Opinion piece by John Stapleton

There are now two parliamentary inquiries into the impact of wind farms and the consultation process in the Illawarra, one a Federal government Senate inquiry and another in the NSW Upper House. 

At the same time the government is set to announce the winner of the so-called “feasibility licences” to its preferred tenderers for the $10 billion project to establish a wind farm off the Illawarra coastline.

Submissions from prospective operators for the licences close on 15 August. The licences are to last for seven years.

The industrialisation of the Illawarra coastline has created controversy up and down the Illawarra coastline ever since the proposed Renewable Energy Zone was first announced in August of last year. 

Critics argue that the government is proceeding with the wind farm project despite considerable opposition from locals, whose concerns have been ignored.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said construction will only begin after the feasibility stage is completed and developers have gained subsequent environment and management plan approvals, as well as demonstrating how projects will benefit Australian industry and jobs.

Mr Bowen told The Bugle: “Feasibility licences give developers the opportunity to investigate whether their proposed offshore wind projects are feasible. 

“The feasibility stage can take up to seven years, giving developers time to undertake thorough assessments and consultations.

“After the feasibility stage is completed, and developers have approved environmental and management plans – including how projects will support Australian industry and jobs – developers can then apply for a commercial licence.

“So while it is an exciting new beginning for the Illawarra, it is just the beginning.”

Instigator of the Federal inquiry Senator Ross Cadell is calling on the Senate committee to hold public hearings in both the Port Stephens area and in the Illawarra.

“This inquiry presents an opportunity to hear from the communities who fear their way of life will be destroyed by large-scale, utopia-like renewable projects.

“It is a crucial step in halting the rapid pathway to approval, and ensuring the affected communities are not just heard, but are listened to when it comes to their concerns.

“Labor’s reckless race to renewables is nothing but a delusion of grandeur from Chris Bowen and co. This inquiry is a small but important step in forcing a reality check on Labor’s plan.”

The “Community drop in sessions” which were held in Bulli, Port Kembla, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Gerringong last September proved a public relations disaster for the government, mobilising locals and leading to the establishment of a number of Facebook groups of which three have a total of more than 16,000 members, including No Offshore Wind Farms Illawarra and the Coalition Against Offshore Wind.

Of the 14,000 submissions to the Department of Climate Change and Energy 65 percent opposed the proposal. 

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen did not attend a single one of the heated, well organised and well attended protest meetings held up and down the Illawarra coast.

However there was one group presenting itself as a community group which did have the ear of the Minister and that was a group calling itself Good for the Gong, which has 1200 members on its Facebook page. 

At the public announcement of the gazetting of the Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone, held at BlueScope, it was clearly evident that members of the group had a close relationship with Chris Bowen and his staff.

No other community group was present or invited. Two members of an opposing group were asked to leave.

The day before the announcement the group put out a release titled “Illawarra welcomes community wind power”. 

Considering the level of local opposition, this was clearly a stretch, if not outright dishonest. 

The release read in part: “We welcome the transition. Replacing fossil fuels with renewables done right is the most important step we can take to stop our oceans from disastrous warming due to climate change and protect marine life. The energy transition that Australia has embarked on to reduce our contribution to climate change includes the people of the Illawarra, and we want to make sure our community is front and centre so we can build on our proud heritage as an industrial region.”

The highly politicised and polarising debate now steps up a notch. Scenting a narrow path to victory on the back of the issue after their devastating electoral defeat in 2022, a string of leading conservative politicians have visited the region in recent months, including leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton and his deputy Sussan Ley, leader of the Nationals David Littleproud and former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. 

Critics claim there remain serious questions over taxpayer or private interest money being used to influence the public narrative, including the manipulation of social media, most particularly Facebook. 

Critics argue that the social media activities of the pro wind farm supporters reveals concerning findings about a targeted campaign of Labor, the unions and climate activists to inflate pro wind farm support in the Illawarra and aggressively attack the local majority who oppose this offshore wind farm zone. These allegations will be the subject of both the Senate Inquiry and the NSW Upper House inquiry, which are looking at the question of whether local communities were adequately engaged and consulted. 

The Australian government has a long history of cooperation with Facebook to suppress and manipulate community groups, whether it be on mass immigration or the safety and efficacy of vaccines, and a whole lot in between.  

The last major rally against the wind farms was held at Reddall Park on the shores of Lake Illawarra was held on 28 July and more are expected. With the Federal Opposition vowing it will put a stop to the Illawarra wind farm project, the path to a renewable future remains clouded in controversy.

Spokesman for the group Responsible Future Illawarra Alex O’Brien told The Bugle it looks like the government is trying to rush through the wind farm proposal before the next election, due to the Senate inquiry, without proper consideration and community consultation. 

“The Illawarra wind farm is an unprecedented development in size, and there is no other offshore wind farm on Earth directly in the line of a whale migration route.

“This would be more than 18 times larger than any existing offshore wind farm. larger than any existing offshore wind farm in the world, 

“The size of the project is staggering, six to seven times the size of the Royal National Park, with more than 200 turbines the size of CentrePoint Tower.”

The government claims there will be further opportunity for community consultation, firstly upon receipt of environmental and other approvals, and then with the development of a management plan. It will be an uphill battle all the way. 

The path to a renewable future, much less the transformation of Australia into a “renewable energy super power”, as the government has so often touted, remains extremely clouded.

WIND FARM PROPOSAL. SOURCE: DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE