The Queensland Government has changed planning laws to increase the level of community consultation required for all wind farms effective 3 February 2025. The Government has been working on a Renewable Energy Regulatory Framework to ensure the planning system keeps up with the rapid growth in renewable energy projects.
All development applications for Material Change of Use (MCU) for wind farms are now subject to Impact Assessment. This means they will have a period of public notification, during which time members of the public will have the chance to make submissions. The Impact Assessment process is more rigorous, requiring assessment against the full Local Government Planning Scheme and the updated State Code 23: Wind farm development.
The key difference is that:
- members of the community may make submissions to the Council which must be taken into consideration during the assessment
- any Submitters can appeal a decision of the Council.
The State Code 23 updates include assessment of several measures such as;
- updating the purpose statement to set out parameters to assess the proposed mitigation of any impacts, the siting does not result in impacts to individuals, communities and the environment and to require community and Local Government engagement
- updating performance outcomes to protect high-quality agricultural land values, demonstrate how off-site accommodation impacts will be managed, managing impacts on infrastructure and social services, avoid adverse impacts to communities and to require security to safeguard decommissioning plans.
The Government has issued a number of proposed call-in notices for three wind farms where development applications were already being assessed at the time of the change in legislation, so that the assessment process may be reviewed.
The Queensland Government has been consulting on a Draft Renewables Regulatory Framework and while consultation has closed, details of the framework can be found here and QFF’s submission on the draft framework is here.
Queensland Renewable Energy Landholders Toolkit
Queensland Farmers’ Federation have developed the Queensland Renewable Energy Landholders Toolkit to assist and inform landholders as they respond to and negotiate with energy industry representatives about accessing land and developing renewable energy projects.
Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit – Ag Energy Hub
The Energy Information Service for Landholders
For help with energy matters and updates, QFF provides a free phone service for farmers and landholders in Queensland.
The service is available Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 5pm and can assist by providing information and guidance on a range of energy matters.
Call 07 3329 7500 to access the service today.