it appears that people are now moving on despite the fact that we still have a health crisis. We are waiting for the Federal Budget to reveal some funding to relieve the GP situation in Armidale. We will be meeting with Heidi McElnea (Engagement Coordinator | Community Power Agency) next Tuesday to discuss the Electrical Trades Certificate. The most significant news today is the appointment of a new VC at UNE. One of the best things about this appointment is that his partner is a GP. For those of you not in the loop, here is the article.
It's been a quiet week. We had our regular meeting last Tuesday to plan ahead.
It was a shame that we had to cancel the Forum but it appears that people are now moving on despite the fact that we still have a health crisis. We are waiting for the Federal Budget to reveal some funding to relieve the GP situation in Armidale. We will be meeting with Heidi McElnea (Engagement Coordinator | Community Power Agency) next Tuesday to discuss the Electrical Trades Certificate. The most significant news today is the appointment of a new VC at UNE. One of the best things about this appointment is that his partner is a GP. For those of you not in the loop, here is the article.