Interview with David Bevan, ABC Adelaide Mornings

DAVID BEVAN: Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen joins us right now. Good morning, Minister.

CHRIS BOWEN: Good morning, David. Good to talk with you.

DAVID BEVAN: Minister, can you explain to us what is proposed offshore that’s for both South Australia and Victoria, and what is your role in all of this?

CHRIS BOWEN: Sure. That’s a great question, David. We are pursuing offshore wind in Australia. We’re the world’s largest island and we don’t have offshore wind, and the whole world is on this journey – Europe and America much more advanced to us with existing offshore wind farms. But what we’re doing is a zone-by-zone approach. So we’ve got six zones we’re looking at around Australia, and the Southern Ocean is one of them.

Now this is very early stages in the process, if I could just very quickly run your listeners through it. Basically, there’s three stages and we’re at stage 1. We’re consulting about whether to declare a wind zone in the southern offshore area and what the borders of that should be. I’ll come back to that in a moment.

Once I’ve made that decision and if I declare the zone, then we’ll open expressions of interest where wind farm operators can come and say, “We want to do it,” and we’ll pick the best ones for the area that create the most jobs and the most energy and have the best plans and have the best environmental plans. And then finally that all need to go through environmental approvals.

So we’re about halfway through stage 1. Ideally, offshore wind would be up and running by around 2030, but this is important for our country but it’s also important we get it right. That’s why the consultation is underway at the moment, and it’s a very intense and real consultation process.

DAVID BEVAN: So if you allow this to go forward, does that mean it will gather a momentum of its own and it’s a fait accompli, or could it still be stopped at some point?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I wouldn’t put it either of those ways, David. I would say if I declare a zone – and, you know, I can run you through examples of what’s happening in Gippsland and Hunter where I’ve already declared one – then expressions of interest would be called. There’s a lot of interest in building offshore wind in Australia. All the world’s offshore wind companies are looking very seriously at Australia. Then we would pick the best ones, but they’d still need to go through that process where we pick the ones where there’s the most local content, most local jobs, most local energy provided, best environmental plans. So, for example, you know, how are you going to deal with whales, how are you going to co-exist with the local fishing industry, lobster farming, for example? And then environmental approvals, separate to me, all the environmental approvals they have to go through.

So perhaps I could give the – best example I could give you is Gippsland where, which is much more advanced than this, where I consulted over the course of last year and this year. Declared a zone. Declared a zone quite different to what we originally thought after community consultation. The original zone was 30,000 square kilometres. Listened to the community, dropped it down to 15,000 square kilometres, thereabouts. Then we called for expressions of interest. A lot of expressions of interest came in for Gippsland. We’re working through those. We’ll pick the best ones. And then they’ll have to go through environmental approvals.

So that’s how the process works. The southern offshore zone that we’re looking at, which runs roughly between Port Macdonnell and Portland or thereabouts, is much – you know, much less developed than Gippsland and much smaller than the Gippsland proposal.

DAVID BEVAN: Is it fair to say, though, that if Australia is going to meet its emissions targets and still keep the lights on, we’re going to have to make hard decisions and approve these sorts of projects?

CHRIS BOWEN: Yeah, yeah. I mean, offshore wind plays a very big role around the world and should play a big role in Australia. And, yeah, nothing’s easy. And it’s important we explain to the community what we’re doing as we do it.

But to give you an idea of how important this is – I don’t want to sort of just dwell on Gippsland but it’s the best example because it’s the most advanced – there’s one proposal which we’re considering for Gippsland which is called Star of the South. It’s one of the farms there that’s been proposed. It’s probably one of the most advanced in Australia in terms of their work. If that’s approved and up and running, that would provide as much energy as 20 per cent of all of Victoria’s needs. That’s just one wind farm offshore. Because it’s very windy off the coast – that’s why we do it. It’s very windy off the coast. It’s also windy pretty much most of the time and windy when it’s not windy onshore and it’s windy when the sun isn’t shining in the evening. So it’s very important for our grid.

Also, David, it creates a lot of jobs. And because it is not just in construction but because those wind turbines move so fast, they need more maintenance, a lot of maintenance. So there’s a lot of maintenance workers to be employed and then there’s ships to take the maintenance workers out there. So it’s energy-rich and jobs-rich.

But we’ve got to get it right. I know for this Southern Ocean zone, for example, there’s a lot of concern from local fishers. Fair enough. And I want to hear their concerns. Some people think that automatically offshore wind and fishing can’t co-exist. That’s not right. You know, around the world they can co-exist. But it’s also not automatic that it does, so I want to hear the concerns of the fishers and I want to hear from, you know, the proponents to say, “Well, how would you work with local fishers? How would you make sure their industry can survive?” And take all that into account when I make my final decision.

DAVID BEVAN: Well, it’s not hard to find people in the south east of South Australia who think this is a really dumb idea.

And more than 300 people turned up to a meeting earlier this week very concerned about this. And that’s why they’re going to be meeting with you in a couple of hours' time. You’ve got a big task in front of you to convince them that this won’t kill their livelihoods and their town.

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, look, there’s all sorts of views, and this is what this consultation is about. So, for example, again, just using another one which I’ve done more recently – the Hunter zone up in Newcastle – I had plenty of, you know, feedback through that that some people didn’t want it. I had some feedback to say, “Oh, this area’s too small. You should be doing more. You should be creating more jobs.” So you’re going to get those views. I want to hear the concerns of the delegation coming to see me today, but I’ll also be saying to them, “Listen, if you’ve been told that automatically your fishing industry can’t co-exist with offshore wind, that’s not quite right.” If it can’t, well, then, obviously I need to take that very seriously and into account. I want to create new jobs. But I don’t want to destroy old jobs in the process. I’ll take all that into account. You know, they’ll have their views. I will hear them out. Ultimately I have to listen to, though, all the consultation. There’s been several consultation sessions, but I also have to, you know, weigh up the economic benefit for the region and for the country of cheaper renewable energy coming on and make the right call at the end of the day.

DAVID BEVAN: Yeah. But these people are at a disadvantage, aren’t they? Because it’s a safe Liberal seat, it’s not really well known – it doesn’t have a national profile. I mean, you couldn’t get away with this on the Great Barrier Reef or just outside Sydney.

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, the Great Barrier Reef is a bit different, David. But we take into account all these concerns. You know, I don’t take into account the politics. You know, I’m meeting today with the delegation who’s going to be brought to me by a Liberal MP. I’m a Labor cabinet minister. Last week I met with Dan Tehan who’s a Liberal MP. He brought in people from the other end of the wind zone. We sat down, you know, had a good – I would characterise it and I think they would characterise it as a good conversation.

DAVID BEVAN: Well, they’re pretty happy on the Victorian side, aren’t they, because this will provide power for the smelter.

CHRIS BOWEN: Yeah, well, there’s a range of views on the Victorian side. But, yes, the Portland smelter, which is very important for Australia – I want Australia making aluminium but I want that low emissions. And the Portland smelter needs offshore wind to make that transition, just as the Tomago smelter in the Hunter needs it. So, I’ve got to take all that into account. I think we all want Australia making things and making aluminium and, you know, I think the vast majority of your listeners would say, “Yes, if you can do that with renewable energy, that’s much better.” That’s one of the things I take into account.

But, look, as I said, this is a very genuine consultation. I’m not suggesting everyone will be happy with my decision at the end of the day. But in both the instances that I’ve done so far – Gippsland and the Hunter – I’ve taken into account concerns, listened and made changes. I’m not saying what I will decide on the Southern Ocean zone – the consultation hasn’t closed yet. But it is a process which we’re – which is important to me.

DAVID BEVAN: Is it possible that we could end up with the wind farms on the Victorian side? Because they’re really keen to have these things if for no other reason than the smelter. So, all right, you have the wind farms on the Victorian side, but on the South Australian side don’t do it because that upsets the rock lobster industry. Is that a possible scenario?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I don’t want to pre-empt my decision. But certainly changes to the original zone are not only possible but quite likely. Otherwise, why are you bothering to consult, right? Why would we go through this process? I mean, I’m not doing this for fun. I didn’t get up one morning and say, “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to really annoy the lobster fishers of South Australia.” We’re doing this for a good reason.

But I do take into account the concerns, and in both zones so far – Gippsland and Hunter – I took into account and made changes, made them both smaller for different reasons. So, for example, in the Hunter people raised with me some concerns about a bird called the Gould’s petrel that’s got a particular island where it nests and breeds, and so I excluded that area. I thought fair enough, you know. Even if that would be dealt with eventually under the environmental approvals, I don’t want to run that risk or cause that concern. So took that area out. They’re the sorts of things that I take into account when declaring a zone.

DAVID BEVAN: Will you visit Port Macdonnell?

CHRIS BOWEN: Look, I’m not planning to because the consultation process is important. It’s not about the loudest voices; it’s about the best cases. I go through the submissions, I’ve seen one delegation, seeing another one so far. It’s the way it’s worked in Gippsland and the Hunter. I didn’t need to sort of, you know, go to the area to hear the concerns. I see the concerns in submissions, listen, weigh it up. As I said, that process has worked so far in Hunter and Gippsland where changes were made. It’s a genuine process. We’ve got this underway. We’re about to start another zone as well. You know, these consultations are important.

DAVID BEVAN: It is a different thing, though, isn’t it? In a sterile office in Canberra making a decision which could affect the livelihood of hundreds of people as opposed to going to the place?

CHRIS BOWEN: Yes, and hence I’m seeing them. You know, they’re coming in –

DAVID BEVAN: Yeah, but you’re not going to their town.

CHRIS BOWEN: No, but I can’t – I’m not going to go to every town of every zone that we’re considering declaring. And, as I said, it’s not about the loudest voices or the biggest protests; it’s about the strength of the case. I will hear their case and I will take it into account very seriously.

DAVID BEVAN: What’s the time – just to finish up, what’s the timetable here?

CHRIS BOWEN: So the consultation is well underway. It’s open till the 31st of August so to the end of the month. I don’t make a decision quickly after that, straight away. You know, I don’t make a decision in the days or weeks after; I weigh up all the submissions and make a decision. I’ll certainly be making a decision this year, but it won’t be straight after the 31st of August.

DAVID BEVAN: Minister Chris Bowen, thanks for your time.

CHRIS BOWEN: Good on you, David. Cheers.