THE West Australian Government will fight a Howard Government decision to oppose a second wind farm, after labelling federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell's latest ruling "a joke".
THE West Australian Government will fight a Howard Government decision to oppose a second wind farm, after labelling federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell's latest ruling "a joke".
Senator Campbell - who last month blocked a similar Victorian project to protect a parrot - has frozen federal funds, saying the state Government should not be overriding community opposition to the Denmark wind farm, on the state's south coast.
Denying he was "anti wind farms", Senator Campbell said the wind turbine projects needed to address the concerns of local residents before they were supported. "Denmark's pretty unique," he said.
"Most other wind farms in WA (that) do have the support of the local community, are being built, and are now steadily providing energy into the grid and into remote locations.
"If we want to have a clean, low-carbon future with a lot of renewable power we need to find a way to ensure that community …
Senator Campbell - who last month blocked a similar Victorian project to protect a parrot - has frozen federal funds, saying the state Government should not be overriding community opposition to the Denmark wind farm, on the state's south coast.
Denying he was "anti wind farms", Senator Campbell said the wind turbine projects needed to address the concerns of local residents before they were supported. "Denmark's pretty unique," he said.
"Most other wind farms in WA (that) do have the support of the local community, are being built, and are now steadily providing energy into the grid and into remote locations.
"If we want to have a clean, low-carbon future with a lot of renewable power we need to find a way to ensure that community concerns about visual impacts, about impacts on unique bits of coastline, are assuaged.
"That's why I'm saying we need a national code so that community opinion can be taken into account."
A wind farm could be built at Denmark with community support but at a different site. "Not only do I think that's achievable but the federal Government ... will support it actively," he told ABC radio.
"We will help to fund it. But it can't be on the pre-eminent site on the beach ... it's a stupid place to put it."
But West Australian Planning Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the developers had examined a range of sites and the current location was ruled the most appropriate.
Ms MacTiernan said the state Government would consider committing funds to the project once the developers released a feasibility study due next month.
"The tragedy is that rather than trying to sort through this in a positive way, there's been a stance taken aimed at exacerbating any conflict," she said.
Senator Campbell attacked the state Government for approving a coal-fired power station.
"They like to have these little fights about very small turbine projects," he said. "They like to overrule local communities. She's overruled her own coastal policy. She's got a ban on coastal development but when it comes to turbines a long way away from her back yard, she's happy to overrule the locals of Denmark.
"You can actually have a low-carbon, clean, low-greenhouse future with a lot of renewable power going into it. But you need to ensure that every time you put a wind farm up, you don't create these sort of massive controversies." It is believed the project has received about $450,000 from the federal and state governments, including $320,000 from Canberra.
Senator Campbell's move to block further federal funding for the Denmark project came less than a month after he stopped a Victorian wind farm to "save" the orange-bellied parrot.
Western Australian Greens MP Paul Llewellyn, who had a financial stake in the project, called on Senator Campbell to fix the dispute.
"Communities are crying out for positive action on climate change, minister Campbell does not appear to be listening," Mr Llewellyn said.