THERE are very few issues that impact each region the same way, however land use rights have historically divided communities across the state.
In years gone by, the issues may have been caused by the expansion of the extraction industry or for critical infrastructure such as a railway line.
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However in recent years, the majority of land rights issues have been caused by a boom in renewable energy projects such as wind and solar farms.
It would be fair to say most people are in favour of a shift towards more renewable and eco-friendly power sources but a nagging question has faced regional communities the state over, what impacts do these projects have on prime agricultural land?
When the NSW Energy Minister announced earlier this week that the government would hold a review into the renewable sector to ensure producers were getting the best results from infrastructure projects it may have been reason to celebrate.
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However, for the more cynical among us, who have seen a raft of reviews into things regional telecommunications, the banking sector and natural disasters without much action, it would be fair to assume that this review might be just another one.
But one can't help but feel this review is more timely than many of its predecessors and with just one person, NSW Agriculture Commissioner Daryl Quinlivan conducting the review, it gives some reasons to be confident.
A review into the sector arguably couldn't have come at a better time as just last week councils from across the state called on the state government to formulate a roadmap away from gas and towards more renewable power sources, a strong indicator of the acceptance of renewable projects at a local government level.
As well as that, the past week also saw the communities in Merriwa and Cassilis claim a major victory in getting renewable power-related infrastructure shifted off prime farming land, which was a strong indicator the powers that be are looking to find a better balance between agriculture and renewables.
These promising advancements give this review as good a chance as any to be more than just talk and could pave the way for less communities to be divided over renewable projects and reap greater rewards these developments can bring to country towns across the state.
- Billy Jupp is The Land's Tamworth reporter.
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