❓ WA Environment Minister expresses skepticism towards the federal government's proposed national code for wind farms, citing concerns about the federal minister's motives and potential impact on renewable energy projects in WA. While supportive of wind energy in principle, the minister indicates likely opposition to the federal proposal.
AnsweredQoN 380Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WIND FARMS - CODE OF PRACTICE
I refer the minister to the code of practice for wind farms, which is on the agenda for the proposed upcoming Environment Protection and Heritage Council meeting. What is the state government’s position? Mr M. McGOWAN
I refer the minister to the code of practice for wind farms, which is on the agenda for the proposed upcoming Environment Protection and Heritage Council meeting. What is the state government’s position? Mr M. McGOWAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Mindarie for the question. Tomorrow, I will be heading off to the environment ministers conference in Sydney with the other state environment ministers and with the federal environment minister. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Mindarie for the question. Tomorrow, I will be heading off to the environment ministers conference in Sydney with the other state environment ministers and with the federal environment minister. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
I thank the member for Mindarie for the question. Tomorrow, I will be heading off to the environment ministers conference in Sydney with the other state environment ministers and with the federal environment minister. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Mindarie for the question. Tomorrow, I will be heading off to the environment ministers conference in Sydney with the other state environment ministers and with the federal environment minister. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
I thank the member for Mindarie for the question. Tomorrow, I will be heading off to the environment ministers conference in Sydney with the other state environment ministers and with the federal environment minister. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
Ms S.E. Walker interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Nedlands to order for the first time. Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
Mr M. McGOWAN : One of the items on the agenda of the environment ministers conference is the proposal by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage for a national code for wind farms. I would support any proposal put forward by any government that would advance the interests of renewable energy in this state or elsewhere, and that is the position of this government. In fact, we supported a wind farm in Denmark because we thought it was a reasonable proposal. We supported the wind farm proposal put forward by the member for Cottesloe when he was Minister for Energy. We are very supportive of those sorts of initiatives. The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
The federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage has a stance on a range of issues, one of which is that he supports a nuclear power station here in Perth. It is incredible that the federal environment minister supports a nuclear power station in Perth, but he opposes a wind farm in Denmark. He has intervened to stop a wind farm in the Gippsland region of Victoria. I am very sceptical about any proposals put forward by him, particularly when, on a closer reading of the proposed code, he appears to indicate that he will stop these proposals if there is any sizable or really any local opposition, particularly if it is a marginal seat or a seat that he wants to inherit from a senior and about-to-retire federal backbencher. I am very sceptical about his proposal, and I think that the state government will oppose it.
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