A community in New South Wales’ Yass Valley has mobilized significant opposition against the proposed Bendedine Wind Project, expressing concerns over its social and environmental impacts. The project plans to install 90 wind turbines, each standing 275 meters tall, on land used by Remount, a charity supporting veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Remount’s founder, Ben Maguire, criticized one of the project’s primary investors, the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), which manages the Australian Defence Force’s super fund. Maguire said the CSC should prioritize the well-being of current and former service members rather than invest in developments that threaten the landscape crucial to his charity’s therapeutic work. Despite repeated communications, Maguire said the CSC has not responded to warnings about the project’s potential damage to Remount’s operations.

Local residents, including Emma Webb, president of the Binalong Bowning Community Action Group, have also spoken out against the project and its investors. Webb questioned the application of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles by Infratil, another major investor, accusing the company of ignoring community concerns despite receiving over 400 letters from locals. She argued that ESG frameworks risk being reduced to marketing tools that appeal to investors but fail to address or engage with the impacted communities.

Webb’s group is calling attention to what it describes as misleading ESG claims by companies overlooking the social consequences of their investments. She emphasized the need to evaluate such projects not only on financial or environmental criteria but also on their effects on the people living near them. “When billions are invested in regional Australia in the name of a better future, Australians should ask: better for whom?” Webb said. She highlighted lingering uncertainties about accountability, oversight, and who benefits financially when local communities bear significant social and environmental costs.

Attempts to obtain comments from CSC, Infratil, and Morrison & Co, the latter managing assets worth US$35 billion and involved in the project, were unsuccessful as all declined to respond.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully acknowledged the disputes surrounding projects like Bendedine and underscored the importance of maintaining ethical standards. “I have made clear that proponents for any project must earn social licence – it is not presumed,” Scully stated, signaling that projects failing to meet community and ethical expectations risk rejection.