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
Entries on this page are deleted after 12 months.
All our reports and submissions are available for download. Click on MORE
Entries on this page are deleted after 12 months.
2025 October
24th October
We are one step closer to a rail trail with Council successfully passing a budget during the week to start the various studies needed (environmental/infrastructure deterioration, etc) in order to secure a lease on the rail corridor. It's a step by step process which should lead to a positive outcome.
Energy Co Report
Businesses are now being invited to workshops to assist them with participating in the construction and maintenance of various projects. Ready for Renewables workshops will link local business to the energy future
Businesses across regional NSW are being offered free, one-day workshops to build their capacity to tender for renewable energy project work packages.
The November workshops are delivered in partnership with EnergyCo and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. They will offer:
The workshops are free, and attendance is by Expression of Interest only, with limited places available. Tickets can be booked at https://events.humanitix.com/host/energyco
Updated route for New England Renewable Energy Zone study corridor
The proposed location of the transmission lines study corridor for the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) will be partially revised to reflect community feedback, allow for safer and more efficient construction, and minimise impacts to local roads and the environment.
EnergyCo is moving part of the corridor for new transmission lines that will connect the REZ to the existing grid at Muswellbrook.
A new study area has been identified between Bayswater Power Station in Muswellbrook and the central south energy hub (substation) near Walcha. The study area covers a broad area up to 3km wide, allowing EnergyCo to find the best possible route for the lines.
The study area is intentionally wide to enable further investigation and consultation with landowners and communities over the coming months, with a narrower 1km-wide corridor expected to be confirmed in early 2026. The final easements would be narrowed to 140 metres wide (generally 70 metres for each line). The new route provides improved access, allowing for safer construction, reduced clearing of vegetation, and better construction outcomes for local roads. The initial corridor crossed steep terrain which was difficult to access in parts.
The change will result in less private land being impacted by construction access tracks. It will require less earthwork and excavation to construct the transmission tower foundations and access tracks, which means fewer trucks on local roads.
The move will also ensure the transmission lines do not affect aerial firefighting operations around Chaffey Dam and Lake Glenbawn. This follows extensive consultation between EnergyCo, local community groups and people, NSW Rural Fire Services and aviation stakeholders to develop aerial exclusion zones around the dams. EnergyCo is already on the ground talking to around 100 landowners in the new study area so the transmission lines can be planned with the least impact on existing land uses and business operations.
EnergyCo also wants to hear from communities about important considerations in this new study area. Communities are invited to provide input on this initial study area until Friday 28 November as we work to identify where the transmission lines will be located.
We are one step closer to a rail trail with Council successfully passing a budget during the week to start the various studies needed (environmental/infrastructure deterioration, etc) in order to secure a lease on the rail corridor. It's a step by step process which should lead to a positive outcome.
Energy Co Report
Businesses are now being invited to workshops to assist them with participating in the construction and maintenance of various projects. Ready for Renewables workshops will link local business to the energy future
Businesses across regional NSW are being offered free, one-day workshops to build their capacity to tender for renewable energy project work packages.
The November workshops are delivered in partnership with EnergyCo and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. They will offer:
- procurement insights to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on how large-scale renewable energy tenders are evaluated
- hands-on activities to upskill businesses on preparing professional tenders and quotes
- networking opportunities to connect regional businesses with industry leaders, advisers and other SMEs.
The workshops are free, and attendance is by Expression of Interest only, with limited places available. Tickets can be booked at https://events.humanitix.com/host/energyco
Updated route for New England Renewable Energy Zone study corridor
The proposed location of the transmission lines study corridor for the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) will be partially revised to reflect community feedback, allow for safer and more efficient construction, and minimise impacts to local roads and the environment.
EnergyCo is moving part of the corridor for new transmission lines that will connect the REZ to the existing grid at Muswellbrook.
A new study area has been identified between Bayswater Power Station in Muswellbrook and the central south energy hub (substation) near Walcha. The study area covers a broad area up to 3km wide, allowing EnergyCo to find the best possible route for the lines.
The study area is intentionally wide to enable further investigation and consultation with landowners and communities over the coming months, with a narrower 1km-wide corridor expected to be confirmed in early 2026. The final easements would be narrowed to 140 metres wide (generally 70 metres for each line). The new route provides improved access, allowing for safer construction, reduced clearing of vegetation, and better construction outcomes for local roads. The initial corridor crossed steep terrain which was difficult to access in parts.
The change will result in less private land being impacted by construction access tracks. It will require less earthwork and excavation to construct the transmission tower foundations and access tracks, which means fewer trucks on local roads.
The move will also ensure the transmission lines do not affect aerial firefighting operations around Chaffey Dam and Lake Glenbawn. This follows extensive consultation between EnergyCo, local community groups and people, NSW Rural Fire Services and aviation stakeholders to develop aerial exclusion zones around the dams. EnergyCo is already on the ground talking to around 100 landowners in the new study area so the transmission lines can be planned with the least impact on existing land uses and business operations.
EnergyCo also wants to hear from communities about important considerations in this new study area. Communities are invited to provide input on this initial study area until Friday 28 November as we work to identify where the transmission lines will be located.
17th October
Our Forum on Wednessday evening attracted a large crowd - obviously water security is a major issue. Residents are concerned about rising costs of water supply and NEV 2030 aimed with this event to inform people from an evidence based presentation. Social media and conspiracy theories tend to spread misinformation which alarms people and makes them anxious. We try to get to the truth of every issue which is why we invited the major stakeholders from Council and Public Works Authority to show us the data. It was a technical presentation not easily understood by the layman but at the end it was clear why Council needs to pursue both projects. We thank Darren, Alex and Jennifer for taking the time to address us on this important issue. Much of the information below is derived from the slideshow and Council's handout.
History of water in Armidale Region
From the early days the availability of water was an important issue. Armidale, Guyra and Uralla do not sit on big rivers like our coastal towns. Every source of water was investigated and utilised for the growing population. Tilbuster Creek and Dumaresq Creek were utilised in the 1860s with Dumaresq Dam being constructed in 1896-8. A pipeline was laid going into Armidale. Puddledock Dam was constructed in 1928 and Gara Dam in 1954. The prevailing intention at the time was to exploit the Gara River sub-catchments. Following a massive drought in the 1960s, Malpas was constructed in 1968 when the population was 14,000. Locals will tell you that Malpas was expected to solve all our water problems for the future. Not so. Plans are now in place to raise the wall by 6.5m and double capacity from 13 GL to 26GL. However in the 2019 drought, water levels in Malpas declined unexpectedly faster than modelling had predicted. Water availability was estimated to be just 56% of need and severe restrictions were introduced. Guyra ran out of water and relied on water being carted up from Armidale. Raising the wall may still not be enough to meet the needs of a population of up to 50,000 people. Council required a new secure yield analysis.
The secure yield study was conducted over 2021 and 2022 by experts familiar with Armidale and Guyra conditions. Modelling confirmed that Malpas with a raised wall will only meet 80% of our future water requirements. The study considered current demand plus a growth strategy. Business and industry in our LGA is changing. There are more aged care facilities, future manufacturing and horticultural industries need to have an assured supply, it is planned for the swimming pool complex to open year round, our State institutions such as in health and education will be expanding. The Renewable Energy Zone will soon start requiring large amounts of water for construction, their workers and families and on-going maintenance. At the Council meeting in March 2023, Council decided to purchase Oaky Dam which was put on the market by essential Energy and to raise Malpas Dam wall. While Malpas holds much more water that Oaky Dam, data shows that Oaky fills more frequently as it is not subject to dams upstream. Council's management intends to utilise both dams in the most efficient way possible. It is also possible to rebuild the hydro component of Oaky thus providing renewable energy for pumps, etc. Oaky Dam needs to be developed first so that it can be utilised while Malpas is offline for over 3 months during wall construction.
Water Management
Council is the independent local authority for water management. They follow a system called Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM). This includes supply, treatment, distribution and wastewater. Armidale Region and Uralla are both ranked risk category 5 by the NSW State Government. Water is accounted for separately by Council (Water and Sewer Funds). They are not supported by any SRVs. Council is currently finalising plans for developing both Oaky and Malpas and is seeking $4m to fund a business case and the very expensive environmental approvals process. Obviously they are competing with every other town in the State. One assumes higher risk category LGAs will receive priority. The amalgamation between Armidale and Guyra revealed significant under resourcing and many vulnerablilities. A strategic overhaul of storage and treatment facilities is required. Climate change presents an additional challenge as extreme conditions are already occurring with periods of high rainfall being followed by long dry spells. The public won't accept very high water charges so affordability is always a consideration.
The ideal would be to have more responsible usage such as in rural areas where landowners harvest their own water and have to be careful. Council is aware of the need for water conservation by the individual and is planning to introduce subsidies for home water tanks. Council is also working towards a more equitable charging system in line with State requirements. Recycling wastewater is a frequently asked question. While not economically viable at the moment it could be considered in the future. The Waste Treatment Facility re-uses treated effluent for lucerne and cattle production as part of their bio-solid management.
Over the next few years Council's planning and costings will be made public and you will be given the chance to Have your Say in the Consultation process. We hope that this Forum helped you understand the Water Security issue that confronts our region and that you will be interested in continuing to inform yourselves and spread that information to others in our community.
Our Forum on Wednessday evening attracted a large crowd - obviously water security is a major issue. Residents are concerned about rising costs of water supply and NEV 2030 aimed with this event to inform people from an evidence based presentation. Social media and conspiracy theories tend to spread misinformation which alarms people and makes them anxious. We try to get to the truth of every issue which is why we invited the major stakeholders from Council and Public Works Authority to show us the data. It was a technical presentation not easily understood by the layman but at the end it was clear why Council needs to pursue both projects. We thank Darren, Alex and Jennifer for taking the time to address us on this important issue. Much of the information below is derived from the slideshow and Council's handout.
History of water in Armidale Region
From the early days the availability of water was an important issue. Armidale, Guyra and Uralla do not sit on big rivers like our coastal towns. Every source of water was investigated and utilised for the growing population. Tilbuster Creek and Dumaresq Creek were utilised in the 1860s with Dumaresq Dam being constructed in 1896-8. A pipeline was laid going into Armidale. Puddledock Dam was constructed in 1928 and Gara Dam in 1954. The prevailing intention at the time was to exploit the Gara River sub-catchments. Following a massive drought in the 1960s, Malpas was constructed in 1968 when the population was 14,000. Locals will tell you that Malpas was expected to solve all our water problems for the future. Not so. Plans are now in place to raise the wall by 6.5m and double capacity from 13 GL to 26GL. However in the 2019 drought, water levels in Malpas declined unexpectedly faster than modelling had predicted. Water availability was estimated to be just 56% of need and severe restrictions were introduced. Guyra ran out of water and relied on water being carted up from Armidale. Raising the wall may still not be enough to meet the needs of a population of up to 50,000 people. Council required a new secure yield analysis.
The secure yield study was conducted over 2021 and 2022 by experts familiar with Armidale and Guyra conditions. Modelling confirmed that Malpas with a raised wall will only meet 80% of our future water requirements. The study considered current demand plus a growth strategy. Business and industry in our LGA is changing. There are more aged care facilities, future manufacturing and horticultural industries need to have an assured supply, it is planned for the swimming pool complex to open year round, our State institutions such as in health and education will be expanding. The Renewable Energy Zone will soon start requiring large amounts of water for construction, their workers and families and on-going maintenance. At the Council meeting in March 2023, Council decided to purchase Oaky Dam which was put on the market by essential Energy and to raise Malpas Dam wall. While Malpas holds much more water that Oaky Dam, data shows that Oaky fills more frequently as it is not subject to dams upstream. Council's management intends to utilise both dams in the most efficient way possible. It is also possible to rebuild the hydro component of Oaky thus providing renewable energy for pumps, etc. Oaky Dam needs to be developed first so that it can be utilised while Malpas is offline for over 3 months during wall construction.
Water Management
Council is the independent local authority for water management. They follow a system called Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM). This includes supply, treatment, distribution and wastewater. Armidale Region and Uralla are both ranked risk category 5 by the NSW State Government. Water is accounted for separately by Council (Water and Sewer Funds). They are not supported by any SRVs. Council is currently finalising plans for developing both Oaky and Malpas and is seeking $4m to fund a business case and the very expensive environmental approvals process. Obviously they are competing with every other town in the State. One assumes higher risk category LGAs will receive priority. The amalgamation between Armidale and Guyra revealed significant under resourcing and many vulnerablilities. A strategic overhaul of storage and treatment facilities is required. Climate change presents an additional challenge as extreme conditions are already occurring with periods of high rainfall being followed by long dry spells. The public won't accept very high water charges so affordability is always a consideration.
The ideal would be to have more responsible usage such as in rural areas where landowners harvest their own water and have to be careful. Council is aware of the need for water conservation by the individual and is planning to introduce subsidies for home water tanks. Council is also working towards a more equitable charging system in line with State requirements. Recycling wastewater is a frequently asked question. While not economically viable at the moment it could be considered in the future. The Waste Treatment Facility re-uses treated effluent for lucerne and cattle production as part of their bio-solid management.
Over the next few years Council's planning and costings will be made public and you will be given the chance to Have your Say in the Consultation process. We hope that this Forum helped you understand the Water Security issue that confronts our region and that you will be interested in continuing to inform yourselves and spread that information to others in our community.
3rd October
Next Forum on Water Security will be held on Wednesday 15th October at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm
If you've ever wondered where the misinformation about renewables comes from - follow the money! It's a concerning situation in our communities as PR professionals funded by fossil fuel companies aim their messaging at mostly uneducated individuals in our nation who then circulate it on their social media. The Conversation (University research media) wrote about it this week. Team member Peter Sniekers send some supporting documents (see attached) debunking some of the myths such as windfarms receiving more government assistance than fossil fuel companies (it's the other way around) and a comparison of carbon payback with wind turbines and fossil fuels. PR firms are spreading climate misinformation on behalf of fossil fuel companies. Could Australia stop them?The Conversation October 2, 2025
Christian Downie Professor of Political Science, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University
Have you heard offshore windfarms kill whales? (They don’t.) Or that electric vehicles catch fire more often than petrol cars? (It’s the opposite.) Perhaps you’ve heard “natural” gas is clean? (It can be worse than coal.) This is what climate misinformation looks like. These claims are common, influential and damaging. They’re often spread for a reason: to slow the uptake of clean alternatives to fossil fuels. Unfortunately, they are shaping public opinion. This week, a Senate inquiry is hearing testimony from officials, climate scientists and researchers about the scale of the problem and its effects on Australian politics. Policymakers are also hearing about the main culprits: oil, gas and coal companies, as well as key enablers such as public relations firms. I was one of the experts called to give evidence. My research has followed the money trail between the fossil fuel industry and public relations firms. As a co-editor on a forthcoming book on climate obstruction, I can say that large PR firms have too often put their commercial interests, and the interests of fossil fuel giants, ahead of those of the public. My colleagues and I made this clear in our submission to the inquiry.
What’s the point of misinformation?In the climate domain, researchers typically use the word “misinformation” to refer to any falsehoods about climate change. They can be spread innocuously or through a deliberate campaign. Misinformation matters because it can influence attitudes and behaviours of both the public and political elites. Tackling climate change effectively requires public support for clean energy and many other changes. Misinformation erodes this support for climate science and climate policies. The more often false information is repeated, the more likely we are to think of it as true. These campaigns can inflate the sense of opposition to climate action and give policymakers a false sense of how widespread support for climate action is. Australian policymakers have previously moved to ban or restrict advertising for products known to be dangerous. Cigarette advertising is banned because cigarettes cause cancer, and now there’s a growing push to ban fossil fuel advertising due to the damage done by emissions. How do PR firms spread climate misinformation? PR and advertising firms have long been paid to craft political campaigns for oil and gas companies often to block or slow climate policies. These campaigns involve more than simply running a few television ads for a corporate client. PR firms often run polling, focus groups and media and social media campaigns. Some undertake astroturfing – creating fake community groups to give the impression of widespread support or opposition for an issue or policy.
The largest of these campaigns have been documented in the United States. To gauge how much the oil and gas industry pours into PR firms to run political campaigns, my colleague and I analysed a decade’s worth of the tax records of industry groups active on climate change issues in the US. We found oil and gas lobby groups spent A$1.5 billion on public relations and advertising between 2008 and 2018. What did this money buy? Here’s one example. Ahead of the US presidential election in 2012, a group named “Energy Citizens” ran an ad campaign titled “I’m an energy voter” across newspapers, television and online, featuring ordinary Americans saying “I vote … for American domestic energy”. Energy Citizens appeared to be a grassroots campaign. But in reality, it was astroturfing. The oil and gas industry had contracted the large PR firm Edelman to run the campaign. The people in the ads were hired actors. Between 2011 and 2012, our data shows the largest oil and gas industry group, the American Petroleum Institute, paid Edelman A$180 million in contracts for public relations and advertising. Climate obstruction is common in Australia
This is not a US-specific problem. PR firms have a long history of helping obstruct climate policy in Australia, too. The effective coal industry campaign against an emissions trading scheme in Australia between 2008 and 2010 was created by PR firms and political consultants. Australia’s poor disclosure practices mean we don’t know how much money industry groups are paying PR companies in Australia. But we do know PR companies are creating misinformation campaigns and astroturfing groups such as Australians for Natural Gas, which describes itself as a non-government organisation. It was set up by the chief executive of gas company Tamboran Resources, with help from PR firm Freshwater Strategy, according to media reports. Many PR firms in Australia have worked for the fossil fuel industry, as documented by climate communications charity Comms Declare. In response, some PR professionals are pushing to cut ties with the industry.
Misinformation is dangerousThe problem has been recognised at the highest levels. Last year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on PR firms to “stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction”. Last month, the Australian government released its long-awaited report on the very real and escalating dangers posed by climate change. This week’s Senate hearings could not be more timely. Climate misinformation is spreading wildly – aided by public relations firms – even as climate change worsens and the risks mount. The question now is, how will policymakers respond?
Next Forum on Water Security will be held on Wednesday 15th October at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm
If you've ever wondered where the misinformation about renewables comes from - follow the money! It's a concerning situation in our communities as PR professionals funded by fossil fuel companies aim their messaging at mostly uneducated individuals in our nation who then circulate it on their social media. The Conversation (University research media) wrote about it this week. Team member Peter Sniekers send some supporting documents (see attached) debunking some of the myths such as windfarms receiving more government assistance than fossil fuel companies (it's the other way around) and a comparison of carbon payback with wind turbines and fossil fuels. PR firms are spreading climate misinformation on behalf of fossil fuel companies. Could Australia stop them?The Conversation October 2, 2025
Christian Downie Professor of Political Science, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University
Have you heard offshore windfarms kill whales? (They don’t.) Or that electric vehicles catch fire more often than petrol cars? (It’s the opposite.) Perhaps you’ve heard “natural” gas is clean? (It can be worse than coal.) This is what climate misinformation looks like. These claims are common, influential and damaging. They’re often spread for a reason: to slow the uptake of clean alternatives to fossil fuels. Unfortunately, they are shaping public opinion. This week, a Senate inquiry is hearing testimony from officials, climate scientists and researchers about the scale of the problem and its effects on Australian politics. Policymakers are also hearing about the main culprits: oil, gas and coal companies, as well as key enablers such as public relations firms. I was one of the experts called to give evidence. My research has followed the money trail between the fossil fuel industry and public relations firms. As a co-editor on a forthcoming book on climate obstruction, I can say that large PR firms have too often put their commercial interests, and the interests of fossil fuel giants, ahead of those of the public. My colleagues and I made this clear in our submission to the inquiry.
What’s the point of misinformation?In the climate domain, researchers typically use the word “misinformation” to refer to any falsehoods about climate change. They can be spread innocuously or through a deliberate campaign. Misinformation matters because it can influence attitudes and behaviours of both the public and political elites. Tackling climate change effectively requires public support for clean energy and many other changes. Misinformation erodes this support for climate science and climate policies. The more often false information is repeated, the more likely we are to think of it as true. These campaigns can inflate the sense of opposition to climate action and give policymakers a false sense of how widespread support for climate action is. Australian policymakers have previously moved to ban or restrict advertising for products known to be dangerous. Cigarette advertising is banned because cigarettes cause cancer, and now there’s a growing push to ban fossil fuel advertising due to the damage done by emissions. How do PR firms spread climate misinformation? PR and advertising firms have long been paid to craft political campaigns for oil and gas companies often to block or slow climate policies. These campaigns involve more than simply running a few television ads for a corporate client. PR firms often run polling, focus groups and media and social media campaigns. Some undertake astroturfing – creating fake community groups to give the impression of widespread support or opposition for an issue or policy.
The largest of these campaigns have been documented in the United States. To gauge how much the oil and gas industry pours into PR firms to run political campaigns, my colleague and I analysed a decade’s worth of the tax records of industry groups active on climate change issues in the US. We found oil and gas lobby groups spent A$1.5 billion on public relations and advertising between 2008 and 2018. What did this money buy? Here’s one example. Ahead of the US presidential election in 2012, a group named “Energy Citizens” ran an ad campaign titled “I’m an energy voter” across newspapers, television and online, featuring ordinary Americans saying “I vote … for American domestic energy”. Energy Citizens appeared to be a grassroots campaign. But in reality, it was astroturfing. The oil and gas industry had contracted the large PR firm Edelman to run the campaign. The people in the ads were hired actors. Between 2011 and 2012, our data shows the largest oil and gas industry group, the American Petroleum Institute, paid Edelman A$180 million in contracts for public relations and advertising. Climate obstruction is common in Australia
This is not a US-specific problem. PR firms have a long history of helping obstruct climate policy in Australia, too. The effective coal industry campaign against an emissions trading scheme in Australia between 2008 and 2010 was created by PR firms and political consultants. Australia’s poor disclosure practices mean we don’t know how much money industry groups are paying PR companies in Australia. But we do know PR companies are creating misinformation campaigns and astroturfing groups such as Australians for Natural Gas, which describes itself as a non-government organisation. It was set up by the chief executive of gas company Tamboran Resources, with help from PR firm Freshwater Strategy, according to media reports. Many PR firms in Australia have worked for the fossil fuel industry, as documented by climate communications charity Comms Declare. In response, some PR professionals are pushing to cut ties with the industry.
Misinformation is dangerousThe problem has been recognised at the highest levels. Last year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on PR firms to “stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction”. Last month, the Australian government released its long-awaited report on the very real and escalating dangers posed by climate change. This week’s Senate hearings could not be more timely. Climate misinformation is spreading wildly – aided by public relations firms – even as climate change worsens and the risks mount. The question now is, how will policymakers respond?
12th September
Our next Forum will be held on Wednesday 15th October at 5.30pm at the Armidale City Bowling Club. See invitation above.
Yesterday the team met with Councillor Wendy Wilks of inverell Shire Council. Wendy has been on our mailing list for some time and was keen to meet up with us for a general discussion on regional matters. Inverell Shire Council officially opened their new Aquatic Centre yesterday so we asked her about how it all got started and what the Centre looks like now. A fly through video is available on https://inverell.nsw.gov.au/community/inverell-aquatic-centre-redevelopment-2
Hines Constructions P/L designed and constructed the complex which cost $25m. It has been in the planning stages for several years
The website (above) states: Council have been undertaking detailed project development since 2020 which has included extensive community consultation. An initial Feasibility Study was followed by the preparation of a Functional and Technical Design Brief which will inform the detailed design process. The new facility will include a main 8-lane 50 metre outdoor/indoor pool, a 20 metre by 10 metre warm water pool with moveable floor to maximise the range of uses and an indoor splash park with an associated toddlers pool. State of the art access will ensure ease of use for all ranges of mobility. The Builder, Hines Constructions are very experienced in the recreational facility construction sector, including the development of numerous aquatic centres in regional NSW.
The scope of the project will include:
Back in April 2021 NEV2030 approached Armidale Regional Council with a view to refurbishing the Monkton Pool complex into a new Aquatic Centre or Wellness Centre. Armidale had lost its hydrotherapy pool and it wasn't to be replaced by Hunter New England Health. We suggested that a new complex could include a warm water pool for hydrotherapy. We looked at heating options and checked out UNE's pool heating system. Inverell's heated pool is using solar plus other electricity. We met with Michael King of Otium - the foremost consultant on such developments in Australia and with James Roncon the new GM of ARC. We also delivered a presentation at one of the Council meetings and published a report on the topic which is attached below.
In the Report we said:
Closing the Armidale hydrotherapy pool created a serious dilemma. The nearest hydrotherapy pool as mentioned above is at Tamworth, 110 kms away. A round trip is out of the question for many of our elderly and frail residents. It was obvious that HNEH was not interested in constructing a new pool in Armidale and a debate began in the community. Council agreed to step in with a design and business plan and sought State and Federal funding. They were successful in attracting $2.3m from the Federal Government’s Building Better Region Fund and $2.3 million from NSW Stronger Country Communities. We have been told that these grants are tied to the project. At the 27 November 2019 Council meeting the Agenda included the following recommendations:
That Council, supported by NSW Government departments, commence an expression of interest process to secure sufficient external investment to extend the scope of the SCCF-2 grant, with the aim of developing a commercially viable Regional Hydrotherapy Pool complex (H2) within the Monckton Aquatic Centre.
That the expression of interest include options to fund, design, construct and/or operate the H2 Complex on a commercial basis with third parties, under ‘arms length’ SPV, public/privatepartnership arrangements, and/or with Government agencies under lease or similar arrangements; and
That, should an expression of interest prove unsuccessful in identifying suitable partner(s) for H2, Council undertake a review of the Monckton Aquatic Centre (including asset end of life timeframe and whole of life costs)s, with a view to generating options for development of an indoor heated pool at the Centre, both with and without a Hydrotherapy Pool.
Clearly Council understood the need for a new Hydrotherapy pool to service the needs of our ever ageing regional population. They also understood that the Monkton pool complex needed an upgrade and if the two projects could be combined all the better. However all options needed to be considered. A review of eleven aquatic centres revealed that all of these centres ran at operational losses (averaging $671K pa) with a number (but not all) including hydrotherapy pools. ARC cannot sustain such financial risk. Council was also concerned that any financial risks would be compounded by additional public liability risks associated with Council’s provision and oversight of a clinically-based health service, which arguably is not part of the Council’s ‘core business’.
An amendment to the recommendations was put to the meeting and subsequently carried.
That a Sub-Committee of five Councillors be formed to urgently look at options to ensure the Hydrotherapy Pool goes ahead as part of the Monckton Aquatic Centre and look at options of an expanded and enlarged gym, Hydropool of 25m, and options of outsourcing the management and operation of the complex.
NEV2030 has no information on whether this committee was formed, who the members were and how far it progressed. The global pandemic Covid 19 struck in February 2020 and much was put on hold as our nation went into a lockdown phase. Workplaces including Council offices were shut and the normal business of council was seriously disrupted. On top of this, problems were emerging re the functioning of ARC and on 12th June the Minister made the radical decision to suspend the council and install an administrator Mr Viv May. Mr John Rayner took over as Interim GM a few months later.
Otium Planning Group Pty Ltd (OPG) was commissioned by council to conduct a stage one process to initially provide a high level Hydrotherapy Pool Opportunity Review. It was published on 8th October 2020 and outlined the limitations of the review.
‘All research has been limited to desktop research and aquatic and recreation industry trend data available to Otium Planning Group. This review has also been completed within Covid-19 travel and facility operating restrictions which has not allowed a site and area review to be completed’.
The Review found that
· the project was under valued as to cost
· a full business case was lacking
· most Regional Hydrotherapy pools are run at a loss
· the biggest costs are staffing and heating
Otium suggested that ARC’s business plan for a Regional Hydrotherapy Pool was found wanting in their Review and would create a big financial risk. As a result Council decided the risk was too great for the current situation and shelved plans. Otium Planning also suggested that Council may commission a stage 2 Hydrotherapy Pool Development Review (a feasibility study) that would provide details on best practice facilities, proposed components, design and site recommendations and then complete indicative 10 year operating budgets. This is what NEV2030 is recommending.
Our 2021 Report went on to describe what a Wellness Centre might look like. So far NEV has no information on whether Council has shelved the project or undertaken any planning for a future development. Perhaps someone might let us know if anything is happening. In the meantime I suspect a number of Armidale residents will be heading to Inverell this Summer to enjoy their new Centre.
Our next Forum will be held on Wednesday 15th October at 5.30pm at the Armidale City Bowling Club. See invitation above.
Yesterday the team met with Councillor Wendy Wilks of inverell Shire Council. Wendy has been on our mailing list for some time and was keen to meet up with us for a general discussion on regional matters. Inverell Shire Council officially opened their new Aquatic Centre yesterday so we asked her about how it all got started and what the Centre looks like now. A fly through video is available on https://inverell.nsw.gov.au/community/inverell-aquatic-centre-redevelopment-2
Hines Constructions P/L designed and constructed the complex which cost $25m. It has been in the planning stages for several years
The website (above) states: Council have been undertaking detailed project development since 2020 which has included extensive community consultation. An initial Feasibility Study was followed by the preparation of a Functional and Technical Design Brief which will inform the detailed design process. The new facility will include a main 8-lane 50 metre outdoor/indoor pool, a 20 metre by 10 metre warm water pool with moveable floor to maximise the range of uses and an indoor splash park with an associated toddlers pool. State of the art access will ensure ease of use for all ranges of mobility. The Builder, Hines Constructions are very experienced in the recreational facility construction sector, including the development of numerous aquatic centres in regional NSW.
The scope of the project will include:
- An 8 lane 50m x 20m FINA compliant outdoor/indoor pool. The pool will have a roof over the shallow end and a swim wall with a large door to close the opening above. These ‘winterisation’ features will allow for an indoor heated 25 metre pool that meets the specifications for short course racing during the cooler months. The pool will include an access ramp.
- Integrated 20m x 10m warm water indoor program pool with a spiral lift movable floor (fully moveable to the same depth as well as articulating floor with three integrated depth zones meeting all pool access safety transition requirements). This innovative design element allows a single pool to provide opportunities for both learn to swim and warm water programming which maximises use by younger children through to older adults.
- Indoor zero depth water play equipment and splash pad with adjacent toddlers pool.
- New front of house, shared reception/café and moveable retail display areas. Café to be supported by a wet lounge (adjacent to splashpad) and a dry lounge off the foyer.
- Range of universally assessible change rooms, shower and amenity areas.
- Multi-purpose activity room for group fitness, community activities and training.
- Wellness/consulting rooms providing an opportunity or allied health, services or treatment.
Back in April 2021 NEV2030 approached Armidale Regional Council with a view to refurbishing the Monkton Pool complex into a new Aquatic Centre or Wellness Centre. Armidale had lost its hydrotherapy pool and it wasn't to be replaced by Hunter New England Health. We suggested that a new complex could include a warm water pool for hydrotherapy. We looked at heating options and checked out UNE's pool heating system. Inverell's heated pool is using solar plus other electricity. We met with Michael King of Otium - the foremost consultant on such developments in Australia and with James Roncon the new GM of ARC. We also delivered a presentation at one of the Council meetings and published a report on the topic which is attached below.
In the Report we said:
Closing the Armidale hydrotherapy pool created a serious dilemma. The nearest hydrotherapy pool as mentioned above is at Tamworth, 110 kms away. A round trip is out of the question for many of our elderly and frail residents. It was obvious that HNEH was not interested in constructing a new pool in Armidale and a debate began in the community. Council agreed to step in with a design and business plan and sought State and Federal funding. They were successful in attracting $2.3m from the Federal Government’s Building Better Region Fund and $2.3 million from NSW Stronger Country Communities. We have been told that these grants are tied to the project. At the 27 November 2019 Council meeting the Agenda included the following recommendations:
That Council, supported by NSW Government departments, commence an expression of interest process to secure sufficient external investment to extend the scope of the SCCF-2 grant, with the aim of developing a commercially viable Regional Hydrotherapy Pool complex (H2) within the Monckton Aquatic Centre.
That the expression of interest include options to fund, design, construct and/or operate the H2 Complex on a commercial basis with third parties, under ‘arms length’ SPV, public/privatepartnership arrangements, and/or with Government agencies under lease or similar arrangements; and
That, should an expression of interest prove unsuccessful in identifying suitable partner(s) for H2, Council undertake a review of the Monckton Aquatic Centre (including asset end of life timeframe and whole of life costs)s, with a view to generating options for development of an indoor heated pool at the Centre, both with and without a Hydrotherapy Pool.
Clearly Council understood the need for a new Hydrotherapy pool to service the needs of our ever ageing regional population. They also understood that the Monkton pool complex needed an upgrade and if the two projects could be combined all the better. However all options needed to be considered. A review of eleven aquatic centres revealed that all of these centres ran at operational losses (averaging $671K pa) with a number (but not all) including hydrotherapy pools. ARC cannot sustain such financial risk. Council was also concerned that any financial risks would be compounded by additional public liability risks associated with Council’s provision and oversight of a clinically-based health service, which arguably is not part of the Council’s ‘core business’.
An amendment to the recommendations was put to the meeting and subsequently carried.
That a Sub-Committee of five Councillors be formed to urgently look at options to ensure the Hydrotherapy Pool goes ahead as part of the Monckton Aquatic Centre and look at options of an expanded and enlarged gym, Hydropool of 25m, and options of outsourcing the management and operation of the complex.
NEV2030 has no information on whether this committee was formed, who the members were and how far it progressed. The global pandemic Covid 19 struck in February 2020 and much was put on hold as our nation went into a lockdown phase. Workplaces including Council offices were shut and the normal business of council was seriously disrupted. On top of this, problems were emerging re the functioning of ARC and on 12th June the Minister made the radical decision to suspend the council and install an administrator Mr Viv May. Mr John Rayner took over as Interim GM a few months later.
Otium Planning Group Pty Ltd (OPG) was commissioned by council to conduct a stage one process to initially provide a high level Hydrotherapy Pool Opportunity Review. It was published on 8th October 2020 and outlined the limitations of the review.
‘All research has been limited to desktop research and aquatic and recreation industry trend data available to Otium Planning Group. This review has also been completed within Covid-19 travel and facility operating restrictions which has not allowed a site and area review to be completed’.
The Review found that
· the project was under valued as to cost
· a full business case was lacking
· most Regional Hydrotherapy pools are run at a loss
· the biggest costs are staffing and heating
Otium suggested that ARC’s business plan for a Regional Hydrotherapy Pool was found wanting in their Review and would create a big financial risk. As a result Council decided the risk was too great for the current situation and shelved plans. Otium Planning also suggested that Council may commission a stage 2 Hydrotherapy Pool Development Review (a feasibility study) that would provide details on best practice facilities, proposed components, design and site recommendations and then complete indicative 10 year operating budgets. This is what NEV2030 is recommending.
Our 2021 Report went on to describe what a Wellness Centre might look like. So far NEV has no information on whether Council has shelved the project or undertaken any planning for a future development. Perhaps someone might let us know if anything is happening. In the meantime I suspect a number of Armidale residents will be heading to Inverell this Summer to enjoy their new Centre.
5th September
I hope you are enjoying the sunny days which is allowing many of us to continue our clean up. People with large gardens are still cutting back damaged trees and shrubs. The burning period is now over with permits required from now on. It's also a good idea to spray large cuts with a product like Steri Prune to prevent infection. Throw some fertiliser around the base of the tree or shrub to help it recover now that the days are beginning to warm up. There are still many damaged trees in our region - beware of hanging branches which can drop unexpectedly. I think we'll be dealing with these for some time to come.
The NEV team met this week for a regular planning meeting. Our next Forum on Wednesday 15th October will be dealing with Water Security. This was planned for September originally but we were asked to postpone it till October by Council. We are now beginning to plan for 2026 and will keep you informed.
On Wednesday we met with representatives of ACE Power for an update on their major Hillview Energy Hub project to be constructed in the Gostwyck area. They have now met with most of the 7 landowners affected and appeared very positive that the project will proceed subject to the necessary legal procedures still to be undertaken. The project involves Battery, Solar and Wind. The Eastern Hub Firming Battery (1000 MW/4hr) and Hillview Solar Farm (200-300MW) are now awaiting an EIS before being sent on for approval to the Department of Planning housing and infrastructure. The Hillview Wind farm will be the final part of the project and the company is currently applying for a Meteorological Mast on the site to gather wind date in order to determine the feasibility of the project. The project plans to use existing high voltage transmission lines and the proposed New England REZ East Hub. The Solar and wind farms will remain under agricultural management with sheep grazing beneath the solar panels and cattle grazing around the wind turbines.
There will likely be an increase in traffic during the construction period. The company is working with Council to ensure minimal impact on other road users during this period. One question asked by many locals is the question of decommissioning. The project owner is responsible for decommissioning and removal of all above ground assets. A Trust fund will be set up to fund any decommissioning - this is a requirement of approval from DPHI and a plan needs to be submitted as part of the EIS. Visual impacts of the Battery and Solar farm are expected to be mitigated by vegetation barriers and we were able to let the reps know of problems which have occurred with the screening of the Metz Solar farm. There needs to be a provision for monitored follow-up maintenance for any project. We discussed fire risk and were assured that the newer batteries pose less of a risk than the older ones but all measures are in place to deal with any fire problems.
The reps informed us that ACE Power has now been taken over by TAG Energy - a French company with a strong Australian presence with projects in many part of the country. No doubt experiences are being shared with the actual developments of all of these projects so that any problems can be foreseen and dealt with. All of these renewables projects are a new venture for us - nothing ever goes completely to plan and there will be problems along the way. The move to renewables has so many benefits for Australian future energy needs, it is important that we remain positive and supportive. Landowners in our area see these developments as drought-proofing their properties. That has to be a good thing.
The Hillview Project website has maps and visualisations of the project. Go to: hillviewenergyhub.com.au
Last week team members Dr John Atchison, Dr Julie Roberts and I attended the annual politics lecture at UNE. Brendan Moylan MP was the speaker and it was a most entertaining speech. The disappointment was the lack of community members present. It appeared to be a student event. This annual lecture has been a huge drawcard for our community and it is a shame that its status appears to have dwindled.
I also met with the new Energy and Water Ombudsman, Janine Young and Stephanie Saill - Head of Energy Transition along with Lou Conway formerly of UNE. Janine and Stephanie were travelling through our area meeting with stakeholders to learn about particular problems being faced in our region. As an Ombudsman she is available to handle complaints about energy or water. Not many people are aware that such a position exists for handling complaints of this nature.
Janine Young was appointed Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW in November 2014, having gained extensive experience providing independent dispute resolution service as the Victorian Public Transport Ombudsman (2010-14) and Deputy Ombudsman at the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) (2003-2010). She is passionate about social justice and ensuring essential services are accessible, especially for those experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, vulnerability. Across her career, Janine has focused on improving social inclusion and community connectedness and delivering innovative, accessible, and equitable services. Janine is Secretary/Treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association (ANZOA) and a member of Chief Executive Women. Janine holds undergraduate qualifications in Marketing and Management, an MBA and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Janine is also on the Standards Australia QR015, the Committee responsible for reviewing/maintaining the Guidelines for Complaint Handling in Organisations (AS10002).
I hope you are enjoying the sunny days which is allowing many of us to continue our clean up. People with large gardens are still cutting back damaged trees and shrubs. The burning period is now over with permits required from now on. It's also a good idea to spray large cuts with a product like Steri Prune to prevent infection. Throw some fertiliser around the base of the tree or shrub to help it recover now that the days are beginning to warm up. There are still many damaged trees in our region - beware of hanging branches which can drop unexpectedly. I think we'll be dealing with these for some time to come.
The NEV team met this week for a regular planning meeting. Our next Forum on Wednesday 15th October will be dealing with Water Security. This was planned for September originally but we were asked to postpone it till October by Council. We are now beginning to plan for 2026 and will keep you informed.
On Wednesday we met with representatives of ACE Power for an update on their major Hillview Energy Hub project to be constructed in the Gostwyck area. They have now met with most of the 7 landowners affected and appeared very positive that the project will proceed subject to the necessary legal procedures still to be undertaken. The project involves Battery, Solar and Wind. The Eastern Hub Firming Battery (1000 MW/4hr) and Hillview Solar Farm (200-300MW) are now awaiting an EIS before being sent on for approval to the Department of Planning housing and infrastructure. The Hillview Wind farm will be the final part of the project and the company is currently applying for a Meteorological Mast on the site to gather wind date in order to determine the feasibility of the project. The project plans to use existing high voltage transmission lines and the proposed New England REZ East Hub. The Solar and wind farms will remain under agricultural management with sheep grazing beneath the solar panels and cattle grazing around the wind turbines.
There will likely be an increase in traffic during the construction period. The company is working with Council to ensure minimal impact on other road users during this period. One question asked by many locals is the question of decommissioning. The project owner is responsible for decommissioning and removal of all above ground assets. A Trust fund will be set up to fund any decommissioning - this is a requirement of approval from DPHI and a plan needs to be submitted as part of the EIS. Visual impacts of the Battery and Solar farm are expected to be mitigated by vegetation barriers and we were able to let the reps know of problems which have occurred with the screening of the Metz Solar farm. There needs to be a provision for monitored follow-up maintenance for any project. We discussed fire risk and were assured that the newer batteries pose less of a risk than the older ones but all measures are in place to deal with any fire problems.
The reps informed us that ACE Power has now been taken over by TAG Energy - a French company with a strong Australian presence with projects in many part of the country. No doubt experiences are being shared with the actual developments of all of these projects so that any problems can be foreseen and dealt with. All of these renewables projects are a new venture for us - nothing ever goes completely to plan and there will be problems along the way. The move to renewables has so many benefits for Australian future energy needs, it is important that we remain positive and supportive. Landowners in our area see these developments as drought-proofing their properties. That has to be a good thing.
The Hillview Project website has maps and visualisations of the project. Go to: hillviewenergyhub.com.au
Last week team members Dr John Atchison, Dr Julie Roberts and I attended the annual politics lecture at UNE. Brendan Moylan MP was the speaker and it was a most entertaining speech. The disappointment was the lack of community members present. It appeared to be a student event. This annual lecture has been a huge drawcard for our community and it is a shame that its status appears to have dwindled.
I also met with the new Energy and Water Ombudsman, Janine Young and Stephanie Saill - Head of Energy Transition along with Lou Conway formerly of UNE. Janine and Stephanie were travelling through our area meeting with stakeholders to learn about particular problems being faced in our region. As an Ombudsman she is available to handle complaints about energy or water. Not many people are aware that such a position exists for handling complaints of this nature.
Janine Young was appointed Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW in November 2014, having gained extensive experience providing independent dispute resolution service as the Victorian Public Transport Ombudsman (2010-14) and Deputy Ombudsman at the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) (2003-2010). She is passionate about social justice and ensuring essential services are accessible, especially for those experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, vulnerability. Across her career, Janine has focused on improving social inclusion and community connectedness and delivering innovative, accessible, and equitable services. Janine is Secretary/Treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association (ANZOA) and a member of Chief Executive Women. Janine holds undergraduate qualifications in Marketing and Management, an MBA and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Janine is also on the Standards Australia QR015, the Committee responsible for reviewing/maintaining the Guidelines for Complaint Handling in Organisations (AS10002).
15th August
This is a quick note to let you know that we have cancelled the 3rd September Forum.
The Water Security Forum has now been moved to Wednesday 15th October.
We hope to have a presentation on the technical arguments for Council's decision to prioritise Oaky in favour of Malpas.
We will send out an invitation soon.
An article from Forbes magazine published 29/7/25
A new assessment by the U.N.’s International Renewable Energy Agency found that 91% of clean energy projects added in 2024 were cheaper to build and operate than those using fossil fuels. An estimated $2 trillion was invested in clean energy last year, or $800 billion more than for new fossil fuel projects, a 70% increase over the past decade. And on average, solar power systems were 41% less expensive than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative, while onshore wind projects were 53% less costly, the report found. Overall, wind was the cheapest source of new renewable electricity last year, averaging 34 cents per kilowatt hour, followed by solar at 43 cents/kWh.Globally, a record 582 gigawatts of renewable electricity capacity was added in 2024, resulting in $57 billion in cost savings, according to IRENA. Beyond cost and climate benefits, increased use of renewable power also helps boost the energy security of individual nations, particularly those that are resource-poor, by reducing their dependence on imported fossil fuels.
“The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough,” said UN Secretary‑General António Guterres. “This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility.” Even in the U.S., clean energy projects continue apace. Though President Trump’s new budget eliminates federal incentives for large-scale solar and wind projects in the U.S., those changes phase in over the next two years, giving big utilities time to add more capacity in the near term. This year alone, a record 32.5 gigawatts of utility-scale solar will likely be added to the domestic grid, along with 7.7 GWs of wind power and 18.2 GWs of new battery storage capacity, according to an Energy Information Administration estimate. By comparison, just 4.4 GWs of new gas-fired power will likely be added. Clean power “is no longer a promise, it is a fact” that can’t be stopped, Guterres said. “The fossil fuel lobby will try, and we know the lengths to which they will go. But, I have never been more confident that they will fail because we have passed the point of no return.”
This is a quick note to let you know that we have cancelled the 3rd September Forum.
The Water Security Forum has now been moved to Wednesday 15th October.
We hope to have a presentation on the technical arguments for Council's decision to prioritise Oaky in favour of Malpas.
We will send out an invitation soon.
An article from Forbes magazine published 29/7/25
A new assessment by the U.N.’s International Renewable Energy Agency found that 91% of clean energy projects added in 2024 were cheaper to build and operate than those using fossil fuels. An estimated $2 trillion was invested in clean energy last year, or $800 billion more than for new fossil fuel projects, a 70% increase over the past decade. And on average, solar power systems were 41% less expensive than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative, while onshore wind projects were 53% less costly, the report found. Overall, wind was the cheapest source of new renewable electricity last year, averaging 34 cents per kilowatt hour, followed by solar at 43 cents/kWh.Globally, a record 582 gigawatts of renewable electricity capacity was added in 2024, resulting in $57 billion in cost savings, according to IRENA. Beyond cost and climate benefits, increased use of renewable power also helps boost the energy security of individual nations, particularly those that are resource-poor, by reducing their dependence on imported fossil fuels.
“The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough,” said UN Secretary‑General António Guterres. “This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility.” Even in the U.S., clean energy projects continue apace. Though President Trump’s new budget eliminates federal incentives for large-scale solar and wind projects in the U.S., those changes phase in over the next two years, giving big utilities time to add more capacity in the near term. This year alone, a record 32.5 gigawatts of utility-scale solar will likely be added to the domestic grid, along with 7.7 GWs of wind power and 18.2 GWs of new battery storage capacity, according to an Energy Information Administration estimate. By comparison, just 4.4 GWs of new gas-fired power will likely be added. Clean power “is no longer a promise, it is a fact” that can’t be stopped, Guterres said. “The fossil fuel lobby will try, and we know the lengths to which they will go. But, I have never been more confident that they will fail because we have passed the point of no return.”
8th August
What a weekend and week following we have all experienced. Many people have been comparing this snow fall with 1984 - the last really big fall of snow to hit our region. I remember it well for my 3rd child was due a week later and I was terrified of an urgent trip to the hospital on a road into town covered in black ice. Our pump froze and we shovelled snow for water for a day or two. I don't remember the major blackouts or the amount of tree devastation that is evident this time. Here in Dumaresq we were out for almost 4 days. I know others may still not be connected. We can't blame Essential Energy which has been fantastic in restoring power in the most trying of circumstances. Our paddocks are the most waterlogged I have ever seen. Trying to take heavy machinery into those conditions not to mention trees and power poles down, branches everywhere - it has been quite a disaster. We still don't have an official emergency disaster declaration which is pretty unsatisfactory.
As usual in any sort of a crisis Australians step up and these events bring out the best in us - neighbours helping neighbours, good samaritans going out of their way to help those in need, friends offering showers and washing. Emergency Services - RFS - Volunteer organisations all doing their bit. The list goes on. Now we face the daunting task of a clean-up. The weather is not helping.
Armidale Council has also been very busy clearing roads and collecting green waste. They allowed people to charge devices at the Library and I'm sure there are so many more ways in which they stepped in to help the community. Unfortunately you still get the odd resident whingeing about poor services, etc. The same residents also complain about paying rates. You can't win. Fortunately my husband and I have a good supply of camping equipment, I have a power bank for charging the phone, we keep a few jerry cans full of water for emergencies and hooked up our small generator to keep the freezer and fridge cool. It was inconvenient but we managed. Experts tell us that such events will become more frequent as our oceans continue to heat up due to climate change. People need to learn from this episode and prepare for the next one. It may come sooner than we think.
Our team met on Tuesday to plan our Forums for the rest of the year. We will hold two events. Please add them to your calendars now.
Wednesday 3rd September - Water Security in the Armidale Region
Wednesday 15th October - An Update on the REZ
What a weekend and week following we have all experienced. Many people have been comparing this snow fall with 1984 - the last really big fall of snow to hit our region. I remember it well for my 3rd child was due a week later and I was terrified of an urgent trip to the hospital on a road into town covered in black ice. Our pump froze and we shovelled snow for water for a day or two. I don't remember the major blackouts or the amount of tree devastation that is evident this time. Here in Dumaresq we were out for almost 4 days. I know others may still not be connected. We can't blame Essential Energy which has been fantastic in restoring power in the most trying of circumstances. Our paddocks are the most waterlogged I have ever seen. Trying to take heavy machinery into those conditions not to mention trees and power poles down, branches everywhere - it has been quite a disaster. We still don't have an official emergency disaster declaration which is pretty unsatisfactory.
As usual in any sort of a crisis Australians step up and these events bring out the best in us - neighbours helping neighbours, good samaritans going out of their way to help those in need, friends offering showers and washing. Emergency Services - RFS - Volunteer organisations all doing their bit. The list goes on. Now we face the daunting task of a clean-up. The weather is not helping.
Armidale Council has also been very busy clearing roads and collecting green waste. They allowed people to charge devices at the Library and I'm sure there are so many more ways in which they stepped in to help the community. Unfortunately you still get the odd resident whingeing about poor services, etc. The same residents also complain about paying rates. You can't win. Fortunately my husband and I have a good supply of camping equipment, I have a power bank for charging the phone, we keep a few jerry cans full of water for emergencies and hooked up our small generator to keep the freezer and fridge cool. It was inconvenient but we managed. Experts tell us that such events will become more frequent as our oceans continue to heat up due to climate change. People need to learn from this episode and prepare for the next one. It may come sooner than we think.
Our team met on Tuesday to plan our Forums for the rest of the year. We will hold two events. Please add them to your calendars now.
Wednesday 3rd September - Water Security in the Armidale Region
Wednesday 15th October - An Update on the REZ
18th July
Part 1 - Report on the Upper House Parliamentary Enquiry into the impact of Renewable Energy Zones on rural and regional communities and industries in NSW
Team member Dr Julie Roberts and I attended this Enquiry yesterday. The morning session heard evidence from council officials, Barnaby Joyce and Environmental representatives. Unfortunately I couldn't attend the afternoon session given over to community representatives as I volunteer at the Armidale Art Gallery on Thursday afternoons.
All witnesses were under oath and had been invited after sending in their submissions beforehand. It was obvious from the various speakers that there are serious problems with implementation of the New England REZ. There is also some confusion with genuine concerns, a large dose of nimbyism, some political posturing mixed with the odd conspiracy theory all swirling together in a climate of dissent. Throw in the national renewable energy targets and the imminent closure of several coal fired power stations providing some urgency in Australia to electrify as soon as possible. In other words it's a bit of a mess.
The previous State Coalition Government decided the way forward was to declare a number of renewable energy zones throughout the State. These would feed into a new higher capacity transmission line and would link into the national grid. Wind and solar farms would then be sited in some proximity to this line. One of the new lines would go from the Hunter to Southern Queensland and there would be a few Hubs along the way to regulate the process. This line would pass through New England - therefore the region was selected as one of the zones. It is unclear why the government decided to allocate this region a capacity of 8 Gigawatts - the highest in the State. Some community groups would like to see that capacity reduced to 3 Gw and gave evidence to that proposal claiming that the smaller capacity would negate the need for a new transmission line. The horse may have bolted on that one.
Right from the start the State Coalition government failed to do proper due diligence, planning and consultation with councils. The first many of us learned of the REZ was when private companies, many international, started moving through the area making financial agreements with landholders. It was very piecemeal and there was an assumption that these developments could just appear on the landscape without any thought being given to the resources required such as water, gravel, road maintenance and accommodation. We were told that thousands of professionals and tradesmen would hit the region without any provision for their stay in the area. Promises of large financial gains were made to quell many of the misgivings but the proverbial shxx has now hit the fan resulting in the Parliamentary Enquiry yesterday.
Mayor of Uralla - Robert Bell - stated that there were 14 developments planned for the Uralla Shire - one has been constructed and the others are going through the process. They are a small council with few resources such as water, gravel and housing which are barely enough to fit the needs of the residents. Uralla went from a 4% rental availability to 0% and the cost of housing has jumped in price. Uralla has conducted some intensive community consultation which is ongoing. However without State government input into provision of the extra resources required by the REZ they will not be able to continue resourcing local REZ projects adequately. Emily Sims Strategic Planning Officer for Uralla stated that there is a desperate need for regional leadership and collaboration. There has been no real co-ordination to date. Uralla would like to see a genuine partnership with the State Government to co-ordinate implementation of the REZ across all agencies. This should also involve local industries. Uralla would like to see a solution to the accommodation problem which would provide a legacy outcome. Uralla has also looked at a solar panel recycling facility and is collaborating with a few universities but they need funding to go ahead with this.
Mayor of Armidale - Sam Coupland - stated that Armidale is experiencing a high amount of frustration with the way the REZ is being implemented leading to a lot of squandered opportunities. Neither the previous Coalition government of the current Labor government which inherited the scheme have brought the community along with them. There is no integrated strategy and a marked lack of leadership. Armidale has limited water availability yet one Wind farm developer asked for 25% of Armidale's water to be made available to them over two years. Obviously that won't be forthcoming. The lack of water may mean that some projects will be stalled. While there is some provision for workforce accommodation absolutely nothing is happening. Armidale has plans to build something similar to an Olympic village which would then provide long term and flexible accommodation There is so much private investment in the REZ but almost no investment by the State Government into facilitation of the scheme or provision of the extra resources required. It appears that Energy Co might be 'kicking the can down the road'. Some New England Councils have formed a team to deal with the various bodies in order to ensure that individual councils won't be picked off when entering into benefit sharing agreements. Armidale needs to be able to generate intergenerational benefits. They intend to establish a Future Fund where the interest will be used on amenities which they couldn't afford otherwise. 30% of that interest will go to community grants.
The heavy transport vehicles are causing a deterioration of the NE highway - made worse by the extra heavy traffic due to the frequency in coastal flooding events. Investors interested in providing affordable housing which could be used for accommodating REZ workers need some certainty otherwise they will shy away. When asked about agreeing to a stocktake of the REZ to date, Mayor Coupland said that it would be useless if there was no plan in place to deal with the REZ going forward. What will happen with any solutions? There has to be a genuine commitment from the government to oversee any future development and resourcing. This would be best done through the Department of Planning. Councils can work together but they don't have the power of a State body. Unless the State government gets behind a long term economic development outcome for the New England Region, the whole REZ will wither away and be abandoned. They can't afford to let it go due to the pressures stated earlier.
Part 1 - Report on the Upper House Parliamentary Enquiry into the impact of Renewable Energy Zones on rural and regional communities and industries in NSW
Team member Dr Julie Roberts and I attended this Enquiry yesterday. The morning session heard evidence from council officials, Barnaby Joyce and Environmental representatives. Unfortunately I couldn't attend the afternoon session given over to community representatives as I volunteer at the Armidale Art Gallery on Thursday afternoons.
All witnesses were under oath and had been invited after sending in their submissions beforehand. It was obvious from the various speakers that there are serious problems with implementation of the New England REZ. There is also some confusion with genuine concerns, a large dose of nimbyism, some political posturing mixed with the odd conspiracy theory all swirling together in a climate of dissent. Throw in the national renewable energy targets and the imminent closure of several coal fired power stations providing some urgency in Australia to electrify as soon as possible. In other words it's a bit of a mess.
The previous State Coalition Government decided the way forward was to declare a number of renewable energy zones throughout the State. These would feed into a new higher capacity transmission line and would link into the national grid. Wind and solar farms would then be sited in some proximity to this line. One of the new lines would go from the Hunter to Southern Queensland and there would be a few Hubs along the way to regulate the process. This line would pass through New England - therefore the region was selected as one of the zones. It is unclear why the government decided to allocate this region a capacity of 8 Gigawatts - the highest in the State. Some community groups would like to see that capacity reduced to 3 Gw and gave evidence to that proposal claiming that the smaller capacity would negate the need for a new transmission line. The horse may have bolted on that one.
Right from the start the State Coalition government failed to do proper due diligence, planning and consultation with councils. The first many of us learned of the REZ was when private companies, many international, started moving through the area making financial agreements with landholders. It was very piecemeal and there was an assumption that these developments could just appear on the landscape without any thought being given to the resources required such as water, gravel, road maintenance and accommodation. We were told that thousands of professionals and tradesmen would hit the region without any provision for their stay in the area. Promises of large financial gains were made to quell many of the misgivings but the proverbial shxx has now hit the fan resulting in the Parliamentary Enquiry yesterday.
Mayor of Uralla - Robert Bell - stated that there were 14 developments planned for the Uralla Shire - one has been constructed and the others are going through the process. They are a small council with few resources such as water, gravel and housing which are barely enough to fit the needs of the residents. Uralla went from a 4% rental availability to 0% and the cost of housing has jumped in price. Uralla has conducted some intensive community consultation which is ongoing. However without State government input into provision of the extra resources required by the REZ they will not be able to continue resourcing local REZ projects adequately. Emily Sims Strategic Planning Officer for Uralla stated that there is a desperate need for regional leadership and collaboration. There has been no real co-ordination to date. Uralla would like to see a genuine partnership with the State Government to co-ordinate implementation of the REZ across all agencies. This should also involve local industries. Uralla would like to see a solution to the accommodation problem which would provide a legacy outcome. Uralla has also looked at a solar panel recycling facility and is collaborating with a few universities but they need funding to go ahead with this.
Mayor of Armidale - Sam Coupland - stated that Armidale is experiencing a high amount of frustration with the way the REZ is being implemented leading to a lot of squandered opportunities. Neither the previous Coalition government of the current Labor government which inherited the scheme have brought the community along with them. There is no integrated strategy and a marked lack of leadership. Armidale has limited water availability yet one Wind farm developer asked for 25% of Armidale's water to be made available to them over two years. Obviously that won't be forthcoming. The lack of water may mean that some projects will be stalled. While there is some provision for workforce accommodation absolutely nothing is happening. Armidale has plans to build something similar to an Olympic village which would then provide long term and flexible accommodation There is so much private investment in the REZ but almost no investment by the State Government into facilitation of the scheme or provision of the extra resources required. It appears that Energy Co might be 'kicking the can down the road'. Some New England Councils have formed a team to deal with the various bodies in order to ensure that individual councils won't be picked off when entering into benefit sharing agreements. Armidale needs to be able to generate intergenerational benefits. They intend to establish a Future Fund where the interest will be used on amenities which they couldn't afford otherwise. 30% of that interest will go to community grants.
The heavy transport vehicles are causing a deterioration of the NE highway - made worse by the extra heavy traffic due to the frequency in coastal flooding events. Investors interested in providing affordable housing which could be used for accommodating REZ workers need some certainty otherwise they will shy away. When asked about agreeing to a stocktake of the REZ to date, Mayor Coupland said that it would be useless if there was no plan in place to deal with the REZ going forward. What will happen with any solutions? There has to be a genuine commitment from the government to oversee any future development and resourcing. This would be best done through the Department of Planning. Councils can work together but they don't have the power of a State body. Unless the State government gets behind a long term economic development outcome for the New England Region, the whole REZ will wither away and be abandoned. They can't afford to let it go due to the pressures stated earlier.
19th July Part 2 - Report on the Parliamentary Enquiry into the REZ held on Thursday
Energy Co's latest newsletter included the following announcement. It will be good to see the detail of how this money will be spent.NSW Budget includes $2.1 billion to help deliver renewable energy zones The Honourable Penny Sharpe, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Heritage and the Environment has announced that the 2025/26 NSW Budget includes $2.1 billion to help delivery the five renewable energy zones, which will produce more reliable and affordable energy for all NSW homes and businesses. The NSW Government is also delivering another $115.5 million to build the Newcastle Logistics Precinct which will be a dedicated, portside site to store large energy components like wind turbines, before they’re trucked out to other parts of the state. We have also started critical road upgrades to make transportation safer and improve roads for regional communities.
Eric Noakes - Mayor of Walcha Council - stated that they are learning from Central West Orana REZ. Locally Walcha Council feels that there have been many promises made but not much has been followed through. Without overall co-ordination Council has been dealing with entitites in silos. Much is being done on the fly as the government tries to deal with the myriad of problems that have emerged. The NE highway is the major transport route in the region - it has been impacted by the heavy vehicle traffic bringing infrastructure to New England. The required by-passes still haven't eventuated. There is a marked lack of labour and materials in our region. The whole development has largely ignored the need to protect high quality agricultural and environmental land. The New England REZ urgently needs a better co-ordinated and collaborative management. Developments need to be bundled with future economic development and sustainability. The developers want any resulting infrastructure built as a result of the money coming from the scheme to have their name on it. The money coming into the LGA needs to be controlled by the council so that it can be used equitably. The plethora of different policies is highly confusing and needs to be streamlines so that they are similar for every LGA. Despite policies directed at training opportunities within the LGA nothing has eventuated.
Tamworth Regional Council was represented by Mr Sam Lobsey, Manager - Development Division, Liveable Communities. They have some projects within the REZ and some outside of it. The REZ has cause some severe accommodation problems - a temporary worker camp did not eventuate - plans are to have these open to longer term housing. They need private investors to build housing estates but it can't happen without any certainty. Tamworth releases 300 lots per year and they are anticipating doubling this to 600 lots as they aim for a population of 100,000. Building housing stock for the REZ then denies it to other industry specialists. Water is a real issue as Tamworth relies on ground water for many developments. Council can't control bore impacts and there seems to be no-one doing a study of ground water impacts. Meat production is a valuable industry in the Tamworth area and it requires more water than the residents. There has been no commitment from Water NSW.
Barnaby Joyce - Member for New England - has never been in favour of the REZ or Renewable Energy. He stated that the whole development is a swindle.
Annette Kilarr - Convenor - Climate Action Armidale Sustainable Living Armidale and a member of the Community Reference Group (REZ North) - they have a focus working group called REEACH (Renewable Energy, Education, Advocacy and Community Health). They aim to enable/promote good action locally, facilitate community engagement in public policy and planning. Their goal is to support a vision for renewables that will benefit our communities and their well being and to ensure that the REZ will be regenerative and enhance sustainability.
Dr Sanaz Alian - lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning UNE - convenor of REEACH - SLA and REEACH have been collaborating over the past 3 years with the Community Power Agency, Uralla ZNET, UNE Smart Region Incubator (SRI), Armidale Regional Council, New England Visions 2030 Institute, Energy Co, DPIE, AEMC, UNE Renewable Energy Hub, ARRA, Armidale Tree Group, Stringybark Ecological, the Black Gully Festival Committee and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
Both speakers acknowledged the lack of proper planning and implementation of the NEREZ. There is an urgent need for a permanent information Hub to provide an accessible presence on the ground in New England where residents can go to seek information, get involved and be heard. It needs to be professionally staffed and provide a conduit to government departments and Energy Co. The whole emphasis needs to be on involving the community not just informing them. There needs to be an emphasis on creating an energy shift where residents can become part of the transition to renewable energy through rooftop solar, etc. Misinformation and conspiracy theories need to be addressed as well as helping people realise that the REZ is part of a much wider framework that will allow Australia to move forward into a green economy. Rather than Councils working independently there needs to be a whole of region approach.
Energy Co's latest newsletter included the following announcement. It will be good to see the detail of how this money will be spent.NSW Budget includes $2.1 billion to help deliver renewable energy zones The Honourable Penny Sharpe, Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Heritage and the Environment has announced that the 2025/26 NSW Budget includes $2.1 billion to help delivery the five renewable energy zones, which will produce more reliable and affordable energy for all NSW homes and businesses. The NSW Government is also delivering another $115.5 million to build the Newcastle Logistics Precinct which will be a dedicated, portside site to store large energy components like wind turbines, before they’re trucked out to other parts of the state. We have also started critical road upgrades to make transportation safer and improve roads for regional communities.
Eric Noakes - Mayor of Walcha Council - stated that they are learning from Central West Orana REZ. Locally Walcha Council feels that there have been many promises made but not much has been followed through. Without overall co-ordination Council has been dealing with entitites in silos. Much is being done on the fly as the government tries to deal with the myriad of problems that have emerged. The NE highway is the major transport route in the region - it has been impacted by the heavy vehicle traffic bringing infrastructure to New England. The required by-passes still haven't eventuated. There is a marked lack of labour and materials in our region. The whole development has largely ignored the need to protect high quality agricultural and environmental land. The New England REZ urgently needs a better co-ordinated and collaborative management. Developments need to be bundled with future economic development and sustainability. The developers want any resulting infrastructure built as a result of the money coming from the scheme to have their name on it. The money coming into the LGA needs to be controlled by the council so that it can be used equitably. The plethora of different policies is highly confusing and needs to be streamlines so that they are similar for every LGA. Despite policies directed at training opportunities within the LGA nothing has eventuated.
Tamworth Regional Council was represented by Mr Sam Lobsey, Manager - Development Division, Liveable Communities. They have some projects within the REZ and some outside of it. The REZ has cause some severe accommodation problems - a temporary worker camp did not eventuate - plans are to have these open to longer term housing. They need private investors to build housing estates but it can't happen without any certainty. Tamworth releases 300 lots per year and they are anticipating doubling this to 600 lots as they aim for a population of 100,000. Building housing stock for the REZ then denies it to other industry specialists. Water is a real issue as Tamworth relies on ground water for many developments. Council can't control bore impacts and there seems to be no-one doing a study of ground water impacts. Meat production is a valuable industry in the Tamworth area and it requires more water than the residents. There has been no commitment from Water NSW.
Barnaby Joyce - Member for New England - has never been in favour of the REZ or Renewable Energy. He stated that the whole development is a swindle.
Annette Kilarr - Convenor - Climate Action Armidale Sustainable Living Armidale and a member of the Community Reference Group (REZ North) - they have a focus working group called REEACH (Renewable Energy, Education, Advocacy and Community Health). They aim to enable/promote good action locally, facilitate community engagement in public policy and planning. Their goal is to support a vision for renewables that will benefit our communities and their well being and to ensure that the REZ will be regenerative and enhance sustainability.
Dr Sanaz Alian - lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning UNE - convenor of REEACH - SLA and REEACH have been collaborating over the past 3 years with the Community Power Agency, Uralla ZNET, UNE Smart Region Incubator (SRI), Armidale Regional Council, New England Visions 2030 Institute, Energy Co, DPIE, AEMC, UNE Renewable Energy Hub, ARRA, Armidale Tree Group, Stringybark Ecological, the Black Gully Festival Committee and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
Both speakers acknowledged the lack of proper planning and implementation of the NEREZ. There is an urgent need for a permanent information Hub to provide an accessible presence on the ground in New England where residents can go to seek information, get involved and be heard. It needs to be professionally staffed and provide a conduit to government departments and Energy Co. The whole emphasis needs to be on involving the community not just informing them. There needs to be an emphasis on creating an energy shift where residents can become part of the transition to renewable energy through rooftop solar, etc. Misinformation and conspiracy theories need to be addressed as well as helping people realise that the REZ is part of a much wider framework that will allow Australia to move forward into a green economy. Rather than Councils working independently there needs to be a whole of region approach.
20th July Part 3 - Pariamentary Enquiry
Excerpts taken from local submissions to the enquiry which have been made public. This enquiry covered all the REZ areas throughout NSW and it attracted 147 submissions. Only New England groups have been included here. Some local landowners may have sent in submissions but their names were withheld on request and are therefore not accessible.
ReD4NE welcome the leadership of the SFF Party in calling for this Inquiry. We think it’s an unfortunate reflection on the other Government parties who have dodged their responsibilities to regional and rural communities. The current Government took the political bait with its bilateral compliance and some membership of the National Party who conveniently disguised themselves as Liberal Party moderates in their acquiesce of an unjust transition for their Bush constituents. ReD4NE as with many of its members is, at this point of the transition submission fatigued. So, it is not our intention to put in a long and exhausting written response to the Inquiry - more words on paper that may never be read – we will highlight key short responses to particular points in the 12-point ToR. We will then offer our attendance at any scheduled hearing where we support our outlook and present for any inquisition from the Committee membership. We participated in good faith in 2024 Legislative Council - Transmission Undergrounding Inquiry -disappointingly we were left to conclude it was a complete waste of the public monies as Government had already predetermined the result.
The Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry and in doing so wishes to highlight that there are renewable energy projects being constructed across country NSW, not just in Renewable Energy Zones. We estimate that up to 80% of our membership is impacted in some way by the construction and operation of renewable energy generators. Our Members are concerned that the Government has created two-tiered outcomes in the renewable energy generation sector, whereby LGAs that fall within a REZ receive support from EnergyCo and other benefits while those outside a REZ are left to make their own arrangements. While the intent of the creation of the REZ was sound, the reality is that these projects are primarily driven by proximity to electricity transmission lines and access to supply corridors. This has been clearly demonstrated in southern NSW with a proliferation of solar farms either developed or in development despite the promise of South West Renewable Energy Zone.
The CMA would welcome the adoption of policies and approaches that result a more even playing field in relation to renewable energy developments, whereby every LGA can access the support networks and benefits that are currently delivered through EnergyCo for LGAs within a REZ. In addition, our Members would welcome greater engagement with the State in relation to the development of policies for renewable developments and of course in the development approval process. While we appreciate and support the Government’s goal to increase energy generation in NSW through renewable developments, it is important to remember that these developments are happening in the backyards of country councils. Consequently, it is not unreasonable for our Members to ask that where policy is being developed to drive renewable energy development, that feedback is sought from councils about the likely impacts of that policy on the communities they represent.
Voice for Walcha welcome the upper house inquiry into the Impact of Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) on rural and regional communities and industries in New South Wales. Initial planning into REZs focused on natural resources and access to potential transmission infrastructure. Desktop studies from city-centric planners, based on expressions of interest from “generator design partners” completely skipped any meaningful consultation with the communities that will be affected – the stakeholders with the most to gain or lose. Beyond the establishment of REZ boundaries, there has been no further strategic land planning undertaken by EnergyCo. Planning has failed to address the impacts the energy transition may have on the communities – positive and negative. Planning has been left to the “generator design partners” who’s primary interest is in profit – not community or sustainability.
Our town Walcha has 2 major access roads – Thunderbolt’s Way and the Oxley Highway – both are double lane roads (1 lane each way). Impacts to either of these vital arteries will have serious socio-economic consequences and impact agriculture and other industry in our region. Agriculture and rural industries can co-exist to varying extent with built renewable projects. It is the disruption to roads and workforce during construction of these projects that will have the most serious impacts to these industries. Environmental impacts have been very poorly dealt with. The New England REZ shares a boundary with the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia and wilderness areas. The impacts to biodiversity, irreplaceable threatened ecological communities, birds and bats and the wilderness experience have not been considered. This is evident in the biodiversity impacts that have been identified by DCEEW Biodiversity Division in their agency response to the Winterbourne Wind Project – proposed to border this significant biodiversity sanctuary.
The design of the NE REZ Transmission Infrastructure has also been designed on a desktop computer based on registrations of interest from “generator design partners”. Where are the [email protected] 2 “community design partners”? The central south hub of the New England REZ is located in a relatively inaccessible location with a community that cannot absorb the impacts of numerous large-scale projects – that is what the hub is going to attract. It is in a location that has already demonstrated that it is not suitable for large-scale projects. We are asking all agencies to address this major oversight in EnergyCo’s design. EnergyCo’s own interactive map highlights how inappropriate this hub is based on the current projects (as opposed to the projects that were included in the original expressions of interest). Cumulative impact studies based on local knowledge need to be undertaken before hubs are considered. If benefits and justification can be demonstrated, the community will be satisfied. If not, they remain resentful.
NSW Farmers Association REZ developments have disrupted the cultural fabric of farming communities. Disputes among landholders over hosting infrastructure have created divisions, eroding social cohesion. These cultural impacts underscore the urgent need for equitable and inclusive planning approaches. One of the most pressing issues is the uncertainty surrounding the scale and location of renewable energy projects and associated transmission lines. This uncertainty is exacerbated by inadequate community engagement from EnergyCo, Transgrid and renewable energy developers, leaving landholders and rural communities anxious about their future. The influx of large workforces during construction phases places strain on local infrastructure including housing and medical services.
Regions within REZs are facing significant impacts to agricultural productivity, particularly during construction of infrastructure. While compensation offered to landholders for hosting transmission infrastructure provides short-term benefits it does not adequately address long-term challenges with no opportunity for redress once contract periods expire. Concerns about post-payment impacts and inequitable benefit-sharing between host and neighbouring landholders remain unresolved. Further complications include the tax implications of compensation payments, the management of voluntary planning agreements, and the broader financial burden on the state economy. Additionally, the risk of fires posed by overhead transmission lines and the lack of adequate fire management protocols have deepened community concerns, highlighting the need for robust risk mitigation measures. A critical oversight in REZ development is the lack of mandatory decommissioning bonds to ensure proper site rehabilitation at the end-of-life stage of renewable energy infrastructure. Without clear legislative requirements landholders risk bearing the long-term financial and environmental costs of project decommissioning. Legislating decommissioning bonds would ensure developers are held accountable for rehabilitating land and managing project waste.
Effective and inclusive community consultation remains a significant gap in the REZ planning and development process. Current practices often exclude landholders and communities from key decision-making stages, leading to mistrust and resistance. Transparent communication, fair benefit sharing mechanisms, and acknowledgment of cumulative impacts are essential to rebuilding trust and achieving social license for renewable energy projects. Immediate action needs to be taken to be taken to account for the compounding impacts of the sustainable transition to renewable energy in rural NSW.
Mr Peter Dawson Uralla I own a small rural lifestyle farm block in the Salisbury Plains area of Uralla (137ha in the New England REZ). I graze sheep and cattle on this farm block. I also own a residential home in Uralla but my long-term plan is to build a 'green' home on my farm block and after a long submission process, Uralla Council has finally granted me a dwelling entitlement. Of course, these plans are now redundant due to the ever-increasing overdevelopment of renewable projects in my immediate area (large solar and wind developments and battery storage). If this is not bad enough, my small farm block is also fully in ENCO's transmission line investigation area. Consequently, after many years of investing in the pristine New England area, I am faced with a large loss of both visual amenity and capital value due to these huge overdeveloped industrial projects. I have attended many community meetings organised by the renewable developers and I have attended many meetings organised by ENCO. On each and every occasion I have been left feeling despondent due to the lack of care for the long term future of the local community and the bloody minded approach of both the renewable developers and ENCO. The overwhelming takeaway from each interaction is that (and I provide a quote from an ENCO representative during discussions with me) - "these are State Significant projects and they are going to happen so get used to it". So much for balanced and fair consultation !!!
In addition to the above, and in terms of further detail, my concerns for the Salisbury Plains farming area where my farm block is located are as follows: - huge loss of visual amenity due to overdevelopment of renewable projects, including huge transmission towers. - the consequent loss of capital value, particularly with my lifestyle farm block, noting that there are many similar lifestyle blocks in the Salisbury Plains area. To make matters worse, no consideration is given to loss of capital value in the investigation process. This is blatant 'theft'. - the Salisbury Plains area forms the catchment to the Macleay River at Kempsey on the mid north coast. This presents high risk for contamination. - the Salisbury Plains area contains many underground aquifers which provide water for stock and homes. This also is high risk when major construction starts, particularly the risks that wind and transmission towers present due to the depth of foundations. - the Salisbury Plains area is pristine farming and grazing land which has implications for future food security issues. It's mindless to think that such a pristine environment will be changed to an industrial landscape with the loss of agricultural capacity. Finally, my overwhelming sense is that despite what we say, and despite what objections we raise, it's clear that all investigations are simply 'box ticking' with the stated aim of pushing these projects through. Very disappointing and very unsatisfactory for a State Government that is supposed to represent the interests of all in a balanced and unbiased way.
Farmers for Climate Action’s firm position is that consideration of any power generation source must consider water use and impacts on farmers, their water, and the impacts of removing farming water on local communities and economies. As such, Farmers for Climate Action commissioned Professor Andrew Campbell, the former CEO of Land and Water Australia, to research and develop our submission to this inquiry. The issue of agricultural water access, price and impacts must be addressed transparently in consultation with agricultural communities prior to any overturning of moratoria on nuclear power generation. Polling consistently shows a quiet majority of regional Australians support renewables when done right because these projects deliver drought-proof income for farmers and shared benefits for communities.
Recent polling of regional areas by CSIRO, 89 Degrees East and Porter Novelli has continued to find more than two-thirds support and around 18 per cent opposition to projects on local farmland. All farmers who host renewable energy projects have done so voluntarily - they have made this choice because it works for them, unlike other forms of energy generation which do not require landholder consent, such as coal seam gas on farmland without the owner’s permission. FCA offers to (virtually) connect the Committee with our farmer members who are successfully hosting renewables, with clean energy making their land more profitable and productive, and the drought-proof income making their family farms more financially sustainable. Farmers are leading the clean energy shift. We urge the Committee to centre farmer voices in shaping REZs because this is a once in a generation opportunity for farmers and farming communities. We welcome further engagement and thank you for considering our submission.
Excerpts taken from local submissions to the enquiry which have been made public. This enquiry covered all the REZ areas throughout NSW and it attracted 147 submissions. Only New England groups have been included here. Some local landowners may have sent in submissions but their names were withheld on request and are therefore not accessible.
ReD4NE welcome the leadership of the SFF Party in calling for this Inquiry. We think it’s an unfortunate reflection on the other Government parties who have dodged their responsibilities to regional and rural communities. The current Government took the political bait with its bilateral compliance and some membership of the National Party who conveniently disguised themselves as Liberal Party moderates in their acquiesce of an unjust transition for their Bush constituents. ReD4NE as with many of its members is, at this point of the transition submission fatigued. So, it is not our intention to put in a long and exhausting written response to the Inquiry - more words on paper that may never be read – we will highlight key short responses to particular points in the 12-point ToR. We will then offer our attendance at any scheduled hearing where we support our outlook and present for any inquisition from the Committee membership. We participated in good faith in 2024 Legislative Council - Transmission Undergrounding Inquiry -disappointingly we were left to conclude it was a complete waste of the public monies as Government had already predetermined the result.
The Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry and in doing so wishes to highlight that there are renewable energy projects being constructed across country NSW, not just in Renewable Energy Zones. We estimate that up to 80% of our membership is impacted in some way by the construction and operation of renewable energy generators. Our Members are concerned that the Government has created two-tiered outcomes in the renewable energy generation sector, whereby LGAs that fall within a REZ receive support from EnergyCo and other benefits while those outside a REZ are left to make their own arrangements. While the intent of the creation of the REZ was sound, the reality is that these projects are primarily driven by proximity to electricity transmission lines and access to supply corridors. This has been clearly demonstrated in southern NSW with a proliferation of solar farms either developed or in development despite the promise of South West Renewable Energy Zone.
The CMA would welcome the adoption of policies and approaches that result a more even playing field in relation to renewable energy developments, whereby every LGA can access the support networks and benefits that are currently delivered through EnergyCo for LGAs within a REZ. In addition, our Members would welcome greater engagement with the State in relation to the development of policies for renewable developments and of course in the development approval process. While we appreciate and support the Government’s goal to increase energy generation in NSW through renewable developments, it is important to remember that these developments are happening in the backyards of country councils. Consequently, it is not unreasonable for our Members to ask that where policy is being developed to drive renewable energy development, that feedback is sought from councils about the likely impacts of that policy on the communities they represent.
Voice for Walcha welcome the upper house inquiry into the Impact of Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) on rural and regional communities and industries in New South Wales. Initial planning into REZs focused on natural resources and access to potential transmission infrastructure. Desktop studies from city-centric planners, based on expressions of interest from “generator design partners” completely skipped any meaningful consultation with the communities that will be affected – the stakeholders with the most to gain or lose. Beyond the establishment of REZ boundaries, there has been no further strategic land planning undertaken by EnergyCo. Planning has failed to address the impacts the energy transition may have on the communities – positive and negative. Planning has been left to the “generator design partners” who’s primary interest is in profit – not community or sustainability.
Our town Walcha has 2 major access roads – Thunderbolt’s Way and the Oxley Highway – both are double lane roads (1 lane each way). Impacts to either of these vital arteries will have serious socio-economic consequences and impact agriculture and other industry in our region. Agriculture and rural industries can co-exist to varying extent with built renewable projects. It is the disruption to roads and workforce during construction of these projects that will have the most serious impacts to these industries. Environmental impacts have been very poorly dealt with. The New England REZ shares a boundary with the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia and wilderness areas. The impacts to biodiversity, irreplaceable threatened ecological communities, birds and bats and the wilderness experience have not been considered. This is evident in the biodiversity impacts that have been identified by DCEEW Biodiversity Division in their agency response to the Winterbourne Wind Project – proposed to border this significant biodiversity sanctuary.
The design of the NE REZ Transmission Infrastructure has also been designed on a desktop computer based on registrations of interest from “generator design partners”. Where are the [email protected] 2 “community design partners”? The central south hub of the New England REZ is located in a relatively inaccessible location with a community that cannot absorb the impacts of numerous large-scale projects – that is what the hub is going to attract. It is in a location that has already demonstrated that it is not suitable for large-scale projects. We are asking all agencies to address this major oversight in EnergyCo’s design. EnergyCo’s own interactive map highlights how inappropriate this hub is based on the current projects (as opposed to the projects that were included in the original expressions of interest). Cumulative impact studies based on local knowledge need to be undertaken before hubs are considered. If benefits and justification can be demonstrated, the community will be satisfied. If not, they remain resentful.
NSW Farmers Association REZ developments have disrupted the cultural fabric of farming communities. Disputes among landholders over hosting infrastructure have created divisions, eroding social cohesion. These cultural impacts underscore the urgent need for equitable and inclusive planning approaches. One of the most pressing issues is the uncertainty surrounding the scale and location of renewable energy projects and associated transmission lines. This uncertainty is exacerbated by inadequate community engagement from EnergyCo, Transgrid and renewable energy developers, leaving landholders and rural communities anxious about their future. The influx of large workforces during construction phases places strain on local infrastructure including housing and medical services.
Regions within REZs are facing significant impacts to agricultural productivity, particularly during construction of infrastructure. While compensation offered to landholders for hosting transmission infrastructure provides short-term benefits it does not adequately address long-term challenges with no opportunity for redress once contract periods expire. Concerns about post-payment impacts and inequitable benefit-sharing between host and neighbouring landholders remain unresolved. Further complications include the tax implications of compensation payments, the management of voluntary planning agreements, and the broader financial burden on the state economy. Additionally, the risk of fires posed by overhead transmission lines and the lack of adequate fire management protocols have deepened community concerns, highlighting the need for robust risk mitigation measures. A critical oversight in REZ development is the lack of mandatory decommissioning bonds to ensure proper site rehabilitation at the end-of-life stage of renewable energy infrastructure. Without clear legislative requirements landholders risk bearing the long-term financial and environmental costs of project decommissioning. Legislating decommissioning bonds would ensure developers are held accountable for rehabilitating land and managing project waste.
Effective and inclusive community consultation remains a significant gap in the REZ planning and development process. Current practices often exclude landholders and communities from key decision-making stages, leading to mistrust and resistance. Transparent communication, fair benefit sharing mechanisms, and acknowledgment of cumulative impacts are essential to rebuilding trust and achieving social license for renewable energy projects. Immediate action needs to be taken to be taken to account for the compounding impacts of the sustainable transition to renewable energy in rural NSW.
Mr Peter Dawson Uralla I own a small rural lifestyle farm block in the Salisbury Plains area of Uralla (137ha in the New England REZ). I graze sheep and cattle on this farm block. I also own a residential home in Uralla but my long-term plan is to build a 'green' home on my farm block and after a long submission process, Uralla Council has finally granted me a dwelling entitlement. Of course, these plans are now redundant due to the ever-increasing overdevelopment of renewable projects in my immediate area (large solar and wind developments and battery storage). If this is not bad enough, my small farm block is also fully in ENCO's transmission line investigation area. Consequently, after many years of investing in the pristine New England area, I am faced with a large loss of both visual amenity and capital value due to these huge overdeveloped industrial projects. I have attended many community meetings organised by the renewable developers and I have attended many meetings organised by ENCO. On each and every occasion I have been left feeling despondent due to the lack of care for the long term future of the local community and the bloody minded approach of both the renewable developers and ENCO. The overwhelming takeaway from each interaction is that (and I provide a quote from an ENCO representative during discussions with me) - "these are State Significant projects and they are going to happen so get used to it". So much for balanced and fair consultation !!!
In addition to the above, and in terms of further detail, my concerns for the Salisbury Plains farming area where my farm block is located are as follows: - huge loss of visual amenity due to overdevelopment of renewable projects, including huge transmission towers. - the consequent loss of capital value, particularly with my lifestyle farm block, noting that there are many similar lifestyle blocks in the Salisbury Plains area. To make matters worse, no consideration is given to loss of capital value in the investigation process. This is blatant 'theft'. - the Salisbury Plains area forms the catchment to the Macleay River at Kempsey on the mid north coast. This presents high risk for contamination. - the Salisbury Plains area contains many underground aquifers which provide water for stock and homes. This also is high risk when major construction starts, particularly the risks that wind and transmission towers present due to the depth of foundations. - the Salisbury Plains area is pristine farming and grazing land which has implications for future food security issues. It's mindless to think that such a pristine environment will be changed to an industrial landscape with the loss of agricultural capacity. Finally, my overwhelming sense is that despite what we say, and despite what objections we raise, it's clear that all investigations are simply 'box ticking' with the stated aim of pushing these projects through. Very disappointing and very unsatisfactory for a State Government that is supposed to represent the interests of all in a balanced and unbiased way.
Farmers for Climate Action’s firm position is that consideration of any power generation source must consider water use and impacts on farmers, their water, and the impacts of removing farming water on local communities and economies. As such, Farmers for Climate Action commissioned Professor Andrew Campbell, the former CEO of Land and Water Australia, to research and develop our submission to this inquiry. The issue of agricultural water access, price and impacts must be addressed transparently in consultation with agricultural communities prior to any overturning of moratoria on nuclear power generation. Polling consistently shows a quiet majority of regional Australians support renewables when done right because these projects deliver drought-proof income for farmers and shared benefits for communities.
Recent polling of regional areas by CSIRO, 89 Degrees East and Porter Novelli has continued to find more than two-thirds support and around 18 per cent opposition to projects on local farmland. All farmers who host renewable energy projects have done so voluntarily - they have made this choice because it works for them, unlike other forms of energy generation which do not require landholder consent, such as coal seam gas on farmland without the owner’s permission. FCA offers to (virtually) connect the Committee with our farmer members who are successfully hosting renewables, with clean energy making their land more profitable and productive, and the drought-proof income making their family farms more financially sustainable. Farmers are leading the clean energy shift. We urge the Committee to centre farmer voices in shaping REZs because this is a once in a generation opportunity for farmers and farming communities. We welcome further engagement and thank you for considering our submission.
11th July
We seem to have returned to a 'normal' winter pattern of frosty mornings and sunny days. While rain is always welcome our winters tend to be dry with the bulk of our rain falling in summer. There's nothing more miserable than a freezing drizzly day in my opinion.
Next Forum - Wednesday 3rd September - Water Security
In the last Council notes the article below appeared. It is one of many articles being consistently published by Council about water planning in our LGA. The reason for this is the sheer cost of any scheme to increase our water supply. As I see it there is a problem with the argument expressed here. There is no provision for household water savings or storage. NEV2030 sent a submission to council two years ago requesting that some of the REZ funds be used to subsidise home water tanks, even if the water is just used for the garden or car washing. If new builds were required to install tanks the water savings would add up tremendously. Rural landowners have had to provide their own water forever. It's not rocket science.
NEREZ and the Armidale Region: Opportunity meets urgencyARC Council Notes - 30 June 2025
The New England Renewable Energy Zone (NEREZ) is set to transform the Armidale Region into a renewable energy powerhouse, with 8 gigawatts of generation capacity and $24 billion in private investment. But while the economic opportunity is immense, the most urgent challenge is clear: water.
Armidale is expected to become a central hub within NEREZ, supporting over 1,100 new jobs and welcoming around 2,300 new residents. This growth will place unprecedented pressure on local infrastructure — and water is already in short supply.
The region faces a current water deficit, with an estimated additional demand of 700+ megalitres in dry years. Armidale’s existing infrastructure — particularly Malpas Dam — can only meet about 60% of daily demand. To address this, Armidale Regional Council (ARC) is implementing a two-stage water security strategy:
Stage 1: Restore Oaky River Dam and establish a water pipeline from Oaky River Dam to the Armidale Water Treatment Plant. Quickly followed by;
Stage 2: Raise Malpas Dam by 6.5 metres, upgrade the pipelines from Malpas Dam to Armidale Water Treatment Plant.
The water shortage problem will not go away and will remain despite the NEREZ. Unlike remote rural settlements, Armidale cannot be supported by trucking water into a city of its size during a drought.
Therefore, the staged approach provides the two-for-one investment for all levels of government: It will:
a. It will help solve the current water shortage problem for the Armidale Region
b. It will permit the construction of state and nationally significant infrastructure.
Works for the REZ cannot commence while Armidale is classed as a Category 5 (the most extreme) risk.
The Return on this Investment in water security is poised to have an enormous multiplier effect that extends beyond the local region. It will have the potential to support neighbouring LGAs such as Uralla (also a Category 5), whilst having a significant contribution to NSW and Australia meeting its greenhouse gas targets.
These upgrades are essential not only for current residents but also to support the projected population growth and industrial demand driven by NEREZ. Unfortunately, works for the REZ cannot commence while Armidale is classed as a Category 5 (the most extreme) risk.
Drawing lessons from the Central-West Orana REZ, ARC anticipates the need for up to 1,500 new dwellings, expanded health and education services, and a significant increase in water supply. Without proactive investment, the region risks the “boomtown” pitfalls of social disruption and degraded quality of life. NEREZ offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity — but only if infrastructure keeps pace. The LGA has all the ingredients, we now just need to add water so it can grow. With water security at the centre of its strategy, ARC is taking bold steps to ensure growth is sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
For comments and feedback visit, Water drops | Your Say Armidale
Private Power Poles
During the week we received a letter from Essential Energy telling us the power pole situated on our property is now our responsibility for maintenance. This pole was installed 50 years ago and has always been the property and responsibility of the electricity company. This is the first time we have been informed of this but others tell us that the policy has been around for a while. It needs some clarification. This is cost shifting in the extreme and will affect all regional landowners. NEV2030 will be writing to the Premier and other government representatives demanding a reversal of this policy. Have you been affected? Please let us know.
We seem to have returned to a 'normal' winter pattern of frosty mornings and sunny days. While rain is always welcome our winters tend to be dry with the bulk of our rain falling in summer. There's nothing more miserable than a freezing drizzly day in my opinion.
Next Forum - Wednesday 3rd September - Water Security
In the last Council notes the article below appeared. It is one of many articles being consistently published by Council about water planning in our LGA. The reason for this is the sheer cost of any scheme to increase our water supply. As I see it there is a problem with the argument expressed here. There is no provision for household water savings or storage. NEV2030 sent a submission to council two years ago requesting that some of the REZ funds be used to subsidise home water tanks, even if the water is just used for the garden or car washing. If new builds were required to install tanks the water savings would add up tremendously. Rural landowners have had to provide their own water forever. It's not rocket science.
NEREZ and the Armidale Region: Opportunity meets urgencyARC Council Notes - 30 June 2025
The New England Renewable Energy Zone (NEREZ) is set to transform the Armidale Region into a renewable energy powerhouse, with 8 gigawatts of generation capacity and $24 billion in private investment. But while the economic opportunity is immense, the most urgent challenge is clear: water.
Armidale is expected to become a central hub within NEREZ, supporting over 1,100 new jobs and welcoming around 2,300 new residents. This growth will place unprecedented pressure on local infrastructure — and water is already in short supply.
The region faces a current water deficit, with an estimated additional demand of 700+ megalitres in dry years. Armidale’s existing infrastructure — particularly Malpas Dam — can only meet about 60% of daily demand. To address this, Armidale Regional Council (ARC) is implementing a two-stage water security strategy:
Stage 1: Restore Oaky River Dam and establish a water pipeline from Oaky River Dam to the Armidale Water Treatment Plant. Quickly followed by;
Stage 2: Raise Malpas Dam by 6.5 metres, upgrade the pipelines from Malpas Dam to Armidale Water Treatment Plant.
The water shortage problem will not go away and will remain despite the NEREZ. Unlike remote rural settlements, Armidale cannot be supported by trucking water into a city of its size during a drought.
Therefore, the staged approach provides the two-for-one investment for all levels of government: It will:
a. It will help solve the current water shortage problem for the Armidale Region
b. It will permit the construction of state and nationally significant infrastructure.
Works for the REZ cannot commence while Armidale is classed as a Category 5 (the most extreme) risk.
The Return on this Investment in water security is poised to have an enormous multiplier effect that extends beyond the local region. It will have the potential to support neighbouring LGAs such as Uralla (also a Category 5), whilst having a significant contribution to NSW and Australia meeting its greenhouse gas targets.
These upgrades are essential not only for current residents but also to support the projected population growth and industrial demand driven by NEREZ. Unfortunately, works for the REZ cannot commence while Armidale is classed as a Category 5 (the most extreme) risk.
Drawing lessons from the Central-West Orana REZ, ARC anticipates the need for up to 1,500 new dwellings, expanded health and education services, and a significant increase in water supply. Without proactive investment, the region risks the “boomtown” pitfalls of social disruption and degraded quality of life. NEREZ offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity — but only if infrastructure keeps pace. The LGA has all the ingredients, we now just need to add water so it can grow. With water security at the centre of its strategy, ARC is taking bold steps to ensure growth is sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
For comments and feedback visit, Water drops | Your Say Armidale
Private Power Poles
During the week we received a letter from Essential Energy telling us the power pole situated on our property is now our responsibility for maintenance. This pole was installed 50 years ago and has always been the property and responsibility of the electricity company. This is the first time we have been informed of this but others tell us that the policy has been around for a while. It needs some clarification. This is cost shifting in the extreme and will affect all regional landowners. NEV2030 will be writing to the Premier and other government representatives demanding a reversal of this policy. Have you been affected? Please let us know.
28th June
Air Services meeting Report
On Tuesday four members of our team, Dr Julie Roberts, Dr John Nevin and Dr John Atchison OAM met with Qantas Regional Sales and Development Manager for NSW & VIC, Joshua Hogan, originally a Glen Innes lad who has been working in this role with Qantas for a few years. Joshua had reached out to us as a result of the survey and forum we held on 4th June on Air Services in Armidale. We gave Joshua a copy of the Survey Responses and assured him that the Forum was in fact very positive and we believe it answered many of the questions that people had about the reliability of the Qantas Service. We told him that there had been many challenges this year involving runway repair in February, leading to the closure of the airport, the unexpected Cyclone which had affected the weather badly and the long period of unseasonably poor weather conditions in Autumn. These challenges led to a number of cancellations which made people annoyed and they expressed their negative feelings in some of the responses. Of course we are still coming out of the terrible Covid period as well when so much in our lives was interrupted.
Joshua told us that he welcomed the feedback and our thoughtful insights and will take them into consideration going forward. He reaffirmed to us Qantas' commitment to working collaboratively with all local stakeholders. Qantas is in a transition period since they announced a significant investment in 14 additional Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft in June 2024. 6 of the 14 Q400 aircraft have now been received. These aircraft are faster than the Q200 and Q300 aircraft, saving customers time travelling to and from regional destinations. Having a younger single fleet type will also help improve operational reliability. We also discussed the on-going training program currently being undertaken by Qantas for pilots and cabin staff and that the availability of extra crew should make a difference in around six months time.
Joshua also shared news of Qantas ‘Great Aussie Adventure Sale’ which includes sales fare from Armidale starting from $159 to Sydney. This sale will run until Monday 30th June so you will need to get in quick. It is their 11th sale including Armidale in the last 12 months.
Joshua then invited us not to hesitate to reach out if we have any further thoughts or questions, and he looks forward to working closely with NEV2030 moving forward.
Future Forums
We are looking at holding two Forums in the spring - on water security for our region and on tree changers.
If you have any suggestions for a Forum please let us know.
Also if you have any questions for Joshua send them to us and we'll pass them on to him.
Air Services meeting Report
On Tuesday four members of our team, Dr Julie Roberts, Dr John Nevin and Dr John Atchison OAM met with Qantas Regional Sales and Development Manager for NSW & VIC, Joshua Hogan, originally a Glen Innes lad who has been working in this role with Qantas for a few years. Joshua had reached out to us as a result of the survey and forum we held on 4th June on Air Services in Armidale. We gave Joshua a copy of the Survey Responses and assured him that the Forum was in fact very positive and we believe it answered many of the questions that people had about the reliability of the Qantas Service. We told him that there had been many challenges this year involving runway repair in February, leading to the closure of the airport, the unexpected Cyclone which had affected the weather badly and the long period of unseasonably poor weather conditions in Autumn. These challenges led to a number of cancellations which made people annoyed and they expressed their negative feelings in some of the responses. Of course we are still coming out of the terrible Covid period as well when so much in our lives was interrupted.
Joshua told us that he welcomed the feedback and our thoughtful insights and will take them into consideration going forward. He reaffirmed to us Qantas' commitment to working collaboratively with all local stakeholders. Qantas is in a transition period since they announced a significant investment in 14 additional Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft in June 2024. 6 of the 14 Q400 aircraft have now been received. These aircraft are faster than the Q200 and Q300 aircraft, saving customers time travelling to and from regional destinations. Having a younger single fleet type will also help improve operational reliability. We also discussed the on-going training program currently being undertaken by Qantas for pilots and cabin staff and that the availability of extra crew should make a difference in around six months time.
Joshua also shared news of Qantas ‘Great Aussie Adventure Sale’ which includes sales fare from Armidale starting from $159 to Sydney. This sale will run until Monday 30th June so you will need to get in quick. It is their 11th sale including Armidale in the last 12 months.
Joshua then invited us not to hesitate to reach out if we have any further thoughts or questions, and he looks forward to working closely with NEV2030 moving forward.
Future Forums
We are looking at holding two Forums in the spring - on water security for our region and on tree changers.
If you have any suggestions for a Forum please let us know.
Also if you have any questions for Joshua send them to us and we'll pass them on to him.
13th June
Congratulations to Colin Tanner, awarded an OAM on Monday
Colin is the long serving coach and board member of the Armidale Rams Rugby League team. He began as a player in the 70's, took off the boots and has been a coach since the 80s, has also been a groundsman at Armidale Rugby League Park since the 70s. His name is on the stand, and now in the history books.
Air Services
We've had some correspondence from one of the retired international pilots who attended and spoke at our Forum, Garry Honour, who stays in touch with aviation news.
He sent this article:
"Orient Aviation - Daily Digest' June 10th 2025
The U.S.-based private equity firm Anchorage Capital Advisors is among those who have submitted a bid to take over Australia-headquartered carrier, Rex Airlines, which collapsed into voluntary administration last year, the Australian Financial Review reported, citing unnamed sources. Administrator EY and advisor Houlihan Lokey have been searching for a buyer for Rex since the airline entered voluntary administration in July last year, with binding bids reportedly due last week. The administrators have until June 30 to secure a new owner for Rex, unless they can secure a further extension to the drawn-out process. In February, the Australian government said it was prepared to consider the acquisition of the airline if a buyer was not found.
He also sent this photo
Congratulations to Colin Tanner, awarded an OAM on Monday
Colin is the long serving coach and board member of the Armidale Rams Rugby League team. He began as a player in the 70's, took off the boots and has been a coach since the 80s, has also been a groundsman at Armidale Rugby League Park since the 70s. His name is on the stand, and now in the history books.
Air Services
We've had some correspondence from one of the retired international pilots who attended and spoke at our Forum, Garry Honour, who stays in touch with aviation news.
He sent this article:
"Orient Aviation - Daily Digest' June 10th 2025
The U.S.-based private equity firm Anchorage Capital Advisors is among those who have submitted a bid to take over Australia-headquartered carrier, Rex Airlines, which collapsed into voluntary administration last year, the Australian Financial Review reported, citing unnamed sources. Administrator EY and advisor Houlihan Lokey have been searching for a buyer for Rex since the airline entered voluntary administration in July last year, with binding bids reportedly due last week. The administrators have until June 30 to secure a new owner for Rex, unless they can secure a further extension to the drawn-out process. In February, the Australian government said it was prepared to consider the acquisition of the airline if a buyer was not found.
He also sent this photo
|
Image by Cameron Gall
These are all immobilised 200 series and 300 series Dash 8 aircraft that Qantaslink has mothballed. It seems they are still searching for a suitable purchaser as QantasLink are now intent on operating the 400 Series Dash 8 which has 72 seats against 52 and 36 on the mothballed Dash aircraft at Tamworth. No doubt Qantas are trying to lure a Canadian Leasing Company who in turn will most likely sell them onto third level Airlines in Asia, the Pacific or Africa. I suggested that perhaps the Australian Government should buy them and lease them to some of our smaller airlines. |
Tourism in our Region
Council is conducting an Ideas Board for people to have their say. There are 6 questions altogether.
Go to https://yoursay.armidale.nsw.gov.au/destination-management-plan?utm_source=ehq_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehq-Help-shape-the-future-of-tourism-in-the-Armidale-Region&utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ehq
Council is conducting an Ideas Board for people to have their say. There are 6 questions altogether.
Go to https://yoursay.armidale.nsw.gov.au/destination-management-plan?utm_source=ehq_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehq-Help-shape-the-future-of-tourism-in-the-Armidale-Region&utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ehq
4th June
Thank you to all of those who braved the weather last night to attend our Air Services Forum. The event didn't disappoint at all but did highlight the complexity involved with providing a reliable air service. Thank you to our panel Robert Bell (Uralla Mayor), Andrew Hall (Airport Ground Operations) and NEV2030 Team member Martin Levins who made the evening so interesting. They were able to give us factual information which hopefully will put to rest the misconceptions about local air services being spread on social media and in conversations. I thank Dr John Atchison for sharing his notes. Unfortunately we weren't able to get the event recorded.
As promised we presented the results of our survey which attracted 248 responses. The survey was never meant to be a definitive document. It was designed to gauge current attitudes towards air services and how local travellers have been impacted by a spate of cancellations. Here is our analysis.
The majority of respondents came from Armidale 79 (%) and were over 60 (51%) or 41 - 60 (33%). Therefore many of the respondents were retirees which represents a section of the community.
Most respondents were casual travellers booking flights 1-5 times per year but it was interesting to see 13.5% flew 21 or more times in the year. A reliable air service would be essential to those travellers.
Work (25.3%), family (25.7%) and recreation (23%) dominated the reasons for flying with medical (12.7%) coming in 4th. This was a bit of a surprise but may not be accurate as we didn't canvas the opinions of the large number of visiting specialists who fly in and out of the airport. It could also reflect the rising popularity of telehealth.
Since the Covid lockdowns led to a surge in the popularity of Zoom calls, this may also affect the number of business and professional people who need to fly.
An alarming 78% of people said they couldn't rely on air services. When you consider that both train and bus services to Sydney leave in the morning and take 9 hours and the same for the journey back. To drive takes approximately 6 hours but is not an option if wanting to fly interstate or overseas. Anyone with a mid morning appointment will need to book two nights accommodation if travelling by train or bus. Qantas Link can get you there and back in a day which suits a lot of professionals and business people or those with a medical appointment. Two nights Sydney accommodation can easily exceed the cost of a return flight.
80% of respondents said they had had plans disrupted by cancellations. Andrew Hall explained that we have had an unprecedented run of bad luck with both the runway closure, the Qld cyclone and a wetter and cloudier first half of the year. April/May are normally dry and sunny. This has created a lot of cancellations and upset travellers. We are told Qantas won't cover accommodation if the cancellation is weather related. Unfortunately that means a big added expense and a mad scramble to change plans. 60% said they missed an event, 44% said they missed a domestic flight (which could be rescheduled) and 11% said they missed an international flight which is more serious. 27% said they missed accommodation. The rules for hotel bookings usually require a traveller to automatically pay for the night's accommodation if they don't give 24 hrs notice of cancellation.
81% said they felt the need to book a flight the day before to ensure being in Sydney the next day. This is due to the fact that the early morning flight is often the one that might be cancelled.
That adds again to the cost of the flight. 64% said they incurred extra costs of up to $500.
We asked for opinions of how services might be improved. 31% wanted some kind of landing system, 30% wanted competition from another airline and 23% wanted an improvement in air service reliability. The speakers addressed these suggestions.
Martin Levins spoke on Landing Systems
CASA has very strict safety rules in Australia when it comes to landing in cloud. Essentially no landing system will help if cloud is down to ground level as pilots need to have some visual access to the runway in case of an obstruction. Australia is renowned for its safety standards of which we can all be grateful.
ILS (Instrument Landing System) - Tamworth installed one of these in 2019. It took 18 months to install and cost $2m at the time. It requires the installation of a Localiser and a Glide Slope Structure. A similar unit at Armidale would probably cost almost double today.
SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) is a global Navigation Satellite System dependent on Geostationary Satellites which are part of the SOUTHPAN network (Southern Positioning Augmentation Network) - a joint initiative of the Australian and New Zealand governments. Curiously they are controlled by the Big Ridge Lockheed Martin facility constructed on a hillside near Uralla and which connects with a similar facility in New Jersey USA. SBAS is currently being trialled and is due to be available in 2027. The current Qantas Link planes are set up to use SOUTHPAN when it is available. The benefit is that there is no need to install expensive ground infrastructure.
Robert Bell (Uralla Mayor)
He started by praising the Armidale Regional Airport staff who do an outstanding job. Reliability of service is the main issue of concern to him as well as the frequency of flights.
Since the introduction of the larger Q400 planes carrying 72 passenger (as opposed to 36) the frequency of flights has decreased and he is concerned they may decrease even further. He said that the airport was critical to UNE as well as all the other regional towns like Uralla, Inverell, Glen Innes, Tenterfield, Walcha in the vicinity. With the coming intensity of construction on the REZ we can probably see an influx of FIFO workers hitting our region. A reliable air service will be of enormous importance to those companies.
Andrew Hall (Airport Ground Operations)
Andrew runs an independent company which is not employed by Qantas or Council but contracts out ground operations. He stated that the Airport is a vital piece of regional infrastructure. The current situation is not good. The runway problems are diabolical with cracks emerging in the tarmac that need to be repaired all the time. Andrew has worked at the airport for 30 years and said we should be grateful to Qantas for providing us with the service we have. Not many small communities of 25,000 people can boast such a service. (Of course we need to add in the populations in the wider region). He said that 10,000 people fly in and out of Armidale each year but Qantas Link seems to have disconnected itself from the local commercial sector. This is probably due to the layoffs and sackings during the Covid upheaval and it hasn't come back to pre-Covid levels. There is no-one at Qantas Link we can communicate with regarding our concerns. (We did try to get someone from Qantas Link to join our panel but all attempts were unsuccessful).
Questions from the floor
A retired airline pilot, Robert Charlton who spent a lifetime as a Qantas international and domestic pilot, spoke about his experiences and told us we'd never get an ILS because of the terrain and the weather. Qantas pilots are instructed to make no more than 2 approaches before turning around. He said that there is a shortage of pilots and cabin crew worldwide but this should improve within 6 months. The Q400 planes need 2 cabin crew each (1:36 passengers). Global corporate greed has been a problem with airlines making large profits but reducing service. He felt that the Commonwealth Government had a lot of work to do with civil aviation.
Another retired pilot who maintains strong links to the industry - (Garry Honour) confirmed the above comments and reiterated that air services are vital to our region and need to be seen as a priority.
Sam Coupland (Armidale Mayor) said that the airport had bigger issues such as the runway and that a new Master Plan will be ready in July/August. We need to keep thinking big picture with a runway upgrade and extension and we are looking at a figure of $28m. We have to plan for a future population expansion of 40 - 50,000 people with up to 80,000 in the wider region.
There were many more questions but the final consensus was that
Thank you to all of those who braved the weather last night to attend our Air Services Forum. The event didn't disappoint at all but did highlight the complexity involved with providing a reliable air service. Thank you to our panel Robert Bell (Uralla Mayor), Andrew Hall (Airport Ground Operations) and NEV2030 Team member Martin Levins who made the evening so interesting. They were able to give us factual information which hopefully will put to rest the misconceptions about local air services being spread on social media and in conversations. I thank Dr John Atchison for sharing his notes. Unfortunately we weren't able to get the event recorded.
As promised we presented the results of our survey which attracted 248 responses. The survey was never meant to be a definitive document. It was designed to gauge current attitudes towards air services and how local travellers have been impacted by a spate of cancellations. Here is our analysis.
The majority of respondents came from Armidale 79 (%) and were over 60 (51%) or 41 - 60 (33%). Therefore many of the respondents were retirees which represents a section of the community.
Most respondents were casual travellers booking flights 1-5 times per year but it was interesting to see 13.5% flew 21 or more times in the year. A reliable air service would be essential to those travellers.
Work (25.3%), family (25.7%) and recreation (23%) dominated the reasons for flying with medical (12.7%) coming in 4th. This was a bit of a surprise but may not be accurate as we didn't canvas the opinions of the large number of visiting specialists who fly in and out of the airport. It could also reflect the rising popularity of telehealth.
Since the Covid lockdowns led to a surge in the popularity of Zoom calls, this may also affect the number of business and professional people who need to fly.
An alarming 78% of people said they couldn't rely on air services. When you consider that both train and bus services to Sydney leave in the morning and take 9 hours and the same for the journey back. To drive takes approximately 6 hours but is not an option if wanting to fly interstate or overseas. Anyone with a mid morning appointment will need to book two nights accommodation if travelling by train or bus. Qantas Link can get you there and back in a day which suits a lot of professionals and business people or those with a medical appointment. Two nights Sydney accommodation can easily exceed the cost of a return flight.
80% of respondents said they had had plans disrupted by cancellations. Andrew Hall explained that we have had an unprecedented run of bad luck with both the runway closure, the Qld cyclone and a wetter and cloudier first half of the year. April/May are normally dry and sunny. This has created a lot of cancellations and upset travellers. We are told Qantas won't cover accommodation if the cancellation is weather related. Unfortunately that means a big added expense and a mad scramble to change plans. 60% said they missed an event, 44% said they missed a domestic flight (which could be rescheduled) and 11% said they missed an international flight which is more serious. 27% said they missed accommodation. The rules for hotel bookings usually require a traveller to automatically pay for the night's accommodation if they don't give 24 hrs notice of cancellation.
81% said they felt the need to book a flight the day before to ensure being in Sydney the next day. This is due to the fact that the early morning flight is often the one that might be cancelled.
That adds again to the cost of the flight. 64% said they incurred extra costs of up to $500.
We asked for opinions of how services might be improved. 31% wanted some kind of landing system, 30% wanted competition from another airline and 23% wanted an improvement in air service reliability. The speakers addressed these suggestions.
Martin Levins spoke on Landing Systems
CASA has very strict safety rules in Australia when it comes to landing in cloud. Essentially no landing system will help if cloud is down to ground level as pilots need to have some visual access to the runway in case of an obstruction. Australia is renowned for its safety standards of which we can all be grateful.
ILS (Instrument Landing System) - Tamworth installed one of these in 2019. It took 18 months to install and cost $2m at the time. It requires the installation of a Localiser and a Glide Slope Structure. A similar unit at Armidale would probably cost almost double today.
SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) is a global Navigation Satellite System dependent on Geostationary Satellites which are part of the SOUTHPAN network (Southern Positioning Augmentation Network) - a joint initiative of the Australian and New Zealand governments. Curiously they are controlled by the Big Ridge Lockheed Martin facility constructed on a hillside near Uralla and which connects with a similar facility in New Jersey USA. SBAS is currently being trialled and is due to be available in 2027. The current Qantas Link planes are set up to use SOUTHPAN when it is available. The benefit is that there is no need to install expensive ground infrastructure.
Robert Bell (Uralla Mayor)
He started by praising the Armidale Regional Airport staff who do an outstanding job. Reliability of service is the main issue of concern to him as well as the frequency of flights.
Since the introduction of the larger Q400 planes carrying 72 passenger (as opposed to 36) the frequency of flights has decreased and he is concerned they may decrease even further. He said that the airport was critical to UNE as well as all the other regional towns like Uralla, Inverell, Glen Innes, Tenterfield, Walcha in the vicinity. With the coming intensity of construction on the REZ we can probably see an influx of FIFO workers hitting our region. A reliable air service will be of enormous importance to those companies.
Andrew Hall (Airport Ground Operations)
Andrew runs an independent company which is not employed by Qantas or Council but contracts out ground operations. He stated that the Airport is a vital piece of regional infrastructure. The current situation is not good. The runway problems are diabolical with cracks emerging in the tarmac that need to be repaired all the time. Andrew has worked at the airport for 30 years and said we should be grateful to Qantas for providing us with the service we have. Not many small communities of 25,000 people can boast such a service. (Of course we need to add in the populations in the wider region). He said that 10,000 people fly in and out of Armidale each year but Qantas Link seems to have disconnected itself from the local commercial sector. This is probably due to the layoffs and sackings during the Covid upheaval and it hasn't come back to pre-Covid levels. There is no-one at Qantas Link we can communicate with regarding our concerns. (We did try to get someone from Qantas Link to join our panel but all attempts were unsuccessful).
Questions from the floor
A retired airline pilot, Robert Charlton who spent a lifetime as a Qantas international and domestic pilot, spoke about his experiences and told us we'd never get an ILS because of the terrain and the weather. Qantas pilots are instructed to make no more than 2 approaches before turning around. He said that there is a shortage of pilots and cabin crew worldwide but this should improve within 6 months. The Q400 planes need 2 cabin crew each (1:36 passengers). Global corporate greed has been a problem with airlines making large profits but reducing service. He felt that the Commonwealth Government had a lot of work to do with civil aviation.
Another retired pilot who maintains strong links to the industry - (Garry Honour) confirmed the above comments and reiterated that air services are vital to our region and need to be seen as a priority.
Sam Coupland (Armidale Mayor) said that the airport had bigger issues such as the runway and that a new Master Plan will be ready in July/August. We need to keep thinking big picture with a runway upgrade and extension and we are looking at a figure of $28m. We have to plan for a future population expansion of 40 - 50,000 people with up to 80,000 in the wider region.
There were many more questions but the final consensus was that
- Qantas Link is providing a service which we should be grateful for
- The airport staff provide exemplary service
- ILS is not suitable and we should aim for an SBAS System
- The government should recognise regional air travel as an essential service
- Council has a tough job with runway maintenance and applying for a major grant to upgrade and extend it
- Services should improve with more pilots and cabin staff becoming available later in the year
- We need a Qantas Link representative to be available for communications
- The community needs to continue to speak up when services deteriorate
- We can't do anything about the weather but the last few months have been unprecedented.
30th May
Less than a week to go before our Forum which has now attracted the attention of the local media with articles in both the Express and NE Times. The survey has now attracted 146 responses and will close tomorrow Saturday so that we have time to do an analysis and presentation. Results will be presented at the Forum and will provided numerical data to support our submission to be compiled afterwards to be sent to both Qantas and the Hon. Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (including Aviation). It is clear that this community is highly dissatisfied with the current service and something has to change.
Team member Dr John Atchison attended the SRI sponsored event 'Reimagining Regional Prosperity' last night. It was very well attended and our congratulations go to Charlotte Murray and her team who put the program together. Speakers on a panel included
1. To get success in the region
Less than a week to go before our Forum which has now attracted the attention of the local media with articles in both the Express and NE Times. The survey has now attracted 146 responses and will close tomorrow Saturday so that we have time to do an analysis and presentation. Results will be presented at the Forum and will provided numerical data to support our submission to be compiled afterwards to be sent to both Qantas and the Hon. Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (including Aviation). It is clear that this community is highly dissatisfied with the current service and something has to change.
Team member Dr John Atchison attended the SRI sponsored event 'Reimagining Regional Prosperity' last night. It was very well attended and our congratulations go to Charlotte Murray and her team who put the program together. Speakers on a panel included
- MC: Renee Grogan (Stewardship Lead and Sustainability Director)
- Sarah Pearson (UNE Chancellor and global innovation leader)
- Sam Duncan (Founder, FarmLab)
- Bernie Shakeshaft (Founder and Director, BackTrack)
- Michael Burge (Author and Journalist, Guardian Australia Rural Network)
1. To get success in the region
- we need to play to our strengths
- have thriving growing businesses
- have an inclusive collective approach which includes the arts and entrepreneurs
- we need to look forward with a vision and a dream
- aim to not leave anyone behind
- inspiring people to love the place they live in
- empowering people to achieve their goals by giving them the right tools
- encouraging the population to work collectively
- acknowledging that Australia is a knowledge based economy
- ensuring we have a pipeline of leaders and talent that are focused on glabal competitiveness
- avoid negative talk and aim for how to follow through with solutions
- acknowledge that climate change is providing big challenges for agriculture
- making sure we listen to their needs
- eradicating ego in any solutions
- finding people with lived experience
- recognising creativity is rarely rewarded
- enabling regional returners
- eradicating the friction that blocks progress
23rd May
Thank you for all of your responses to our survey. We are up to 107 which is excellent.
One alarming response to the question:
Do you feel the need to book a flight out of Armidale the day before an event due to uncertainty in departures?
85.7% said yes. This answer is not unexpected as we all have our own experiences or know of others but it does mean added expense and inconvenience. Responses to the full survey will be shown at our Forum on Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm. We are getting feedback that this will be a very well attended event.
Thank you to everyone who has helped promote the survey and forum.
For those of you who found it difficult to access the survey using the QR code, here's the link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-bYhJIMTPKLe5lmWB6eHh8mN8mLmfsiAB9UTmEOlDWTfh0Q/viewform
They say a week is a long time in politics - I think we are living through one of the most tumultuous periods in Australian political history. Gabrielle Chan pointed out in her article in the Guardian today 'Ditching the Liberals can put the grunt back into the Nationals' that the Nationals are not the only party to represent rural and regional people. Liberals and some independents are making in-roads and younger people moving to regional areas are bringing different voting patterns. She thinks the Nationals need a make-over, split off from the Coalition and take on the balance of power.
It's an interesting proposition.
If anyone doubted the existence of climate change, they need look no further than the flooding on the coast and the unprecedented deluge experienced by people who live there. Our sympathies go out to people seriously affected - we won't know the full damage until the waters recede. The cost will be unbelievable. This is a crisis for our country as we are hit by natural disaster after disaster not giving us time to fully recover from the previous one. Somehow we are going to have to have a hard look at planning laws, river management, housing design, etc. It has already started to happen but the hard decisions seem to get watered down by the process of politics and all the vested interests that interfere.
I can't believe I'm saying this but I am looking forward to the first frost and the clear sunny days that follow.
Thank you for all of your responses to our survey. We are up to 107 which is excellent.
One alarming response to the question:
Do you feel the need to book a flight out of Armidale the day before an event due to uncertainty in departures?
85.7% said yes. This answer is not unexpected as we all have our own experiences or know of others but it does mean added expense and inconvenience. Responses to the full survey will be shown at our Forum on Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm. We are getting feedback that this will be a very well attended event.
Thank you to everyone who has helped promote the survey and forum.
For those of you who found it difficult to access the survey using the QR code, here's the link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-bYhJIMTPKLe5lmWB6eHh8mN8mLmfsiAB9UTmEOlDWTfh0Q/viewform
They say a week is a long time in politics - I think we are living through one of the most tumultuous periods in Australian political history. Gabrielle Chan pointed out in her article in the Guardian today 'Ditching the Liberals can put the grunt back into the Nationals' that the Nationals are not the only party to represent rural and regional people. Liberals and some independents are making in-roads and younger people moving to regional areas are bringing different voting patterns. She thinks the Nationals need a make-over, split off from the Coalition and take on the balance of power.
It's an interesting proposition.
If anyone doubted the existence of climate change, they need look no further than the flooding on the coast and the unprecedented deluge experienced by people who live there. Our sympathies go out to people seriously affected - we won't know the full damage until the waters recede. The cost will be unbelievable. This is a crisis for our country as we are hit by natural disaster after disaster not giving us time to fully recover from the previous one. Somehow we are going to have to have a hard look at planning laws, river management, housing design, etc. It has already started to happen but the hard decisions seem to get watered down by the process of politics and all the vested interests that interfere.
I can't believe I'm saying this but I am looking forward to the first frost and the clear sunny days that follow.
17th May
Just a reminder if you haven't done our survey there is a code embedded in this email. It takes about a minute to do but it will be very helpful when we write a submission to the Federal Government about improving Air Services in Armidale. So far we have 82 responses and are wanting to reach 100. Please take a minute of your time to do the survey now.
Responses will be shared with you at our Forum on Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30 pm.
Over the past two weeks I have enjoyed eating out at the new Ezidi restaurant in the Mall. Salam Qaro and his wife are working hard to make this enterprise work. Salam was one of our speakers at our Ezidi Forum last year. I notice there is a new Ezidi cafe which has also opened up in Miller St. The history of migration in Australia has seen successive waves of migrants open up dining places and shops as a way of allowing their own ethnic group to access their favourite foods and to introduce Australians into a new cuisine. Over the years these foods have made their way into mainstream and enriched Australia with a variety of foods which is missing from many other countries. It also helps build tolerance and reduce prejudice towards our new settlers.
Another couple who are recent arrivals in our town are Amelia and Brian Willmer who introduced Sceptics in the Pub to our city. This is a national organisation and Amelia and Brian have been congratulated at their last conference for hosting the most successful sceptics event in a region. They hold these discussions at the Welders Dog Brewery in Beardy St. The next one is on 28th May at 6pm.
This morning I visited Dangars Falls NP and was astonished at how lush everything looked. There was a lot of water gushing over the falls and this is obviously a great time to visit our local national parks.
Just a reminder if you haven't done our survey there is a code embedded in this email. It takes about a minute to do but it will be very helpful when we write a submission to the Federal Government about improving Air Services in Armidale. So far we have 82 responses and are wanting to reach 100. Please take a minute of your time to do the survey now.
Responses will be shared with you at our Forum on Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30 pm.
Over the past two weeks I have enjoyed eating out at the new Ezidi restaurant in the Mall. Salam Qaro and his wife are working hard to make this enterprise work. Salam was one of our speakers at our Ezidi Forum last year. I notice there is a new Ezidi cafe which has also opened up in Miller St. The history of migration in Australia has seen successive waves of migrants open up dining places and shops as a way of allowing their own ethnic group to access their favourite foods and to introduce Australians into a new cuisine. Over the years these foods have made their way into mainstream and enriched Australia with a variety of foods which is missing from many other countries. It also helps build tolerance and reduce prejudice towards our new settlers.
Another couple who are recent arrivals in our town are Amelia and Brian Willmer who introduced Sceptics in the Pub to our city. This is a national organisation and Amelia and Brian have been congratulated at their last conference for hosting the most successful sceptics event in a region. They hold these discussions at the Welders Dog Brewery in Beardy St. The next one is on 28th May at 6pm.
This morning I visited Dangars Falls NP and was astonished at how lush everything looked. There was a lot of water gushing over the falls and this is obviously a great time to visit our local national parks.
9th May
Our Forum on Air Services on Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale Bowling Club at 5.30pm is starting to shape up.
We can now announce our speakers - Robert Bell (Uralla Mayor), Andrew Hall (his company conducts ground operations for Qantas), Qantas Link Rep (to be confirmed). NEV2030 Team member Martin Levins (landing systems).
The idea of this Forum is to inform our residents of the many complexities involved with air services in a regional area.
Rumours run rampant and social media tends to focus on misinformation.
We strive to give you the truth.
We will also be releasing the results of our survey into community attitudes towards air services in Armidale.
If you haven't taken part please do so now on the QR code below. We have 65 respondents so far and want to get to 100 at least.
I know that we are all being bombarded with surveys lately and are switched off.
This one is important - please help us. If you can share it on your FB sites that would be excellent.
Our Forum on Air Services on Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale Bowling Club at 5.30pm is starting to shape up.
We can now announce our speakers - Robert Bell (Uralla Mayor), Andrew Hall (his company conducts ground operations for Qantas), Qantas Link Rep (to be confirmed). NEV2030 Team member Martin Levins (landing systems).
The idea of this Forum is to inform our residents of the many complexities involved with air services in a regional area.
Rumours run rampant and social media tends to focus on misinformation.
We strive to give you the truth.
We will also be releasing the results of our survey into community attitudes towards air services in Armidale.
If you haven't taken part please do so now on the QR code below. We have 65 respondents so far and want to get to 100 at least.
I know that we are all being bombarded with surveys lately and are switched off.
This one is important - please help us. If you can share it on your FB sites that would be excellent.
14th April
Thank you to everyone who came along last night. Feedback tells us it was a very informative event.
Thank you to the four candidates who agreed to answer your questions.
All of the candidates had plenty of speaking time throughout the evening and we tried to ensure a balance.
Speeches were timed in order to keep the event moving at a fairly quick pace which allowed for plenty of questions.
A number of written questions were collected to be sent to Barnaby Joyce.
Meet the Candidates was recorded by 2ARM-FM and is available to listen to as a podcast.
https://2arm.net.au/podcast/
New England Times streamed the event as well and will be making the video available at some stage.
Our next Forum 'Air Services in Armidale' will be held on Wednesday 4th June.
Thank you to everyone who came along last night. Feedback tells us it was a very informative event.
Thank you to the four candidates who agreed to answer your questions.
All of the candidates had plenty of speaking time throughout the evening and we tried to ensure a balance.
Speeches were timed in order to keep the event moving at a fairly quick pace which allowed for plenty of questions.
A number of written questions were collected to be sent to Barnaby Joyce.
Meet the Candidates was recorded by 2ARM-FM and is available to listen to as a podcast.
https://2arm.net.au/podcast/
New England Times streamed the event as well and will be making the video available at some stage.
Our next Forum 'Air Services in Armidale' will be held on Wednesday 4th June.
29th March
The election has now been called for 3rd May. That was unexpected as 3rd May is a public holiday in Qld and NT. We have had to change the date for our Meet the Candidates as the announced election date is too close to our original date of 30th April. We have booked the Armidale City Bowling Club for Monday 14th April from 5.30 - 7.30pm. See flyer above.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the week Dr Julie Roberts and I attended the
Celebration of life for Jeff Siegel who has died aged 79.
He was a lovely person and a great contributor to Sanctuary and other causes in our community.
Another local Giant has now passed and will be sadly missed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On another note SLA Armidale asked if we could help publicise this new program.
Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA), Electrify Armidale, and partners are excited to be bringing a new program to Armidale this year, the Armidale Community-Driven Shift to Renewable Energy and Sustainability. Thanks to the Future for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and with funding through their Community-Led Climate Solutions, we’ve secured a grant to enable us to run a series of events designed to make energy efficiency and electrification easy and accessible, and to help local communities make the most out of the renewable energy generation that is coming to the region. Working alongside our partners UNE SRI and Community Power Agency this initiative is spearheaded by Electrify Armidale for a Renewable Energy Future. Throughout the year, a series of FREE public events will offer hands-on learning experiences empowering residents and businesses to cut energy costs, improve home efficiency, and actively engage in the clean energy transition. Covering everything from home energy upgrades and electric vehicles to battery storage and large-scale renewable projects, the program will connect the community with expert advice, financial incentives, and trusted suppliers.
We would like to extend a warm invitation to your members and the Armidale and regional community to attend. This event is for anyone – be they renters, homeowners, energy professionals, business leaders or community advocates. All you need is an interest in reducing energy bills, exploring energy efficiency and improving comfort and engagement for all.
Expert speakers include:
• Calum Harvey-Scholes – Rewiring Australia and Electrify 2515 pilot program
• Jaime Comber – Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes, UTS
• Piroska Bisits-Bullen – ZapCat, Electrify Everything
• Matt Peterson – Automised Energy, Regain Control of Your Power Bills
• Mahalath Halperin - Eco architect and environmental assessor
Registrations are open here.
The election has now been called for 3rd May. That was unexpected as 3rd May is a public holiday in Qld and NT. We have had to change the date for our Meet the Candidates as the announced election date is too close to our original date of 30th April. We have booked the Armidale City Bowling Club for Monday 14th April from 5.30 - 7.30pm. See flyer above.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the week Dr Julie Roberts and I attended the
Celebration of life for Jeff Siegel who has died aged 79.
He was a lovely person and a great contributor to Sanctuary and other causes in our community.
Another local Giant has now passed and will be sadly missed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On another note SLA Armidale asked if we could help publicise this new program.
Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA), Electrify Armidale, and partners are excited to be bringing a new program to Armidale this year, the Armidale Community-Driven Shift to Renewable Energy and Sustainability. Thanks to the Future for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and with funding through their Community-Led Climate Solutions, we’ve secured a grant to enable us to run a series of events designed to make energy efficiency and electrification easy and accessible, and to help local communities make the most out of the renewable energy generation that is coming to the region. Working alongside our partners UNE SRI and Community Power Agency this initiative is spearheaded by Electrify Armidale for a Renewable Energy Future. Throughout the year, a series of FREE public events will offer hands-on learning experiences empowering residents and businesses to cut energy costs, improve home efficiency, and actively engage in the clean energy transition. Covering everything from home energy upgrades and electric vehicles to battery storage and large-scale renewable projects, the program will connect the community with expert advice, financial incentives, and trusted suppliers.
We would like to extend a warm invitation to your members and the Armidale and regional community to attend. This event is for anyone – be they renters, homeowners, energy professionals, business leaders or community advocates. All you need is an interest in reducing energy bills, exploring energy efficiency and improving comfort and engagement for all.
Expert speakers include:
• Calum Harvey-Scholes – Rewiring Australia and Electrify 2515 pilot program
• Jaime Comber – Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes, UTS
• Piroska Bisits-Bullen – ZapCat, Electrify Everything
• Matt Peterson – Automised Energy, Regain Control of Your Power Bills
• Mahalath Halperin - Eco architect and environmental assessor
Registrations are open here.
14th March
We have now started to advertise our Meet the Candidates event scheduled for
Wednesday 30th April at the Armidale City Bowling Club from 5.30 - 7.30.
The invitation is above. We would appreciate it greatly if you could share this invitation through your own networks.
Advertising is difficult these days and we want to reach as many residents as possible.
We are happy to announce that the Labor Candidate Laura Hughes has accepted the invitation and will be present to answer your questions.
Invitations have been sent to Barnaby Joyce and Brent Larkham of One Nation.
Nominations will not close until 33 days before the election so we won't have the complete list of Candidates until mid April.
If you know of someone who will be nominating please ask them to get in touch with us.
Next Forum
Air Services in Armidale Region
Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale City Bowling Club from 5.30 - 7.00.
In preparation for this we will be conducting a survey in order to gather some data and your experiences with using local air travel.
We want to distribute this online survey as widely as possible - we will let you know when it comes online.
In the meantime please save the date.
We have now started to advertise our Meet the Candidates event scheduled for
Wednesday 30th April at the Armidale City Bowling Club from 5.30 - 7.30.
The invitation is above. We would appreciate it greatly if you could share this invitation through your own networks.
Advertising is difficult these days and we want to reach as many residents as possible.
We are happy to announce that the Labor Candidate Laura Hughes has accepted the invitation and will be present to answer your questions.
Invitations have been sent to Barnaby Joyce and Brent Larkham of One Nation.
Nominations will not close until 33 days before the election so we won't have the complete list of Candidates until mid April.
If you know of someone who will be nominating please ask them to get in touch with us.
Next Forum
Air Services in Armidale Region
Wednesday 4th June at the Armidale City Bowling Club from 5.30 - 7.00.
In preparation for this we will be conducting a survey in order to gather some data and your experiences with using local air travel.
We want to distribute this online survey as widely as possible - we will let you know when it comes online.
In the meantime please save the date.
29th November
This will be the final weekly update for 2024. Thank you so much for your support this year. It's been a big year for us with some very large events and we would like to thank the Armidale Bowling Club for their in-kind support. I will continue to send you the odd news item during our recess period particularly relating to rail trail funding and developments as they arise. Don't forget our next Forum on AI on Wednesday 12th February. An invitation will be sent out in January.
The big and very disappointing news this week was the withdrawal of both State and Federal funding for the trail. Here is the press release put out by Mayor Sam Coupland in Council news.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised the Armidale Regional Council (ARC) that the $5.4m grant received to build the first stage of the New England Rail Trail has been withdrawn. NEMA is the Federal Labour Government body tasked with administering the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Program (BSBR).
Mayor Sam Coupland said “I am gutted that a grant already awarded on the basis of merit, and backed by the community, has been withdrawn. What frustrates me the most is the absurd amount of time NEMA consumed stringing ARC along and effectively running ‘down the clock’ on the grant, wasting Council time and ratepayer resources. The lack of urgency makes a mockery of the entire process.”
“It took NEMA 13 months, from 27 June 2023 through until 13 June 2024, to consider changes to the project and in that time personnel changes at NEMA meant the decision maker changed three times.
Throughout this process, ARC followed up NEMA at least monthly and when meetings were granted we would discover another change in personnel and we would move back to square one again. Had NEMA been even remotely responsive ARC would have had more than enough time to do what was required to deliver the first stage of the Trail.”
ARC has submitted other grant applications to complete the 67km Armidale – Ben Lomond Section of the New England Rail Trail to the Federal Government. Mayor Coupland said “Building the Armidale to Ben Lomond section of the New England Rail Trail remains a key focus of ARC and the current council, to deliver genuine adventure tourism as well as providing a significant amenity for our residents. Our $21.1m grant application has progressed to the final stage of the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program and we expect to hear the outcome of this application in coming weeks.
ABC Radio was humming with text messages and phone calls on Tuesday. One uninformed notion is the return of freight which can't happen. The new freight carriages have to travel on flat land if they want to maintain a certain speed. This is the reason for the inland rail. Our line has a steady climb to over 1200m with curves that couldn't accommodate the new carriages. The line from Wallangarra to Stanthorpe is permanently closed with no intention of re-opening. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if we don't see a Wallangarra - Stanthorpe rail trail before ours. Qld is powering ahead with their rail trails as they see the economic benefit to small towns. NSW is lagging far behind.
Support for Renewables
‘Silent majority’ of Australian farmers found to support renewable energy transition
Survey conducted by Farmers for Climate Action found just 17% opposed renewable energy developments, with 8% strongly opposed
Calla Wahlquist The Guardian Tue 26 Nov 2024
Seventy per cent of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland, a new survey has found. The survey, conducted for lobby group Farmers for Climate Action, found that support for renewable energy developments increased to 73% for people connected to the farming industry, but was conditional on concerns around consultation, project design and decommissioning being met. Just 17% of respondents said they opposed renewable energy developments, with 8% strongly opposed. The Farmers for Climate Action chief executive, Natalie Collard, said the results showed the “silent majority” of farmers support the renewable transition, despite an increasingly loud campaign by anti-renewable voices. Collard said the survey, which included a poll of 1,000 people and a smaller focus group discussion among 19 farmers, including “a lot of detractors”, showed that those who vocally opposed renewable energy developments and those who said they would support them on their land shared the same concerns.
Those concerns were the potential impact of a project on their ongoing use of the land for farming, a fear they would be left with the costs of decommissioning and a general distrust of developers. Whether that translated to a broader opposition to all renewable energy developments depended on the individual’s general trust in government to hold developers to account, Collard said.
Anti-renewable campaigners have marched on Canberra twice and held packed community meetings throughout NSW and Qld backed by National party politicians and a pledge by the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, that the Coalition would cap renewable energy investment if elected. Collard said most of the concerns raised could be addressed through the government introducing national standards for the conduct of developers, including guidelines around decommissioning and consultation. Decommissioning plans, which are already required as part of the approvals process, should be made readily available on developers’ websites, and developers should also use social media to better engage with the community, she said.
Land use concerns could be ameliorated by giving farmers a say in project design, the survey found. “We know that a lot of developers are already acting to a high standard,” Collard said. “They are not the ones that are letting the sector down. “Some developers are opting to pay the fine rather than do community consultation. That should not even be an option.” Farmers who supported renewable energy developments said the income security from hosting a project– which averages $40,000 per wind turbine per annum or $1,200 per hectare for a solar farm – could “drought proof” their business. A livestock and cropping farmer from NSW told the focus group: “The biggest benefit would be a constant source of income regardless of seasonal conditions and livestock prices. This is very important to me, particularly given the current returns in agriculture.” Collard said an analysis by the Clean Energy Council found large-scale wind and solar projects could deliver up to $11.7bn to farmers in landholder payments by 2050. “It’s incredible to me that there are some voices in agriculture that are prepared to take away choice from farmers who want to host renewables and make money from it,” she said. “That’s something I have never seen in Australian agriculture before and I am just shocked that it’s not held to account.”
This will be the final weekly update for 2024. Thank you so much for your support this year. It's been a big year for us with some very large events and we would like to thank the Armidale Bowling Club for their in-kind support. I will continue to send you the odd news item during our recess period particularly relating to rail trail funding and developments as they arise. Don't forget our next Forum on AI on Wednesday 12th February. An invitation will be sent out in January.
The big and very disappointing news this week was the withdrawal of both State and Federal funding for the trail. Here is the press release put out by Mayor Sam Coupland in Council news.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised the Armidale Regional Council (ARC) that the $5.4m grant received to build the first stage of the New England Rail Trail has been withdrawn. NEMA is the Federal Labour Government body tasked with administering the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Program (BSBR).
Mayor Sam Coupland said “I am gutted that a grant already awarded on the basis of merit, and backed by the community, has been withdrawn. What frustrates me the most is the absurd amount of time NEMA consumed stringing ARC along and effectively running ‘down the clock’ on the grant, wasting Council time and ratepayer resources. The lack of urgency makes a mockery of the entire process.”
“It took NEMA 13 months, from 27 June 2023 through until 13 June 2024, to consider changes to the project and in that time personnel changes at NEMA meant the decision maker changed three times.
Throughout this process, ARC followed up NEMA at least monthly and when meetings were granted we would discover another change in personnel and we would move back to square one again. Had NEMA been even remotely responsive ARC would have had more than enough time to do what was required to deliver the first stage of the Trail.”
ARC has submitted other grant applications to complete the 67km Armidale – Ben Lomond Section of the New England Rail Trail to the Federal Government. Mayor Coupland said “Building the Armidale to Ben Lomond section of the New England Rail Trail remains a key focus of ARC and the current council, to deliver genuine adventure tourism as well as providing a significant amenity for our residents. Our $21.1m grant application has progressed to the final stage of the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program and we expect to hear the outcome of this application in coming weeks.
ABC Radio was humming with text messages and phone calls on Tuesday. One uninformed notion is the return of freight which can't happen. The new freight carriages have to travel on flat land if they want to maintain a certain speed. This is the reason for the inland rail. Our line has a steady climb to over 1200m with curves that couldn't accommodate the new carriages. The line from Wallangarra to Stanthorpe is permanently closed with no intention of re-opening. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if we don't see a Wallangarra - Stanthorpe rail trail before ours. Qld is powering ahead with their rail trails as they see the economic benefit to small towns. NSW is lagging far behind.
Support for Renewables
‘Silent majority’ of Australian farmers found to support renewable energy transition
Survey conducted by Farmers for Climate Action found just 17% opposed renewable energy developments, with 8% strongly opposed
Calla Wahlquist The Guardian Tue 26 Nov 2024
Seventy per cent of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland, a new survey has found. The survey, conducted for lobby group Farmers for Climate Action, found that support for renewable energy developments increased to 73% for people connected to the farming industry, but was conditional on concerns around consultation, project design and decommissioning being met. Just 17% of respondents said they opposed renewable energy developments, with 8% strongly opposed. The Farmers for Climate Action chief executive, Natalie Collard, said the results showed the “silent majority” of farmers support the renewable transition, despite an increasingly loud campaign by anti-renewable voices. Collard said the survey, which included a poll of 1,000 people and a smaller focus group discussion among 19 farmers, including “a lot of detractors”, showed that those who vocally opposed renewable energy developments and those who said they would support them on their land shared the same concerns.
Those concerns were the potential impact of a project on their ongoing use of the land for farming, a fear they would be left with the costs of decommissioning and a general distrust of developers. Whether that translated to a broader opposition to all renewable energy developments depended on the individual’s general trust in government to hold developers to account, Collard said.
Anti-renewable campaigners have marched on Canberra twice and held packed community meetings throughout NSW and Qld backed by National party politicians and a pledge by the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, that the Coalition would cap renewable energy investment if elected. Collard said most of the concerns raised could be addressed through the government introducing national standards for the conduct of developers, including guidelines around decommissioning and consultation. Decommissioning plans, which are already required as part of the approvals process, should be made readily available on developers’ websites, and developers should also use social media to better engage with the community, she said.
Land use concerns could be ameliorated by giving farmers a say in project design, the survey found. “We know that a lot of developers are already acting to a high standard,” Collard said. “They are not the ones that are letting the sector down. “Some developers are opting to pay the fine rather than do community consultation. That should not even be an option.” Farmers who supported renewable energy developments said the income security from hosting a project– which averages $40,000 per wind turbine per annum or $1,200 per hectare for a solar farm – could “drought proof” their business. A livestock and cropping farmer from NSW told the focus group: “The biggest benefit would be a constant source of income regardless of seasonal conditions and livestock prices. This is very important to me, particularly given the current returns in agriculture.” Collard said an analysis by the Clean Energy Council found large-scale wind and solar projects could deliver up to $11.7bn to farmers in landholder payments by 2050. “It’s incredible to me that there are some voices in agriculture that are prepared to take away choice from farmers who want to host renewables and make money from it,” she said. “That’s something I have never seen in Australian agriculture before and I am just shocked that it’s not held to account.”
22nd November
Congratulations to Amelia and Brian Willmer who started and ran a very successful 'Sceptics in the Pub' series this year.
Chief organiser Amelia managed to get some outstanding speakers to entice discussion on some very thought provoking topics that are affecting society today. In fact the National committee of Sceptics have complimented them on their success and are looking at emulating these kinds of events in other regional towns. 'Sceptics in the Pub' now gone into recess (along with many other local organisations including NEV2030) and will begin a new program in February. If you haven't been to one of these events look out for it next year.
Rebalance the Nation
Regional Australia Institute Year 2 Report
Regional Australia stands on the precipice of enormous change and opportunity Almost 9.8 million people now call our regions home and research shows us the nation’s love affair with regional living is far from over. The regional renaissance has continued into 2024, with the number of city-dwellers choosing a life in the regions hitting a 12-month high in the first quarter of 2024 and movers to regional Australia continuing at a higher level than those seen pre-COVID, at 16% - 20% above the preCOVID average in 2024.
A new era is upon us – a time when the lifestyle, career opportunities and affordability of our regions are proving magnetic, drawing in and retaining people in our regional communities. We are starting to ‘Rebalance the Nation’! There are significant opportunities for further growth and investment in regional Australia as the nation races to net zero emissions This year, the impact and initiatives emerging from the Federal Government’s net zero commitments have been increasingly felt in regional communities. With strong industry prospects and diverse careers building, regional Australia stands ready to support.
Yet RAI research has found that Australia’s net zero targets are under threat unless the regions are given a genuine seat at the table to drive forward the transition and unlock these opportunities. Regional leaders are calling out for more information and targeted, practical advice as to what the transition to net zero requires, and the opportunities therein, from the energy transition to circularity and industry transformation. Without strategic coordination and collaboration between industry, government and communities, this once-in-alifetime opportunity to strengthen and Rebalance the Nation will be lost. The Net Zero Economy Authority will be key to addressing this current shortfall and delivering meaningful, positive outcomes for regional communities impacted. How do we ensure our nation’s decarbonisation goals are just and will provide regional people with a seat at the table to make decisions that impact their future? Whether we are talking about population or the transition to net zero, this change cannot occur at any cost to our regions, instead it must be driven by them - power must reside in the hands of those who will be most affected.
For decades the rhetoric in our nation held regional Australia in a light that built a deficit mindset. Not only did this lead to significant underinvestment, but it also underpinned the demise of much of the social fabric within our regional communities. Finally, the pendulum has swung back and it’s our time in regional Australia. Let’s not squander this, let’s get to work and do the heavy lifting required to reshape this nation. Let’s ensure that regions are front and centre in all decision making. The Regionalisation Ambition 2032 provides a framework to achieve this, co-designed by regional Australians, governments at all levels and industry. Creating long-term uplift in regional communities requires a systemic approach. The framework lays out a pathway to Rebalance the Nation through collective action and moving beyond the siloed approaches that have traditionally held regions – and Australia – back.
You can download the Report (61MB) here
https://rebalancethenation.com.au/common/Uploaded%20files/Files/2024/Year%202%20Progress%20Report/Regionalisation%20Ambition%202032%20-%20Year%202%20Progress%20Report.pdf
Congratulations to Amelia and Brian Willmer who started and ran a very successful 'Sceptics in the Pub' series this year.
Chief organiser Amelia managed to get some outstanding speakers to entice discussion on some very thought provoking topics that are affecting society today. In fact the National committee of Sceptics have complimented them on their success and are looking at emulating these kinds of events in other regional towns. 'Sceptics in the Pub' now gone into recess (along with many other local organisations including NEV2030) and will begin a new program in February. If you haven't been to one of these events look out for it next year.
Rebalance the Nation
Regional Australia Institute Year 2 Report
Regional Australia stands on the precipice of enormous change and opportunity Almost 9.8 million people now call our regions home and research shows us the nation’s love affair with regional living is far from over. The regional renaissance has continued into 2024, with the number of city-dwellers choosing a life in the regions hitting a 12-month high in the first quarter of 2024 and movers to regional Australia continuing at a higher level than those seen pre-COVID, at 16% - 20% above the preCOVID average in 2024.
A new era is upon us – a time when the lifestyle, career opportunities and affordability of our regions are proving magnetic, drawing in and retaining people in our regional communities. We are starting to ‘Rebalance the Nation’! There are significant opportunities for further growth and investment in regional Australia as the nation races to net zero emissions This year, the impact and initiatives emerging from the Federal Government’s net zero commitments have been increasingly felt in regional communities. With strong industry prospects and diverse careers building, regional Australia stands ready to support.
Yet RAI research has found that Australia’s net zero targets are under threat unless the regions are given a genuine seat at the table to drive forward the transition and unlock these opportunities. Regional leaders are calling out for more information and targeted, practical advice as to what the transition to net zero requires, and the opportunities therein, from the energy transition to circularity and industry transformation. Without strategic coordination and collaboration between industry, government and communities, this once-in-alifetime opportunity to strengthen and Rebalance the Nation will be lost. The Net Zero Economy Authority will be key to addressing this current shortfall and delivering meaningful, positive outcomes for regional communities impacted. How do we ensure our nation’s decarbonisation goals are just and will provide regional people with a seat at the table to make decisions that impact their future? Whether we are talking about population or the transition to net zero, this change cannot occur at any cost to our regions, instead it must be driven by them - power must reside in the hands of those who will be most affected.
For decades the rhetoric in our nation held regional Australia in a light that built a deficit mindset. Not only did this lead to significant underinvestment, but it also underpinned the demise of much of the social fabric within our regional communities. Finally, the pendulum has swung back and it’s our time in regional Australia. Let’s not squander this, let’s get to work and do the heavy lifting required to reshape this nation. Let’s ensure that regions are front and centre in all decision making. The Regionalisation Ambition 2032 provides a framework to achieve this, co-designed by regional Australians, governments at all levels and industry. Creating long-term uplift in regional communities requires a systemic approach. The framework lays out a pathway to Rebalance the Nation through collective action and moving beyond the siloed approaches that have traditionally held regions – and Australia – back.
You can download the Report (61MB) here
https://rebalancethenation.com.au/common/Uploaded%20files/Files/2024/Year%202%20Progress%20Report/Regionalisation%20Ambition%202032%20-%20Year%202%20Progress%20Report.pdf
15th November
What a cataclysmic nine days we have had since the US election was decided with Donald Trump the victor once again. How did he win? He actually got much the same vote as in 2016 but the people who could have made the difference didn't vote. It's as simple as that. It always confuses me as to why Americans would overlook the many deficiencies and lawless attitudes of Trump to vote against their best interests. Are they so brain-washed by social media that they believed the lies? Many said they didn't take him seriously - the campaign was just theatre - that's Trump - he's a showman. I believe a large proportion of voters just couldn't bring themselves to vote for a woman of colour. They voted for a man of colour - twice - but a woman?...
Trump is fast tracking his captain's picks to lead the huge American bureaucracy - all loyalists - most with no qualifications to lead a huge government department. So what will happen when they front up to the executive staff? I've been told that when Elon Musk took over Space X he was so inept - a number of staff members were assigned to feed him the information they were happy for him to have and to reduce any decision making on his part. When he sacked the moderators at Twitter (X) some of them started a rival channel called Bluesky which is clean of misinformation and all the nasty things now posted on Twitter (X). It has over 16 million followers already and is gaining more by the second. I signed up this morning.
So what do some of the captain's picks mean for Australia? The new Head of Intelligence is a known 'ally' of Putin and Assad. I suspect our Allies will now limit the intelligence they share with the US as under her 'leadership', trust will have flown out the window. Intelligence sharing is a highly sensitive area requiring excellent analysis from experts. She will be responsible for briefing Trump daily. Will she just tell him what he wants to hear and not the truth? Will our alliance with the US weaken? By this time in 2025 things will be very clear. Then there is an anti-vaccer in charge of the Health Dept. As one wag put it - RFK Jr will 'make America sick again'. What will happen with the great American pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna? Will they now go offshore sacking thousands of employees? We know that many small businesses employ undocumented workers and will have to close if they lose their employees... and where will they be deported to? A deserted island in the Caribbean? I can't see Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, etc. taking them back.
All of this makes one's head spin because it is so illogical. Fortunately there is some pushback. The Democratic Governors have united to stop the worst of the MAGA policies from impacting their states. Unions are mobilising to prevent their members from being rounded up. The pendulum has swung so far over to the right the only direction it can take is left. We are in for a chaotic ride.
Changes in Leadership in Armidale
The University of New England Council has announced Dr Sarah Pearson as UNE’s next Chancellor.
Dr Sarah Pearson who holds a PhD from Oxford University in Particle Physics, has a diverse background in Australia and internationally in research, innovation and entrepreneurship, investment, economic development and industrial strategy. She has previously served in leadership roles across higher education, industry and government sectors. These include Ministerial appointment to the Australian National University Council, Chief Scientist and Chief Innovation Officer at the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Chief Executive Officer at ANU Enterprise and Global Head of Open Innovation at Cadbury. .Sarah currently serves on the Board of the Commonwealth Treasury’s Foreign Investment Review Board, the Investment Committee at Main Sequence Ventures and a number of commercial and not-for-profit Boards. She has a strong commitment to Australia’s economic and social future, and her advice has led to long lasting impact regionally, nationally and internationally.
NE Times reports that she has strong connections with UNE, Armidale and the New England region through her family and her work as a Physics academic at UNE from 2000 to 2006, during which time she lived in Armidale with her family.
“At UNE, her passion for “leaving no one behind” led Sarah to drive regional engagement, encouraging young people to see science and university study as a great option for them,” Ms Jan McClelland (Deputy Chancellor) said. “She founded ‘Science in the Bush’ and the Armidale branch of the ‘Science and Engineering Challenge’, drawing hundreds of young people to the UNE campus, as well as visiting schools in the region. She continues to be committed to encouraging young women into science and leadership... As Chancellor, Dr Pearson will bring to the University a wealth of experience, connectivity and ambition for UNE. Her vision and leadership will be instrumental in guiding the University Council and the broader UNE community in advancing our strategy in 2025 and beyond,” Ms McClelland said.
Dr Pearson commences in the role of UNE Chancellor on 20 November 2024.
New Principal for Armidale Secondary College
Armidale Secondary College (ASC) has announced their new Principal will be Kim Allford, expected to join the school later this month.
She is currently Relieving Principal, at Bonnyrigg High School in Western Sydney where she is understood to have been teaching for over a decade. 90% of its students are from non-English speaking backgrounds which has given her an understanding of how to manage a culturally diverse community and creating a consistent learning environment for all regardless of cultural or socio economic background. Bonnyrigg is a partially selective school with a significant ESL program, and is a similar size, so in that respect it should be a smooth transition for the new principal. Current acting principal of ASC, Sarah Travis, has accepted the position of Principal at Yudi Gunyi School, a School for Specific Purposes in Sydney. She said “it has been a privilege to serve the school as Principal, and I sincerely appreciate the trust and support you have extended to me during my tenure... While I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, I will miss being part of the Armidale community. I have every confidence in our executive team and know that our new, incoming Principal, Kim Allford, will lead with the same dedication you have come to expect.” ASC has received priority recruitment support from the Department of Education and more than a dozen new staff have been appointed in the last few years.
What a cataclysmic nine days we have had since the US election was decided with Donald Trump the victor once again. How did he win? He actually got much the same vote as in 2016 but the people who could have made the difference didn't vote. It's as simple as that. It always confuses me as to why Americans would overlook the many deficiencies and lawless attitudes of Trump to vote against their best interests. Are they so brain-washed by social media that they believed the lies? Many said they didn't take him seriously - the campaign was just theatre - that's Trump - he's a showman. I believe a large proportion of voters just couldn't bring themselves to vote for a woman of colour. They voted for a man of colour - twice - but a woman?...
Trump is fast tracking his captain's picks to lead the huge American bureaucracy - all loyalists - most with no qualifications to lead a huge government department. So what will happen when they front up to the executive staff? I've been told that when Elon Musk took over Space X he was so inept - a number of staff members were assigned to feed him the information they were happy for him to have and to reduce any decision making on his part. When he sacked the moderators at Twitter (X) some of them started a rival channel called Bluesky which is clean of misinformation and all the nasty things now posted on Twitter (X). It has over 16 million followers already and is gaining more by the second. I signed up this morning.
So what do some of the captain's picks mean for Australia? The new Head of Intelligence is a known 'ally' of Putin and Assad. I suspect our Allies will now limit the intelligence they share with the US as under her 'leadership', trust will have flown out the window. Intelligence sharing is a highly sensitive area requiring excellent analysis from experts. She will be responsible for briefing Trump daily. Will she just tell him what he wants to hear and not the truth? Will our alliance with the US weaken? By this time in 2025 things will be very clear. Then there is an anti-vaccer in charge of the Health Dept. As one wag put it - RFK Jr will 'make America sick again'. What will happen with the great American pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna? Will they now go offshore sacking thousands of employees? We know that many small businesses employ undocumented workers and will have to close if they lose their employees... and where will they be deported to? A deserted island in the Caribbean? I can't see Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, etc. taking them back.
All of this makes one's head spin because it is so illogical. Fortunately there is some pushback. The Democratic Governors have united to stop the worst of the MAGA policies from impacting their states. Unions are mobilising to prevent their members from being rounded up. The pendulum has swung so far over to the right the only direction it can take is left. We are in for a chaotic ride.
Changes in Leadership in Armidale
The University of New England Council has announced Dr Sarah Pearson as UNE’s next Chancellor.
Dr Sarah Pearson who holds a PhD from Oxford University in Particle Physics, has a diverse background in Australia and internationally in research, innovation and entrepreneurship, investment, economic development and industrial strategy. She has previously served in leadership roles across higher education, industry and government sectors. These include Ministerial appointment to the Australian National University Council, Chief Scientist and Chief Innovation Officer at the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Chief Executive Officer at ANU Enterprise and Global Head of Open Innovation at Cadbury. .Sarah currently serves on the Board of the Commonwealth Treasury’s Foreign Investment Review Board, the Investment Committee at Main Sequence Ventures and a number of commercial and not-for-profit Boards. She has a strong commitment to Australia’s economic and social future, and her advice has led to long lasting impact regionally, nationally and internationally.
NE Times reports that she has strong connections with UNE, Armidale and the New England region through her family and her work as a Physics academic at UNE from 2000 to 2006, during which time she lived in Armidale with her family.
“At UNE, her passion for “leaving no one behind” led Sarah to drive regional engagement, encouraging young people to see science and university study as a great option for them,” Ms Jan McClelland (Deputy Chancellor) said. “She founded ‘Science in the Bush’ and the Armidale branch of the ‘Science and Engineering Challenge’, drawing hundreds of young people to the UNE campus, as well as visiting schools in the region. She continues to be committed to encouraging young women into science and leadership... As Chancellor, Dr Pearson will bring to the University a wealth of experience, connectivity and ambition for UNE. Her vision and leadership will be instrumental in guiding the University Council and the broader UNE community in advancing our strategy in 2025 and beyond,” Ms McClelland said.
Dr Pearson commences in the role of UNE Chancellor on 20 November 2024.
New Principal for Armidale Secondary College
Armidale Secondary College (ASC) has announced their new Principal will be Kim Allford, expected to join the school later this month.
She is currently Relieving Principal, at Bonnyrigg High School in Western Sydney where she is understood to have been teaching for over a decade. 90% of its students are from non-English speaking backgrounds which has given her an understanding of how to manage a culturally diverse community and creating a consistent learning environment for all regardless of cultural or socio economic background. Bonnyrigg is a partially selective school with a significant ESL program, and is a similar size, so in that respect it should be a smooth transition for the new principal. Current acting principal of ASC, Sarah Travis, has accepted the position of Principal at Yudi Gunyi School, a School for Specific Purposes in Sydney. She said “it has been a privilege to serve the school as Principal, and I sincerely appreciate the trust and support you have extended to me during my tenure... While I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, I will miss being part of the Armidale community. I have every confidence in our executive team and know that our new, incoming Principal, Kim Allford, will lead with the same dedication you have come to expect.” ASC has received priority recruitment support from the Department of Education and more than a dozen new staff have been appointed in the last few years.
1st November
It's been a quiet few weeks for NEV but not for the community. The super New England Garden Festival will be held over this weekend - it has already started with a huge number of open gardens spread right across New England. It's being run by a small team of locals collaborating with garden clubs across the Tablelands. That's the wonder of regional areas - we make our own events happen. Think of all of our local organisations who enrich the lives of our residents and the volunteers and organisers who not only donate time and skills but often fork out their own money when needed. These are the unsung heroes in our community who rarely get any recognition. Please make sure to thank them for what they do. Many are in their 70s and 80s and are not being replaced by a younger generation.
It was fun walking through Armidale Central yesterday afternoon and seeing all the kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes. Thank you to Council for organising an event in the Armidale Mall yesterday evening. This has now become an annual celebration on the Armidale calendar which should grow bigger each year.
The Board of Friends of New England Rail Trail met this week to start the work of Advocacy and Promotion. There is much to do building an organisation from scratch. The group has 160 financial members spread across the whole trail. Many have put their hands up to help.
Next Forum
Our team member Martin Levins has proposed a Forum on AI and we have booked the Bowlo auditorium for Wednesday 12th February at 5.30pm. Please add this to your calendars. As usual we will send out invitations later.
Team member Dr John Atchison OAM came across this fascinating article about severe weather events causing a change in demographics. The numbers are quite staggering but I am sure they are very conservative. Armidale is well placed to become a climate refugee destination with our cooler summers and relatively disaster free environment. Every year, an average of around 22,000 Australians move home after climate disasters, according to demographers...By 2071, the figure is expected to climb to 38,000 annually, and this does not take into account more intense weather events.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-11-01/thousands-annual-climate-displacement-australians-extreme-floods/104512436?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=mail&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
During the week NOVA hosted a new initiative.
Nathan Axelsson - Executive Director - RDA Northern Inland NSW prepared this summary
The Welcome Experience Comes to Armidale, Uralla and Tamworth
RDA Northern Inland are excited to be partnering with the NSW Department of Regional NSW to bring The Welcome Experience to the local government areas (LGAs) of Armidale, Uralla and Tamworth. The Welcome Experience is an initiative that was piloted in eight areas in New South Wales and due to the overwhelming success, has now been expanded to the New England region.
Through the program, a range of essential workers and NSW Government employees that are moving or have recently moved will be welcomed and provided with free assistance to settle and enjoy the benefits of regional living. The support is tailored to the individual and includes assistance with ‘life stuff’ such as enrolling children into school and connecting with community groups. Government and non-government employees in specified occupations are eligible for the program, including general practitioners, aged care nurses, childcare workers, allied health professionals, teachers, health workers and emergency services workers.
Katrina George and Emma Grant have joined our team to provide the program for the Armidale and Uralla Shire LGAs and Tamworth Regional LGA respectively. Katrina and Emma not only have a wealth of knowledge about their communities, but also the lived experience of moving to our region with their families. The program has already had a positive response, with over forty people already being supported in Armidale, Uralla and Tamworth since it began four weeks ago.
“Moving to a new area is a daunting experience for anyone, and we are excited to be able to help make it easier for new residents to take that step and make the move to our region” said RDA-NI Executive Director, Nathan Axelsson. “The community spirit in our region is part of what makes our region an incredible place to live, work and raise a family, and we are pleased to be able to support new residents to share in that.”
This week, we hosted Co-Design Workshops in Armidale and Tamworth to connect and gain input to the program from representatives of the public sector, including health, education and emergency services as well as community service providers. With over fifty representatives attending, these workshops will influence the future direction and tailor The Welcome Experience to our region.
If you have recently moved to the Armidale Regional, Uralla Shire or Tamworth Regional Council areas, you can view the full list of eligible occupations and register for the program on the NSW Government’s website and select the Southern New England Region to be connected with Emma and Katrina. This program is also being provided in the Moree Plains, Inverell and Glen Innes, which are also available through the above link.
It's been a quiet few weeks for NEV but not for the community. The super New England Garden Festival will be held over this weekend - it has already started with a huge number of open gardens spread right across New England. It's being run by a small team of locals collaborating with garden clubs across the Tablelands. That's the wonder of regional areas - we make our own events happen. Think of all of our local organisations who enrich the lives of our residents and the volunteers and organisers who not only donate time and skills but often fork out their own money when needed. These are the unsung heroes in our community who rarely get any recognition. Please make sure to thank them for what they do. Many are in their 70s and 80s and are not being replaced by a younger generation.
It was fun walking through Armidale Central yesterday afternoon and seeing all the kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes. Thank you to Council for organising an event in the Armidale Mall yesterday evening. This has now become an annual celebration on the Armidale calendar which should grow bigger each year.
The Board of Friends of New England Rail Trail met this week to start the work of Advocacy and Promotion. There is much to do building an organisation from scratch. The group has 160 financial members spread across the whole trail. Many have put their hands up to help.
Next Forum
Our team member Martin Levins has proposed a Forum on AI and we have booked the Bowlo auditorium for Wednesday 12th February at 5.30pm. Please add this to your calendars. As usual we will send out invitations later.
Team member Dr John Atchison OAM came across this fascinating article about severe weather events causing a change in demographics. The numbers are quite staggering but I am sure they are very conservative. Armidale is well placed to become a climate refugee destination with our cooler summers and relatively disaster free environment. Every year, an average of around 22,000 Australians move home after climate disasters, according to demographers...By 2071, the figure is expected to climb to 38,000 annually, and this does not take into account more intense weather events.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-11-01/thousands-annual-climate-displacement-australians-extreme-floods/104512436?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=mail&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
During the week NOVA hosted a new initiative.
Nathan Axelsson - Executive Director - RDA Northern Inland NSW prepared this summary
The Welcome Experience Comes to Armidale, Uralla and Tamworth
RDA Northern Inland are excited to be partnering with the NSW Department of Regional NSW to bring The Welcome Experience to the local government areas (LGAs) of Armidale, Uralla and Tamworth. The Welcome Experience is an initiative that was piloted in eight areas in New South Wales and due to the overwhelming success, has now been expanded to the New England region.
Through the program, a range of essential workers and NSW Government employees that are moving or have recently moved will be welcomed and provided with free assistance to settle and enjoy the benefits of regional living. The support is tailored to the individual and includes assistance with ‘life stuff’ such as enrolling children into school and connecting with community groups. Government and non-government employees in specified occupations are eligible for the program, including general practitioners, aged care nurses, childcare workers, allied health professionals, teachers, health workers and emergency services workers.
Katrina George and Emma Grant have joined our team to provide the program for the Armidale and Uralla Shire LGAs and Tamworth Regional LGA respectively. Katrina and Emma not only have a wealth of knowledge about their communities, but also the lived experience of moving to our region with their families. The program has already had a positive response, with over forty people already being supported in Armidale, Uralla and Tamworth since it began four weeks ago.
“Moving to a new area is a daunting experience for anyone, and we are excited to be able to help make it easier for new residents to take that step and make the move to our region” said RDA-NI Executive Director, Nathan Axelsson. “The community spirit in our region is part of what makes our region an incredible place to live, work and raise a family, and we are pleased to be able to support new residents to share in that.”
This week, we hosted Co-Design Workshops in Armidale and Tamworth to connect and gain input to the program from representatives of the public sector, including health, education and emergency services as well as community service providers. With over fifty representatives attending, these workshops will influence the future direction and tailor The Welcome Experience to our region.
If you have recently moved to the Armidale Regional, Uralla Shire or Tamworth Regional Council areas, you can view the full list of eligible occupations and register for the program on the NSW Government’s website and select the Southern New England Region to be connected with Emma and Katrina. This program is also being provided in the Moree Plains, Inverell and Glen Innes, which are also available through the above link.
11th October
Armidale Regional Council
Sam Coupland and Todd Redwood were elected unopposed to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions. This allows them to continue the work they started during their last term.
The big issue this term will be water security.
Glen Innes Severn Council
Margot Davis ousted former Mayor Rob Banham in a shock election which saw Carol Sparks elected Deputy Mayor. Rob Banham subsequently resigned effective immediately.
There will be a countback for the replacement councillor. Margo Davis worked for GISC previously as Economic Development Officer and is best known currently for her significant role in the Attract Connect Stay – now known as Local Connect – program where she serves as the Executive Manager. The highly successful initiative that has secured many health workers for the region has recently expanded its activities to attract and retain all kinds of professionals needed for the town to thrive.
Uralla Shire Council
All nominations for council were elected unopposed. It's assumed Robert Bell will continue as Mayor.
Inverell
Kate Dight replaces former Mayor Paul Harmon
Tenterfield
Bronwyn Petrie was elected Mayor of Tenterfield
Friends of New England Rail Trail
The group held its AGM on Wednesday and Greg Wild of Rapid Clean New England in Armidale was elected Chairman with Steve Toms of Glen Innes Deputy Chair.
The new Board of eight members comprises representatives from Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes and has currently 154 financial members.
Next Forum
We are working on a Forum on the influence of AI in our society for a date in February.
Armidale Regional Council
Sam Coupland and Todd Redwood were elected unopposed to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions. This allows them to continue the work they started during their last term.
The big issue this term will be water security.
Glen Innes Severn Council
Margot Davis ousted former Mayor Rob Banham in a shock election which saw Carol Sparks elected Deputy Mayor. Rob Banham subsequently resigned effective immediately.
There will be a countback for the replacement councillor. Margo Davis worked for GISC previously as Economic Development Officer and is best known currently for her significant role in the Attract Connect Stay – now known as Local Connect – program where she serves as the Executive Manager. The highly successful initiative that has secured many health workers for the region has recently expanded its activities to attract and retain all kinds of professionals needed for the town to thrive.
Uralla Shire Council
All nominations for council were elected unopposed. It's assumed Robert Bell will continue as Mayor.
Inverell
Kate Dight replaces former Mayor Paul Harmon
Tenterfield
Bronwyn Petrie was elected Mayor of Tenterfield
Friends of New England Rail Trail
The group held its AGM on Wednesday and Greg Wild of Rapid Clean New England in Armidale was elected Chairman with Steve Toms of Glen Innes Deputy Chair.
The new Board of eight members comprises representatives from Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes and has currently 154 financial members.
Next Forum
We are working on a Forum on the influence of AI in our society for a date in February.
4th October
The year is now winding to a close and NEV2030 has had a big one this year with the Rail Trail and Meet the Candidates taking up a lot of our planning and organising time.
The Friends of the New England Rail Trail is about to hold their AGM. They have 153 financial members spread across the whole trail. For those of you who missed the ABC's Back Roads episode on Tuesday on the South Burnett Rail trail. Here is the link so you can watch it anytime. It's a great promotion for the benefits that rail trails bring to small rural communities.
https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2327V020S00
The Mayoral election will be held next Friday and after that our new council will be able to settle in. Water security is the big issue for this next council and I'm sure we will hear many of the arguments around this topic in the new year.
Ezidi Settlement in Armidale
it was an excellent night on Wednesday. Thanks to our panel of speakers who informed us on their experiences with the Ezidi Settlement program in Armidale. We counted over 90 people in the audience which is fantastic. Our wonderful Armidale people have welcomed these refugees into our community and continue to take an interest in their welfare. The evening was recorded by 2ARM-FM and it is now available to listen to on podcast in two segments - the speakers and questions from the floor. Thanks to Michael Kean and his techie for facilitating the recording. Thanks also to our team member Peter Sniekers for compiling notes on the speeches (see below). I am also including a link to a video produced by Rotary on their successful RYLA program and featuring a young Ezidi participant.
Panel member presentations:
Salam Qaro: Community Development Project Offiocer / STARTTS Armidale (NSW Service for the Treatment And Rehabilitation for Torture and Trauma Survivors)
Background:
· The Ezidi community has suffered major persecution events 74 times since the 13th century.
· Last time was on 3 August 2014 when 8000 were killed, 6000 “sold” to Isis for slavery, and still 3000 missing.
· Thanks to the Australian government and community, the Ezidis are proud to be part of the Armidale community.
· Other Ezidi communities are in Toowoomba, Coffs Harbour, Wagga Wagga and other small communities around Australia.
Successes:
· It is not easy to move to another country but has been relatively “easy” here due to the support the Ezidi community has received.
· Six families now own houses in Armidale; new businesses, shops and companies have been set up etc. 110 members of the community have become Australian citizens.
· Salam himself was awarded the 2023 Community Services Award as well as a Certificate of Appreciation from the Police in recognition of his community work.
· Some Ezidi community members have become university students.
· Others have completed many other courses especially English training, other TAFE courses and doing well.
· The Ezidi community are making lots of friends and have good relationships with the local indigenous community
Challenges:
· Biggest challenge is language: the “Ezidi” language is not recognised as a translator language and only a small proportion speak Kurdish Kumanji and only 2% of the community speak only Arabic which is considered the bridging language with their own.
· It’s important to have adequate translating capability especially for health services.
· In the 2021Census they answered identifying as Ezidi but results came out as to Kurdish Kumanji which is a sensitive topic: for the 2026 Census will push to have it corrected.
· None of the Ezidi community have their own GPs and they have to wait 7 to 10 hours in Emergency for any medical attention; access to childcare is difficult. However these problems are across the entire Armidale community.
STARTTS provide group counsellors for trauma sufferers, careers officers, admin support, youth workers. Salam works with STARTTS in community development.
Madan Narayanamurthy: Mosaic Cultural Connections
Background:
· Mosaic is the new operating name for Northern Settlement Services which itself has a 40 year history.
· Mosaic works with families and individuals from multicultural backgrounds.
· They have programs to ensure their communities are supported.
· The local Ezidi community receives settlement support to address barriers to settlement needs.
o These include health, education, housing, assistance with social inclusion.
o It also involves community groups such as the creation of young adult groups, men’s groups etc.
o They also work with other services to collaborate and expand services available
· The ultimate objective is the independence of the Ezidi community.
Results:
The results have included:
· The community has grown in number,
· It has improved in terms of resilience,
· It has strengthened in terms of improved independence,
· It has become extremely adaptive.
Challenges:
· Language is the key issue.
· The digital Centrelink services are complicated and require support for the community to access.
· The services support duration period has now been extended to 7 years for the community. It was originally 5 years.
· The Ezidis appreciate the support from the Armidale community and feel happy and privileged to be part of the Armidale society.
In summary:
· The community has been successful here but language is an ongoing challenge.
· All the service groups and community groups have worked well together to achieve results and positive outcomes.
· One example of this is that the Citizenship Test can now be completed here in Armidale instead of people having to travel to Tamworth as was the requitrement in the past.
Peter Lloyd: The Rotary Club of Armidale: Director of the Ezidi Agricultural Training and Development Program (and Regional Employment Agricultural Project (REAP) ).
Rotary is a service club. The Ezidi community members came as permanent residents. So the Rotary Club wondered how they can support the community?
· They were looking for practical and beneficial and lasting support.
· Many of the Club members had an agricultural background and they knew that the Ezidi community themselves also came with an agrarian background.
· Therefore they established the Regional Employment Agricultural Project whereby some of the Club members donated land so that the Ezidi community could grow market fruit and vegetables. They could then sell into local markets, provide food for their own consumption as well as donating surplus produce to other community groups (such as Meals on Wheels etc).
The project initially started with 2000m of garden beds and now that’s been expanded to 3000m. They started initially with 8 to 10 families being involved working with Rotary members and have directly assisted over 65 individual Ezidi members with growing produce.
· Club members have been able to share a practical knowledge with the Ezidi community of how to grow produce in Australia under Australian weather and soil conditions.
· They have built a hot house for propagating seedlings and the Rotary club has received project funding from overseas Rotary Clubs; from the State and Federal governments, from local generous donators, and other local supporters that helped with establishing the project.
· Numerous Club working bees by member volunteer also assisted with the hard labour and construction needed for infrastructure and earthworks.
· Selling produce at local markets also required food service training which the Rotary Club organised and delivered.
· The Club also organised an agricultural machinery training program for the Ezidi members which was funded by P&G(Purpose and Growth) for translation services, with the training provided by Transport for NSW. It also included WHS plus detailed machinery training and the instructors commented that the Ezidi students were “the best students” they had seen for many years.
· This training course has now been replicated for the Coffs Harbour Ezidi community for delivery later this year.
· The Rotary Club of Armidale also sponsored Ezidi community members as participants in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program (RYLA) this year. One community member, Basam, described it as being a life-changing experience.
The link to Basam’s inspiring talk is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YW3jnTeeDlS4tWQgkTW5NuUx2wP54yi2/view
The REAP agricultural project is now registered with RAWCS which is the Rotary Australia World Community Services organisation and as such is an internationally-recognised refugee project operating domestically in Australia:
· Any donations to the project are fully tax deductible and the project is looking to raise funds through that vehicle to expand the project.
· It is hoped that it will also be able to apply for philanthropic trust funding in the future.
· A flyer was presented at the Forum on the project.
Other Rotary Club activities with the Ezidi community have included social gatherings (barbecues etc), other training opportunities delivered on-site at the market gardens, assistance with market stalls, firewood collecting and sale at reduced rates to Ezidi community members.
Lucinda Wright: Vice-President: Armidale Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement
Background:
Has worked with Ezidi community through the Sanctuary group since 2018 in the refugee program.
· The Sanctuary model quickly became not workable when the community expanded, because it was a one-on- one program. Settlement Service International (SSI) provides basic initial introduction to the community early.
· Sanctuary was involved in planning excursions and picnics and transporting families from Sydney especially to Tamworth and Newcastle.
· They introduced sourcing bicycles for the community and ran a bike safety program.
· They gave pregnancy support to pregnant mothers in the community and a home learning program for for youth, especially with English lessons for children to ready them for local schools.
· Now they provide volunteers for the more isolated families: tutoring in special subjects like maths as well as English, High School Certificate preparation assistance and preparation for the Citizenship Test.
· They’ve made many good lasting friendships with the community.
Outcomes:
· There has been an increase in education levels and tertiary entry.
· Improvement in house ownership and business start-ups.
Challenges:
· The challenges for Sanctuary include signing up new volunteers: members are not professionals and Sanctuary always needs more volunteers.
Sanctuary would like to acknowledge the positive effects their volunteers have had on the Ezidi community and the time that volunteers have put in for the community; and they are especially appreciative of the hospitality shown by the Ezidis in welcoming Sanctuary.
Anne Rix: General Manager: New England Family Support Service (NEFSS)
Background:
· Anne thanked the audience and other speakers.
· NEFSS services is a medium charity which covers a region stretching from Tenterfield in the north to Tamworth and Walcha in the south.
o It runs 11 programs and is supported by the Mazda Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
o It has 24 staff including 4 Ezidi staff members: in total 10 staff are from a non-English-speaking background.
o They also have seven Aboriginal staff so is a very multicultural workplace.
· NEFSS has a multicultural brains trust which is unique and effective in dealing with multicultural communities. They’ve been involved with the Ezidi community since the beginning some years ago
Challenges:
· Lack of funding
· Difficulty in finding translators but now becoming easier with Ezidi on staff being able to translate in routine operations.
NEFSS programs include:
· Family support casework
· Home tutorship for 3 to 4-year-olds to prepare for the Australian school system
· Supporting and supported play groups
· Arranging activities and speakers(eg. on nursing / nutrition etc): fun activities
Since 1 July NEFSS has started receiving Federal funding through the Home Affairs Department in the recognition that NEFSS been actively involved in refugee settlement program and providing services.
NEFSS would like to recognise Mosaic and STARTTS and SSI and their work, and that they all work collaboratively together to provide comprehensive services to the Ezidi community.
· In Armidale it is all “WE” and “US” and that includes community groups that deliver services as well as the government-funded bodies.
Tim Gray: Senior Manager Policy Contracts and Reporting – Humanitarian Settlement Program:
Settlement services International (SSI)
Background:
Tim covers Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Armidale and Newcastle.
· SSI provides initial resettlement support services and the referrals are direct from Home Affairs.
· SSI help transit families from Sydney to the other communities
· They handle such services as providing information, making appointments for the first two weeks. It’s very overwhelming for the new settlers.
· They provide assistance with services such as Centrelink, Medicare, TAFE, local schools and help with accommodation.
· New refugees are provided with free 28 days’ accommodation upon arrival.
o Then they help with securing long-term accommodation: most importantly they look to provide a sense of security and comfort for families and when they are settled they are provided with a furniture package for their new premises.
· The orientation is both formal and informal and when required a more intensive level of support can be provided for families who have been especially traumatised
SSI is well resourced with nine staff in the local office in Armidale.
· The eligibility period for involvement is up to 18 months for families.
· COVID has been a challenge.
· Caseworkers are provided as required.
· In the last seven years he feels the Armidale community has learned as much as the Ezidis have and has been very rewarding
Key Takeaways:
The HSP (Humanitarian Settlement Program) is very prescriptive.
· Caseworkers need to be creative to fill the gaps despite that rigidity and SSI works with others here, as well as with TAFE, UNE and Transport services, to provide rounded level of care.
Challenges:
Developing settlement services has been a journey and now the community has a much more mature and established approach to providing appropriate services. However the challenges are still a long list as discussed with previous panellists.
· Biggest challenge is the complexity of the Visa status of refugees which can impact on their ability to sponsor additional family members to join and reunite with families here.
The panel presentation was then followed by a QandA from the audience. Details can be accessed by the podcast on 2ARMFM.
Here is the link https://2arm.net.au/podcast/
The year is now winding to a close and NEV2030 has had a big one this year with the Rail Trail and Meet the Candidates taking up a lot of our planning and organising time.
The Friends of the New England Rail Trail is about to hold their AGM. They have 153 financial members spread across the whole trail. For those of you who missed the ABC's Back Roads episode on Tuesday on the South Burnett Rail trail. Here is the link so you can watch it anytime. It's a great promotion for the benefits that rail trails bring to small rural communities.
https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2327V020S00
The Mayoral election will be held next Friday and after that our new council will be able to settle in. Water security is the big issue for this next council and I'm sure we will hear many of the arguments around this topic in the new year.
Ezidi Settlement in Armidale
it was an excellent night on Wednesday. Thanks to our panel of speakers who informed us on their experiences with the Ezidi Settlement program in Armidale. We counted over 90 people in the audience which is fantastic. Our wonderful Armidale people have welcomed these refugees into our community and continue to take an interest in their welfare. The evening was recorded by 2ARM-FM and it is now available to listen to on podcast in two segments - the speakers and questions from the floor. Thanks to Michael Kean and his techie for facilitating the recording. Thanks also to our team member Peter Sniekers for compiling notes on the speeches (see below). I am also including a link to a video produced by Rotary on their successful RYLA program and featuring a young Ezidi participant.
Panel member presentations:
Salam Qaro: Community Development Project Offiocer / STARTTS Armidale (NSW Service for the Treatment And Rehabilitation for Torture and Trauma Survivors)
Background:
· The Ezidi community has suffered major persecution events 74 times since the 13th century.
· Last time was on 3 August 2014 when 8000 were killed, 6000 “sold” to Isis for slavery, and still 3000 missing.
· Thanks to the Australian government and community, the Ezidis are proud to be part of the Armidale community.
· Other Ezidi communities are in Toowoomba, Coffs Harbour, Wagga Wagga and other small communities around Australia.
Successes:
· It is not easy to move to another country but has been relatively “easy” here due to the support the Ezidi community has received.
· Six families now own houses in Armidale; new businesses, shops and companies have been set up etc. 110 members of the community have become Australian citizens.
· Salam himself was awarded the 2023 Community Services Award as well as a Certificate of Appreciation from the Police in recognition of his community work.
· Some Ezidi community members have become university students.
· Others have completed many other courses especially English training, other TAFE courses and doing well.
· The Ezidi community are making lots of friends and have good relationships with the local indigenous community
Challenges:
· Biggest challenge is language: the “Ezidi” language is not recognised as a translator language and only a small proportion speak Kurdish Kumanji and only 2% of the community speak only Arabic which is considered the bridging language with their own.
· It’s important to have adequate translating capability especially for health services.
· In the 2021Census they answered identifying as Ezidi but results came out as to Kurdish Kumanji which is a sensitive topic: for the 2026 Census will push to have it corrected.
· None of the Ezidi community have their own GPs and they have to wait 7 to 10 hours in Emergency for any medical attention; access to childcare is difficult. However these problems are across the entire Armidale community.
STARTTS provide group counsellors for trauma sufferers, careers officers, admin support, youth workers. Salam works with STARTTS in community development.
Madan Narayanamurthy: Mosaic Cultural Connections
Background:
· Mosaic is the new operating name for Northern Settlement Services which itself has a 40 year history.
· Mosaic works with families and individuals from multicultural backgrounds.
· They have programs to ensure their communities are supported.
· The local Ezidi community receives settlement support to address barriers to settlement needs.
o These include health, education, housing, assistance with social inclusion.
o It also involves community groups such as the creation of young adult groups, men’s groups etc.
o They also work with other services to collaborate and expand services available
· The ultimate objective is the independence of the Ezidi community.
Results:
The results have included:
· The community has grown in number,
· It has improved in terms of resilience,
· It has strengthened in terms of improved independence,
· It has become extremely adaptive.
Challenges:
· Language is the key issue.
· The digital Centrelink services are complicated and require support for the community to access.
· The services support duration period has now been extended to 7 years for the community. It was originally 5 years.
· The Ezidis appreciate the support from the Armidale community and feel happy and privileged to be part of the Armidale society.
In summary:
· The community has been successful here but language is an ongoing challenge.
· All the service groups and community groups have worked well together to achieve results and positive outcomes.
· One example of this is that the Citizenship Test can now be completed here in Armidale instead of people having to travel to Tamworth as was the requitrement in the past.
Peter Lloyd: The Rotary Club of Armidale: Director of the Ezidi Agricultural Training and Development Program (and Regional Employment Agricultural Project (REAP) ).
Rotary is a service club. The Ezidi community members came as permanent residents. So the Rotary Club wondered how they can support the community?
· They were looking for practical and beneficial and lasting support.
· Many of the Club members had an agricultural background and they knew that the Ezidi community themselves also came with an agrarian background.
· Therefore they established the Regional Employment Agricultural Project whereby some of the Club members donated land so that the Ezidi community could grow market fruit and vegetables. They could then sell into local markets, provide food for their own consumption as well as donating surplus produce to other community groups (such as Meals on Wheels etc).
The project initially started with 2000m of garden beds and now that’s been expanded to 3000m. They started initially with 8 to 10 families being involved working with Rotary members and have directly assisted over 65 individual Ezidi members with growing produce.
· Club members have been able to share a practical knowledge with the Ezidi community of how to grow produce in Australia under Australian weather and soil conditions.
· They have built a hot house for propagating seedlings and the Rotary club has received project funding from overseas Rotary Clubs; from the State and Federal governments, from local generous donators, and other local supporters that helped with establishing the project.
· Numerous Club working bees by member volunteer also assisted with the hard labour and construction needed for infrastructure and earthworks.
· Selling produce at local markets also required food service training which the Rotary Club organised and delivered.
· The Club also organised an agricultural machinery training program for the Ezidi members which was funded by P&G(Purpose and Growth) for translation services, with the training provided by Transport for NSW. It also included WHS plus detailed machinery training and the instructors commented that the Ezidi students were “the best students” they had seen for many years.
· This training course has now been replicated for the Coffs Harbour Ezidi community for delivery later this year.
· The Rotary Club of Armidale also sponsored Ezidi community members as participants in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program (RYLA) this year. One community member, Basam, described it as being a life-changing experience.
The link to Basam’s inspiring talk is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YW3jnTeeDlS4tWQgkTW5NuUx2wP54yi2/view
The REAP agricultural project is now registered with RAWCS which is the Rotary Australia World Community Services organisation and as such is an internationally-recognised refugee project operating domestically in Australia:
· Any donations to the project are fully tax deductible and the project is looking to raise funds through that vehicle to expand the project.
· It is hoped that it will also be able to apply for philanthropic trust funding in the future.
· A flyer was presented at the Forum on the project.
Other Rotary Club activities with the Ezidi community have included social gatherings (barbecues etc), other training opportunities delivered on-site at the market gardens, assistance with market stalls, firewood collecting and sale at reduced rates to Ezidi community members.
Lucinda Wright: Vice-President: Armidale Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement
Background:
Has worked with Ezidi community through the Sanctuary group since 2018 in the refugee program.
· The Sanctuary model quickly became not workable when the community expanded, because it was a one-on- one program. Settlement Service International (SSI) provides basic initial introduction to the community early.
· Sanctuary was involved in planning excursions and picnics and transporting families from Sydney especially to Tamworth and Newcastle.
· They introduced sourcing bicycles for the community and ran a bike safety program.
· They gave pregnancy support to pregnant mothers in the community and a home learning program for for youth, especially with English lessons for children to ready them for local schools.
· Now they provide volunteers for the more isolated families: tutoring in special subjects like maths as well as English, High School Certificate preparation assistance and preparation for the Citizenship Test.
· They’ve made many good lasting friendships with the community.
Outcomes:
· There has been an increase in education levels and tertiary entry.
· Improvement in house ownership and business start-ups.
Challenges:
· The challenges for Sanctuary include signing up new volunteers: members are not professionals and Sanctuary always needs more volunteers.
Sanctuary would like to acknowledge the positive effects their volunteers have had on the Ezidi community and the time that volunteers have put in for the community; and they are especially appreciative of the hospitality shown by the Ezidis in welcoming Sanctuary.
Anne Rix: General Manager: New England Family Support Service (NEFSS)
Background:
· Anne thanked the audience and other speakers.
· NEFSS services is a medium charity which covers a region stretching from Tenterfield in the north to Tamworth and Walcha in the south.
o It runs 11 programs and is supported by the Mazda Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
o It has 24 staff including 4 Ezidi staff members: in total 10 staff are from a non-English-speaking background.
o They also have seven Aboriginal staff so is a very multicultural workplace.
· NEFSS has a multicultural brains trust which is unique and effective in dealing with multicultural communities. They’ve been involved with the Ezidi community since the beginning some years ago
Challenges:
· Lack of funding
· Difficulty in finding translators but now becoming easier with Ezidi on staff being able to translate in routine operations.
NEFSS programs include:
· Family support casework
· Home tutorship for 3 to 4-year-olds to prepare for the Australian school system
· Supporting and supported play groups
· Arranging activities and speakers(eg. on nursing / nutrition etc): fun activities
Since 1 July NEFSS has started receiving Federal funding through the Home Affairs Department in the recognition that NEFSS been actively involved in refugee settlement program and providing services.
NEFSS would like to recognise Mosaic and STARTTS and SSI and their work, and that they all work collaboratively together to provide comprehensive services to the Ezidi community.
· In Armidale it is all “WE” and “US” and that includes community groups that deliver services as well as the government-funded bodies.
Tim Gray: Senior Manager Policy Contracts and Reporting – Humanitarian Settlement Program:
Settlement services International (SSI)
Background:
Tim covers Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Armidale and Newcastle.
· SSI provides initial resettlement support services and the referrals are direct from Home Affairs.
· SSI help transit families from Sydney to the other communities
· They handle such services as providing information, making appointments for the first two weeks. It’s very overwhelming for the new settlers.
· They provide assistance with services such as Centrelink, Medicare, TAFE, local schools and help with accommodation.
· New refugees are provided with free 28 days’ accommodation upon arrival.
o Then they help with securing long-term accommodation: most importantly they look to provide a sense of security and comfort for families and when they are settled they are provided with a furniture package for their new premises.
· The orientation is both formal and informal and when required a more intensive level of support can be provided for families who have been especially traumatised
SSI is well resourced with nine staff in the local office in Armidale.
· The eligibility period for involvement is up to 18 months for families.
· COVID has been a challenge.
· Caseworkers are provided as required.
· In the last seven years he feels the Armidale community has learned as much as the Ezidis have and has been very rewarding
Key Takeaways:
The HSP (Humanitarian Settlement Program) is very prescriptive.
· Caseworkers need to be creative to fill the gaps despite that rigidity and SSI works with others here, as well as with TAFE, UNE and Transport services, to provide rounded level of care.
Challenges:
Developing settlement services has been a journey and now the community has a much more mature and established approach to providing appropriate services. However the challenges are still a long list as discussed with previous panellists.
· Biggest challenge is the complexity of the Visa status of refugees which can impact on their ability to sponsor additional family members to join and reunite with families here.
The panel presentation was then followed by a QandA from the audience. Details can be accessed by the podcast on 2ARMFM.
Here is the link https://2arm.net.au/podcast/
27th September
The rain has been very welcome as things have started to dry out in the garden. We can now look forward to a sunny week ahead with more rain predicted for the 10th October. It's all sounding like a 'normal' spring - whatever that might be these days.
Next Forum - Ezidi Settlement in Armidale - Wednesday 2nd October 5.30pm Armidale City Bowling Club
We have pleasure in announcing that Tim Gray, Senior Manager Policy Contracts and Reporting - Humanitarian Settlement Program (Settlement Services International) will be joining our panel for this event. SSI was tasked with the settlement program from the very beginning making sure new arrivals had housing and other services and conducting orientation programs. Tim will give you more details and tell you what they are currently doing and what their plans are. This is a free event. No registration is required. The event is being recorded by 2ARM-FM and will be available on podcast afterwards.
Friends of the Rail Trail Inc.
This group now has 150 financial members spread across the Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes districts. They will be holding their AGM on 9th October in Guyra. This is only open to financial members. They have already received nominations for all 8 Board positions and a good number for the Standing Committees. Once the Board is elected they will then begin the process of planning for the future progress of the rail trail. A constitution has already been adopted and the name has officially changed from NERT Inc. to Friends of New England Rail Trail Inc. Board nominations include representatives from Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes.
ARC Council Election
Postals close today - the count is essentially completed with only very minor changes over the past few days. The quota is now up to 1556. Preferences will be distributed on Monday and we should know the makeup of the new council by midday we hope. It looks more likely now that Sam's Group D will have 5 councillors and the balance of power, ALP 1, Greens 1, Eli 1. Then the 9th place will be determined by preferences. I will send out an email on Monday. This is a very important election and it's been an historic one. The new council will need to make some important decisions about water security for the future. It will also need to progress the rail trail and the REZ. These have been controversial topics in the past and we hope our new councillors will make decisions based on the future prosperity of the whole region and not based on narrow interests. Here are the results as of this morning.
The rain has been very welcome as things have started to dry out in the garden. We can now look forward to a sunny week ahead with more rain predicted for the 10th October. It's all sounding like a 'normal' spring - whatever that might be these days.
Next Forum - Ezidi Settlement in Armidale - Wednesday 2nd October 5.30pm Armidale City Bowling Club
We have pleasure in announcing that Tim Gray, Senior Manager Policy Contracts and Reporting - Humanitarian Settlement Program (Settlement Services International) will be joining our panel for this event. SSI was tasked with the settlement program from the very beginning making sure new arrivals had housing and other services and conducting orientation programs. Tim will give you more details and tell you what they are currently doing and what their plans are. This is a free event. No registration is required. The event is being recorded by 2ARM-FM and will be available on podcast afterwards.
Friends of the Rail Trail Inc.
This group now has 150 financial members spread across the Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes districts. They will be holding their AGM on 9th October in Guyra. This is only open to financial members. They have already received nominations for all 8 Board positions and a good number for the Standing Committees. Once the Board is elected they will then begin the process of planning for the future progress of the rail trail. A constitution has already been adopted and the name has officially changed from NERT Inc. to Friends of New England Rail Trail Inc. Board nominations include representatives from Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes.
ARC Council Election
Postals close today - the count is essentially completed with only very minor changes over the past few days. The quota is now up to 1556. Preferences will be distributed on Monday and we should know the makeup of the new council by midday we hope. It looks more likely now that Sam's Group D will have 5 councillors and the balance of power, ALP 1, Greens 1, Eli 1. Then the 9th place will be determined by preferences. I will send out an email on Monday. This is a very important election and it's been an historic one. The new council will need to make some important decisions about water security for the future. It will also need to progress the rail trail and the REZ. These have been controversial topics in the past and we hope our new councillors will make decisions based on the future prosperity of the whole region and not based on narrow interests. Here are the results as of this morning.
20th September
Can it be Friday already? After a few frosts (normal for this time of year) the weeks are starting to warm up again. Tomato plants are appearing in the nursery and the first Asparagus spears are being harvested. It must be spring.
Next Forum: Ezidi Settlement in Armidale Wednesday 2nd October, Armidale City Bowling Club 5.30pm
We are happy to announce that Anne Rix, General Manager New England Family Support Service will be joining the panel.
I also have to thank Simon Scott Photo for lending us some of his outstanding images of the local Ezidi community which were published by the Guardian. These will be shown at the start of the Forum as an introduction. I'm sure you will recognise some of these people.
Last night in a packed Lazenby Hall Stan Grant talked to us about diversity, identity and living together - accepting our differences in a loving way. The media tends to amplify conflict and divisiveness and we have seen that permeate social media turning residents against each other. His was an admirable message for peace but I'm not optimistic. In his new book Yuval Noah Harari '"Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI," Harari looks at the unique challenges that artificial intelligence represents for our time. An interview with Amanpour and Co on Youtube revealed a few home truths. When the Gutenberg press was first invented - apart from the Bible and other religious texts, the more popular texts were all about witchcraft and other conspiracies. Human nature hasn't changed one bit.
Council election
What an amazing result! When Sam Coupland, Todd Redwood and Paul Gaddes decided to run as a group many of us were left scratching our heads. Their team soon added Kay Endres, Jane Mactier from Guyra, Jane Schmude, Melanie Fillios from UNE with Jon Galletly bringing up the rear. Could it work? In the past groups with a box above the line tended to only get one candidate elected. The last election saw the ALP with two elected but people thought that was unusual. Now we had a group aiming for 5 or 6.
When the first counts were posted online I was amazed to see Sam's group D consistently receiving 46% of the vote. Counting is continuing slowly and progressive tallies are being posted online each day. Postal votes close next Friday and preferences will be allocated on 30th. It was clear that Margaret O'Connor's group is not doing well. The ALP have one and the Greens are close to one. Sam's group D appears to have 4 councillors and perhaps a fifth. Below is a screenshot of the tally as it stands today. Here is the link so you can follow the tally yourselves. https://vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/LG2401/armidale/councillor
Can it be Friday already? After a few frosts (normal for this time of year) the weeks are starting to warm up again. Tomato plants are appearing in the nursery and the first Asparagus spears are being harvested. It must be spring.
Next Forum: Ezidi Settlement in Armidale Wednesday 2nd October, Armidale City Bowling Club 5.30pm
We are happy to announce that Anne Rix, General Manager New England Family Support Service will be joining the panel.
I also have to thank Simon Scott Photo for lending us some of his outstanding images of the local Ezidi community which were published by the Guardian. These will be shown at the start of the Forum as an introduction. I'm sure you will recognise some of these people.
Last night in a packed Lazenby Hall Stan Grant talked to us about diversity, identity and living together - accepting our differences in a loving way. The media tends to amplify conflict and divisiveness and we have seen that permeate social media turning residents against each other. His was an admirable message for peace but I'm not optimistic. In his new book Yuval Noah Harari '"Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI," Harari looks at the unique challenges that artificial intelligence represents for our time. An interview with Amanpour and Co on Youtube revealed a few home truths. When the Gutenberg press was first invented - apart from the Bible and other religious texts, the more popular texts were all about witchcraft and other conspiracies. Human nature hasn't changed one bit.
Council election
What an amazing result! When Sam Coupland, Todd Redwood and Paul Gaddes decided to run as a group many of us were left scratching our heads. Their team soon added Kay Endres, Jane Mactier from Guyra, Jane Schmude, Melanie Fillios from UNE with Jon Galletly bringing up the rear. Could it work? In the past groups with a box above the line tended to only get one candidate elected. The last election saw the ALP with two elected but people thought that was unusual. Now we had a group aiming for 5 or 6.
When the first counts were posted online I was amazed to see Sam's group D consistently receiving 46% of the vote. Counting is continuing slowly and progressive tallies are being posted online each day. Postal votes close next Friday and preferences will be allocated on 30th. It was clear that Margaret O'Connor's group is not doing well. The ALP have one and the Greens are close to one. Sam's group D appears to have 4 councillors and perhaps a fifth. Below is a screenshot of the tally as it stands today. Here is the link so you can follow the tally yourselves. https://vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/LG2401/armidale/councillor
13th September
It's election day tomorrow and many of the candidates have pitched themselves near the town hall steps to hand out how to vote material and chat to early voters. There are posters up all over town and it was sad to see during the week that some of these had been defaced or taken down. There's no need to do things like that in a fair contest. Unfortunately some people don't like being either civil or fair. Social media has given certain people in our community a megaphone to attack, insult and threaten people who want to do their civic duty. It's become so bad that many people of substance in our community won't put their hand up for election because of this online bullying. The only way to stop it is to fight back. Bullies are weak and they usually crumble when confronted. Threats of violence should never be allowed and it is the duty of the moderator of these sites to ensure they are taken down promptly. I went to the police and opened a file on a person who threatened me by email. It can be done.
US Presidential election
Last Wednesday many of us watched the debate between VP Kamala Harris and former President Trump. It was a clinical take down of a bully, liar and cheat. This debate will be examined by experts for years to come as a masterclass in how to bait your opponent into going off the rails while you calmly talk about your plans for the country. As a former prosecutor and Attorney General for California, VP Harris knows how to trap criminals into confessing or tying themselves up in knots. From the moment she stepped on the debate stage she took command despite Trump's larger height and bulk and ability to intimidate. Like on Jan 6 Trump bragged afterwards that he won the debate and that the debate was rigged, the moderators were unfair in only fact checking him (well mate - you were the liar). It all sounds familiar doesn't it for this is a man who like a small child cannot bear to lose.
Voters in the swing states were asked what they thought afterwards as reported in the Guardian. Here is one response
It was tough to watch in the sense that there was always this sense of: Is it going to go awry? How is she going to be able to handle that man with his anger and his insults? I was proud of how she handled it. I am certainly voting for Vice-President Harris. She was poised, intelligent and most importantly human. She wasn’t a robot. She had little stumbles or misspoke at times; however she came across as genuine, and was prepared but not in a stilted way. I hope the debate managed to persuade undecided voters. I’m giving my fellow Americans a lot of credit here, but I’m hoping that they saw that not only is he a loose, dangerous cannon that shouldn’t be president, but that it also showed that Harris has got the seriousness, the maturity, the intelligence and experience to do this. Overall he sunk his boat and she really raised hers, although she was already doing wonderfully. But I think she signed, sealed and delivered it.
– Suzanne Baker, 65, retired anthropology professor, Michigan
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/12/swing-state-voters-debate-reaction?utm_term=66e3568dc16c9ab0acb51b5a1ffd7602&utm_campaign=MorningMailAUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=morningmailau_email
It's election day tomorrow and many of the candidates have pitched themselves near the town hall steps to hand out how to vote material and chat to early voters. There are posters up all over town and it was sad to see during the week that some of these had been defaced or taken down. There's no need to do things like that in a fair contest. Unfortunately some people don't like being either civil or fair. Social media has given certain people in our community a megaphone to attack, insult and threaten people who want to do their civic duty. It's become so bad that many people of substance in our community won't put their hand up for election because of this online bullying. The only way to stop it is to fight back. Bullies are weak and they usually crumble when confronted. Threats of violence should never be allowed and it is the duty of the moderator of these sites to ensure they are taken down promptly. I went to the police and opened a file on a person who threatened me by email. It can be done.
US Presidential election
Last Wednesday many of us watched the debate between VP Kamala Harris and former President Trump. It was a clinical take down of a bully, liar and cheat. This debate will be examined by experts for years to come as a masterclass in how to bait your opponent into going off the rails while you calmly talk about your plans for the country. As a former prosecutor and Attorney General for California, VP Harris knows how to trap criminals into confessing or tying themselves up in knots. From the moment she stepped on the debate stage she took command despite Trump's larger height and bulk and ability to intimidate. Like on Jan 6 Trump bragged afterwards that he won the debate and that the debate was rigged, the moderators were unfair in only fact checking him (well mate - you were the liar). It all sounds familiar doesn't it for this is a man who like a small child cannot bear to lose.
Voters in the swing states were asked what they thought afterwards as reported in the Guardian. Here is one response
It was tough to watch in the sense that there was always this sense of: Is it going to go awry? How is she going to be able to handle that man with his anger and his insults? I was proud of how she handled it. I am certainly voting for Vice-President Harris. She was poised, intelligent and most importantly human. She wasn’t a robot. She had little stumbles or misspoke at times; however she came across as genuine, and was prepared but not in a stilted way. I hope the debate managed to persuade undecided voters. I’m giving my fellow Americans a lot of credit here, but I’m hoping that they saw that not only is he a loose, dangerous cannon that shouldn’t be president, but that it also showed that Harris has got the seriousness, the maturity, the intelligence and experience to do this. Overall he sunk his boat and she really raised hers, although she was already doing wonderfully. But I think she signed, sealed and delivered it.
– Suzanne Baker, 65, retired anthropology professor, Michigan
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/12/swing-state-voters-debate-reaction?utm_term=66e3568dc16c9ab0acb51b5a1ffd7602&utm_campaign=MorningMailAUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=morningmailau_email
6th September
We had a wonderful roll up to Meet the Candidates on Wednesday evening. over 150 people attended with standing room only.
All of the candidates were there and they had all provided their 5 dot points about what they stand for.
My thanks to our team who all played a part in ensuring a successful event. The evening went very smoothly apart from a few microphone hassles and it was very clear at the end as to who the most credible candidates were. There was enough of the unexpected to keep the audience engaged including the on screen count down clock which ensured no-one went over their allotted 2 mins or else they were howled down by the audience. Having the questions on the big screen was a big help for both candidates and audience. One problem was the limited range of questions. There is so much more that could have been covered but we were limited by the sent in questions. Also the sent in questions tended to target the same candidates so they got to speak much more than others. It's always hard to run an event like this in a limited time frame and be fair to all. I welcome your suggestions for improvements if we ever do this again.
The event was recorded by 2ARM-FM and will be broadcast next Tuesday 10th September at 9.00am
It is now available to listen to on podcast.
Go to: https://2arm.net.au/podcast/
Next Forum
Ezidi Settlement in Armidale
Wednesday 2nd October Armidale City Bowling Club 5.30pm.
The invitation is at the top of the page.
We had a wonderful roll up to Meet the Candidates on Wednesday evening. over 150 people attended with standing room only.
All of the candidates were there and they had all provided their 5 dot points about what they stand for.
My thanks to our team who all played a part in ensuring a successful event. The evening went very smoothly apart from a few microphone hassles and it was very clear at the end as to who the most credible candidates were. There was enough of the unexpected to keep the audience engaged including the on screen count down clock which ensured no-one went over their allotted 2 mins or else they were howled down by the audience. Having the questions on the big screen was a big help for both candidates and audience. One problem was the limited range of questions. There is so much more that could have been covered but we were limited by the sent in questions. Also the sent in questions tended to target the same candidates so they got to speak much more than others. It's always hard to run an event like this in a limited time frame and be fair to all. I welcome your suggestions for improvements if we ever do this again.
The event was recorded by 2ARM-FM and will be broadcast next Tuesday 10th September at 9.00am
It is now available to listen to on podcast.
Go to: https://2arm.net.au/podcast/
Next Forum
Ezidi Settlement in Armidale
Wednesday 2nd October Armidale City Bowling Club 5.30pm.
The invitation is at the top of the page.
30th August
It looks like spring is definitely sprung. The wattles are magnificent this year thanks to all that winter rain. According to Accu Weather we can now look forward to three weeks of dry sunny days with temps hovering around the early twenties with the chance of a light frost on Monday and Tuesday.
Meet the Candidates
This event takes place on Wednesday 4th September at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm. All the candidates will be attending,
I haven't heard from Josh Fittler - if you know him please ask him to contact us ASAP at this email. I have received one question so far. If you want to be sure that your question will be answered please send it in before Wednesday. Make sure you let us know who the question is directed to. An article about the event published in the Armidale Express this week is posted below.
Next Forum - Ezidi Settlement in Armidale - Wed. 2 October 5.30 Bowlo
We are happy to announce this event. At the moment we have sent invitations out and two speakers are confirmed.
As soon as we get our panel together we will send out an invitation. Please save the date.
Meet the Candidates Council Forum to run
Heath Forsyth Armidale Express 27 August 2024
Candidates for the upcoming local government elections will be at the Armidale City Bowling Club on Wednesday, September 4 for a public forum ahead of local council elections to be held on September 14. The forum is being hosted by New England Visions 2030 Institute (NEV2030), an independent nonprofit organisation and will give the public their chance to meet the candidates who are running as a councillor on Armidale Regional Council. NEV2030 convenor Maria Hitchcock said this year's meet the candidates will be a different event to previous ones. "We have asked the candidates to provide us with five dot points representing what they stand for to put on a powerpoint which will be displayed on the large screen. "Each group or independent candidate will have a prepared slide that will give you a clear picture of what they will promote as a councillor. "The group slides will also name all the members of their team and Instead of introductions, we will be asking the leader of each group and each candidate the same pre-prepared question. The question that will be asked of the candidates is: "What in your opinion is the biggest problem in our region and how would you solve it?"
"This is a free event open to all, there is no need to register, just roll up," Ms Hitchcock said. "There are very few ungrouped independents this year, we only have five. If you compare that to 2017 when there were 25 ungrouped independents, that's a big change. "It seems Armidale elections are going the way of other councils, in that they are going towards the group system rather than the ungrouped one. "I think people are realising that the electorate likes to vote above the line, and we have seen that in state and federal elections in the past and that concept is catching on in council elections." NEV2030 is also accepting questions beforehand which will be read out by one of the moderators. There will be 11 chairs out the front, one for each group leader and one for each ungrouped candidate. The group leaders will answer the questions however, it will be open to all. "All of the candidates will be there. The first two rows will be reserved for the other members of various groups, and people will be able to ask questions from the floor of the other candidates as well as those who are the lead candidates."
Anyone wanting to send in questions beforehand to be read out at the event should send it to: [email protected] by Monday, September 2.
It looks like spring is definitely sprung. The wattles are magnificent this year thanks to all that winter rain. According to Accu Weather we can now look forward to three weeks of dry sunny days with temps hovering around the early twenties with the chance of a light frost on Monday and Tuesday.
Meet the Candidates
This event takes place on Wednesday 4th September at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm. All the candidates will be attending,
I haven't heard from Josh Fittler - if you know him please ask him to contact us ASAP at this email. I have received one question so far. If you want to be sure that your question will be answered please send it in before Wednesday. Make sure you let us know who the question is directed to. An article about the event published in the Armidale Express this week is posted below.
Next Forum - Ezidi Settlement in Armidale - Wed. 2 October 5.30 Bowlo
We are happy to announce this event. At the moment we have sent invitations out and two speakers are confirmed.
As soon as we get our panel together we will send out an invitation. Please save the date.
Meet the Candidates Council Forum to run
Heath Forsyth Armidale Express 27 August 2024
Candidates for the upcoming local government elections will be at the Armidale City Bowling Club on Wednesday, September 4 for a public forum ahead of local council elections to be held on September 14. The forum is being hosted by New England Visions 2030 Institute (NEV2030), an independent nonprofit organisation and will give the public their chance to meet the candidates who are running as a councillor on Armidale Regional Council. NEV2030 convenor Maria Hitchcock said this year's meet the candidates will be a different event to previous ones. "We have asked the candidates to provide us with five dot points representing what they stand for to put on a powerpoint which will be displayed on the large screen. "Each group or independent candidate will have a prepared slide that will give you a clear picture of what they will promote as a councillor. "The group slides will also name all the members of their team and Instead of introductions, we will be asking the leader of each group and each candidate the same pre-prepared question. The question that will be asked of the candidates is: "What in your opinion is the biggest problem in our region and how would you solve it?"
"This is a free event open to all, there is no need to register, just roll up," Ms Hitchcock said. "There are very few ungrouped independents this year, we only have five. If you compare that to 2017 when there were 25 ungrouped independents, that's a big change. "It seems Armidale elections are going the way of other councils, in that they are going towards the group system rather than the ungrouped one. "I think people are realising that the electorate likes to vote above the line, and we have seen that in state and federal elections in the past and that concept is catching on in council elections." NEV2030 is also accepting questions beforehand which will be read out by one of the moderators. There will be 11 chairs out the front, one for each group leader and one for each ungrouped candidate. The group leaders will answer the questions however, it will be open to all. "All of the candidates will be there. The first two rows will be reserved for the other members of various groups, and people will be able to ask questions from the floor of the other candidates as well as those who are the lead candidates."
Anyone wanting to send in questions beforehand to be read out at the event should send it to: [email protected] by Monday, September 2.
23rd August
Don't forget our Meet the Candidates forum on Wednesday 4th September at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm.
This will be a different event to previous ones in that we have asked the candidates to provide us with five dot points representing what they stand for to put on a PowerPoint which will be displayed on the large screen. Each group or independent candidate will have a prepared slide which will give you a clear picture of what they will promote as a councillor. The group slides will also name all the members of their team. Instead of Introductions we will be asking the leader of each group and each candidate the same pre-prepared question.
What in your opinion is the biggest problem in our region and how would you solve it?
This is a free event open to all. No need to register. Just roll up.
We are also accepting questions beforehand which will be read out by one of our team members.
Please send your question to this email address and make sure you direct your question at up to three candidates so we know who to ask. Download the invitation above. Please share.
Ezidi Settlement in Armidale.
We are also planning a Forum on Wednesday 2nd October about this topic. It's been five years since the first Ezidi refugees arrived in Armidale and we thought it might be interesting to hear how that experience has gone from a number of perspectives. We have invited several stakeholders to inform you of their experiences and the many local avenues of support that have been made available and what still needs to be done. The invitation will be sent out as soon as we finalise the panel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of New England Rail Trail
The Guyra launch was held on 7th August and 58 people attended. Almost all were enthusiastic about the project - a number were looking at providing accommodation or hoping for an economic boost to their area. This was the last of our three events and a report on the meeting written by Peter Sniekers is included below. The steering committee met yesterday and decided on Wednesday 9th October for the AGM to elect a Board.
NEV 2030's involvement as a facilitator will end with the AGM.
Report of Guyra Event
3rd Launch of Friends of New England Rail Trail (NERT) : Guyra, Wednesday 14/8/24
Guyra Bowling and Sports Club: 5:30pm - Written by Peter Sniekers
Welcome
Opened by Hans Hietbrink who welcomed the significant number of attendees (estimated at 58 on a cold and rainy evening in Guyra) and introduced the Friends of NERT Steering Committee: comprising himself, Maria Hitchcock (convenor of NEV2030), David Mills (current Chair of NERT Inc and main proponent of the NERT project for over ten years), and Peter Sniekers (retired NSW Government regional development practitioner); absent were Kade Smith, Steve Toms (previous Mayor of Glen Innes Severn Council and Cross Border Commissioner) and David Thompson (recently retired from Regional Development Australia - Northern Inland (RDANI)) who was instrumental in preparing the many business cases for the NERT project.
· Hans also thanked David Waugh for his work in designing promotional logos and branding for the event and which were incorporated into the evening’s presentations.
· Hans assumed the audience were here to support or were interested in learning more about the NERT project. The meeting was not intended to discuss trains versus rail trails. The NERT project is not against trains: if the government wants trains in the future then it would resume the corridor and reconstruct the rails. In the meantime a rail trail would deliver real demonstrated benefits to the community.
· The objective of Friends of NERT is to support Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council to construct the NERT between Armidale and Glen Innes while preserving the corridor in Crown ownership.
Maria Hitchcock outlined NEV2030 involvement since the delay motion at Council in April caused a huge outpouring of community support for the NERT project.
· This was captured in the petition launched by NEV2030: over 6800 signatures in a few weeks and hundreds of letters of support for the project sent to Council and Councillors.
· Armidale Regional Council had a history of handing back grants and was building a reputation of not performing on grant-funded projects, which would impact on future grant applications.
· It was important that the Council proceed with the NERT project to prevent the loss of the $5.4 million grant offered and so avoid further reputational damage.
· The subsequent successful rescission motion and amended motion to proceed with the project gave Council a way forward and a means for Council staff to act. The required studies to be completed can now commence.
· NEV2030 became involved in promoting the NERT project because it could see the huge economic benefits to the region from the project.
The Friends of NERT group must be inclusive of the three areas covered by the NERT project: Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes.
• Maria introduced Sam Coupland (Mayor Armidale Regional Council - ARC) to officially open the event and launch Friends of NERT.
Sam Coupland, Mayor ARC:
Mayor Sam Coupland said that this third launch is a celebration. He tipped his hat to David Mills and others who originally formulated the NERT concept over ten years ago.
• Sam has had own experience with numerous rail trails in Victoria whilst residing in Melbourne and so has seen the benefits they bring to regional communities.
• He sees the Friends of NERT group as very important / crucial to the project, and the vehicle through which the excitement of the community can be focused to help Councils develop the project. He sees them as the “silent polite majority” of the community, with many of them in the under-30 demographic.
• He agrees the issue of maintenance costs for the project was a valid point, but that has since been eliminated by:
• 23 local businesses pledging $23,000 per year toward maintenance costs of the rail trail,
• A further $20,000 per year in-kind work on the trail from BackTrack Youth Works; and
• A renewable energy battery proponent pledging a further $20,000 per year for 25 years toward maintenance costs.
Current Status:
1. Preliminary works licence is expected imminently. This will grant access to the corridor for studies etc.
2. Contractors for seven different areas are ready.
3. This will enable the agreement for a 30 year lease of the corridor with Transport for NSW for $1.
4. Then site specific legislation can be enacted.
5. Procurement and internals can be completed.
6. Community and landholder consultation / agreements can be completed.
7. Construction then commences.
· Many of these steps will occur concurrently.
· Applications for funding for remaining estimated $21 million construction costs are already underway (and this $21 million includes a 25% contingency allowance).
Mayor Sam Coupland was thrilled to launch Friends of NERT and said the NERT will become a major inflection point for the region. Hans Hietbrink thanked the Mayor and said Glen Innes Severn Council is undertaking the same strategy from their end.
David Mills: Chair of NERT Inc
David thanked Hans Hietbrink, Mayor Sam Coupland, Maria Hitchcock and the NEV2030 group and David Waugh. Now everyone supporting the NERT is flying under the one banner! David played a short video presentation of rail trails around the world which demonstrated the economic development, social opportunities and tourism benefits of rail trails.
NERT Inc was originally incorporated in 2014 when the project concept was a trail extending from Black Mountain to Ben Lomond only.
• NERT Inc has now been officially renamed Friends of NERT to encompass the larger Armidale to Glen Innes project and members are being sought from across the length of the rail corridor.
David provided a brief history of the NERT back to 2008 when the concept of a rail trail along a (then) 20-year disused rail corridor was mooted and discussed between the then local member Richard Torbay, Bruce Graham and the Assistant GM at Guyra Shire Council.
· Significant economic benefits from increased tourism were identified even at that stage.
· Eventually funding for a business case was sought via a GoFundMe crowd funding platform which raised in excess of $48,000 in a number of weeks. This indicated then the depth of community support for the project.
· RDANI produced eleven different versions of the Business Case over time as costs changed, and as the sections to be funded of the rail trail changed.
· Border Rivers CMA prepared a Biosecurity Report.
· Halliburton and Associates prepared the Rail Trail Development Plan for the project.
· These reports and plans, with council applications, resulted in successful funding offers totalling $14.2 million for the Armidale to Glen Innes project across two different State / Federal funding programs.
· In summary the project has had a 16-year history with 10 years invested into the longer Armidale to Glen Innes project.
The recent history of involvement with NEV2030 has enabled the formation of the Friends group, and the invitation to join was extended to the audience.
· Numbers are exceeding expectations and numbers = strength and credibility.
· The group needs to continue to bust the myths being promoted by some in the community about rail trails.
· We are looking for a “world class” product for the NERT.
· The group will help ensure there is a consistent brand across the project which is paramount for promotion, tourism, merchandising, events.
· The group will work with Councils to develop the NERT in design, operation, maintenance and will involve other community groups.
Hans Hietbrink and Maria Hitchcock
Outlined latest developments with Friends of NERT Inc:
· Fully incorporated with NERT Inc changing name to Friends of NERT Inc which has been signed off by NSW Fair Trading.
· AGM shortly to elect new Board with reps from all three main centres.
· Friends of NERT are not against having trains; but until that happens build an asset for tourism / health / economic benefits.
Maria: Friends of NERT Inc will have four standing committees:
· Events
· Merchandise
· Promotion
· Advocacy
QandA session
Q: Council elections are coming up. Is there any chance of people getting on Council who can stop the rail trail project?
A: Sam Coupland: Yes. Anyone can stand for Council. If there are at least 5 councillors against the rail trail they can stop the rail trail.
Q: The $5.4 million grant. Does it have to be spent by end March 2025 or “start” by end March 2025?
A: Sam Coupland: Council is negotiating with NEMA (National Emergency Management Authority) but at this stage the grant has to be spent by end March 2025.
Q: Irate and angry outburst about safety of rail trail and how people will become paraplegics / get killed by falling off steep formations. “I can’t believe the dishonesty”. The person walked out of meeting and refused to listen to comments on the statement.
Some comments from audience included:
1. “Riding on rail trails significantly safer than riding on roads shared with traffic”.
2. “Any National Parks and other gravel roads have associated risks and require a level of common sense”.
3. Council has looked into the complaint before and it has been discussed with General Manager: risks can be managed by use of appropriate fencing and signage. Normal public liability will apply.
4. “Otago Central Rail Trail (NZ) has steep formation sections as well and is not a problem there”.
5. “People use rail trails because they ARE safe from TRAFFIC”.
6. “Would much prefer to ride on a trail than a road”.
Q: What obstacles need to be overcome to start the process of progressing the NERT?
A: Sam Coupland: Election date is a month away. Real obstacle is government approval. Council is expecting movement in days not weeks. Funding body has had a change of Minister so some delays in negotiation there. No holdups from this end: all at the Government end and out of Council control.
The meeting was closed by Hans Hietbrink at 6:45pm and the audience thanked for participating. There was a lot of further discussion with audience members and steering committee members following the formal meeting.
After the meeting from Maria Hitchcock: “Our Guyra event was also a great success with 58 people attending. There was a positive feeling in the room and many people took away membership forms. Thank you to the people of Guyra who came out in force on a terrible night to support this fantastic project which will benefit every town, village and community and which will unite us all in a common purpose. We encourage others to join. We are well over the 100 mark with financial membership with more to come”.
Don't forget our Meet the Candidates forum on Wednesday 4th September at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm.
This will be a different event to previous ones in that we have asked the candidates to provide us with five dot points representing what they stand for to put on a PowerPoint which will be displayed on the large screen. Each group or independent candidate will have a prepared slide which will give you a clear picture of what they will promote as a councillor. The group slides will also name all the members of their team. Instead of Introductions we will be asking the leader of each group and each candidate the same pre-prepared question.
What in your opinion is the biggest problem in our region and how would you solve it?
This is a free event open to all. No need to register. Just roll up.
We are also accepting questions beforehand which will be read out by one of our team members.
Please send your question to this email address and make sure you direct your question at up to three candidates so we know who to ask. Download the invitation above. Please share.
Ezidi Settlement in Armidale.
We are also planning a Forum on Wednesday 2nd October about this topic. It's been five years since the first Ezidi refugees arrived in Armidale and we thought it might be interesting to hear how that experience has gone from a number of perspectives. We have invited several stakeholders to inform you of their experiences and the many local avenues of support that have been made available and what still needs to be done. The invitation will be sent out as soon as we finalise the panel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of New England Rail Trail
The Guyra launch was held on 7th August and 58 people attended. Almost all were enthusiastic about the project - a number were looking at providing accommodation or hoping for an economic boost to their area. This was the last of our three events and a report on the meeting written by Peter Sniekers is included below. The steering committee met yesterday and decided on Wednesday 9th October for the AGM to elect a Board.
NEV 2030's involvement as a facilitator will end with the AGM.
Report of Guyra Event
3rd Launch of Friends of New England Rail Trail (NERT) : Guyra, Wednesday 14/8/24
Guyra Bowling and Sports Club: 5:30pm - Written by Peter Sniekers
Welcome
Opened by Hans Hietbrink who welcomed the significant number of attendees (estimated at 58 on a cold and rainy evening in Guyra) and introduced the Friends of NERT Steering Committee: comprising himself, Maria Hitchcock (convenor of NEV2030), David Mills (current Chair of NERT Inc and main proponent of the NERT project for over ten years), and Peter Sniekers (retired NSW Government regional development practitioner); absent were Kade Smith, Steve Toms (previous Mayor of Glen Innes Severn Council and Cross Border Commissioner) and David Thompson (recently retired from Regional Development Australia - Northern Inland (RDANI)) who was instrumental in preparing the many business cases for the NERT project.
· Hans also thanked David Waugh for his work in designing promotional logos and branding for the event and which were incorporated into the evening’s presentations.
· Hans assumed the audience were here to support or were interested in learning more about the NERT project. The meeting was not intended to discuss trains versus rail trails. The NERT project is not against trains: if the government wants trains in the future then it would resume the corridor and reconstruct the rails. In the meantime a rail trail would deliver real demonstrated benefits to the community.
· The objective of Friends of NERT is to support Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council to construct the NERT between Armidale and Glen Innes while preserving the corridor in Crown ownership.
Maria Hitchcock outlined NEV2030 involvement since the delay motion at Council in April caused a huge outpouring of community support for the NERT project.
· This was captured in the petition launched by NEV2030: over 6800 signatures in a few weeks and hundreds of letters of support for the project sent to Council and Councillors.
· Armidale Regional Council had a history of handing back grants and was building a reputation of not performing on grant-funded projects, which would impact on future grant applications.
· It was important that the Council proceed with the NERT project to prevent the loss of the $5.4 million grant offered and so avoid further reputational damage.
· The subsequent successful rescission motion and amended motion to proceed with the project gave Council a way forward and a means for Council staff to act. The required studies to be completed can now commence.
· NEV2030 became involved in promoting the NERT project because it could see the huge economic benefits to the region from the project.
The Friends of NERT group must be inclusive of the three areas covered by the NERT project: Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes.
• Maria introduced Sam Coupland (Mayor Armidale Regional Council - ARC) to officially open the event and launch Friends of NERT.
Sam Coupland, Mayor ARC:
Mayor Sam Coupland said that this third launch is a celebration. He tipped his hat to David Mills and others who originally formulated the NERT concept over ten years ago.
• Sam has had own experience with numerous rail trails in Victoria whilst residing in Melbourne and so has seen the benefits they bring to regional communities.
• He sees the Friends of NERT group as very important / crucial to the project, and the vehicle through which the excitement of the community can be focused to help Councils develop the project. He sees them as the “silent polite majority” of the community, with many of them in the under-30 demographic.
• He agrees the issue of maintenance costs for the project was a valid point, but that has since been eliminated by:
• 23 local businesses pledging $23,000 per year toward maintenance costs of the rail trail,
• A further $20,000 per year in-kind work on the trail from BackTrack Youth Works; and
• A renewable energy battery proponent pledging a further $20,000 per year for 25 years toward maintenance costs.
Current Status:
1. Preliminary works licence is expected imminently. This will grant access to the corridor for studies etc.
2. Contractors for seven different areas are ready.
3. This will enable the agreement for a 30 year lease of the corridor with Transport for NSW for $1.
4. Then site specific legislation can be enacted.
5. Procurement and internals can be completed.
6. Community and landholder consultation / agreements can be completed.
7. Construction then commences.
· Many of these steps will occur concurrently.
· Applications for funding for remaining estimated $21 million construction costs are already underway (and this $21 million includes a 25% contingency allowance).
Mayor Sam Coupland was thrilled to launch Friends of NERT and said the NERT will become a major inflection point for the region. Hans Hietbrink thanked the Mayor and said Glen Innes Severn Council is undertaking the same strategy from their end.
David Mills: Chair of NERT Inc
David thanked Hans Hietbrink, Mayor Sam Coupland, Maria Hitchcock and the NEV2030 group and David Waugh. Now everyone supporting the NERT is flying under the one banner! David played a short video presentation of rail trails around the world which demonstrated the economic development, social opportunities and tourism benefits of rail trails.
NERT Inc was originally incorporated in 2014 when the project concept was a trail extending from Black Mountain to Ben Lomond only.
• NERT Inc has now been officially renamed Friends of NERT to encompass the larger Armidale to Glen Innes project and members are being sought from across the length of the rail corridor.
David provided a brief history of the NERT back to 2008 when the concept of a rail trail along a (then) 20-year disused rail corridor was mooted and discussed between the then local member Richard Torbay, Bruce Graham and the Assistant GM at Guyra Shire Council.
· Significant economic benefits from increased tourism were identified even at that stage.
· Eventually funding for a business case was sought via a GoFundMe crowd funding platform which raised in excess of $48,000 in a number of weeks. This indicated then the depth of community support for the project.
· RDANI produced eleven different versions of the Business Case over time as costs changed, and as the sections to be funded of the rail trail changed.
· Border Rivers CMA prepared a Biosecurity Report.
· Halliburton and Associates prepared the Rail Trail Development Plan for the project.
· These reports and plans, with council applications, resulted in successful funding offers totalling $14.2 million for the Armidale to Glen Innes project across two different State / Federal funding programs.
· In summary the project has had a 16-year history with 10 years invested into the longer Armidale to Glen Innes project.
The recent history of involvement with NEV2030 has enabled the formation of the Friends group, and the invitation to join was extended to the audience.
· Numbers are exceeding expectations and numbers = strength and credibility.
· The group needs to continue to bust the myths being promoted by some in the community about rail trails.
· We are looking for a “world class” product for the NERT.
· The group will help ensure there is a consistent brand across the project which is paramount for promotion, tourism, merchandising, events.
· The group will work with Councils to develop the NERT in design, operation, maintenance and will involve other community groups.
Hans Hietbrink and Maria Hitchcock
Outlined latest developments with Friends of NERT Inc:
· Fully incorporated with NERT Inc changing name to Friends of NERT Inc which has been signed off by NSW Fair Trading.
· AGM shortly to elect new Board with reps from all three main centres.
· Friends of NERT are not against having trains; but until that happens build an asset for tourism / health / economic benefits.
Maria: Friends of NERT Inc will have four standing committees:
· Events
· Merchandise
· Promotion
· Advocacy
QandA session
Q: Council elections are coming up. Is there any chance of people getting on Council who can stop the rail trail project?
A: Sam Coupland: Yes. Anyone can stand for Council. If there are at least 5 councillors against the rail trail they can stop the rail trail.
Q: The $5.4 million grant. Does it have to be spent by end March 2025 or “start” by end March 2025?
A: Sam Coupland: Council is negotiating with NEMA (National Emergency Management Authority) but at this stage the grant has to be spent by end March 2025.
Q: Irate and angry outburst about safety of rail trail and how people will become paraplegics / get killed by falling off steep formations. “I can’t believe the dishonesty”. The person walked out of meeting and refused to listen to comments on the statement.
Some comments from audience included:
1. “Riding on rail trails significantly safer than riding on roads shared with traffic”.
2. “Any National Parks and other gravel roads have associated risks and require a level of common sense”.
3. Council has looked into the complaint before and it has been discussed with General Manager: risks can be managed by use of appropriate fencing and signage. Normal public liability will apply.
4. “Otago Central Rail Trail (NZ) has steep formation sections as well and is not a problem there”.
5. “People use rail trails because they ARE safe from TRAFFIC”.
6. “Would much prefer to ride on a trail than a road”.
Q: What obstacles need to be overcome to start the process of progressing the NERT?
A: Sam Coupland: Election date is a month away. Real obstacle is government approval. Council is expecting movement in days not weeks. Funding body has had a change of Minister so some delays in negotiation there. No holdups from this end: all at the Government end and out of Council control.
The meeting was closed by Hans Hietbrink at 6:45pm and the audience thanked for participating. There was a lot of further discussion with audience members and steering committee members following the formal meeting.
After the meeting from Maria Hitchcock: “Our Guyra event was also a great success with 58 people attending. There was a positive feeling in the room and many people took away membership forms. Thank you to the people of Guyra who came out in force on a terrible night to support this fantastic project which will benefit every town, village and community and which will unite us all in a common purpose. We encourage others to join. We are well over the 100 mark with financial membership with more to come”.
9th August
The team met last Tuesday to plan our 'Meet the Candidates' event on 4th September at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm. Nominations are starting to appear on the AEC website.
(https://registers.elections.nsw.gov.au/s/registers-of-candidates)
So far we have 2 groups and 8 independents registered. We know that another 2 groups are to come and more independents. Nominations close next week on 14th August and then the draw takes place on 15th. We will then have a full list of candidates. Armidale elections seem to attract a large number of candidates so we have booked the venue for two hours to allow for lots of questions. We are calling for questions beforehand - these will be read out on the night. There will also be questions from the floor. This will be a free event with no registration necessary.
We do ask candidates to register with us beforehand however so we know who is coming and we can send them some information. I am attaching the invitation. Please share with friends and colleagues.
Rail trail
On Wednesday I attended the second of our launch events - this time in Glen Innes.
Next Wednesday we repeat the event at Guyra Bowling Club at 5.30pm. If you missed the Armidale event why not join us in Guyra. Above is the full report on the Glen Innes launch to download. The benefit of these events is to provide factual information and counter some of the misinformation being spread through FB.
Friends of NERT launch - Glen Innes Report
7th August 2024 Glen Innes Learning Centre
Approximately 35 people attended the second of our Friends of NERT launch events.
Former Mayor and member of the Friends Steering Committee, Steve Toms officiated. He began by welcoming the attendees and introduced the members of the steering committee present, Maria Hitchcock, Hans Hietbrink and Dave Mills. Kade Smith, Peter Sniekers and David Thompson were apologies.
Letter from GISC Mayor
Steve then read out a letter from Mayor Rob Banham who apologised for his absence as he was meeting with the Premier. Mayor Banham wished our enterprise well and stated that he was a supporter of the New England Rail Trail. He saw it as a major project which would stimulate the local economy leading to some significant economic benefits. It would put Glen Innes on the Rail Trail map which was beginning to expand in NSW. Unlike our festivals, the rail trail will be there 365 days a year. To get it started at the Glen Innes end, there will be an injection of $8.7m into our economy. Glen Innes Severn Council would welcome the return of a train service of course, but we can all see that this is unlikely to happen any time in the near future through sheer economics.
The full text is above.
The team met last Tuesday to plan our 'Meet the Candidates' event on 4th September at the Armidale City Bowling Club at 5.30pm. Nominations are starting to appear on the AEC website.
(https://registers.elections.nsw.gov.au/s/registers-of-candidates)
So far we have 2 groups and 8 independents registered. We know that another 2 groups are to come and more independents. Nominations close next week on 14th August and then the draw takes place on 15th. We will then have a full list of candidates. Armidale elections seem to attract a large number of candidates so we have booked the venue for two hours to allow for lots of questions. We are calling for questions beforehand - these will be read out on the night. There will also be questions from the floor. This will be a free event with no registration necessary.
We do ask candidates to register with us beforehand however so we know who is coming and we can send them some information. I am attaching the invitation. Please share with friends and colleagues.
Rail trail
On Wednesday I attended the second of our launch events - this time in Glen Innes.
Next Wednesday we repeat the event at Guyra Bowling Club at 5.30pm. If you missed the Armidale event why not join us in Guyra. Above is the full report on the Glen Innes launch to download. The benefit of these events is to provide factual information and counter some of the misinformation being spread through FB.
Friends of NERT launch - Glen Innes Report
7th August 2024 Glen Innes Learning Centre
Approximately 35 people attended the second of our Friends of NERT launch events.
Former Mayor and member of the Friends Steering Committee, Steve Toms officiated. He began by welcoming the attendees and introduced the members of the steering committee present, Maria Hitchcock, Hans Hietbrink and Dave Mills. Kade Smith, Peter Sniekers and David Thompson were apologies.
Letter from GISC Mayor
Steve then read out a letter from Mayor Rob Banham who apologised for his absence as he was meeting with the Premier. Mayor Banham wished our enterprise well and stated that he was a supporter of the New England Rail Trail. He saw it as a major project which would stimulate the local economy leading to some significant economic benefits. It would put Glen Innes on the Rail Trail map which was beginning to expand in NSW. Unlike our festivals, the rail trail will be there 365 days a year. To get it started at the Glen Innes end, there will be an injection of $8.7m into our economy. Glen Innes Severn Council would welcome the return of a train service of course, but we can all see that this is unlikely to happen any time in the near future through sheer economics.
The full text is above.
2nd August
Friends of New England Rail Trail
As the song goes .... 'Oh what a night! Approximately 150 people turned up to our launch event on a chilly Wednesday night. It included people of all ages including a few school students. This event exceeded all our expectations and showed what a strong silent majority there is out there. The vibe was one of 'great expectations'. It's the promise of a fantastic transformational project that is gradually happening and we can't wait. Thanks to Mayor Sam Coupland for 'launching' the Friends and answering a few technical questions. Thanks also to our steering committee team of Peter Sniekers, Kade Smith, Dave Mills, Steve Toms and Hans Hietbrink who all worked hard to make this event such a success. Thanks also to our graphic designer David Waugh who has spent many hours developing promotional materials and our presentation all pro bono. Our next launch event is in Glen Innes and a week later we repeat the event in Guyra. NEV2030 team member Peter Sniekers wrote a very comprehensive report and we thank him.
The full text is posted above and is available for download. Here is the first part.
Launch of Friends of New England Rail Trail (NERT) : Armidale, Wednesday 31/7/24
Armidale City Bowling Club: 5:30pm
Opened by Maria Hitchcock (Convenor of the think tank NEV2030) who welcomed the large number of attendees (estimated at 150) and introduced the Friends of NERT Steering Committee: comprising herself and David Mills (current Chair of NERT Inc and main proponent of the NERT project for over ten years), Hans Hietbrink (previous Mayor of Guyra Shire Council and project supporter), Kade Smith, Steve Toms (previous Mayor of Glen Innes Severn Council and Cross Border Commissioner) and Peter Sniekers (retired NSW Government regional development practitioner); absent was David Thompson (recently retired from Regional Development Australia - Northern Inland (RDANI)) who was instrumental in preparing the many business cases for the NERT project.
• Maria also thanked David Waugh for his work in designing promotional logos and branding for the event and which were incorporated into the evening’s presentations.
• Maria introduced Sam Coupland (Mayor Armidale Regional Council - ARC) to officially open the event and launch Friends of NERT.
Sam Coupland, Mayor ARC:
Mayor Sam Coupland said that NERT is a “defining” project for the region.
• It will identify Armidale / Glen Innes / Guyra as an area going from a “do nothing” region to a strong “do something” region.
• Yes the process for the project has been slow, but has been driven by 1988 legislation preventing the removal of rail infrastructure from disused rail corridors: legislation which needed to be amended while maintaining Crown ownership of the corridor itself - something which was only achieved in late 2022.
• Sam has had his own experience with numerous rail trails in Victoria whilst residing in Melbourne and so has seen the benefits they bring to regional communities.
• The Friends of NERT group is very important / crucial to the project.
• When the delay motion in April was passed regarding the progress of the project it sparked the silent majority into action who always thought the rail trail was a “bleedingly obvious” project to deliver benefits for the region: this resulted in:
• Over 6000 signatures in a subsequent petition in a few weeks in support of the NERT,
• Hundreds of letters supporting the NERT to Council and Councillors,
• 23 local businesses pledging $23,000 per year toward maintenance costs of the rail trail,
• A further $20,000 per year in-kind work on the trail from BackTrack Youth Works; and
• A renewable energy battery proponent pledging a further $20,000 per year to maintenance costs.
• Further capital funding applications will be required to complete the construction of the rail trail. Some applications are already in and awaiting assessment.
• A rail trail project on the disused corridor north of Armidale is “possible”. Any alternative put up so far is not.
• Current funding committed to date for the Armidale end of the trail is $5.4 million; for the Glen Innes end is $8.7 million. More will be needed.
• Delays and COVID have caused cost increases so that the original scope of the project has been changed to reflect the higher costs as calculated by Public Works, while ensuring the maximum benefits possible are delivered by the construction of first stages.
Full text - see pdf above
Friends of New England Rail Trail
As the song goes .... 'Oh what a night! Approximately 150 people turned up to our launch event on a chilly Wednesday night. It included people of all ages including a few school students. This event exceeded all our expectations and showed what a strong silent majority there is out there. The vibe was one of 'great expectations'. It's the promise of a fantastic transformational project that is gradually happening and we can't wait. Thanks to Mayor Sam Coupland for 'launching' the Friends and answering a few technical questions. Thanks also to our steering committee team of Peter Sniekers, Kade Smith, Dave Mills, Steve Toms and Hans Hietbrink who all worked hard to make this event such a success. Thanks also to our graphic designer David Waugh who has spent many hours developing promotional materials and our presentation all pro bono. Our next launch event is in Glen Innes and a week later we repeat the event in Guyra. NEV2030 team member Peter Sniekers wrote a very comprehensive report and we thank him.
The full text is posted above and is available for download. Here is the first part.
Launch of Friends of New England Rail Trail (NERT) : Armidale, Wednesday 31/7/24
Armidale City Bowling Club: 5:30pm
Opened by Maria Hitchcock (Convenor of the think tank NEV2030) who welcomed the large number of attendees (estimated at 150) and introduced the Friends of NERT Steering Committee: comprising herself and David Mills (current Chair of NERT Inc and main proponent of the NERT project for over ten years), Hans Hietbrink (previous Mayor of Guyra Shire Council and project supporter), Kade Smith, Steve Toms (previous Mayor of Glen Innes Severn Council and Cross Border Commissioner) and Peter Sniekers (retired NSW Government regional development practitioner); absent was David Thompson (recently retired from Regional Development Australia - Northern Inland (RDANI)) who was instrumental in preparing the many business cases for the NERT project.
• Maria also thanked David Waugh for his work in designing promotional logos and branding for the event and which were incorporated into the evening’s presentations.
• Maria introduced Sam Coupland (Mayor Armidale Regional Council - ARC) to officially open the event and launch Friends of NERT.
Sam Coupland, Mayor ARC:
Mayor Sam Coupland said that NERT is a “defining” project for the region.
• It will identify Armidale / Glen Innes / Guyra as an area going from a “do nothing” region to a strong “do something” region.
• Yes the process for the project has been slow, but has been driven by 1988 legislation preventing the removal of rail infrastructure from disused rail corridors: legislation which needed to be amended while maintaining Crown ownership of the corridor itself - something which was only achieved in late 2022.
• Sam has had his own experience with numerous rail trails in Victoria whilst residing in Melbourne and so has seen the benefits they bring to regional communities.
• The Friends of NERT group is very important / crucial to the project.
• When the delay motion in April was passed regarding the progress of the project it sparked the silent majority into action who always thought the rail trail was a “bleedingly obvious” project to deliver benefits for the region: this resulted in:
• Over 6000 signatures in a subsequent petition in a few weeks in support of the NERT,
• Hundreds of letters supporting the NERT to Council and Councillors,
• 23 local businesses pledging $23,000 per year toward maintenance costs of the rail trail,
• A further $20,000 per year in-kind work on the trail from BackTrack Youth Works; and
• A renewable energy battery proponent pledging a further $20,000 per year to maintenance costs.
• Further capital funding applications will be required to complete the construction of the rail trail. Some applications are already in and awaiting assessment.
• A rail trail project on the disused corridor north of Armidale is “possible”. Any alternative put up so far is not.
• Current funding committed to date for the Armidale end of the trail is $5.4 million; for the Glen Innes end is $8.7 million. More will be needed.
• Delays and COVID have caused cost increases so that the original scope of the project has been changed to reflect the higher costs as calculated by Public Works, while ensuring the maximum benefits possible are delivered by the construction of first stages.
Full text - see pdf above
26th July
New England Rail trail
Next week we will be hosting the first of our Friends of New England Rail Trail launch events on Wednesday 31st July at the Armidale Bowling club at 5.30pm. As you know, following the success of our amazing online petition, NEV2030 then suggested starting up a Friends Group to be a major community support group for the trail when it is up and running. We've had outstanding support from the community with 54 financial members so far. We hope to sign up many more at our launch events. We have an excellent steering committee which is inclusive with members from Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes. As you know the trail when completed will run from Armidale to Glen Innes so it is important that we approach this as a whole. Recently we included in our team a professional graphic designer who has given us a logo, slogan and designs for merchandise as well as preparing an exciting presentation for our three launch events (Armidale, Guyra 14July, Glen Innes 7 July). Armidale Mayor Sam Coupland will officially launch the Friends Group in Armidale and Guyra while Glen Innes Severn Mayor Rob Banham will do the honours in Glen Innes. The founder of New England Rail Trail, Dave Mills, will tell people the big story from how it was conceived to the present day. It promises to be a terrific night. Even if you are not a cyclist it would be worth coming along to get informed.
I am attaching the three invitations. It's a free event - no need to register. Just turn up and bring a friend.
ARC Draft Housing Strategy
The Have Your Say website page has a link to the new strategy. The most interesting part is the Community Snapshot which tells you a lot about our population trends and the current housing situation. Here are the key drivers of the housing strategy.
The following details the challenges, opportunities and trends that will influence the strategic direction of the local housing strategy. Engine industries
• Council has identified priority jobs precincts for Controlled Environment Horticulture (CEH), Renewable Energy industries and Manufacturing generating 3750 direct and indirect jobs.
• Growing engine industry jobs will grow the population and drive the need for 4,400 new homes.
• The New England REZ has an intended network capacity of 8 gigawatts. It is expected to deliver up to $10.7 billion in private sector investment and is expected to support around 830 operational jobs. A housing solution that responds to short term and permanent jobs is needed.
• Providing residential accommodation in close proximity to engine industry jobs, whilst ensuring the existing urban fabric of Armidale, Guyra and our villages is improved will be integral to maintaining our unique liveability and sustainability.
• Ensuring an adequate supply of residential accommodation is brought online in a logical sequence and is available when the engine industries are operational will be critical to ensure workers have a place to live and work.
Changes to UNE
• There has been a steady decline in the number of students on campus and in the city which has many far reaching impacts to the health and vibrancy of both the UNE Campus and Armidale city.
• Opportunities for UNE to integrate with Armidale city and play an important role in providing residential accommodation and services in the growth areas.
• Opportunities to bring UNE classrooms and accommodation into the city centre.
Refugees
Regional Australians have opened their hearts to refugees – we should open pathways to match
Dellaram Vreeland The Guardian 23/7/24
Advocates are calling on the federal government to open a new visa pathway for refugees via broader community sponsorship of asylum seekers. The desire to give generously runs through the veins of our regional communities. Over the past year, as I’ve interviewed both newly arrived refugees and longtime residents from towns across Victoria, I’ve been heartened to witness the reciprocal relationship that exists between those who have recently fled their home countries, and those who have called Australia home their entire life.
Read more
UNE promotion
This is a rather cheeky video promoting our UNE. It's worth watching
UNE Promo
Renewables
‘No one understands local issues better’: rural councils call for greater role in renewable energy transitionRural councils should be “deeply engaged” with the planning of renewable energy projects in their back yards to keep communities on side and streamline the energy transition, local government advocates have said.
But not all renewable projects require local government approval, meaning developers are left to deal directly with local residents – to mixed results. In NSW, Victoria and Queensland, local councils generally have the power to approve solar farms, but not wind developments which lie with the state government.
Linda Scott, the president of the Australian Local Government Association, said approval powers aside, local governments should be central in planning because it results in “better community acceptance” and “speedier approvals”.
“Where local governments don’t have planning approvals for any major infrastructure project, proponents often forget to speak to local government,” Scott said. “This is almost always a mistake.”
Read more
New England Rail trail
Next week we will be hosting the first of our Friends of New England Rail Trail launch events on Wednesday 31st July at the Armidale Bowling club at 5.30pm. As you know, following the success of our amazing online petition, NEV2030 then suggested starting up a Friends Group to be a major community support group for the trail when it is up and running. We've had outstanding support from the community with 54 financial members so far. We hope to sign up many more at our launch events. We have an excellent steering committee which is inclusive with members from Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes. As you know the trail when completed will run from Armidale to Glen Innes so it is important that we approach this as a whole. Recently we included in our team a professional graphic designer who has given us a logo, slogan and designs for merchandise as well as preparing an exciting presentation for our three launch events (Armidale, Guyra 14July, Glen Innes 7 July). Armidale Mayor Sam Coupland will officially launch the Friends Group in Armidale and Guyra while Glen Innes Severn Mayor Rob Banham will do the honours in Glen Innes. The founder of New England Rail Trail, Dave Mills, will tell people the big story from how it was conceived to the present day. It promises to be a terrific night. Even if you are not a cyclist it would be worth coming along to get informed.
I am attaching the three invitations. It's a free event - no need to register. Just turn up and bring a friend.
ARC Draft Housing Strategy
The Have Your Say website page has a link to the new strategy. The most interesting part is the Community Snapshot which tells you a lot about our population trends and the current housing situation. Here are the key drivers of the housing strategy.
The following details the challenges, opportunities and trends that will influence the strategic direction of the local housing strategy. Engine industries
• Council has identified priority jobs precincts for Controlled Environment Horticulture (CEH), Renewable Energy industries and Manufacturing generating 3750 direct and indirect jobs.
• Growing engine industry jobs will grow the population and drive the need for 4,400 new homes.
• The New England REZ has an intended network capacity of 8 gigawatts. It is expected to deliver up to $10.7 billion in private sector investment and is expected to support around 830 operational jobs. A housing solution that responds to short term and permanent jobs is needed.
• Providing residential accommodation in close proximity to engine industry jobs, whilst ensuring the existing urban fabric of Armidale, Guyra and our villages is improved will be integral to maintaining our unique liveability and sustainability.
• Ensuring an adequate supply of residential accommodation is brought online in a logical sequence and is available when the engine industries are operational will be critical to ensure workers have a place to live and work.
Changes to UNE
• There has been a steady decline in the number of students on campus and in the city which has many far reaching impacts to the health and vibrancy of both the UNE Campus and Armidale city.
• Opportunities for UNE to integrate with Armidale city and play an important role in providing residential accommodation and services in the growth areas.
• Opportunities to bring UNE classrooms and accommodation into the city centre.
Refugees
Regional Australians have opened their hearts to refugees – we should open pathways to match
Dellaram Vreeland The Guardian 23/7/24
Advocates are calling on the federal government to open a new visa pathway for refugees via broader community sponsorship of asylum seekers. The desire to give generously runs through the veins of our regional communities. Over the past year, as I’ve interviewed both newly arrived refugees and longtime residents from towns across Victoria, I’ve been heartened to witness the reciprocal relationship that exists between those who have recently fled their home countries, and those who have called Australia home their entire life.
Read more
UNE promotion
This is a rather cheeky video promoting our UNE. It's worth watching
UNE Promo
Renewables
‘No one understands local issues better’: rural councils call for greater role in renewable energy transitionRural councils should be “deeply engaged” with the planning of renewable energy projects in their back yards to keep communities on side and streamline the energy transition, local government advocates have said.
But not all renewable projects require local government approval, meaning developers are left to deal directly with local residents – to mixed results. In NSW, Victoria and Queensland, local councils generally have the power to approve solar farms, but not wind developments which lie with the state government.
Linda Scott, the president of the Australian Local Government Association, said approval powers aside, local governments should be central in planning because it results in “better community acceptance” and “speedier approvals”.
“Where local governments don’t have planning approvals for any major infrastructure project, proponents often forget to speak to local government,” Scott said. “This is almost always a mistake.”
Read more
19th July
This week the team did a Zoom call with Daniel Ross and Clancy Bowman of ACE Energy, the company behind the Hillview Energy Hub in the Gostwyck area. This Hub will be very large incorporating a solar farm and battery at this stage with a wind farm to follow. Consultations have taken place with landowners already and energy from the whole project will link into the major transmission line being constructed to the west of Uralla. It falls completely within the Uralla Shire LGA. This means that all the community benefits will go to Uralla SC. to be distributed according to their council policy. I sent Daniel and Clancy a copy of the NEV2030 submission we sent to Armidale Regional Council with our recommendations for benefit distribution such as subsidies for rooftop solar and household water tanks. They said that
'We’ve been approached by the team at the Centre for Safe Air, who’ve been looking at a program to reduce air pollution, e.g. by supporting homeowners to swap wood stoves for electric heaters (and similar programs). We’ve attached some info on their work, that may be of interest'.
I'm attaching the documents for any of you who might be interested.
They also said:
'As discussed, we are interested to open the dialogue on the kinds of community benefits programs that could be most beneficial to be implemented by REZ projects. While the design of this process is at the early stage, we imagine that generators (like these projects), EnergyCo and community stakeholders will co-design how this would be implemented. It’s worthwhile thinking about the types of projects that could deliver community value'.
If you would like to contribute your ideas and suggestions the team at ACE will be conducting some community drop in sessions at
Uralla Courthouse, corner of Hill and Maitland Streets, Uralla on
Koala Documentary
One of our regular readers and contributors, Environmental Consultant John Lemon asked if I would let you know about this upcoming documentary.
'This documentary is very good and is only showing for one night as a special screening. I suspect that it will be well attended.'
A flyer is attached with time and booking details. John and local ecologist David Carr will answer your questions at the end of the doco.
******************************************
In the news
NSW Biodiversity Reforms
The laws designed to protect the environment in New South Wales are completely ineffective, according to the scathing Henry Review in 2023. In response, the state government this week announced a major overhaul of the Biodiversity Conservation Act, introduced in 2016. The Minns government has committed to introducing 49 of 58 recommendations made by the review, either in full or in part. First up will be reform of biodiversity offsets – the easily gamed and largely ineffective requirement for developers to offset their destruction of vital habitat with gains elsewhere. The state government is also promising to align reformed biodiversity laws with national and international goals, and set goals and targets to tackle threats, bring species back from the brink, and conserve landscapes at scale. Good news? Certainly – especially given the federal government has delayed reforms to national biodiversity laws. But there are still big gaps – especially around how to actually stop land clearing, which is a major driver of species and ecosystem loss in the state. Read more
Australia’s $50,000 arts degree is here – putting university fees on par with the UK and US
There was a time when would-be poets, historians and writers could expect to pay off an arts degree at an Australian university within the decade, if they were able to find stable employment. Fast forward to now and they may die with their debt. Arts degrees in Australia are set to cost more than $50,000 for the first time, with experts warning some students will never be able to pay off their debts under the current system. The new figure places Australia on par with the UK and public colleges in the US, five years on from the widely condemned jobs ready graduates (JRG) scheme. Data released by the Department of Education this month confirmed the student contribution for a range of degrees including society and culture, communications, law and economics would jump to $16,992 annually from 2025. It’s about $650 higher than last year resulting from indexation, and more than $10,000 steeper for humanities courses than 2020, prior to the implementation of the Coalition’s policy. Read more
Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net
The NSW Government has allocated $4.5 million for a targeted competitive research grant program to help reduce and replace animals in medical research. These funds are being used to establish a statewide Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net) to increase coordination, address regulatory barriers and build a more cohesive and stronger sector in NSW. NAT-Net aims to make groundbreaking discoveries in the field of medicine and health while developing and promoting alternative methods that reduce the need to use animals in research. NAT-Net will bring together national and international communities and capabilities to develop technologies to refine, reduce or replace animal testing, that accelerate discovery science in key areas of clinical need and facilitate the development of new drugs and advanced therapy and medicinal products. The initial focus of the network will be to develop and produce innovative human cellular models that reproduce human development and diseases and offer capabilities to assist the research community and pharmaceutical industry in testing novel therapies. In the longer term, the network will act as an umbrella to coordinate state and national capacity across a diverse range of new non-animal technologies including computer simulations, synthetic biology and cell-free models.
This week the team did a Zoom call with Daniel Ross and Clancy Bowman of ACE Energy, the company behind the Hillview Energy Hub in the Gostwyck area. This Hub will be very large incorporating a solar farm and battery at this stage with a wind farm to follow. Consultations have taken place with landowners already and energy from the whole project will link into the major transmission line being constructed to the west of Uralla. It falls completely within the Uralla Shire LGA. This means that all the community benefits will go to Uralla SC. to be distributed according to their council policy. I sent Daniel and Clancy a copy of the NEV2030 submission we sent to Armidale Regional Council with our recommendations for benefit distribution such as subsidies for rooftop solar and household water tanks. They said that
'We’ve been approached by the team at the Centre for Safe Air, who’ve been looking at a program to reduce air pollution, e.g. by supporting homeowners to swap wood stoves for electric heaters (and similar programs). We’ve attached some info on their work, that may be of interest'.
I'm attaching the documents for any of you who might be interested.
They also said:
'As discussed, we are interested to open the dialogue on the kinds of community benefits programs that could be most beneficial to be implemented by REZ projects. While the design of this process is at the early stage, we imagine that generators (like these projects), EnergyCo and community stakeholders will co-design how this would be implemented. It’s worthwhile thinking about the types of projects that could deliver community value'.
If you would like to contribute your ideas and suggestions the team at ACE will be conducting some community drop in sessions at
Uralla Courthouse, corner of Hill and Maitland Streets, Uralla on
- Wednesday 24th July 5:30pm – 7:30pm
- Thursday 25th July 10:00am – 1:00pm
- EnergyCo interactive transmission map link - https://caportal.com.au/energyco/rez
- Eastern Hub Firming Battery planning portal link - https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/eastern-hub-firming-battery
- Hillview Solar Farm planning portal link - https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/hillview-solar-farm
- Hillview Energy Hub website (https://www.hillviewenergyhub.com.au/)
Koala Documentary
One of our regular readers and contributors, Environmental Consultant John Lemon asked if I would let you know about this upcoming documentary.
'This documentary is very good and is only showing for one night as a special screening. I suspect that it will be well attended.'
A flyer is attached with time and booking details. John and local ecologist David Carr will answer your questions at the end of the doco.
******************************************
In the news
NSW Biodiversity Reforms
The laws designed to protect the environment in New South Wales are completely ineffective, according to the scathing Henry Review in 2023. In response, the state government this week announced a major overhaul of the Biodiversity Conservation Act, introduced in 2016. The Minns government has committed to introducing 49 of 58 recommendations made by the review, either in full or in part. First up will be reform of biodiversity offsets – the easily gamed and largely ineffective requirement for developers to offset their destruction of vital habitat with gains elsewhere. The state government is also promising to align reformed biodiversity laws with national and international goals, and set goals and targets to tackle threats, bring species back from the brink, and conserve landscapes at scale. Good news? Certainly – especially given the federal government has delayed reforms to national biodiversity laws. But there are still big gaps – especially around how to actually stop land clearing, which is a major driver of species and ecosystem loss in the state. Read more
Australia’s $50,000 arts degree is here – putting university fees on par with the UK and US
There was a time when would-be poets, historians and writers could expect to pay off an arts degree at an Australian university within the decade, if they were able to find stable employment. Fast forward to now and they may die with their debt. Arts degrees in Australia are set to cost more than $50,000 for the first time, with experts warning some students will never be able to pay off their debts under the current system. The new figure places Australia on par with the UK and public colleges in the US, five years on from the widely condemned jobs ready graduates (JRG) scheme. Data released by the Department of Education this month confirmed the student contribution for a range of degrees including society and culture, communications, law and economics would jump to $16,992 annually from 2025. It’s about $650 higher than last year resulting from indexation, and more than $10,000 steeper for humanities courses than 2020, prior to the implementation of the Coalition’s policy. Read more
Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net
The NSW Government has allocated $4.5 million for a targeted competitive research grant program to help reduce and replace animals in medical research. These funds are being used to establish a statewide Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net) to increase coordination, address regulatory barriers and build a more cohesive and stronger sector in NSW. NAT-Net aims to make groundbreaking discoveries in the field of medicine and health while developing and promoting alternative methods that reduce the need to use animals in research. NAT-Net will bring together national and international communities and capabilities to develop technologies to refine, reduce or replace animal testing, that accelerate discovery science in key areas of clinical need and facilitate the development of new drugs and advanced therapy and medicinal products. The initial focus of the network will be to develop and produce innovative human cellular models that reproduce human development and diseases and offer capabilities to assist the research community and pharmaceutical industry in testing novel therapies. In the longer term, the network will act as an umbrella to coordinate state and national capacity across a diverse range of new non-animal technologies including computer simulations, synthetic biology and cell-free models.
13th July
We appear to be having a mild moist winter this year. That could change of course but so far conditions are wonderful for the spring to come across our region with so much sub-soil moisture. The biggest news recently was that the new Transmission lines which will pick up energy from New England renewables projects has now been given Critical State Significant Infrastructure Status to ensure certainty for investors and allow for development to continue without too much delay. In the meantime the nuclear debate has quietened a bit and the following article tells an alarming story. I am also sharing with you the sad tale of the demise of regional newspapers.
The dirty history of ‘Nukey Poo’, the reactor that soiled the Antarctic By Nick O'Malley SMH 10/7/24 The rekindled nuclear debate in Australia has stirred old memories in some of a little-known chapter of our region’s history, when the US Navy quietly installed what today we might call a small modular reactor at the US Antarctic base on Ross Island. The machine, nicknamed “Nukey Poo” by the technicians who looked after it, was installed at McMurdo base in 1961, when Antarctic exploration was expanding and nuclear energy had developed a bright futuristic sheen.
Back then, as now, Antarctic missions relied upon lifelines with distant homes. Supplies had to be carried long and sometimes dangerous distances. The US kept its Antarctic sites supplied via an ongoing supply mission called Operation Deep Freeze, which was based at the McMurdo Naval Air Facility. According to an article on the Nukey Poo incident published in 1978 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – a journal concerned with the potential danger of nuclear technology, founded by Albert Einstein and veterans of the Manhattan Project – while a gallon of diesel cost the US Navy US12¢ back then, by the time the Americans shipped supplies to McMurdo, diesel cost 40¢ a gallon. At South Pole station, diesel was worth $12 a gallon. But the then US Atomic Energy Commission had a solution to save costs on transporting supplies. What if McMurdo, and other distant US bases, were supplied by small transportable nuclear reactors? Congress agreed and soon the Martin Marietta Corporation won a contract to build them.
In an advertisement in Scientific American, the company boasted in language reminiscent of today’s debate over modular reactors that “because nuclear energy packs great power in little space, it’s extremely useful when you need electricity in remotes spots. It’s portable and gives you power that last for years ...” Soon, the company said, nuclear power might be carrying us to outer space and frying our eggs. A reactor named PM-3A (PM stood for “portable, medium powered”) was shipped out in sea crates and installed at McMurdo – which is within New Zealand-claimed Antarctic territory – over the summer of 1961 and became known on the base as Nukey Poo. Because cement would not cure in the frigid climate, the reactor was not encased in concrete, rather its four major components sat in steel tanks embedded in gravel and wrapped in a lead shield. Admiral George Dufek described the moment as “a dramatic new era in man’s conquest of the remotest continent”. The US administration was certain the reactor did not violate the Antarctic Treaty’s declaration that “any nuclear explosions in Antarctica and the disposal there of radioactive waste material shall be prohibited”. Within a year, Nukey Poo caused its first fuss, a hydrogen fire in a containment tank that led to a shutdown and energy shortages. Icebreakers fought to break through and fuel for generators was delivered by helicopter, which burned as much as they delivered over the course of a flight. Over the following years, Nukey Poo proved so unreliable and expensive to maintain that the military gave up hopes of using the technology to displace diesel at other remote locations.
In 1972, the navy began the three-year task of decommissioning the reactor and decontaminating the site. During that process, they discovered corrosion that technicians feared may have caused leaks of irradiated material. No detailed investigation was done. The secretary of the US National Academy of Sciences said the program was ended due to a series of malfunctions and the possibility of leaks, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reported. The New Zealand government declared the decision was economic. Either way, it was decided not only to remove the reactor, but half the hillside it was built into. Eventually 12,000 tonnes of irradiated gravel and soil was removed on supply ships to be buried in concrete lined pits in the United States. The young Australian scientist, Dr Howard Dengate, who had run one of the NZ bases, hitched a lift on one those ships, the Schuyler Otis Bland, in 1977. Dengate recalls a grumpy captain who once swore at him for inviting bad luck on the ship by whistling on deck. The captain, Dengate recalled this week, blamed him for “whistling up” the storm that struck the vessel before the Australian disembarked in New Zealand and the ship sailed on to the US. Though the reactor was little discussed in the wider world, no secret was made on the base of the reactor or its impact. Indeed, Dengate recalled finding an operating manual for the reactor in the American rubbish pits that New Zealanders had developed the habit of fossicking in. But the story did not end there.
In 2011, an investigation by journalists of News 5 Cleveland found evidence that McMurdo personnel were exposed to long-term radiation, and in 2017 compensation was paid to some American veterans of the base. A year later, New Zealand officials announced that it was possible that New Zealand staff were also affected. It has since been reported that four New Zealanders had raised claims about their ill health since their time in the Antarctic.
In 2020, the Waitangi Tribunal, a permanent commission in New Zealand to investigate cases against the Crown, launched inquiries. They are not yet complete. Asked if he was concerned about travelling with the irradiated material, Dengate said he was not. “We were young and dumb and adventurous,” he told this masthead of his time in the Antarctic.
‘We don’t know what’s going on any more’: how Australia lost its rural newspapersAston Brown, The Guardian Australia Sunday 30th June 2024
James Clark remained staunchly 'duty bound' to keeping the press alive, even as local newspapers shuttered around him. His was the last newspaper for 500km in outback Queensland. But despite that devotion, the struggle to keep local journalism alive became untenable. After 13 years of single-handedly running the Warrego Watchman out of Cunnamulla (population 1,233), Clark took an early Christmas break in 2022 that morphed into an extended gap year. Eighteen months on, he’s yet to return to his post. Busy managing a sheep station, and burnt out by long hours required to write, edit, photograph, distribute and sell ads in the weekly paper, Clark decided to put it on hold. “I still run into people who still think I’m printing the paper,” Clark says. “It hasn’t printed for 18 months, so they obviously weren’t reading it.” He was fighting against a fundamental change in the way people consume news. “People have become disconnected from the world around them,” he says. “They are more interested in celebrity issues from across the water than local issues.” “Every month a few of the oldies die off, they are the ones who read newspapers, so you lose three or four readers every month.”
It’s an existential battle played out in newsrooms across regional Australia. In April, Broken Hill's only newspaper closed its doors after 126 years in operation. According to the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, it’s one of more than 200 regional newsrooms that have either closed or ceased printing in the past decade due to sharp declines in advertising and subscriber revenue. Clark says while there may be “a few passionate individuals who might try to keep a small newspaper going,” actually achieving that in a sustainable way is “hard to imagine”.
‘Democracy is lost’
The industry’s troubles are set to worsen, says Andrew Strayer, the president of Country Press Australia. Of the organisation’s 232 member outlets, he predicts up to 50 will no longer be viable once agreements with Facebook's parent under the news media bargaining code begin to expire later this year. “Democracy in those areas [without local news] is lost,” Strayer says. “Who is going to stand up to a council decision that doesn’t meet the pub test? Who is going to shine a light on issues when people don’t have a big enough voice to get their message out?” This void of information has laid fertile ground for mis- and disinformation to proliferate in rural communities. “There might still be council putting out their propaganda, and people beating them up on Facebook about it, but there won’t be an impartial observer trying to nail the truth of the issue and present all sides of the argument,” Clark says.The daily thump of a newspaper lobbed at the door was part of the rhythm of life for Douglas Bryce, a retired Queensland farmer based in Warwick. That was until the News Corp-owned Warwick Daily News stopped printing in 2020 and moved to an online-only publication, with one local reporter. “We don’t know what’s going on any more,” Bryce says. “It’s left us feeling fruitless. For the young generations, they don’t have that connectivity to their home town that we once had.” The local daily paper bound the town together, says Bryce. “It’s how you connected to the community, kept in touch. We lost something that made us who we are.” News Corp, a major owner of regional media, either shuttered or moved online more than 100 local and regional outlets in 2020. “So many regional areas described it as having their soul ripped out” says Samantha Wantling, the manager of the Warwick Stanthorpe Today. The Today is one of a few outlets still printing in the area. The other is the Town and Country Journal, which partners with Guardian Australia’s Rural Network.
In other towns, local coverage has vanished altogether. “There were instances where social services were shutting down and people weren’t aware and didn’t have the ability to mobilise and demand change,” says Prof Kristy Hess from Deakin University’s journalism school. Hess says the rise of start-up publications is cause for some hope. Notwithstanding the likelihood of further closures once Meta deals expire, CPA membership in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia is rising as independent publications fill the “news deserts”. “Ultimately it’s needed, people need news,” she says.
Young journalists are still flocking to the country, too. Max Mayer, 24, left behind Brisbane for Oakey, population 4,756, to take up a post as the sole reporter for the Oakey Champion, one of five weekly papers produced by a local independent publisher. “The paper brings a lot of joy to people,” he says. “It’s really fulfilling work.” Lucy Waldron, 21, moved from the Sunshine Coast last year for a job at the Warwick Stanthorpe Today. She’s the only full-time print journalist in the town of more than 13,000 people. “In a country town newsroom my days are always different,” she says. “I have always said telling people’s stories is why I do what I do.
“The newspaper is the heart of our town”.
We appear to be having a mild moist winter this year. That could change of course but so far conditions are wonderful for the spring to come across our region with so much sub-soil moisture. The biggest news recently was that the new Transmission lines which will pick up energy from New England renewables projects has now been given Critical State Significant Infrastructure Status to ensure certainty for investors and allow for development to continue without too much delay. In the meantime the nuclear debate has quietened a bit and the following article tells an alarming story. I am also sharing with you the sad tale of the demise of regional newspapers.
The dirty history of ‘Nukey Poo’, the reactor that soiled the Antarctic By Nick O'Malley SMH 10/7/24 The rekindled nuclear debate in Australia has stirred old memories in some of a little-known chapter of our region’s history, when the US Navy quietly installed what today we might call a small modular reactor at the US Antarctic base on Ross Island. The machine, nicknamed “Nukey Poo” by the technicians who looked after it, was installed at McMurdo base in 1961, when Antarctic exploration was expanding and nuclear energy had developed a bright futuristic sheen.
Back then, as now, Antarctic missions relied upon lifelines with distant homes. Supplies had to be carried long and sometimes dangerous distances. The US kept its Antarctic sites supplied via an ongoing supply mission called Operation Deep Freeze, which was based at the McMurdo Naval Air Facility. According to an article on the Nukey Poo incident published in 1978 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – a journal concerned with the potential danger of nuclear technology, founded by Albert Einstein and veterans of the Manhattan Project – while a gallon of diesel cost the US Navy US12¢ back then, by the time the Americans shipped supplies to McMurdo, diesel cost 40¢ a gallon. At South Pole station, diesel was worth $12 a gallon. But the then US Atomic Energy Commission had a solution to save costs on transporting supplies. What if McMurdo, and other distant US bases, were supplied by small transportable nuclear reactors? Congress agreed and soon the Martin Marietta Corporation won a contract to build them.
In an advertisement in Scientific American, the company boasted in language reminiscent of today’s debate over modular reactors that “because nuclear energy packs great power in little space, it’s extremely useful when you need electricity in remotes spots. It’s portable and gives you power that last for years ...” Soon, the company said, nuclear power might be carrying us to outer space and frying our eggs. A reactor named PM-3A (PM stood for “portable, medium powered”) was shipped out in sea crates and installed at McMurdo – which is within New Zealand-claimed Antarctic territory – over the summer of 1961 and became known on the base as Nukey Poo. Because cement would not cure in the frigid climate, the reactor was not encased in concrete, rather its four major components sat in steel tanks embedded in gravel and wrapped in a lead shield. Admiral George Dufek described the moment as “a dramatic new era in man’s conquest of the remotest continent”. The US administration was certain the reactor did not violate the Antarctic Treaty’s declaration that “any nuclear explosions in Antarctica and the disposal there of radioactive waste material shall be prohibited”. Within a year, Nukey Poo caused its first fuss, a hydrogen fire in a containment tank that led to a shutdown and energy shortages. Icebreakers fought to break through and fuel for generators was delivered by helicopter, which burned as much as they delivered over the course of a flight. Over the following years, Nukey Poo proved so unreliable and expensive to maintain that the military gave up hopes of using the technology to displace diesel at other remote locations.
In 1972, the navy began the three-year task of decommissioning the reactor and decontaminating the site. During that process, they discovered corrosion that technicians feared may have caused leaks of irradiated material. No detailed investigation was done. The secretary of the US National Academy of Sciences said the program was ended due to a series of malfunctions and the possibility of leaks, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reported. The New Zealand government declared the decision was economic. Either way, it was decided not only to remove the reactor, but half the hillside it was built into. Eventually 12,000 tonnes of irradiated gravel and soil was removed on supply ships to be buried in concrete lined pits in the United States. The young Australian scientist, Dr Howard Dengate, who had run one of the NZ bases, hitched a lift on one those ships, the Schuyler Otis Bland, in 1977. Dengate recalls a grumpy captain who once swore at him for inviting bad luck on the ship by whistling on deck. The captain, Dengate recalled this week, blamed him for “whistling up” the storm that struck the vessel before the Australian disembarked in New Zealand and the ship sailed on to the US. Though the reactor was little discussed in the wider world, no secret was made on the base of the reactor or its impact. Indeed, Dengate recalled finding an operating manual for the reactor in the American rubbish pits that New Zealanders had developed the habit of fossicking in. But the story did not end there.
In 2011, an investigation by journalists of News 5 Cleveland found evidence that McMurdo personnel were exposed to long-term radiation, and in 2017 compensation was paid to some American veterans of the base. A year later, New Zealand officials announced that it was possible that New Zealand staff were also affected. It has since been reported that four New Zealanders had raised claims about their ill health since their time in the Antarctic.
In 2020, the Waitangi Tribunal, a permanent commission in New Zealand to investigate cases against the Crown, launched inquiries. They are not yet complete. Asked if he was concerned about travelling with the irradiated material, Dengate said he was not. “We were young and dumb and adventurous,” he told this masthead of his time in the Antarctic.
‘We don’t know what’s going on any more’: how Australia lost its rural newspapersAston Brown, The Guardian Australia Sunday 30th June 2024
James Clark remained staunchly 'duty bound' to keeping the press alive, even as local newspapers shuttered around him. His was the last newspaper for 500km in outback Queensland. But despite that devotion, the struggle to keep local journalism alive became untenable. After 13 years of single-handedly running the Warrego Watchman out of Cunnamulla (population 1,233), Clark took an early Christmas break in 2022 that morphed into an extended gap year. Eighteen months on, he’s yet to return to his post. Busy managing a sheep station, and burnt out by long hours required to write, edit, photograph, distribute and sell ads in the weekly paper, Clark decided to put it on hold. “I still run into people who still think I’m printing the paper,” Clark says. “It hasn’t printed for 18 months, so they obviously weren’t reading it.” He was fighting against a fundamental change in the way people consume news. “People have become disconnected from the world around them,” he says. “They are more interested in celebrity issues from across the water than local issues.” “Every month a few of the oldies die off, they are the ones who read newspapers, so you lose three or four readers every month.”
It’s an existential battle played out in newsrooms across regional Australia. In April, Broken Hill's only newspaper closed its doors after 126 years in operation. According to the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, it’s one of more than 200 regional newsrooms that have either closed or ceased printing in the past decade due to sharp declines in advertising and subscriber revenue. Clark says while there may be “a few passionate individuals who might try to keep a small newspaper going,” actually achieving that in a sustainable way is “hard to imagine”.
‘Democracy is lost’
The industry’s troubles are set to worsen, says Andrew Strayer, the president of Country Press Australia. Of the organisation’s 232 member outlets, he predicts up to 50 will no longer be viable once agreements with Facebook's parent under the news media bargaining code begin to expire later this year. “Democracy in those areas [without local news] is lost,” Strayer says. “Who is going to stand up to a council decision that doesn’t meet the pub test? Who is going to shine a light on issues when people don’t have a big enough voice to get their message out?” This void of information has laid fertile ground for mis- and disinformation to proliferate in rural communities. “There might still be council putting out their propaganda, and people beating them up on Facebook about it, but there won’t be an impartial observer trying to nail the truth of the issue and present all sides of the argument,” Clark says.The daily thump of a newspaper lobbed at the door was part of the rhythm of life for Douglas Bryce, a retired Queensland farmer based in Warwick. That was until the News Corp-owned Warwick Daily News stopped printing in 2020 and moved to an online-only publication, with one local reporter. “We don’t know what’s going on any more,” Bryce says. “It’s left us feeling fruitless. For the young generations, they don’t have that connectivity to their home town that we once had.” The local daily paper bound the town together, says Bryce. “It’s how you connected to the community, kept in touch. We lost something that made us who we are.” News Corp, a major owner of regional media, either shuttered or moved online more than 100 local and regional outlets in 2020. “So many regional areas described it as having their soul ripped out” says Samantha Wantling, the manager of the Warwick Stanthorpe Today. The Today is one of a few outlets still printing in the area. The other is the Town and Country Journal, which partners with Guardian Australia’s Rural Network.
In other towns, local coverage has vanished altogether. “There were instances where social services were shutting down and people weren’t aware and didn’t have the ability to mobilise and demand change,” says Prof Kristy Hess from Deakin University’s journalism school. Hess says the rise of start-up publications is cause for some hope. Notwithstanding the likelihood of further closures once Meta deals expire, CPA membership in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia is rising as independent publications fill the “news deserts”. “Ultimately it’s needed, people need news,” she says.
Young journalists are still flocking to the country, too. Max Mayer, 24, left behind Brisbane for Oakey, population 4,756, to take up a post as the sole reporter for the Oakey Champion, one of five weekly papers produced by a local independent publisher. “The paper brings a lot of joy to people,” he says. “It’s really fulfilling work.” Lucy Waldron, 21, moved from the Sunshine Coast last year for a job at the Warwick Stanthorpe Today. She’s the only full-time print journalist in the town of more than 13,000 people. “In a country town newsroom my days are always different,” she says. “I have always said telling people’s stories is why I do what I do.
“The newspaper is the heart of our town”.
