Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last weekend in Tasmania, at Waddamana, there was a celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of Hydro Tasmania. In those over 100 years, Hydro Tasmania has grown to be Australia's largest renewable energy company. It now employs more than 1,000 people and has assets of more than $5 billion. It was the first power station in Tasmania and opened in 1916 at Waddamana.

Hydro Tasmania is a large renewable hydro scheme, with over 30 hydro-electric power stations and three wind farms. It is a major institution in my home state of Tasmania. But, like so many other things, Hydro Tasmania's growth and history is more than just about dams, constructions, power stations or electricity output. It is the story of the thousands of workers who toiled to build it and their families who thrived in remote communities right across Tasmania. This was most famously depicted in the novel titled The sound of one hand clapping by Tasmania's recent Booker Prize winner, Richard Flanagan.

Of course, it is difficult to talk about Hydro's history without mentioning one of the great political debates in Tasmania's history—the Franklin Dam. Whatever your opinion of this project, there is no doubt that the controversy surrounding the Franklin Dam and the subsequent legal battles over its construction had and will continue to have a significant impact on Australia's legal history for generations to come.

I congratulate Hydro Tasmania on its 100 years and the families involved in its construction and their children.