Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Environment spokesperson
The Environment Protection Authority’s decision to approve the Robbins Island wind farm is yet another failure by an agency more focused on big corporations’ profits than environmental protection.
Since its inception, a diverse range of experts have called out the problematic proposal.
Robbins Island is home to more than half of Tasmania’s shorebird population, including many critically-endangered species. Not to mention the disease-free population of Tasmanian devils, bird species that migrate from the other side of the globe, and iconic wedge-tailed eagles.
While the EPA has put in place a five-month shutdown condition to protect the orange-bellied parrot, the other conditions in their approval will not be enough to stop significant impacts on the many other species that inhabit this internationally-significant island ecosystem.
Robbins Island is also an incredibly significant area for the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, with dozens of cultural heritage sites already identified in preliminary field surveys. Forging ahead with this massive development will mean much of the island’s Aboriginal heritage would be lost forever.
It’s critical Tasmania and the rest of the country continues to invest in renewables to fight climate change, but that can’t come at the cost of irreplaceable natural and cultural values. Governments can do this without putting endangered species, biodiverse fragile ecosystems, and Aboriginal heritage at risk.
Robbins Island is simply the wrong place for a wind farm. We urge Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Circular Head Council to reject this inappropriate, damaging proposal.