David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Twelve thousand, one hundred and thirty-seven people have signed this petition from around Port Stephens in the Lyne electorate and the Paterson electorate opposing the proposed wind farm development off Newcastle and Port Stephens. That's 12,137 people. As has been found out around the world, offshore wind farms are highly unpredictable and hard to maintain. They can be a barrier to navigation on the surface and confuse radar and submarine sonar. It's adjacent to one of the busiest ports in the country, the Port of Newcastle, as well as Port Stephens. There's a huge marine industry based around food security, with food supply coming from that area, as well as bluewater economy. It is also an incredibly expensive way to provide baseload energy. It requires gas backup, pumped hydro backup, batteries, coal plants and gas plants—you name it. If you're going to rely on a bit of wind, that's the consequence. You just get more build and more intensity. This offshore wind farm is proposed as the source of energy for Tomago, but it would be better to have a highly efficient baseload energy system. I commend this petition, which will go to the Petitions Committee. I'd like to thank all those people that signed the petition, because it's a major issue for the whole state. (Time expired)

See this speech in context