Coastal wind farms: On Sunday, the people said ‘no’ again

Coastal Wind Farms [Photo: Unsplash CC0]

When the first coastal wind farms were announced by Energy Minister Chris Bowen, I thought I was dreaming.

Australia has some of the best beaches in the world. People come to this country to see its unspoilt natural beauty. Despite a 42 per cent decline following the lockdowns, tourism remains Australia’s 14th-largest export industry. Along with education, it is one of the most sustainable industries that contributes to our standard of living.

Nobody wants to come to Australia to see rotting wind turbines at our beaches.

They can visit their own failed renewable energy white elephants at home. To make matters worse, our Energy Minister is pitching his vibe to elite activists while refusing to listen to ordinary Australians.

Groups of those aforementioned ordinary Australians are turning to social media in their thousands, particularly Facebook, to vent their frustration and to organise protests. These are farmers, fishers, tourism operators, tradies, surfers – everyday Australians. You might call them the forgotten people. They are slow to move but once motivated, they grow like a snowball.

Today they will gather in the surf near Port Stephens. The protest is called Paddle Out. Like many other groups who do not want to bear the cost of Mr Bowen’s fantasy, the people of Port Stephens have a Facebook group and theirs is a movement we should all support.

Here is my latest article in The Spectator Australia's Flat White, Coastal wind farms: this Sunday, the people say ‘no’ again.