MASG has an advocacy and community engagement project that aims to support and build on the momentum for more sustainable policies and programs from all levels of government and industry.
We focus on those policies and programs that take action on climate change and support renewable energy generation in Australia.
We maintain our links to organisations within and outside the shire to best enable us to respond to opportunities to inspire positive change in the local and wider community and the body politic.
In setting the goal, and MASG mission of a Zero Net Emissions by 2025 Target for Mount Alexander Shire, we acknowledge the need to work with partner organisations and their programs, businesses, industry and government to achieve this.
MASG can offer an auspice arrangement to aligned projects. Read more by clicking The MASG Guide to an Auspice Agreement.
MASG programs in Community Scale Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Waste reduction are steps towards this target.
MASG are one of the founding groups in the 100% Renewable Energy community campaign where we work on a national campaign for renewable energy with over 70 other groups from across Australia.
We work with our members to make sure politicians and decision makers hear their support for climate action, via submissions to government agencies, inquiries and other processes.
We also have a team of concerned people working voluntarily to advocate for a sustainable world. They do not claim to be experts but realise that it is ordinary people talking and writing about what changes are needed and the benefits that they will bring is one of the most powerful thing we can do.
If you can help with this work, writing letters, talking to people on stalls or other events please contact MASG at:
Ph: 03 5470 6978
Email: info@masg.org.au
Recent submissions include:
Victoria’s Renewable Energy Plan, Castlemaine Consultation Report from MASG September 2015
The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources held a Castlemaine forum and invited submissions regarding its Renewable Energy Action Plan.
MASG attended and have submitted the following summarised recommendations:
Need for communities to sell to the grid without paying for network we don’t use. e.g. Virtual Net Metering or a variation
Target for 2020 of 20% would be achieved without any new initiatives. Not good enough.
MASG expressed the importance of a higher target for 2025 of at least 50% and 2030 of 90%.
A suggestion to use Victorian State Royalties to reflect emissions from fossil fuels and not just their energy output. This would balance out the current flawed system where the worse the fuel the cheaper, and could be phased in as an incentive for generators to transition to cleaner energy.
Support ‘making room’ for renewables in the market.
Make funds available for Community Groups research, and for communities to identify and plan community based projects, not only delivery. The difficulty in keeping organisation in place to initiate these projects is created because funding generally targets project delivery only.
The Road Map is available online here:
MASG will provide further updates once public submissions have been considered and/or applied.
ARENA: Australian Renewable Energy Agency 2012 —draft general funding strategy
The MASG submission focuses on the need to support community renewable energy projects like:
Mount Alexander Community Wind through ARENA. We believe projects like ours have the
potential to help ARENAincrease the supply of renewable energy.
Specifically, we urge ARENA to include community projects such as:
• assisting mature technologies to bridge the commercialisation gap by contributing to
project financing;
• supporting off-grid applications of renewable energy;
• education; and
• reducing barriers to the uptake of renewable energy.
The positive contribution that community projects make to the broader social and political
climate within which the renewable energy industry will develop cannot be overlooked. The community energy sector warrants specific attention in the ARENA funding strategy to underpin community understanding and support for clean energy policy, and for developing clean energy infrastructure.
Download the full submission here (231kb) MASG ARENA Submission_Aug 2012
Senate Inquiry into the Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms Feb 2011
This submission comes from a group based in rural Australia with a large membership that supports renewable energy generation such as wind farms.
We support the development of wind farms as a means of providing clean, safe, healthy and reliable electricity in a way that generates local economic activity and creates local well paid and skilled jobs in our area. We have surveyed our local community and know that over 90% of them want to see more government action to support renewable energy.
Download the full submission here (71kb) MASG Wind Submission Senate Feb 2011
Cleaner Future for Power Stations Dec 2010
MASG is grateful for the opportunity to provide a submission in response to the Cleaner Future for Power Stations Interdepartmental Task Group discussion paper.
Download the full submission (66kb) MASG submission to a cleaner future for power stations 2010
Medium Scale Solar Discussion Paper Submission Nov 2010
We presented this submission with the note that support for medium scale solar PV should be placed in the context of an overall transition of Victoria’s stationary energy needs to being 100% sourced from renewable energy.
Download the full submission ( 67 kb) MASG Medium Scale Solar Discussion Paper Submission
