Gippsland locals, former coal worker Tony Wolfe and CEO of the Gippsland Climate Change Network Darren McCubbin have joined a huge cross section of regional Australia living in the thick of our shift to renewable energy who have come together as part of a new film series.
Tony and Darren join former farmers, parents and community leaders to deliver frank and optimistic perspectives that highlight what regional Australia can be gaining from the energy shift.
Following the declaration of the Gippsland offshore wind zone in December 2022 and the granting of feasibility licences in May 2024, Tony Wolfe and Darren McCubbin provide two different perspectives on how an offshore wind industry might look in Gippsland.
Former coal worker Tony Wolfe said: "I was born in the Latrobe Valley and I've worked in the coal industry for well over 40 years. Offshore wind is a no-brainer for Gippsland because we are transitioning away from fossil fuels and we need something to replace that with."
CEO of the Gippsland Climate Change Network Darren McCubbin said: "This region is mostly supportive of the change. We have been part of energy generation in Australia for a century. The idea now is that we're going to change to cleaner renewables."
Submissions to the Australian Senate's Select Committee Inquiry on Energy Planning and Regulation close at the end of this week (18 October) and the regional stories in this film series have been profiled in a joint submission because they clearly articulate a range of issues for the Select Committee to consider, such as:
How can traditional energy regions continue supplying power to our country via offshore wind?
How can communities benefit from hosting large scale renewable infrastructure like wind and solar farms?
How can communities own large scale renewables themselves?
How can regional communities reliant on heavy industry be powered by offshore wind?
Farmers have farmed with transmission for decades - what can we learn?
What are the pros and cons of living next door to a wind farm?
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray said: "What these five films show is that communities hosting renewable energy urgently need local support to engage directly with Australia's energy shift."
One solution being called for is for the Federal Government to fund Local Energy Hubs for regional communities in the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Local Energy Hubs would be a network of 50 outreach centres staffed by trusted locals to answer questions about transmission and renewable energy projects while helping households, businesses and farms get more value out of going electric.
