2025 AGM - Presidents Report
President’s Report September 2025
The past year has been a harsh initiation into the world of the renewables transition for Tamworth and the surrounding communities. Valley Alliance has been fighting on multiple fronts against EnergyCo’s transmission project, The State and Federal Governments and inept farming lobby groups. While we have made progress, the challenges remain immense. Transmission lines across the country – Humelink, Central West Orana (CWO), and VNI West – have all suffered massive cost blowouts, in some cases up to 500%. These figures confirm what we have been saying from the start: these projects are financially unsustainable and poorly conceived.
At the same time, renewable generation itself is at a tipping point. Wind projects such as Hills of Gold and Winterbourne have lost funding and momentum, leaving their future in doubt. Solar appears to be faring better, but only because prices have collapsed in China due to oversupply and the US reversing course on its renewable transition, making Australia a dumping ground. Across the board, projects are constantly changing hands, with developers and investors chasing government incentives rather than building long-term, sustainable assets.
Government at both the State and Federal levels continues to spend recklessly, pursuing a goal that will burden generations to come. Sadly, the opposition has been no counterweight. The LNP remains without credible leadership or strategy, still unable to land on a consistent position on Net Zero. The NSW Farmers’ Association has also struggled, with an executive disconnected from its membership and, as a result, losing both credibility and impact.
We need much more from our elected representatives. I urge every member: whenever you speak with an elected official, make your views felt. Numbers remain our biggest weakness. There are simply not enough people in the bush to shift the vote – and so it is regional communities who will bear the brunt of this transition. That is why we must enlist the support of city-based friends, colleagues, and families. Australia produces just 1.1% of global emissions. There is no benefit in being the first to attempt a full transition. Let the major emitters make the mistakes, while we protect our livelihoods, communities and landscapes.
Despite these frustrations, Valley Alliance has achieved a great deal this year:
We forced EnergyCo to consider moving high-voltage routes away from Chaffey and Glenbawn Dams.
We delivered the Koala Report, which gained front-page media coverage and drew national attention to the environmental risks .
We built community momentum and education through packed community meetings, newsletters and government objection campaigns.
We secured repeated coverage in major media outlets including Channels 7&9, Sky News, The Land , NDL and the Daily Telegraph, keeping the issue in the public eye .
We created and led 12 other groups in challenging the NSW Farmers’ guide to the renewables transition and the misleading narrative of “farmer support” .
We have pursued technical solutions, engaging with Syncline Energy to progress undergrounding feasibility studies, meeting with community and local, state and federal politicians
We created and launched a campaign with 21 other community groups with over 6000 members targeting the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) to stop superannuation funds from investing in projects that do not have overwhelming community support.
We presented evidence and community perspectives at both the Parliamentary Inquiry into Nuclear Energy (Muswellbrook) and the Inquiry into the Impact of Renewable Energy Zones on Rural Communities(Armidale).
We met with the NSW Minister for Climate Change, Penny Sharpe, in Armidale in December to push our case directly at the ministerial level.
We held multiple meetings with EnergyCo at their Sydney offices throughout the year to keep pressure on the agency and ensure community concerns were heard.
Looking ahead, our priorities remain clear:
Press for resolution on the Chaffey Dam line relocation.
Respond to EnergyCo’s Environmental Impact Statement and demand rigorous Social Impact Assessments.
Continue campaigning with IGCC to hold renewable project investors accountable.
Keep fighting for undergrounding to be recognised as a serious, viable alternative.
In short , our goal remains to remove this project out of our communities completely in it’s current form.
Finally, I want to thank all impacted landholders and community members who have supported us throughout our first year. We know the toll this process takes on lives, families, and mental health. Please, never be afraid to reach out to a neighbour or community member – whether it’s for a beer, a cup of tea, or just a chat.
A special acknowledgement must go to my committee members for their tireless support. From our weekly Tuesday meetings, to constantly coming up with fresh ideas, to attending pop-ups and CRG meetings – there is always something to do, and without their dedication we simply would not have achieved what we have this year.
It has been a hard year, but our determination is only stronger. Valley Alliance has shown that when communities stand together, we can slow, challenge, and reshape projects that otherwise would roll through without regard to the people or places affected. The year ahead will be even more critical.
We are stronger together.
Tim White