RCOW has a major problem with finances.

Twelve weeks ago the council paid out the contract with the Co Store carpark.

The mayor and senior staff assured the ratepayers we were in a better financial position going forward.

This line continued for the next 11 weeks when we were informed that the council was getting out of aged care services, the New Year's eve community event was now to be sponsored or will not go ahead, and council finances have depleted.

This council seems forget what councils are for.

Roads, rates and rubbish should be the main but now we find RCOW sponsoring Naidoc week, running a grit and resilience program and also forming a reconciliation plan.

Last census showed approximately two per cent of our shire's (postcode 3677) population identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (439).

The vote for a voice to parliament was defeated which has been ignored by our leaders.

We were not given a vote on this nor did it go out to public tender.

Can the council list all costs involved for this plan and how long it has been running.

We do not need 'social engineers' in or on the council spending rate money on this type of program.

Get back to serving the people who pay the rates and come clean on the real state of the finances.

Eric Douthie, Wangaratta

Regional support for renewables remains strong

The media narrative suggesting regional people oppose renewable energy projects when the data unarguably shows the opposite is now the subject of a published academic paper ("Growing discontent on data centres as farmers fear renewable rollout repeat", The Land, 7/6).

Poll after poll after poll, from Porter Novelli, 89 Degrees East, CSIRO and more, all find huge support for local clean energy projects with opposition much less (but amplified by media coverage and social media algorithms that promote conflict).

Recent polling in April showed overall local support for clean energy projects at 63pc and opposition at 17pc.

In coal regions, Hunter showed support of 60pc and opposition at 17pc, Gladstone showed support of 65pc and opposition of 17pc, and the Latrobe Valley showed support of 60pc and opposition at 18pc.

In Illawarra the support was 68pc and the opposition 12pc, Central West Orana support was at 60pc and opposition at 20pc; in western Victoria the support was 69pc and opposition was 12pc.

Even in New England, support held strong at 55pc with opposition less than half that figure at 24pc.

Professor Rebecca Colvin's peer-reviewed paper, published in Science Direct, finds that in addition to social media and media promoting conflict, people are more likely to speak up against things than for them.

Farmers for Climate Action represents 8000 farmers across Australia.

Our "Billions in the Bush" report found Australian farmers are on track to make a billion dollars in total from clean energy rent by 2030.

Modern solar contracts pay up to $1500 per hectare per year while the farmer continues to graze sheep underneath.

Modern wind farms typically pay $40,000 per wind turbine per year in rent to the farmer, while cattle and sheep continue to graze around it.

Hosting solar and wind projects is entirely voluntary and how a farmer chooses to farm on their land is their choice.

If farmers do not stay united around that principle, farming will become very difficult.

Verity Morgan-Schmidt, CEO, Farmers for Climate Action.