MOYNE Shire hopes to have a voice in the ear of the state’s planning minister if it can get the backing of Victoria’s head municipal body.
Next month Moyne will join six other councils at the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) to see if it will back its grievances on issues such as damaged roads and noise testing by the wind industry.
Power over wind farm developments across the state, including Moyne, rests with Planning Minister Matthew Guy.
The council is seeking the minister’s support in a long-running dispute with the developers of the Macarthur wind farm to claim back $14 million in damaged roads caused during construction.
Several Moyne councillors have also been sympathetic to a campaign by Mortlake south residents to get comprehensive noise data levels before 51 turbines are built.
Mayor Jim Doukas said wind farm councils needed to form a “united voice” at MAV.
“To date they’re all ministerial permits,” Cr Doukas said.
“We met with the minister last year. He told us he’d get back to us in a month and we still haven’t heard from him.
“We need to gauge what support we can get from the MAV.”
If the association agrees to back the issues faced by councils such as Moyne and Southern Grampians shires, Cr Doukas said they would be able to seek out the minister “more often than not”.
He said there was still no view from the government on the health issues surrounding wind farms or the effects of infra-sound.
