Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the opportunity to welcome the Minister for the Environment and Energy, Josh Frydenberg, to my electorate of Indi to meet with a wide and diverse community of representatives, including Winton Wetlands, Wangaratta Sustainability Network, Renewable Energy Benalla, the Murrindindi Climate Network, Up2Us Landcare Alliance in Mansfield, Yackandandah Health, Totally Renewable Beechworth, Renewable Albury Wodonga Energy, Totally Renewable Yackandandah, AusNet Services and Mondo Power. The minister noted, 'I'm amazed to see the depth of commitment from local communities.' But I'm not amazed. This is true rural Australia.

It is this commitment which has resulted in the report called Towards a totally renewable Indi: a case study in community action. It shows how communities across Indi are working together to create a clean energy future, and there are opportunities for everybody. So I encourage anybody and everybody to talk to your local council, form a group, go to the web page and download a copy, or go to my office in Wodonga or Wangaratta and ask for copies for your community. I really encourage you to get your friends organised because, if not now, when are we going to take action on climate change and, if not you, who's going to do it? We've begun the work. There's so much going on in Indi, and now there's an opportunity for every single community to do something about renewable energy.