Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ian Campbell, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. Can the minister confirm that he actively campaigned against a community-run wind farm in an abandoned limestone quarry because some people in the area objected to it? Did the minister’s department advise him that there were no environmental grounds on which to oppose this project? Can the minister also confirm that he approved the construction of a brickworks close to houses and schools, despite widespread opposition from the local community? Didn’t the minister’s department, in evaluating the project at Perth airport, identify a number of concerns, including the potential for adverse health impacts? Why does the minister require everyone to agree to a non-polluting wind farm before it can go ahead but approve a polluting brickworks when the community is vehemently opposed to it?