ADDRESSING the media in Port Stephens last week, for the second time in a month, Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton branded the Albanese Government’s handling of the Hunter offshore wind zone a “national disgrace”.

Mr Dutton, alongside Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Ted O’Brien, answered the media in Nelson Bay following an excursion across Port Stephens with local fishing and tourism operators.

Mr O’Brien was first to speak, claiming that the Federal Government was “steamrolling over local communities” in an attempt to reach a target of 82 percent renewables by 2030.

The Shadow Minister then slammed the Government’s consultation process, which he said has shown “reckless disregard” towards the community of Port Stephens.

On 4 July, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy announced a review of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s community engagement processes.

Eight days later, on July 12, the Australian Government declared an 1854 square kilometre area in the Pacific Ocean off the Hunter as suitable for future offshore wind development.

Mr O’Brien suggests the timing indicates the Government knew their community engagement processes to be flawed, but declared the zone regardless.

“The Albanese Government effectively conceded there was a problem with the community engagement process when the Minister commissioned a review of that very process, but within two weeks the Minister came out and declared this wind zone,” Mr O’Brien said.

“That doesn’t make sense.

“If there’s a problem, it needs to be fixed.

“You don’t just plough ahead with disregard to the local community.

“That is why we are calling on the Albanese Government to rescind the declaration of this zone to fix the broken community engagement process before then reopening for public consultation here in the Hunter,” O’Brien said.

Taking centre stage, Mr Dutton said the offshore wind situation in the Hunter was quickly “growing into a national scandal”, claiming the Government “hasn’t done the work” with regards to understanding the environmental impact of potential offshore renewable projects.

Mr Dutton also took aim at Federal Labor MP Meryl Swanson, who represents Paterson, for perceived inaction on the issue.

“I think Meryl Swanson has been completely missing in action – nice person, completely ineffective in representing her local community,” he said.

“Residents that we speak to feel abandoned by their local Member and the Prime Minister should be receiving a hot phone call from Meryl Swanson and from her colleagues to say ‘stop this nonsense’.

“I think Meryl Swanson has completely let her community down, and I think there’s going to be a very significant backlash against her and against Emma McBride (Member for Dobell) and Sharon Claydon (Federal Member for Newcastle) and others because they are not standing up for their communities, they’re not fighting for their communities, and I think it’s very obvious that the local people that we’ve spoken to are completely and utterly bewildered by the lack of support from their local members.”

In response, Ms Swanson accused Mr Dutton of using the situation in Port Stephens to gain a political advantage despite the Liberal Party’s overwhelming support for the development of the offshore wind industry in the past.

“I find it offensive that Mr Dutton blows in to try and score political points when it is me who is serious about reflecting the views of my community and working with Minister Bowen for the best outcomes for the people of Port Stephens.

“I certainly have not been missing in action.

“Just this week I have had numerous conversations with concerned locals, the Minister, his staff and two windfarm proponents.

“I continue to fight hard for my community.

“Mr Dutton and his colleagues have been very supportive of offshore wind in the past.”

The Liberal leader reiterated that his party was in support of renewable energy projects, but “not at any cost”.

“Not where you’re destroying jobs and livelihoods and the environment,” Dutton said.

“Why would we seek to destroy the natural environment here to try and save the planet?

“There are other ways that we can firm up renewables.

“There are other ways that we can introduce zero emission or low emission technologies into the energy mix.

“We have long term sustainable jobs now in the tourism and in the fishing industry, and I’ll give you the Coalition’s commitment: we’re not putting those at risk, we’re not going to destroy these jobs to create some short term construction jobs, we’re not going to destroy the local environment here in an effort to achieve our emission reduction targets.”

The Liberal Party’s opposition to the Hunter offshore wind zone is in stark contrast to their support for the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021, introduced under Scott Morrison, which established the regulatory framework to enable offshore infrastructure activities, such as the construction of wind farms, in Commonwealth offshore areas.

“The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 provided a robust mechanism for granting licences to allow the development of offshore electricity projects in Commonwealth waters while providing protections for the safety of workers and strong protection of other maritime stakeholders,” Mr O’Brien said in 2022.

In October 2021, Angus Taylor, the Coalition’s then Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, praised the ability of offshore electricity sectors to “coexist with other offshore sectors and activities, such as fishing and shipping industries”.

“This bill protects these maritime stakeholders by requiring developers to take into account the impacts that potential projects may have on existing users of the offshore area.

“Importantly, under the bill, areas will not be available for offshore electricity infrastructure projects if their impacts cannot be appropriately managed and enforcement action can be taken if licence holders interfere with existing users of a declared area.”

Fast forward to October 2023, and the Liberal Party leader appears not to agree with that assessment, at least not in the case of Port Stephens.

“I do think when you go out into the waters and see the natural beauty, the bird life, all of that which is at risk, the marlin fishing, obviously, which is a big part of the environment here, when you look at the whales and the mother and the calf that we saw out there, the dolphins, all of that is at risk because there’s no environmental consideration of what these huge wind turbines 260, 280 metres out of the water will mean for that wildlife and for the environment.”

The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act also established the requirements for community consultation on offshore infrastructure projects, including a minimum submissions period of 60 days, which Mr Dutton and his colleagues now claim to be inadequate.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen told News Of The Area it was “rich for Mr Dutton and Mr O’Brien to criticise a consultation scheme which they designed and legislated when in government”.

“Once again, they’re putting politics ahead of genuine outcomes,” Mr Bowen said.

According to the Federal Government, the Hunter offshore wind zone will create 3,000 jobs in the construction phase and 1,500 ongoing, including opportunities for engineers, electrical technicians, cable installers, boiler-makers, crane operators, riggers, divers, seafarers, dockworkers and administrators.

It is hoped to generate enough power for over four million homes and be able to support energy security and jobs in existing large heavy industry.

By Doug CONNOR