Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The news that Elgin has decided not to proceed with the proposed Mitchells Flat solar farm is a really welcome outcome for the local community in Singleton and right across the Hunter. Many locals I've spoken to over recent months had genuine concern about what this project would have meant for prime agricultural land, environmental impacts and the long-term future of the regional landscape. It was a great project in the wrong location. In communities like Mitchells Flat, land isn't just dirt on a map; it's family farms, it's local jobs, it's our food security and it's part of the character that makes the Hunter what it is. So I think it's fair to say that there's a real sense of relief across the community that Elgin has listened and made the decision to focus their development elsewhere. That's great.

This outcome didn't happen by accident. This is a result of the passionate locals speaking up, farmers standing their ground and community groups like Singleton Solar Standoff making sure their voices were heard loud and clear. When it comes to major developments in our region, the people who live and work on the land deserve a real say in what happens to it. The Hunter should always have a strong voice in decisions that shape our future. I'll continue to stand up for communities to make sure that local voices are not just listened to but respected. We have many areas of mining land in our Hunter area. We need to make sure that we're putting solar farms on that. We need to reuse that land for things that we can do with. We can put many solar farms on that land now.