Vica Bayley MP, Tasmanian Greens Environment Spokesperson:
The Greens condemn the Federal Government’s approval of the Robbins Island windfarm as an abrogation of its responsibility to protect endangered species, and yet another example of the need for environmental law reform.
A place of Palawa cultural heritage, important area for migratory birds and home to disease-free devil population – Pilitika / Robbins Island is the worst possible place anyone could build a windfarm.
Scientists and community representatives have long-raised concerns about the damage a windfarm would do to the native wildlife of the area, but they’ve been consistently ignored and again dismissed today.
In a changing climate renewable energy generation is a big part of the solution, but as with any industrial development, it can’t come at the expense of the survival of endangered wildlife and irreplaceable Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Despite its Aboriginal significance, this project was assessed against Aboriginal Heritage laws that over four years ago, the Tasmanian Government accepted are flawed and promised to fix.
In the Parliament, we won’t rest until we have laws which properly protect the Tasmanian environment and Palawa heritage values.
Senator for Lutruwita/Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson:
This project poses serious risks to tumour-free endangered Tasmanian devils on Robbins Island, critically endangered orange bellied parrots, and other migratory birds who rest and nest here.
Just because a farmer puts up their hand to have a wind farm on their property doesn’t mean it’s an appropriate place to locate massive wind turbines and industrial infrastructure.
The approval of this obviously inappropriate project will only serve to undermine community confidence in our already flailing roll-out of renewable energy and give strength to the pro-fossil fuel interests working against the critically needed clean energy transition.
We need a clean energy transition to large-scale renewable projects to meet our climate targets, but this shameful decision undermines that cause.
Today is a dark day for Minister Watt and the renewable energy industry in Australia, but this is not over yet – the Greens will work tirelessly to get answers to dubious approval conditions that apply to the project, including a bird management plan and how the proponent intends to offset the loss of significant Tasmanian devil habitat.
Senator Nick McKim, Greens Forests Spokesperson:
Of course we need more renewable energy projects, but this is the wrong project in the wrong place.
This project will have massive impacts on biodiversity and threatened species, including the critically endangered Orange-bellied parrot, the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle and the endangered Tasmanian Devil.
Robbins Island is critical habitat for migratory birds, and has been identified by the Commonwealth as being suitable for an International Ramsar listing.
It is the southern end of the East Asian Australasian flyway, which runs from the Arctic to Tasmania and is integral to some of the most profound bird migrations in the world.
Its habitats, landscapes and seascapes should be protected under international conventions not exploited for profit by a multinational corporation.
