Council
4 February, 2026
Council united against wind farm application
CORANGAMITE Shire councillors unanimously voted to oppose a planning permit application to greenlight the Mumblin Wind Farm, saying recent bushfires highlight how the turbines would hinder aerial firefighting capacity.
Councillors voted at last week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council to oppose a planning permit application for the eight-turbine wind farm, which would stand 252 metres in the Dixie and Elingamite North area.
Councillor Jo Beard moved the motion, saying the raging bushfire at Lismore which occurred at the same time as the meeting was an example of why council opposed the development.
“It’s interesting,” she said.
“We’re all sitting here quite nervously now.
“I’ve just counted it up now and there were five aircraft just out the road with the fires out the road, not far from Camperdown.
“If we had the wind farm there, we wouldn’t have that aircraft or that aviation support.
“We know full well local pilots have said they’re not going to fly near them, so if ever there’s a time to reiterate that, and our concern in that space, it’s now.”
Cr Beard said she was frustrated the newly-streamlined process through the Victorian Government’s Developmental Facilitation Pathway (DFP) was stripping away fair consultation and thorough planning.
“For this project, we know the application was withdrawn through the previous planning process and then they took the opportunity to go for the expedited process through the DFP,” she said.
“This ultimately takes away any process of community having third party right, especially when it comes to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
“At the end of the day, we’re the voice of our community so this letter enables us to do what we can while we still can.
“It is noted that our officers, particularly, have picked up a lot of deficiencies – especially with the technical reports when they’ve done the evaluation.
“It’s really important that we enable our officers to get a submission in on our behalf and that of our community.”
Cr Beard said the wind farm would encroach on dairy farming land which had already been impacted by bushfires.
“Fires have gone through this area only in 2018 with St Patrick’s Day,” she said.
“It’s safe to say people in this community know all too well the impacts this wind tower will have.
“We’re not unsupportive of renewable energy – we have never said we are and we’ve actually got plans and strategies in place to support that – but we continue to say it has got to be in the right place.
“I think we’re all on the same page with that, and this is probably going to be our last chance to have a say on that.
“We had a briefing earlier and it’s disappointing to know our voices literally aren’t going to be heard on behalf of the community.”
Councillor Geraldine Conheady seconded, saying officers had trawled through the application and found “an absolute swathe of issues”.
“They have identified poor quality information, incomplete information, contradictions, inconsistencies, missing facts and deficient technical documents,” she said.
“It’s absolutely disgraceful.
“The application also shows no respect for the Corangamite Planning Scheme or the proximity of the Cobden airport and aviation safety.”
Cr Conheady also hit out at the process of applying through the DFP, saying it would create “a real risk of poor outcomes in rural communities” though bypassing oversight, such as through the Victorian Transmission Plan (VTP) which previously led to meaningful change.
“There is very limited transparency around the DFP pathway and the decision-making process currently lies outside the regulation of the VTP,” she said.
“The VTP reinforces the need to minimise land use conflicts and prioritise renewable energy projects in suitable locations within the Renewable Energy Zones.
“For all the rhetoric around VTP, why is the DFP pathway, that allows and even promotes relaxed scrutiny and rigour, still active?
“And why are small rural communities not deemed worthy of proper planning standards or third-party rights to appeal?
“Or even, as in this case, a responsibly prepared permit application?”