Wind Farms and Community Engagement in Australia: A Critical Analysis for Policy Learning

Abstract

In late 2007, after signing the Kyoto Protocol, a new Australian federal government committed to generating 20% of Australia's electricity from renewable energy by 2020, for a transition to a low-carbon economy. With wind energy the most viable technology for such expansion, little recognition, however, was paid to intense social conflict surrounding wind farm location. By 2006, inadequate community engagement had emerged as the primary governance issue underpinning a host of issues that local communities faced with the prospect of hosting wind farms. Acknowledged by all Australian governments as an issue to address for effective renewable energy transitions, current policy responses addressing community engagement are analysed for their adequacy to ensure such transitions in a context of democratic legitimacy and fairness and the issues of place-based local communities. Analysis is informed by comparative cross-jurisdictional policy learning analysis featuring European participatory developments; policy analysis of current Australian governmental policy responses; and prior narrative analysis of the behavioural rationalities (the underlying beliefs, attitudes and perceptions) that inform the qualifications and place-protective actions about wind farm location of local stakeholders at the forefront of wind farm contestation: landscape guardian groups. The conclusion is that current policy responses with regard to community engagement, which encourage a largely inform-consult participatory engagement approach, are inadequate. A more promising approach is the collaborative approach, which can also facilitate social mapping of local community qualifications and boundaries about wind farm location alongside technical mapping of wind resources. This is needed to identify the most socially, economically and technically viable locations to locate wind farms to ensure effective renewable energy transitions.

From international principles to local practices: a socio-legal framing of public participation research

“…This has led to a sense of trepidation amongst developers about public opposition and an unfortunate feeling of unease about the viability and integrity of the sector. Research has shown that communities are often divided over the perceived and actual benefits of these developments, with some landholders benefitting financially from a proposed development, while others in the surrounding region feel disadvantaged (Hall et al 2013;Hindmarsh 2010). This dynamic has resulted in an active and politically prominent opposition movement developing.…”

“…This dynamic has resulted in an active and politically prominent opposition movement developing. The high visibility of wind farm turbines across the landscape provides a focus for dissatisfaction, and opposition movements rely on controversial and contested claims of wind farm impacts from turbine noise, glint and vibration (Hindmarsh 2010;Chapman 2013).…”

The role of dialogue in social licence to operate in the extractives sector

“…Stakeholder "engagement is critical to achieve a social licence to operate, but its capacity to influence social licence is not well understood" (Dare, Schirmer, & Vanclay, 2014, p. 188). Failure to engage communities in a meaningful way in the SLO process is seen to be the predominant cause of social conflict in resource management (Hall & Jeanneret, 2015;Hindmarsh, 2010;Lloyd, Luke, & Boyd, 2014;Pullin & Knight, 2003). The process of meaningful stakeholder engagement is also central to overcoming such conflict, but it is a high-risk, high-cost issue in resource management.…”

“…Stakeholder perceptions may be influenced by the engagement stakeholders have with a given company. Consequences can be dire and costly when stakeholder engagement is not constructive Hindmarsh, 2010). suggest that dissenting communities often unite around perceived negative impacts of resource development, with dissent often arising from lack of communication.…”

“…It has become a buzzword with the rise in interest in social accountability for resource development projects, such as mining or oil and gas projects. Failure to engage stakeholders in meaningful ways is seen to be the predominant cause of social conflict in resource extraction, with the costs of such conflict running high Hall & Jeanneret, 2015;Hindmarsh, 2010;Lloyd et al, 2014;Pullin & Knight, 2003 These two examples underline the importance of exploring how different stakeholder groups understand the engagement processes in which they are involved, and they illuminate the importance of the expectations attached to those understandings. In both cases, dialogue was seen to be an engagement mechanism central to the attainment of a social licence.…”