STAFF WRITERS
PRIME Minister Anthony Albanese said on the ABC’s Q&A TV program he would raise with “his minister” the subject of compensation for regional communities hosting offshore wind projects.
Mr Albanese was responding to a question from Wellington Shire Deputy Mayor, Cindy Madeley, on Monday, February 17.
Cr Madeley noted a lack of mandatory compensation payments for communities affected by offshore wind projects, as they were available for onshore.
About 33 minutes into the show, which was filmed live in Melbourne, Cr Madeley asked: “How should the regional communities that power our major cities” be fairly compensated?
“So this issue is an urgent one. I’m the deputy mayor at Wellington Shire and we’re in the process of Australia’s first offshore wind farm,” Cr Madeley said.
“This issue is under addressed, it has national significance as more offshore wind farm projects emerge across Australia.”
Mr Albanese said these offshore wind projects would be subjected to “strict environmental conditions”.
He spruiked the benefits of these projects and noted that while he couldn’t directly comment on the Wellington Shire situation “on the run”, he said it was “legitimate for local communities to question the benefits that come from that”.
The Prime Minister pointed to renewable projects in other communities that led to payments, either “directly or indirectly through funding infrastructure (and) community activities as well”.
Asked by host Patricia Karvelas if she was worried that not enough compensation was being offered, Cr Madeley said: “at the moment there’s currently no federally mandated community benefit scheme for offshore wind. There is for onshore, not for offshore”.
“So our concern that it will be our communities that build the infrastructure for the power for the people that are in metropolitan regions – that’s our concern.”
Mr Albanese responded, saying: “Cindy, that’s something that I’ll raise with the minister. I think it’s a legitimate point that you’ve put forward”.
Mr Albanese said any project that going ahead required a “social licence” from the community.
“The community will back projects that bring jobs and economical activity, and bring more wealth to the community, whether that be directly or indirectly. I will certainly raise that with the minister,” he said.
Ms Karvelas said: “Great Cindy, you got the Prime Minister to say he’s going to look at your issue”. As the crowd applauded, Cr Madeley said to Mr Albanese: “amazing, and feel free to come to Gippsland”.
In the aftermath of the program, the Prime Minister and Wellington Shire Council have been in touch about fair compensation.
