Interview with Matt Tribe, ABC Victoria Statewide Drive

MATT TRIBE, HOST: The Federal Government has announced Gippsland will be the country’s first designated offshore wind zone, meaning project developers can now obtain licences for on water explorations. It’s part of a broader push to transition the country to renewable energy production, part of the Labor Government’s mandate, and see at least 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 with Labor getting their climate bill passed in the lower house just yesterday. A perfect opportunity to speak with the Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister, Chris Bowen. Mr Bowen, good afternoon. 

CHRIS BOWEN: Good afternoon, Matt, how are you? 

MATT TRIBE: Can you give me the details? What are you announcing this afternoon regarding this offshore wind zone in Gippsland? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Yes, so it’s the next big step for offshore wind in Australia. As you know, we’re way behind the rest of the world. It’s a very important energy source in many countries around the world. We don’t have any offshore wind in Australia. And, today, I’ve announced the beginning of a 60-day consultation process about declaring Gippsland as our first offshore wind zone. I signed that instrument yesterday, which will begin the process, and now there’ll be consultation around the maps which we’ve released today etcetera and some of the details and opportunities for people to have their say. 

But Gippsland is first on the list. I’ve also announced a pipeline of other zones: Hunter Valley, Illawarra, Portland, that will be of interest to your viewers – or your listeners I should say – and the Indian Ocean off Bunbury and Perth as well. But they’re further down the list. Gippsland is the first cab off the rank. 

MATT TRIBE: Why Gippsland? 

CHRIS BOWEN: It’s the most advanced proposal. Star of the South is the one that is most advanced, there are other proposals around Gippsland as well. It’s the one where most work’s been done, the most community consultation. This will come as, you know, little surprise to many people in Gippsland, who have heard this talked of for a long time. But this is the big formal step to make it a reality. 

MATT TRIBE: Of course, Gippsland historically a place of coal power generation and now if you have your way, an offshore wind zone. What economic benefits, what benefits to the wider Gippsland community are you hoping to see stem from this project? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, this is one of the big benefits of offshore wind, often, that it often goes in areas where there have been traditional coal fired power generation, which, you know, it’s no surprise will close over coming years. We need to manage that and create jobs as we do so, and the reason for that is that it feeds into the grid where the grid is strongest, so where the transmission lines are the strongest, where there’s the most, it makes most sense to put offshore wind. That’s another reason to choose Gippsland. So, just taking Star of the South for example. Star of the South isn’t the only proposal by the way. There are others and there’ll be others. But they estimate 760 construction jobs and 200 ongoing jobs. 

Offshore wind actually creates more jobs than onshore wind. Because it is very windy offshore those turbines need more maintenance. That’s actually, as I said, a good thing, because it creates a lot of jobs. You’ve got ships going in and out, you’ve got port jobs being created, so it’s actually jobs rich as well as energy rich. 

MATT TRIBE: Interesting that you bring up the point on the transmission of that energy. We have a problem with transmission of energy in Victoria, Minister. There are fierce objections from locals in the west over the proposed route of AusNet’s western transmission lines, connecting a renewable hub back to a capital city. Locals want the lines placed underground so it doesn’t impact productivity and tourism. What’s being done in that scope and this planning phase in regards to offshore wind generation in Gippsland, Minister? 

CHRIS BOWEN: So, Matt, that’s an issue not just in Victoria; I’m very acutely aware of that issue. I’ve met with people in and around Ballarat, for example, and I’ve met with the local members about that. I also just this week had a meeting with a similar group, actually, around HumeLink, which is a New South Wales issue. These are very similar issues. Offshore wind, as I said, one of the virtues is that it often goes in where the transmission lines already are, so that’s less of an issue. There’ll be some issues that need to be worked through. I have said we need to do the consultation process around new transmission much better. We’re going to need more transmission lines, that’s a statement of fact, as we make this transition, but I want communities brought with us much more closely. I want earlier consultation, better consultation. People when they say, “Well, this transmission line might be good for the country but bad for our area”, they have a point and I want to bring those communities with us. I want more community input and more knowledge put earlier. 

MATT TRIBE: Bringing into this conversation as well a caller from just before 4.00 o’clock when we were talking on this subject then, Mr Bowen, this is what Peter in Beechworth had to say in regards to this proposal. 

PETER: Look, I was utterly shocked and disappointed by Chris Bowen’s announcement. One of the least – in the State of the Environment Report, which the ABC commented on when it was released recently, our marine environment is one of the least understood, least researched component of our environment, and to commit to all of these offshore wind turbines, it’s a catastrophe. 

MATT TRIBE: “A catastrophe” in Peter’s words, Mr Bowen. As part of this planning phase, can you guarantee there’s the limited effect on the local environment off the Gippsland coast? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Yeah, and with respect I don’t think Peter would be aware of all the work that’s gone into managing that so far, all the research that’s gone in, and indeed all the work that will continue to go in and the consultation process. All the environmental agencies, all the environmental groups are welcome to put in submissions. And, again, this is the designation of a zone, and each particular proposal has got to go through environmental approvals for its impact. With respect, Peter, that’s all factored in and we need more energy created. It’s got – you know, however you create energy, it’s got to be managed, whether it’s a coal fired power station, a gas fired power station, a solar farm, onshore wind, offshore wind. It’s all got to be managed and we will manage this very, very carefully. But just as around the world, you get a lot of power from offshore wind. 

I mean, this is what’s at stake. The Star of the South proposal would create enough energy for 1.2 million Victorian homes – that’s 20 per cent of Victoria’s energy needs. That is a lot of energy, that’s jobs rich as well. So, yes, we’ve got to take all those things into consideration, manage them very carefully, look at bird life, look at the flow of birds, look at marine life, look at how it interacts with the environment, look at how it interacts with defence. All that is factored in. That work has already been done and will continue to be done as we develop the proposal. 

MATT TRIBE: In just a moment I’ll be joined by one of those on the community advisory board for Star of the South as well. But my guest is Chris Bowen, Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister here on Statewide Drive. Matt Tribe is my name. It’s 14 minutes past seven. 0467 842 722 is the text line if you would like to join in with the conversation. 

Mr Bowen, as well, it’s just a day since your climate bill passed the lower house. Are you confident it will pass in the Senate? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Yes. It’ll pass in the Senate and it’s a big day for Australia yesterday. You know, we’ve been arguing about this for 10 years and, as I said in Parliament yesterday, now we can stop arguing about whether to reduce emissions and start working together on how we reduce emissions. So, I’m very pleased that it’s passed the Parliament – 89 votes to 55 – so almost everybody in the Parliament versus the Liberal and National Party, and I’m very confident it will now pass the Senate and become law of the land and that’s a good thing. Because the reason this legislation is important frankly is not so much about what it does for government; it’s about the message it sends to the private sector to say, ‘Come and invest in renewable energy in Australia because we’ve got a certain policy regime, a stable policy regime, and emissions reduction is the law of the country.’

MATT TRIBE: You argue that the Greens share some of the blame for the so called decade of climate inaction that followed because of the decision to not back Labor’s carbon pollution reduction scheme in 2009. Is that undoing some of that damage? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Look, yes, we have views about what happened in 2009, of course we do. But I’m getting things done in 2022 and I thank all the MPs who voted for it. The Labor MPs, 77, the independents who overwhelmingly voted for it, and the Greens who voted for it. And, you know, we have a difference of views with the Greens, but I’ll also pay tribute to those who work in good faith across the Parliament and that includes the Greens and the crossbenchers on this instance. We didn’t need Greens and independent votes to get this through the lower house, but it was a good conversation and where an independent could make a sensible suggestion, I took it on board, and the Greens had some views which we were able to incorporate which were in keeping with our mandate. Nothing that we went to the people with and said we would do has been compromised on and that’s important. 

MATT TRIBE: Mr Bowen, thanks for your time. 

CHRIS BOWEN: Good on you, Matt; nice to chat. 

MATT TRIBE: It’s Chris Bowen, Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister.

ENDS