Joint Letter by 52 Climate Action Groups

16 April 2009

Simon Holmes à Court

Chairman, Hepburn Wind
PO Box 225, Daylesford, VIC 3460

CC: Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia

Dear Simon

The 52 Climate Action Groups signing this letter strongly support the work that your team at Hepburn
Wind have been undertaking as part of getting Australia’s first community-owned wind farm off the
ground. We believe the lessons learnt by your project have the potential to assist the establishment of
many community-renewable energy projects across Australia.

We are concerned that most community-owned renewable energy projects (including Hepburn Wind’s
project) fall through the cracks of existing Government funding mechanisms. Climate Action Groups
believe that renewable energy (including community projects) has a crucial role to play in facilitating
Australia’s transition to an emissions-free economy. The base-load power generation breakthroughs in
solar-thermal and geo-thermal technologies – combined with solar PV, wave, tidal, biomass and wind
power – mean that 100% of Australia’s electricity can be provided by renewable energy. In this context,
over 150 Climate Action Groups adopted a goal of ‘100% renewable energy in Australia by 2020’ at
Australia’s Climate Action Summit held in Canberra in January 2009.

The Groups signing this letter believe your idea of establishing a Commonwealth-supported peak body
would greatly facilitate the widespread uptake of community-initiated renewable energy in Australia. Many
local communities are currently exploring renewable energy generation options, and a new body that
provides professional support and co-funding mechanisms could create hundreds of similar projects
across the country within the next few years.

Community-owned renewable energy projects have a number of tangible benefits, including:

• distributing power generation over a wider geographic area, reducing transmission loss, improving
overall grid stability and minimising damage to local networks from natural or man-made disasters;
• building resilience in local communities (particularly in regional areas);
• providing local jobs and skills as well as new investment and business opportunities;
• enabling profits and other financial benefits to remain within the community; and
• empowering communities to play an active role in mitigating climate change.
Groups note the excellent success of similar community scale renewable energy projects overseas,
including Samso Island (Denmark), Woking (England) and Varese Ligure (Italy). In addition, we note that
Denmark’s ability to achieve its goal of 20% renewable energy was significantly due to the efforts of the
Danish peak body for small-scale renewable energy. We believe a peak body for community-owned
renewable energy could greatly assist the achievement of 100% renewable energy in Australia.

We look forward to receiving further information on how such a peak body might operate, particularly in
terms of potential structure and governance.

We wish to pledge our support for this exciting and powerful idea and thank you for taking a leadership
role in progressing community-owned renewable energy in Australia.

The contact for this letter is Tracey Tipping (Climate Action Pittwater, ph: 0411 861 269).

Yours sincerely

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Climate Action Group Signatories
1. Alpine Riverkeepers, NSW, 2627
2. Ararat Greenhouse Action Group Inc, VIC, 3377
3. Ballina Climate Action Network, NSW, 2478
4. Bathurst Community Climate Action Network (BCCAN), NSW, 2795
5. Bendigo Sustainability Group (BSG), VIC, 3550
6. Beyond Zero Emissions, VIC, 3065
7. Boroondara Sustainability Network, VIC, 3124 / 3101
8. Broadwater Community Dunecare, NSW, 2472
9. Central West Renewable Energy Group (CWREG), NSW, 2795
10. Citizens Climate Campaign, NSW, 2782
11. Climate Action Tomaree (WG of EcoNetwork Port Stephens), NSW, 2315
12. Clean Energy For Eternity - Bega, NSW, 2550
13. Clean Energy For Eternity - Bermagui, NSW, 2546
14. Clean Energy For Eternity - Cooma-Monaro, NSW, 2630
15. Clean Energy For Eternity - Eurobodalla, NSW, 2545
16. Clean Energy For Eternity - Palerang, NSW, 2622
17. Clean Energy For Eternity - Manly, NSW, 2093
18. Clean Energy For Eternity - Mosman, NSW, 2088
19. Clean Energy For Eternity - Shoalhaven, NSW, 2535
20. Clean Energy For Eternity - Snowy River, NSW, 2627
21. Climate Action Now, Wingecarribee (Canwin), NSW, 2576
22. Climate Action Newtown, NSW, 2042
23. Climate Action Pittwater, NSW, 2107
24. Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle, NSW, 2041/2039
25. Dandenong Ranges Renewable Energy Association Inc, VIC, 3158
26. Drummoyne/Canada Bay/Lowe Climate Action Group, NSW, 2047
27. Epping Beecroft Climate Action Group, NSW, 2119/2121
28. Environment House, WA, 6931
29. Green Coast Catalysts, NSW, 2478
30. Families Facing Climate Change, VIC, 3147
31. 450ppm, NSW, 2119
32. Katoomba Area Climate Action Now, NSW, 2780
33. Kiama Greens, NSW, 2533
34. Kyogle Climate Action Network, NSW, 2474
35. Lismore Climate Action Group, NSW, 2480
36. Locals into Victoria’s Environment (LIVE), VIC, 3182 / 3205 / 3207
37. ParraCAN, NSW, 2150
38. Plug-In Australia, NSW, 2478
39. Quest 2025, QLD, 4000
40. SEE-Change Inc, ACT, 2601
41. SEE-Change Inner North, ACT, 2602
42. SEE-Change Jamison, ACT, 2614
43. SEE-Change Woden, ACT, 2606
44. Surf Coast Energy Group, VIC, 3228
45. Sustainable Environment Education Development Inc (SEED), VIC, 3000
46. Sustainable Hepburn Alliance for Renewing the Earth (SHARE), VIC, 3461
47. Sutherland Climate Action Network, NSW, 2232
48. Transition Town Kurilpa, QLD, 4101
49. Transition Towns Triangle Plus, NSW, 2546 / 2550 / 2546
50. UQ Climate for Change (Students and Staff at UQ), QLD, 4072
51. Wodonga and Albury Towards Climate Health (WATCH), VIC, 3690 / 2640
52. Yarra Climate Action Now!, VIC, 3065

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More about Climate Action Groups

Climate Action Groups are collectives of ordinary but highly concerned Australians who have come
together in their local communities to act on climate change.

Climate Action Groups have experienced extraordinary growth over the past few years, with over 200
groups (representing thousands of people) currently operating in local communities across Australia.

The dedication and determination of these groups is testimony to a deeply felt community concern about
the threat of climate change and increasing unease in the community about the direction of climate policy
in Australia.

Groups generally have no political affiliations, and often represent the people and sentiments of a broad
cross-section of Australian society.

In early February 2009, the first ever Climate Action Summit was held in Canberra, bringing together over
500 participants representing around 150 Climate Action Groups. The summit was a tremendous success
and has lead to greater organisation, communication and collaboration among groups.

Climate Action Groups are rapidly proving themselves to be a powerful force in the public climate debate
in Australia.