Location: Wimmera Southern Mallee, Victoria
Population: 54, 845 (2021 Census)
Main communities: Horsham, Warracknabeal, Dimboola, Stawell, Nhill
Fast facts:
- Located in western Victoria and comprising of six local government areas, this region covers nearly 34,000km2
- One of the world’s largest cereal and wheat-growing areas
- Economic output from the Wimmera Southern Mallee is approximately $7.13 billion annually
Part of the Western Victoria Renewable Energy Zone, the Wimmera Southern Mallee is already home to several wind and solar farms. However, there are challenges ahead with local circuit capacity locally and tepid community support for many renewable projects.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES FOR NET ZERO TRANSITION
The Wimmera and Southern Mallee region is a potential hotspot for renewable energy production owing to its climate where sun and wind are abundant. There are existing solar and wind farms operating in the region and there are plans to significantly expand these operations. The Wimmera Southern Mallee region is included in the Western Victoria Renewable Energy Zone.
Despite being in a Renewable Energy Zone, the region’s circuit capacity is well short of being able to provide a stable base power source. There is also low community support for the zone. Capacity, community support and investor certainty remain the key critical challenges facing the transition to renewable energy in the region.
CONTEXT
The district’s strong agricultural history means there is little experience of energy production locally. It has a declining population associated with the consolidation of farming properties for larger-scale production. This has led to a reduction in the provision of local services leading to the loss of social capital, which is important for both leadership and maintaining a knowledge base for collective work and influence. The roll out of transmission infrastructure and proposed renewable energy developments are contentious locally but are a key part of state and federal policies. The role of the community will be critical to the successful take-up of near-term opportunities and longer-term support for the net zero transition. The Wimmera Southern Mallee Development Organisation Ltd. (WDO), established by six local councils with a board of directors, is a key organisation and lead for strategic development in the area, including renewable energy opportunities.
NET ZERO
To date, climate action has not been viewed as a priority. It is not a common part of community conversations and not seen as necessary.
There are pockets of deeper understanding, particularly through work being undertaken by Federation University’s research on ‘Future Regions’. There is also emerging interest from some local community groups and early adopters about accessing the investment available for solar and wind farms. Further, there is interest in sustainable practices from already established businesses in the area, including in agriculture, transport, health and other services.
There is growing concern about the development of renewable energy projects. This includes a denial about the net for climate change action and the view that the projects won’t bring benefit to the regions. Farmers have also expressed concerns about how the transition will affect export markets, tariff changes and farming practices.
At this point, there are a number of challenges that face councils, lead agencies and local community members in getting an agreement on the benefits of the transition and actively working together on harnessing its potential to achieve local benefits.
Some farmers in particular are actively campaigning against renewable energy work underway and are supported politically. There is growing disharmony within the farming community associated with those willing to take up renewable energy development on their properties.
DRIVERS
The case for change locally has been driven by state and Commonwealth bodies, rather than local organisations. It appears, decisions relating to meeting emissions targets and boosting renewable energy production have not translated to ready community support across the Wimmera Southern Mallee region. This perceived imposition, despite attempts at local engagement, has happened quickly and has been seen as top-down, clashing with the long-held lifestyle and history of local people. There is also a strong sense that local benefits of the transition have been clearly demonstrated and there is a perception the region is ‘being used for others benefit’, specifically metropolitan businesses and residents.
As one interviewee expressed, “The anti-arguments are so persuasive.” There appears to be no foreseeable upside to the transition, except for individual farmers being able to supplement their income by hosting renewable infrastructure. However, there is evidence of readiness in some smaller towns for local collaboration on the potential and opportunities new developments might bring.
DEVELOPMENT
Despite the work done by key government agencies to build knowledge and support, development to date has been generally state-imposed, occurring through private negotiation with little public awareness or transparency. Renewable energy proponents are individually negotiating contracts with individual landowners with non-disclosure agreements, bypassing local councils in the process. It has taken some time for the impact of this approach to be felt and understood and attempts are being made to highlight the importance of shared local benefit and a more coordinated approach requiring collaboration across proponents. It appears that unintended consequences are growing with disharmony appearing in neighbourhoods, increasing levels of stress and backlash emerging, particularly through social media.
Generally, local councils have described a poor experience in the way the early work by the government has been introduced and coordinated, with mixed support from council members and pressure being applied to push back on their involvement in supporting or assisting the establishment of these developments. One stated: “The project relationship between state and federal appears disjointed and there appeared to be no strategic approach or enough time to introduce this well.” In particular, there is concern the role of councils in planning approvals and service provisions, like roads and maintenance, adequate housing during construction, and having the funds and capacity to do this work as it emerges.
There is a common concern surrounding benefit of the transition to the wider community, beyond individuals. The importance of legacy is being discussed, particularly in relation to the community benefits proponents of projects can deliver. There is a desire to move from ‘a donation to the local footy club to buy jumpers’, to a long lasting, collective benefit that may result in a reduced power costs for locals or improvements to the electricity grid to reduce blackouts. The opportunity to rethink energy use and type, along with other sustainable practices has been identified as a good way to demonstrate benefit to local businesses, individual households and community groups to build knowledge, understanding and support for net zero activities.
PARTNERSHIPS
Due to the mixed level of acceptance of the transition, there is a need for lead agencies and groups to build collective knowledge. Wimmera Southern Mallee Development and the Victorian Goverment’s Regional Partnerships group are taking a lead on engaging with the community, connecting and bringing people together who are keen to be involved in the local transition. Alongside this, work is also underway to identify particular projects that might be leading good practice and have a broader understanding and the commitment the community requires.
The pressure on individual local councils to support diverse opinions and be informed without direct involvement, appears to be restricting their ability to be proactive with opportunities and provide a cohesive front.
SUCCESS FACTORS
There is an opportunity within the district to show how the technology and infrastructure associated with the transition can bring benefits. It could also potentially kick start local business activities, like specialists maintenance services, and trigger interest in other emissions reduction practices, like utilising electric vehicles. In addition, an abundance of wind and sun in the region could generate interest in hydrogen production.
The WDO is pursuing a path for this potential undertaking. It recognises the level of negative, community sentiment is a concern and needs to be addressed. However, there also is recognition that this is sometimes a natural reaction to change that people have, when they have little control of the situation, or it does not fit with their views.
CAPABILITIES
A common theme throughout this case study is the challenges individuals and organisational leads are facing in managing the complexities the transition brings, and working through the challenges and benefits this change can bring.
At this stage, it appears the way forward is to work directly with organisations and people who are interested and can contribute to progress, as well as provide regular, accurate updates and information on activities and outcomes. Despite the challenge, there are people demonstrating determination despite the difficulties, and building a coalition of change agents at a local level. Philanthropic assistance may be of use in the region to help organise and commission work to build capability and capacity.
FUTURE STEPS
Whilst there is optimism about the future, there is a strong observation that the implementation of transition projects locally was mismanaged and now there is lack of confidence in government and a lack of knowledge and support for other renewable projects. One energy company has indicated that not enough time or effort was put into ensuring the proposed projects in the region were better received. A spokesman acknowledged that has led to difficulties for subsequent proposals. Practices of land banking were also noted.
This case study is an excerpt from the Towards Net Zero: Empowering Regional Communities report, which was released in August 2024, under the Intergovernmental Shared Inquiry Program.
This report was funded by the Australian Government, in conjunction with the NSW, Queensland, South Australian and Western Australian Governments.