Early results from Mornington Peninsula Shire survey show little support for its solar rebate scheme
Mornington Peninsula ratepayers have wasted no time telling the local council how they feel about a proposal to offer generous rate cuts to households who install solar power.
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Mornington Peninsula council is under fire for a proposal that would see ratepayers who don’t install new solar forced to fund a rate cut for households that make the switch.
The Herald Sun can reveal that more than 80 per cent of residents surveyed by the council in the past week have already rejected the proposal.
Mornington Peninsula Shire stressed the survey was community consultation and “nothing has been decided”.
“We are simply asking our community whether they support a differential rate to encourage greater uptake of solar power,” a spokesperson said.
“We think it’s worth having a debate about whether our ratepayers are willing to contribute less than the price of a cup of coffee each year to support the clean energy transition.”
The differential rate would apply to residential properties for households that installed, replaced or upgraded solar systems over 5kw during the 2024/25 financial year.
Ratepayers unable or unwilling to take up the offer would be forced to pay extra rates to keep the scheme cost neutral.
The discount would apply for up to five years and be available only for properties with a capital improved value valued under $2m.
Applications for the discount have to be made by April 15, 2025 and include an Electrical Certificate of Safety and an invoice to show the size of the system.
Initial results from the council’s survey on the solar discount found four in five respondents (81.9 per cent) were opposed to the idea.
Consultation for the proposal began on February 19 and runs until April 12.
A council source told the Herald Sun that councillors were given an insight into early feedback on the plan during a briefing this week.
Graphs shown to the councillors showed 39 per cent of the survey respondents already had solar panels installed, making them ineligible for the discount.
Of the 54 per cent without solar, seven per cent planned to install it in future.
It was not clear how many residents had taken part in the online survey.
A Herald Sun poll on the initiative received similar results.
Of the 422 votes, 83 per cent (350 votes) were against the plan and said those who couldn’t afford solar should not be punished.
A further 13 per cent (57 votes) rejected the idea because they already had solar and wouldn’t qualify for the discount.
Only 4 per cent of those voting supported the initiative.
The council’s solar scheme has not yet been debated publicly by councillors.
The Herald Sun understands the idea was presented to councillors by council officers at a recent workshop prior to public consultation beginning.
Cr Anthony Marsh said while he planned to keep an open mind about the scheme, he feared it was “complicated”, “potentially inequitable” and not linked to land use.
He said it was unusual for a council to consider introducing a differential rate for “infrastructure on rooftops that was yet to be installed”.
Differential rates were usually applied to “incentivise” the use of vacant residential, commercial or industrial land, he said.
Currently the council charges the owners of vacant properties 40 per cent more in rates, whereas land with agricultural and conservation uses attract a lower rate.
