Cleeland calls for regional inclusion for renewable energy projects

By Georgia Tacey

Aug 17, 2023

Stop the towers: Protesters hit Melbourne as state Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland pushes for regional communities to benefit from renewable energy projects. Photo by Contributed

State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has met with several community groups that will be impacted by upcoming renewable energy projects.

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She attended a rally on Tuesday, August 15 organised by farmers, landowners and regional residents protesting the proposed construction of transmission lines in Victoria’s north-west.

Ms Cleeland shared her support for the ‘Stop the Towers’ protest and said more needed to be done to ensure regional communities weren’t being left out of the conversation with the construction of renewable energy projects.

“Communities need to be involved in these major projects to ensure they benefit from the change, rather than becoming divided by secrecy and poor planning,” she said.

The Euroa electorate and Victoria’s north-east are set to become the hubs of many renewable energy projects, with an international business proposing a wind farm in the Seymour region and a Canadian-owned solar farm set for Colbinabbin.

Ms Cleeland said more needed to be done to ensure regional Victorian communities were benefiting from renewable energy projects.

“We know what can be achieved when we get the transition to renewables right, where communities are involved and benefit from the change,” she said.

“Failing this will jeopardise our ability to achieve both emissions reduction and renewable energy targets.”