Senator Jacqui Lambie has ripped into the federal government for signing off on the Robbins Island wind farm, saying a better site exists just kilometres away.
Speaking in federal parliament on Wednesday, Lambie said she was not celebrating Environment Minister Murray Watt’s approval of the project off Tasmania’s north-west coast.
“Firstly, it is in the wrong place and, secondly, it has no community support,” Lambie told the Senate. “I have been talking about the problems with this wind farm proposal for years now.”
The independent senator raised environmental concerns, warning the project threatens Tasmania’s only disease-free devil population and could damage squid breeding grounds with the construction of a 500-metre wharf.
“Despite bird experts saying this will directly impact 20 critically endangered shorebirds, potentially chop up our swift parrots and our eagles and screw up a productive squid and fish breeding ground, none of that mattered to Minister Watt,” Lambie said.
“The minister for the environment and water was obviously oblivious to any science presented to him and ticked it off anyway.”
Lambie pushed what she called a better option at Whaleback Ridge, which already has community backing and infrastructure.
It was granted major project status by the state government last year.
“The Whaleback Ridge proposal has broad community support and doesn’t have to rip up farmland, because there is an existing powerline,” she said.
“And it’s owned by a Tasmanian company. The owners of the Robbins Island wind farm are a Filipino company – nothing wrong with that – but you’d think as a country we’d be prioritising Australian companies first.”
Lambie stressed she supports renewable energy but said projects must be in the right place and involve genuine consultation.
Tasmanian Greens Senator Nick McKim also took aim at the government this week, calling Robbins Island an “absolutely inappropriate” site.
“Of course we need more renewable energy, but it’s got to be the right project in the right place – and that is the wrong project in the wrong place,” he said.
Approving the 100-turbine farm after a “rigorous assessment process” based on expert evidence, Minister Watt said it would generate enough power for 422,000 homes.
“The decision includes strict conditions from both the Tasmanian and Australian governments to ensure this project will be constructed and operated in a way that safeguards nationally protected species,” he said.
“This includes the orange-bellied parrot, Tasmanian devil, Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle and protected migratory shorebirds.”
