Can’t see the ocean for the turbines

The declaration of the Gippsland coast “as Australia’s first priority area to be assessed for suitability for offshore wind developments” poses many more questions than it answers.

Chief among them is the fact that areas directly offshore from Phillip Island, Bass Coast, South Gippsland, Wilson’s Promontory and the coast near Port Albert, Yarram and Woodside have been included in the proposed development zone.

The misleading part of the announcement by Energy Minister Chris Bowen is that the developments will take place in “Bass Strait”, but the reality is that wind turbines the height of Melbourne’s Eureka Tower (300+ metres) could be located as close as 5.5km offshore when the visible horizon from the beach at places like Cape Woolamai and Inverloch is approximately 45km.

This means that not only will hundreds of these massive turbines be visible from the beach, they’ll likely dominate the coastal view and be there forever, despite having a 30-year life.

In announcing Gippsland as a priority development zone, the Albanese Government has asked for community feedback over the next 60 days, so get your skates on if you have concerns.

One of the things the government would like feedback on is your suggestions for minimising the visual impact - are they joking? No, they’re not joking!

There have been statements about the wind energy initiative creating thousands of jobs, but we’ve heard these promises before. If this is to happen and it’s highly likely it will, the Gippsland community needs commitments on how many jobs will be located here, that high-voltage power lines will go underground in sensitive areas of Gippsland and that the turbines will be placed as far offshore as possible.

Bear in mind though, ocean depths dictate the turbines can only be located up to 25km from the coast, so they’ll always be in view.

So, do you still want the turbines here? If not, then get on to the government website and make your views known or forever hold your peace.

To make a submission go to: https://consult.industry.gov.au/oei-gippsland