Local news for local people
Editorial: Be careful what you ask for
August 27, 2026
Let's get one thing out of the way right at the start. People are fully entitled to protest about anything that upsets or offends them. The photo below was taken over my left shoulder by Sydney Morning Herald photographer Roger Scott when I got together with about 300,000 other people to express our displeasure at a war.
It has been brought to my attention that Oberon might one day see a different kind of protest. (I was told about it and provided with a photo by someone who knew that it might have passed me by because Oberon Matters is blocked from accessing the Facebook page of the Oberon Against Wind Towers (OAWT) group. Nothing says "We have an important message to convey" like banning the media from reading it.)
Nobody could be unaware that there is some opposition around Oberon to the plans for some renewable energy projects, although the reasons for the opposition are sometimes a little obscure (the expression "We are not against renewable energy, but ..." has been used). Most of the talk is about how to stop the projects from happening.
Simultaneously, nobody could be unaware of the inconvenience, disruption and cost to Oberon of a road closure 60 kilometres away.
The new form of protest involves combining opposition to renewable energy projects with closing roads.
There are t-shirts!
That's right - the plan is to block roads so that components and materials required for the projects can't get to where the are needed.
Nothing can possibly be achieved by any blockade. If a truck carrying part of a wind turbine arrives to find O'Connell Road blocked by tractors or anything else nobody is going to say "OK, you win. The project is cancelled" and order the truck to go back to the port in Newcastle so that whatever is on it can be shipped back to where it came from with a note saying that nothing will be needed in the future. The first thing that will happen is that the police will be called, and when the cops arrive they will issue a polite suggestion that the road be opened and opened quickly. Police suggestions tend to be come less polite if there is any reticence for people to do what they are told. A farmer who brought along a tractor that's not registered for road use might not be too happy to have the machine impounded and a fine notice issued.
A blockade to stop renewable energy projects won't work because it can't work. It would involve blocking the major roads into Oberon for long periods of time, maybe even permanently, and that simply is not going to happen. Talking about a potential blockade is just a way of saying "See, we are doing something" without actually doing anything, and the excuses are probably already being written for when the police say "No, you don't".
Yes, the protest in the photo above caused disruption to traffic on George, Barrack and Park Streets in Sydney, but everyone knew it was coming, the trains were still running to get people in and out of the city, drivers only had to go a couple of blocks out of their way to avoid it and after about two hours we all went home and things returned to normal. Any form of blockade of Oberon would serve no purpose and would do irreparable damage to the town's reputation and businesses.
If OAWT want to stop renewable energy projects they need to say why they object and set out reasonable and feasible ways to proceed. Stunts like blockades just annoy people and waste everyone's time.
Disclaimer: Oberon Matters has no editorial opinion either way on the matter of wind towers near Oberon. This article is for public information only. Please see our position of total neutrality.
