A group fighting plans to develop an offshore wind zone off the Hunter coast has challenged Energy Minister Chris Bowen to reopen its community consultation after a review highlighted the need for governments to improve engagement processes for renewable projects.
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Improved community consultation, better complaint handling and a rating system for developers are among nine recommendations of a renewable energy review put forward by the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner.
All have been accepted in principle by the government.
The Newcastle-Port Stephens Game Fishing Club is among a coalition of groups campaigning against the Hunter project on the back of concerns about the project's potential negative environmental impacts.
The group also raised concerns about the lack of community consultation for the project in Port Stephens.
"The mess here has been caused by the government's own lack of engagement in Port Stephens and Myall Coast, not the developers. But Chris Bowen is blaming the developers as well," the fishing club's spokesman Troy Radford said.
"I have a message for Chris Bowen - stop blaming others and take responsibility for your own actions. Are you going to restart the community consultation again for the wind farm here?"
The government says 300 people attended seven community consultation sessions across the Hunter and Central Coast last year.
The government is expected to announce feasibility licences for the Hunter project in coming months.
Mr Bowen has also invited the fishing club to submit a series of recommendations about how to safeguard the area's environmental and economic assets during the transition to renewable energy.
But Mr Radford said it was not possible to provide such a list until the details of the proposed projects in the Hunter zone were known.
Port Stephens locals are expected to travel to Canberra for Tuesday's 'Reckless Renewables' rally.
The review of community consultation, led by Commissioner Andrew Dyer, aimed to determine more effective ways to engage landowners and communities directly affected by the green energy transformation.
It found some participants had "a lack of trust" in project developers, including government-owned corporations.