Federal Nationals Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie has addressed Parliament, speaking out against the Offshore Wind farm proposed off the coast of his electorate.
In July the federal government declared a wind farm zone covering more than 1800 square kilometres from Swansea in the south to Port Stephens in the north
Dr Gillespie recently attended and addressed an anti-wind farm rally in Port Stephens attended by nearly 2,000 people.
“This trillion dollar-plus energy plan by Labor, Greens and Teal Independents is something we simply cannot afford,” Dr Gillespie told Parliament
“I can assure all of the people who have expressed their concerns about this project that I am absolutely opposed to this development which will have a significant negative impact on our region and the people of Australia.
“Both locally, and in many of the places where these developments are being proposed as part of Labor’s expensive Rewiring the Nation agenda, communities continue to oppose them for many good and practical reasons, and it is extremely disappointing the lack of consultation in the preparation of these projects.”
Dr Gillespie said these wind farms are not a solution for retiring baseload generators, and will increase grid instability, destroy the environment and force electricity costs higher than households or small business can realistically afford.
In the case of this project, it will pose a serious risk to the navigation of local and international shipping and boating, as well as to the wind farms themselves in storm and tempest.
Feasibility studies and the eventual project will detrimentally impact whale and dolphin acoustics, migration and pod behaviour, and marine bird life will suffer like it does from land-based wind farms.
Dr Gillespie said there would be enormous financial cost on the $1bn local commercial fishing industry, commercial freighters, blue water and the tourism economy.
“The whole proposal is outrageously uneconomic and relies on subsidies via Large Scale Renewable Energy Certificates – which you pay on your rising electricity bills.”
“New baseload replacement power is urgently required and the Labor, Greens and Teal Independents proposal to create 28,000km of new power lines through the countryside and turn our landscape into industrial parks of wind turbines and solar panels is complete madness.”
Dr Gillespie said existing power stations should be maintained until they can be replaced by new zero-emission nuclear technology.
“As coal-fired power plants are retired, they could be replaced at those sites with modern modular nuclear power plants which can be plugged into the existing grid which will avoid the economic an environmental mess the Albanese Government will create if they continue to pursue their 100% renewable agenda,” Dr Gillespie said.
