Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to speak to the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator financial report for 2009-10 and in so doing note that renewable energy has always been at the forefront in Tasmania. It is an absolutely critical part of our power supply system through hydro and more recently through wind. I note the importance of the Musselroe Bay wind farm development, which is a $400 million proposal for north-east Tasmania. Based on the latest advice I have received, that is the cost. It would build 56 turbines and deliver 169 megawatts of power. That is a lot of power and it is going to be very useful for Tasmania. Whether we can use it in Tasmania or export it, I do not know, but I hope it is very successful.

I am advised the company has already spent approximately $20 million on the development in preparation work and preliminary works. The company is Roaring 40s. I talked to its Managing Director, Steve Symons, last year. I have not talked to him more recently, but he has been driving this development on behalf of Roaring 40s. It is a very important project for Tasmania generally. This is big money for Tasmania. We know that the Gunns sawmill in north-east Tasmania is set to close in the next month or so with over 100 jobs lost. It is a very serious matter for north-east Tasmania. Unemployment is certainly on the rise. The state government seems to have a death wish for the forest industry in Tasmania and that is very disappointing indeed.

During efforts in this parliament and in this Senate to get the government to see sense and review their renewable energy target legislation, which occurred last year, I moved a motion with Senator Fisher and we had success. The first part of that motion said:

… major flaws in the design of the Federal Government’s renewable energy target legislation have led to a dramatic drop in the price of renewable energy certificates and stalled investment in the renewable energy sector …

Of course, part of the stalling was the $400 million Musselroe Bay wind farm. Exactly at a time when the community needed that support, growth, development and jobs, the government sat on their hands.

I talked to Mayor Barry Jarvis just a couple of weeks ago in Scottsdale. I know other councillors up there who are very keen for this development to start. I know the community are keen. The advice was that it should start around midyear. My call is this: the federal and state governments should get off their hands, be proactive and do whatever they can to get that project underway. The previous advice was that it would get underway midyear. We are now into March, and then you have April, May and June. We are talking about a few months away. Why can’t we get this project moved into a fast-track mode to support the north-east and northern Tasmania more generally. This is exactly what the community needs. I call on both the state and federal governments to be proactive, to work with the local community, to work with the developer and to do whatever it takes in a reasonable sense to get this project off the ground. I ask them to do it forthwith. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.