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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Matthew Kelly

Going nuclear: MP demands Hunter offshore wind zone be blown up

Lyne MP David Gillespie says offshore wind will not be able to sustain the needs of Hunter industry.

Lyne MP David Gillespie has called for the Hunter Offshore Wind Zone to be abandoned, arguing the five gigawatt project represents a financial black hole that will never produce enough sustained energy to meet the region's power needs.

"If I was in charge I certainly would (abandon it) because it's a bad idea to get any energy from offshore wind; the rest of the world only built them because they got huge subsidies," Dr Gillespie, who will speak at next Tuesday's Reckless Renewables Rally in Canberra, said.

"Building grids and substations on land is expensive enough, let alone in an offshore wind farm 30 kilometres out at sea.

"The actual system will send Newcastle to the wall. A system based on renewables is not compatible with heavy industry or any industry. It's not even compatible with houses unless you've got your own energy system."

The Nationals MP will also attend a Myall Coast anti-wind farm group booklet launch at Tea Gardens on Friday.

Artwork produced by Worimi artist April Newman features in the booklet, which highlights concerns about the environmental risks associated with the technology.

Ms Newman said she was inspired to paint the area's dolphins and seahorses to express her concerns about the effects of offshore wind infrastructure on the famous marine environment.

"A picture paints a thousand words and we need to be showcasing the beautiful treasures of our area that could be lost forever," Ms Newman, whose work features on murals at Windale, Waratah, West Wallsend and Jesmond, said.

Booklet featuring artwork by April Newman will be launched at Tea Gardens on Friday.

Ms Newman called on the governments to pay more attention to the concerns of First Nations Peoples about the impacts of renewable energy infrastructure.

"My main concern is protecting my Worimi Cultural Lands," Ms Newman said.

"The land that has served my people well for thousands of years. It is a partnership. The land looks after us, not just on a physical level of food and shelter, but on a spiritual level. Our well-being and sense of belonging is connected to our lands. If it's in trouble, we are in trouble, and I think that applies to everyone who is drawn here to its beauty, not just indigenous people."

The Save the Myall Coast Save Port Stephens Group's membership stands at about 1000. Meanwhile, the No Coastal Wind Farms Port Stephens group's membership stands at 9000.

The group's have argued the Hunter Offshore Wind Zone will destroy the region's multi-million dollar tourist and marine-based economy.

Members of both groups will travel to Canberra to participate in the Reckless Renewables Rally at Parliament House.

Rally participants represent a coalition of grassroots community groups united under the National Rational Energy Network.

The coalition is calling on the government to establish a senate inquiry to scrutinise the technical veracity, economic, social and environmental costs of renewable energy projects.

It wants all renewable energy projects suspended until the senate inquiry reports back.

The coalition wants to lift the ban on nuclear power.

Mr Gillespie said the National Party supported a mix of energy sources made up of nuclear, coal and gas in addition to renewables.

"I have no problem at all if someone wants to put solar on their roof and install a battery," he said.

"But you can't run an industrial base or cities on variable, weather dependent energy systems. The concept of energy density seems to have been ignored. If we are going to get away from fossil fuels we need to replace them with similar or better energy density at the base of our civilization."

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