Muswellbrook Shire Council has put community needs at the centre of future clean energy developments, preparing a landmark Temporary Workforce Accommodation Policy that sets a new standard for regional NSW.
Muswellbrook’s policy signals a continuation of high standards for clean energy in the Shire, ahead of an expected more than 4,500 temporary workers in the next five years for projects including renewable energy, the New England Highway bypass and power station closures.
The policy mandates that any workforce accommodation proposal in the Shire:
- Must be near or within towns and villages – not remote rural sites
- Must support legacy uses such as aged care, tourism or housing
- Must use local suppliers, services and medical providers wherever possible
- Must avoid ‘wet mess’ facilities for alcohol consumption and integrate workers into local life
- Must be designed following sustainability and amenity principles
The new framework supports Council’s priorities under its Community Strategic Plan and Local Housing Strategy, including support for affordable housing, infrastructure planning and economic equity.
Without coordinated planning a significant influx of temporary workers risks pushing residents out of the housing and rental markets, driving up prices and straining infrastructure.
The policy is among the first of its kind in the state and will be applied to State Significant Development proposed in the Shire.
Mayor Jeff Drayton said the policy responds to mounting frustration with the NSW Government and EnergyCo following years of poor consultation and short-term thinking, most recently in plans for isolated ‘donga’ accommodation for construction workers upgrading energy infrastructure, with no lasting economic or social value to the Shire.
“Worker accommodation that improves our Shire is a major priority for Council and that’s reflected by Councillors endorsing this policy. We’re ahead of the pack because we’ve had to be. We’re dealing with multiple major projects, almost weekly,” Mayor Drayton said.
“We’ve been communicating this for years and we’re sick of being sidelined. We’re not copping substandard camps on the outskirts of town – this policy promotes genuine investment in our community. If new technology and investment is going to work, it needs to work for the people who already live in Muswellbrook Shire.”
The policy will now go on public exhibition for 28 days before being finalised into policy.
Council’s adoption of the framework follows its similar endorsement of a policy to prevent solar panels from an approved 135-megawatt solar project in the Shire from going into landfill.
