Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When it comes to energy policy, the businesses of Tasmania are voting with their wallets and they're voting renewable. And I'm pleased to say that they're keeping their money in the great electorate of Lyons.

Today, I'm proud to stand here to announce that Haywards Steel, a manufacturing company in the north of my electorate, has been chosen by Goldwind Australia to manufacture components for the Cattle Hill Wind Farm, under construction in the Central Highlands of my electorate. Haywards will manufacture 20 per cent of the tower components required for Cattle Hill's 48 turbines. Haywards joins other Tasmanian companies, such as Hazell Bros, which is undertaking the full civil and electrical works for the projects, and Gradco, which is undertaking more than $10 million of road upgrades to existing roads within the Central Highlands. Haywards has also been engaged by Hazell Bros for a $4 million contract to assist with the production of tower foundations for Cattle Hill's 48 turbines.

Cattle Hill is expected to be fully operational late this year. Construction was delayed during the recent bushfires, with Cattle Hill staff deployed in the fire-fighting effort. I thank them for all they did. I will be visiting the site in the next few weeks with John Titchen, managing director of Goldwind Australia, and I look forward to seeing these towers go up. Once they are completed they will add even more capacity to Tasmania's proud renewable energy sector.

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