Key and confronting recommendations in a government report from the NSW Agriculture Commissioner have been put in a drawer while NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean turbocharges his way forward with the renewable energy transition, NSW Farmers says.
Farmers and rural communities know the state’s energy transition is not on-track, NSW Farmers Energy Transition chair Reg Kidd said, and they were seeing divisive conflicts arising from renewable proposals. Mr Kidd said massive solar installations slapped on the state’s best farming land while energy and fuel bills skyrocket was at the core of the conflict.
“The report and recommendations from the NSW Agriculture Commissioner’s Taskforce looking at managing these conflicts are still sitting on government desks – and it’s clear where the blockage is,” Mr Kidd said.
“We know from sources close to this work that the report clearly identifies aspects of the renewable transition that are clearly not on-track!
“The Agriculture Minister has been saying for ages he wanted the report out before Christmas, but this hasn’t happened and regional communities are in the dark while Sydneysiders are fed headlines by the Treasurer and more pledges without plans.”
Mr Kidd said farmers, rural communities and energy consumers deserved to know what the Agriculture Commissioner recommended before anyone hit the turbocharge button on anything.
“The state government intends to turbocharge its renewables transition before they have even shared or responded to the genuine concerns farming communities have raised with the Ag Commissioner,” Mr Kidd said.
“We’re the ones seeing what is and is not working with renewables projects in the bush, and if the government is going to continue to do things to, rather than with rural communities, they will face serious backlash.
“The poor planning decisions and unresolved land use conflicts will inevitably cripple these solar and wind projects and our state’s energy transition, and sadly, this means it won’t just be farmers and rural communities who will be left in the dark in Christmases to come!”
