South Gippsland Sentinel Times
Tuesday 31/10/2006, Page: 14
The political games between the state and federal governments are continuing, in relation to the Bald Hills windfarm. State Planning Minister Rob Hulls called on Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell to hurry up and make a decision on the $220,000 project. Senator Campbell vetoed the plan in April because of the threat to the orange-bellied parrot, but has since reopened the case to take in further information.
"Senator Campbell is holding up an important renewable energy project that could help reduce Australia's greenhouse emissions," Mr Hulls said. "We don't have the luxury any more of playing political games with climate change, but all we get from Senator Campbell is delaying tactics.
"This latest round of consultation finished last week, and now Senator Campbell's time is up," Mr Hulls said. "It's time for this orange-bellied Senator to admit he was wrong and approve the wind farm." But Senator Campbell said the State Government was responsible for the delay because it withheld information contained in a Department of Sustainability and Environment report.
He said the report included evidence that the threatened orangebellied parrot would be further endangered by the presence of turbines. But Mr Hulls rejected both claims.
"Instead of making a decision, he is desperately trying to divert attention with ridiculous claims about a so-called secret DSE submission. "The DSE submission to the original panel hearings for Bald Hills was handed out at the time, and it has been available since to anyone who wants it.
"The submission does not recommend against the project., It says the negligible additional risk to the orange-bellied parrot should be offset by off-side habitat works. "Senator Campbell is grasping at straws. He must put this matter to rest, and make a decision." The DSE report, in its section on the orangebellied parrot, concluded: 'The Bald Hills Wind Farm proposal will increase the level of threat to the orangebellied parrot.
"It is highly likely that OBPs commuting between habitat patches in South Gippsland will fly across the site. Their commuting flights are often at heights encompassed by the rotor swept area. "A conservative approach is therefore required, which acknowledges that this proposed development will increase the cumulative risk to the species posed by the windfarm industry." Senator Campbell said the report had been gathering dust in Mr Hulls' bottom drawer for more than three years, while the State Government was "playing politics".
"Politics is very much a part of the Bracks Government's decision making on the environment. "At the same time as it was railing against my decision to protect the highly endangered OBP at Bald Hills, it was refusing to give approval to a windfarm proposal at Yaloak because it would pose a threat to wedge-tailed eagles which are neither endangered or low in numbers.
"There are over 100,000 wedge-tailed eagles near Yaloak. One can only conclude that in Victoria, a bird's level of endangerment is directly linked to the political endangerment of Labor politicians in seats where wind farms are proposed."
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