Offshore windfarm petition tabled in Parliament 

On 4 June, I tabled a petition against the offshore wind farm which is being proposed off the coast of Warrnambool and Port Fairy, in Parliament.

A big thank you to Chief Petitioner Richard Conlan for putting the petition together and to all 4,500 of you who signed it and shared it with your family and friends.

4,500 signatures is a significant number. Collectively, we have made our voices heard. Thanks also to the ‘No Offshore Wind Farm Zone’ Steering committee for their advocacy.

The petition states that the local community strongly opposes the development of this offshore windfarm and has a number of grave concerns, including for:

• the pristine coastal and marine environment
• the local endangered species
• the Logan’s Beach Whale Nursery and the associated migratory whale pathway
• the unique marine birdlife including migratory birds such as the short-tailed shearwaters.

I also tabled a Freedom of Information (FOI) report prepared by the Migratory Species Section of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water which details the facts relating to the environmental impact this offshore windfarm will have on whales and other marine life.

I drew attention in Parliament to two particular points in the FOI document. The first is that the potential for impact from human activity including underwater noise, is of particular concern in areas within, or close to, habitats critical to the survival of the Southern Right Whale.

These areas are biologically important for the reproduction of the whales as they are known birthing and calving grounds for females who give birth and stay on to nurse their calves for up to several months at a time.

The second point details the impact of the windfarm on important seabird breeding areas including the offshore islands near Portland, Laurence Rocks, Lady Julia Percy Island and Griffith Island off Port Fairy.

Individual seabirds from other island groups also enter the proposed declaration areas on migration and foraging trips. For example, short-tailed shearwaters generally return to their burrows every night, but some feed 150 to 200 kilometres away.

These points, among others outlined in the FOI, present compelling arguments against the offshore wind farm. It is incomprehensible that the Government should take decisions that are counter to the sound management of wildlife, and that will decrease their populations and harm their habitats over time.

In addition, it is not clear:

• Why the Government has come after Wannon’s pristine coastline when Wannon is already doing more than its fair share when it comes to onshore wind.
• Why the process of declaring the zone did not follow due process and include comprehensive environmental assessments, and
• Why the Government has not proposed locations near Melbourne such as Port Philip Bay, for example, for these types of developments, when the majority of the energy produced will be directed to the vast majority of the population, i.e. metropolitan consumers.

As I stated to the Deputy Speaker, the local community have voted with their feet. They are strongly opposed to this wind farm. It must not go ahead.

Published in The Warrnambool Standard