“SHE hasn’t even been here.”
It was the resounding statement of concerned community members lined out the door of the Bobinawarrah Memorial Hall Thursday afternoon listening in to expert planning proponents looking to build a 566-hectare solar farm in their community at Meadow Creek.
Experts from the Sydney-based project planning agency Urbis tuned into the meeting virtually and delivered addresses on the back of pre-submitted questions in the opening hour of the meeting.
But the community made it heard they have had enough of the “controlled dribble” they were hearing, interrupting social and economic impact consultant Amanda Micallef’s address.
The community asked Ms Micallef if she had ever visited Bobinawarrah before, to which she replied 'no'.
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A bronx cheer went out across the hall and the community demanded to ask the questions they said they had been waiting three years to ask the proponents in person.
The tensions, which boiled over on Thursday afternoon, had been built up over 70 meetings, countless emails and hours of research into solar farm facilities put in by Meadow Creek Agricultural Community Action Group (MCACAG) members.
The meeting came out of the advocacy from Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) Tony Maher, who implored the proponents to meet with the community before the planning application public notice period expired on Tuesday.
MCACAG members had been in discussion with Mr Maher and his predecessor John Sheldon since July 2023 relaying concerns of a lack of community consultation in the project.
The group said they had not met face-to-face with project team members since drop-in sessions at Milawa on March 2023.
Leaders from all three forms of government, Indi MP Helen Haines, Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy and Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant were in attendance and spoke in closing statements.
Key members of the Meadow Creek Solar Farm company including project development manager Cameron Munro, planning director John Mills and applicant and landowner Mark Milano were also seated at the front of the hall.
MCACAG members Jess and John Conroy, David Minifie and Angela Godley began the meeting with an opening address restricted to 15 minutes.
Ms Godley echoed the community sentiment of the room to the proponents both online and sitting across from her.
“I’m constantly along with our community shocked, bewildered and feel very let down in the current processes involved in the establishment of these renewable facilities,” she said.
“I’m concerned by the negative implications this is having and continues to have on our community as a whole and other rural communities like ours.”
Before the experts began their planned responses to questions, project community engagement director Anna Mitchell stood in front of the community and conceded the proponents had not done their part in meaningful consultation so far and looked to move on.
“We could’ve done better, we’re sorry,” she said.
“It’s really about moving forward and hopefully we can use today to do that.”
Agricultural expert Daryl Poole spoke on the assessment of agricultural land undertaken on the project, saying the land was of the “lower end” of grazing priority in the state.
“We don’t deem it be that of significant agricultural land,” he said.
Mr Poole said the proponents looked to use the land for “on and off” sheep operation when the solar facility is built.
Bushfire consultant Kat Stevenson spoke on the bushfire risks which had gravely concerned the community and said 85 per cent of the state was declared a bushfire prone land and all solar farm projects would be built on such land.
She said thorough guidelines mitigated the risks of fire.
For the second hour of the meeting the community had their chance to have their say to the proponents, asking questions and making statements about concerns around fire management, water contamination, flooding, community engagement and access to the proposed site of the BESS.
Final questions were asked prior to the conclusion of the two-hour meeting including one directed to Mr Milano.
“I’d like to ask why the Milano family are putting the community through the hard ache it’s going through at the moment and the last three years,” Ms Conroy said.
Mr Milano said he looked to support the community.
“At the end of the day you look at every community that are trying put a solar farm and there’s affection to the solar farm coming up in each of the rural areas,” he said.
“Unfortunately, they go in rural areas, and that’s where they go.
“We’re not doing anything unlawful, there’s a thorough process that has to be followed and will scrutinize everything you’re scrutinising, but at the end of the day if we’re granted a permit, we’re granted a permit.”
Speaking after the meeting, Ms Conroy said it was a vital meeting for the community to have and for the three levels of government to see and hear the feelings of the community.
“Even though we’re only a few days out from public exhibition it was definitely a key meeting for the community,” she said.
“There were a lot of new faces there, particularly from the Oxley community.”
A Meadow Creek Solar Farm spokesperson said the meeting provided a constructive forum for the community to hear more about the project and the planning process and raise their concerns.
“We appreciate the efforts of all stakeholders who helped facilitate the meeting, and the community for their attendance,” they said.
