Well done, Hay

To the Editor,
As an ex-resident of Hay who maintains a close interest in my old home town, I was gratified to hear of the recognition and acknowledgement of the exemplary efforts of Hay Shire Council to ensure benefits to the town and district in regard to the roll-out of renewable energy projects. 
The reference to the local council was from a program called 'Citizen Jury', broadcast on Radio National on 16 July 2025 (audio available online), which was the recording of a public event at Dubbo attended by community members and other stakeholders discussing renewable energy and living within a Renewable Energy Zone.
Towards the end of the program one of the speakers, Andrew Bray, National Director of RE-Alliance (the Australian Renewable Energy Alliance), cited Hay Shire Council as the "best example" of those councils who have collaborated with renewable energy developers to deliver beneficial social outcomes for their regional communities. 
The speaker described how Hay Shire Council's community consultation process, at an early stage, was an effective first-step: "Rather than being around this project or that project, it was: We know there's renewables coming to this region, what are the thing's you're concerned about... what are some of the benefits you'd like to see, what are the things that are important for our community".
Mr. Bray described some of the issues that had been identified in the community consultation process: "health care, aged care, jobs for young people and keeping young people in the region, an airstrip to make the region more accessible". 
The agreed set of principles was uploaded to the Hay Shire Council website, to serve as a set of expectations for renewable energy developers to consider (basically saying: "How are you going to give us what we want here in Hay?"). 
The speaker, whose organisation had been involved in the community consultation undertaking, described the process as "a really positive experience" driven by key people in the council "who saw the opportunity and said this is the most investment we're gonna have here for decades, so how can we make the most of it; we don't want to let this slip through our fingers".
As described by Andrew Bray, Hay Shire Council "turned around the consultation model so that the community did their own consultation and then consulted with the developers and said: You guys fit into our timetable and deliver on the things we want". 
As I understand it, the process initiated at Hay is increasingly considered to be a leading and efficient example of how best to achieve a social license which requires renewable energy developers to build trust, address concerns, and deliver tangible benefits to the community.
I am extremely pleased that, at this pivotal moment in history, the management of Hay and district is in the hands of such far-sighted and innovative administrators and decision-makers who have genuine concerns for the on-going progress of the district and ensuring beneficial returns to its communities.
Ian Beissel, Armidale.