A RALLY against offshore wind turbines in the Illawarra will be held on the foreshore of Lake Illawarra later this month.

The Australian Government has declared an area in the Pacific Ocean off the Illawarra, between Wombarra and Kiama where offshore renewable energy, such as wind farms, can be developed.

The 1,022 square kilometre zone will be 20 kilometres from the coast and excludes significant environmental areas including the Biologically Important Area for the Little Penguin, the Shelf Rocky Reef Key Ecological Feature and the Southern Right Whale migration and reproduction area.

The Illawarra is the fourth officially declared zone in the country and the Australian Government says it will unlock renewable energy jobs, energy security and job security, while supporting onshore manufacturing powered by reliable renewables.

The Warilla rally will feature speakers such as Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Ted O’Brien, Independent Shellharbour Deputy Mayor Kellie Marsh, lobster fisherman Mark Horne, community members and local politicians.

Organisers Responsible Future (Illawarra) says the demonstration will be a peaceful family rally to send a clear message to Labor that offshore wind farms are not welcome in the Illawarra.

A spokesperson for Responsible Future said the community’s voice has been ignored.

“Following the recent announcement of the Illawarra wind farm zone, it is clear that the Labor party has let down the Illawarra community despite their years of loyal support,” the spokesperson said.

“Minister Bowen and our local Labor representatives failed to take on the community’s concerns. Let us demonstrate to them the 65 percent of the community that rejected this project.

“We refuse to witness the industrialisation of our oceans, which would harm local industries like commercial fishing and tourism. Tourism in the Illawarra alone employs 15,000 individuals, generating $2 billion in annual revenue and seeing five million visitors a year.

“We will not permit the government or foreign companies to ruin our coastline for profit, funded by significant taxpayer subsidies, including the running of transmission lines through Lake Illawarra and Killalea. This proposed energy plan lacks thorough consideration and fails to make economic and environmental sense.

“Join us in defending our coastline, our communities, and our future. Let us show the Labor and Greens party that we will not tolerate the exploitation of our environment for a large scale experiment. Together, we can stop this project with a change of government.”

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the project will bring new employment opportunities to the Illawarra, creating an estimated 1,740 new jobs during construction and 870 ongoing jobs. This includes engineers, technicians, operators, riggers, seafarers, dockworkers, project managers and administrators. He said the Illawarra has been an engine room of the Australian economy for generations, and now it’s ready to power Australia’s clean energy future.

“Declaring this offshore wind zone brings the Illawarra a step closer to becoming a major provider of the building blocks of the net zero transformation – green power, green hydrogen and green steel – along with thousands of new jobs,” he said.

The rally will be held on the foreshore of Lake Illawarra at Reddall Reserve, Warilla, on Sunday 28 July from 11am.

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