Council
25 September, 2025
Pushing back against new wind farm
MOYNE Shire Council will join the more than 112 objectors who have lobbied against the proposed Swansons Lane Wind Farm.
Councillors unanimously voted at this week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council to oppose the proposed five-turbine wind farm which would be located in Garvoc.
The move joins Corangamite Shire Council’s unanimous vote to oppose the wind farm at its August meeting.
The report before council noted a range of concerns which formed the conditions for objection including a lack of consultation from developer RE Future, the wind farm proposed to be located within five kilometres of Garvoc, concerns for the highly-productive dairy farming land on which the site would be situated and inconsistent or otherwise incomplete information as part of the plan.
The report notes Moyne Shire Council has been provided with 112 redacted copies of objections which have been submitted to the Department of Transport and Planning, which highlights the unpopularity of the proposal.
Community concerns raised in the submissions include impact on dairy farms, devaluation of adjacent properties, visual impact, noise and shadow flicker, lack of details on decommissioning and fire risk.
Councillor Jim Doukas moved the motion to contact Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny in formal objection to the issuing of a planning permit for Swansons Lane Wind Farm.
“We’ve got over 100 submissions going to the minister, both councils are in opposition to it and the report highlights all the negativity to it,” he said.
“I hope that, going forward, the government will read our letters of objection, read what we’ve said, read what the residents and other objectors are saying and use a bit of common sense.
“This is just a silly proposal – five turbines just outside of Garvoc serves no useful purpose at all.
“It’s disappointing that it actually got this far but with Moyne’s support and Corangamite’s support, let’s hope common sense prevails.”
Councillor Lisa Ryan, as seconder, said the decision had followed a rigorous process for council.
“This objection shows where we stand as a council to protect community amenity, agricultural land and road safety while strengthening council’s credibility as a fair but rigorous participant in renewable energy planning,” she said.
“This wind farm is proposed outside the South West Renewable Energy Zone, it makes no sense.”
Councillor Jordan Lockett also spoke in favour of the motion, saying it was clear common sense was in short supply.
“What’s the point of having a renewable energy zone if they’re not going to stick to it?” he said.
“I think it’s a bit of a slap in the face from the State Government.
“This is prime agricultural land, in proximity to Garvoc and, again, it’s outside the renewable energy zone.
“As Cr Doukas said, common sense – any common sense isn’t that common, but hopefully we can see common sense coming back to the table.”
Councillor Myra Murrihy said the approval of the application would highlight an ad hoc approach to the state’s renewable energy transition.
“We’ve been asking the State Government for a long time for some strategic, long-term planning around renewable energy,” she said.
“To bring in the renewable energy zones is about more than just where the wind farms are built, it’s also strategic documents for the grid, how the power is actually fed to the grid and the transmission lines – which we all know are a big factor and a big eyesore.
“This sets a ridiculous precedent – we didn’t have the zones before, we have them now so I don’t feel we should ever be approving renewable energy projects outside those zones.
“Otherwise, they’re completely useless.”
The motion was carried with a unanimous vote.