Media release – Nick Duigan, Minister for Energy and Renewables, 27 January 2025
Robbins Island dismissal welcomed, Federal Government need to get on with it
The Tasmanian Government welcomes the dismissal of the Robbins Island Wind Farm action in the Supreme Court.
Minister for Energy and Renewables, Nick Duigan, said common sense had prevailed.
“This is an important project for Tasmania. It will be a massive boost for our renewable energy future. It will inject hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity, create jobs, and help Tasmania keep our power prices the lowest in the nation,” Minister Duigan said.
“The island owners have had a vision for over two decades to harness the world-class wind resource here and combine it with their successful beef cattle operation.
“We need to get this done. The project has undergone among the most rigorous approvals processes in the world.
“This project has been sitting on Tanya Plibersek’s desk for so long now that I can only assume it’s buried by dust. Enough is enough.
“With this dismissal today, now is the perfect time for the Albanese Government to stand up for Tasmanians and give Robbins Island Wind Farm the certainty it needs to proceed.
“Instead of leaving this project in limbo, the Federal Labor Government needs to commit to giving Robbins Island a green light ahead of the 2025 federal election.”
In stark contrast, the Tasmanian Government is backing our productive industries and slashing red tape, under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.
“Renewable energy is vital enabling infrastructure for our economic prosperity, to support current and new industries grow and deliver jobs. Robbins Island alone would be a massive boost for our renewable energy future, building on the tradition of our Hydro pioneers. It’s a no brainer to make it happen,” Minister Duigan said.
“The Tasmanian Government stands ready to work with the Federal Government on addressing other barriers to EPBC Act approvals, such as a workable offsets policy that is tailored to Tasmanian circumstances and takes account that we already have one of the highest proportions of reserved land in the world.
“It’s time to get on and build these renewable energy projects.”
Media release – Janie Finlay MP, Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables, 27 February 2025
Robbins Island decision welcomed
Tasmanian Labor strongly welcomes today’s Supreme Court decision in favour of the Robbins Island windfarm.
Robbins Island is one of the most important economic projects in the state for 20 years. The approval process has taken far too long, with red tape and government uncertainty placing undue pressure on the project.
It is gobsmacking that Minister Nick Duigan continues to try and pass the buck for delays to this project.
The Robbins Island wind farm has been stuck in the Tasmanian planning system for eight years.
Instead of trying to rewrite history, Minister Duigan should concentrate on his job – getting a single energy generation project built and getting Tasmania out of the energy crisis we are in.
Renewable energy is Tasmania’s superpower and holds the key to supercharging our economy for decades to come. We need to be doing everything we can to take advantage of the incredible opportunities available to us, but the Liberals have dropped the ball.
Labor is determined to get moving on the big projects that will set up our economy for decades to come, and create thousands of safe, secure, well-paid jobs.
Media release – Craig Garland, independent MHA for Braddon, 27 February 2025
Robbins Island wind farm a threat to Tasmanian democracy and our environment
The Robbins Island wind farm proposal is the wrong location for a wind farm, and the threat to our environment and our democracy will soon be reality if it is not stopped.
Today’s court decision to dismiss the appeal by the Circular Head Coastal Awareness Network is extremely disappointing.
How the project has been allowed to proceed this far is beyond me.
The major party corporate cheerleaders have bent over backwards for this project, and Tasmanians must ask, why?
This project does not have majority support.
The project has significant opposition in Circular Head, across Braddon and Tasmania.
Many in the local Circular Head community are frightened to speak out because of the fear of treatment by vested interests. It has and continues to divide the community.
The Aboriginal community do not support the project.
Environmentalists from all corners do not support the project.
Only this week did we find out more information about the flight patterns of the orange-bellied parrot across Robbins Island, one of several critical species that fly across Robbins Island and even take up residence there or close-by.
The environment and the ecosystem across Robbins Island and the surrounding waterways must be protected, not put at risk.
Is the Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, going to be responsible for another extinction, despite saying there won’t be any more extinctions under her watch?
I call on Minister Plibersek to do the proper assessment under the federal EPBC Act and have the guts to protect the environment and reject this wind farm.
The Robbins Island wind farm represents bad governance; bad planning; bad science; environmental neglect; threat to democracy; ignorance of the Aboriginal community, their history and culture; and that both the Liberal and Labor party are corporate sell outs who don’t listen to the Tasmanian community.
The Robbins Island wind farm is a noose around the neck of Tasmania. It is time to cut the rope.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 31 October 2024
Robbins Island devils under threat after multinational discloses sleight of hand offsets for impacts.
In a Tasmanian hearing of the Joint Select Committee on Energy Matters on Monday, Robbins Island proposed developer ACEN’s Michael Connarty revealed that the company has proposed to offset 1,000 hectares on Robbins Island against impacts on the last disease-free population of Tasmanian devil.
“Dr Connarty has distilled the lunacy of this project. To offset the impact of a massive influx of vehicles, the disruption of habitat and the building of a bridge that exposes every devil on the island to Devil Facial Tumor Disease, ACEN will draw a 1,000 hectare line and pretend the devils in that area are magically protected,” said Scott Jordan, Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaigner.
“Faced with the reality that there is no other place the disease has not reached and therefore no available offset for compromising the last disease-free stronghold, ACEN wants to pretend that the impacted area can be the offset. It’s madness.”
“The Tasmanian devils on Robbins Island are believed to be free of Devil Facial Tumour Disease, so everything must be done to protect their habitat on the island. Fencing, roading and increased traffic on the island will jeopardise devils living on the island. Offsets will not help devils as they cannot read maps or comply with move-on orders. The well-known and ignored Tasmanian devil roadkill hotspot on Montague Road will see increased devil roadkill because roadkill mitigation measures are virtually nonexistent and devils travel during the nighttime and daytime in that area,” said veterinarian Colette Harsmen.
“Minister Plibersek should not be hoodwinked by this. She should reject this project,” said Scott Jordan.
“In continuing the farce, Dr Connarty railed against delays in the company’s approvals, however, it is the company that has failed to submit Environmental Impact Statements for assessment of their transmission lines a full four and a half years after they referred the project for assessment. ACEN also completely revised the size and scope of its project during its appeal to TASCAT last year. Delays in the process lay right at the feet of ACEN. If they don’t provide the data, it cannot be assessed and no amount of crocodile tears can change that,” said Scott Jordan.
Dr Connarty”s (ACEN) evidence is viewable here:
