Geographe Bay Offshore Wind Zone
I do not support any project being built in Geographe Bay that has not listened to local concerns and offered benefits to our regional communities.
All developers of major infrastructure projects built in the South West must:
- provide evidence to support their proposal;
- engage in meaningful consultation to ensure the concerns of impacted communities are heard; and
- participate in negotiations for direct, local economic benefits determined by the community.
In 2022, the Albanese Government announced proposals for several offshore wind zones in Commonwealth waters, one of which was in Geographe Bay. I was very disappointed by the information provided during community consultation sessions about this wind zone in 2024.
All large-scale, energy infrastructure projects, including offshore wind farms, must appropriately balance the benefits of safe energy production against environmental, economic, social and community impacts.
I’m running in this federal election because I believe our environmental laws are fundamentally broken and local voices are ignored by decision-makers in Perth and Canberra. As a community, we need to work together to develop a sustainable future for the South West and take back control of decision-making processes that impact our region.
Six companies have pulled out of the application process, leaving four developers who may be granted feasibility licences. Until feasibility licences are granted by the Department, there are no active proposals to be assessed. As a community, we must hold all project proponents to account if they are granted feasibility licenses.
I am committed to ensuring all proposals are rigorously assessed for environmental, economic, social and community impacts. This will require detailed information about all proposals and environmental impact statements so I can work with concerned communities to assess the benefits and drawbacks the project will have for our region. Governments have a responsibility to engage communities in meaningful discussion and to empower them to negotiate with project developers to ensure they genuinely benefit from all projects built in their region.
The benefits I want to see discussed for the South West, if any large energy projects (wind, solar, hydro or nuclear) are built, include:
- equity investment in the project for local residents;
- reliable energy supply and cheaper power bills for people across the region; and
- establishment of community investment funds that deliver money to projects determined by local residents.