DEAR News Of The Area,

THE Federal Coalition’s opposition to the proposed Hunter offshore windfarm proposal is opportunistic in my view!

It was the previous Liberal-National Party Coalition Government which enacted legislation for offshore windfarms for large scale electricity production.

The Hunter windfarm proposal is one of six priorities for Australia and, arguably, the best for NSW.

This is supported by large scale infrastructure, including the Port of Newcastle, and the availability of skilled labour in the region.

As NOTA (per editor Doug Connor) has detailed, up to seven years of comprehensive economic and environmental studies, as well as further public consultation, are required before a final decision can be made.

Already the proposal has been amended, after public consultation, to extend the proposed windfarm area to over 20 kilometres offshore so that it would be hardly visible from land.

Public involvement in the proposal descended into farce when two prominent Conservative politicians, Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce, visited Port Stephens and expressed their opposition to the proposal due to its impact on whales!

If these two politicians, not known for their conservation credentials, had done a minimum of research they would have found that there is no evidence, world-wide, of whales being killed by offshore windfarms.

Laurence Antcliff, the local Liberal candidate, says he will support abandonment of the Hunter windfarm proposal if elected.

Has Mr Antcliff, who claims to support young people gaining employment, fully considered the major economic benefits of the proposal?

Perhaps Mr Antcliff can outline his conservation credentials, not evident in his CV, that has brought him to this conclusion.

Or is Mr.Antcliff being opportunistic just like his leader, Peter Dutton?

Yours sincerely,
Peter SMITH,
Soldiers Point.