Member for Barker Tony Pasin has addressed a crowd of thousands on the lawns at Parliament House in Canberra who gathered to rally against the Federal Government’s push for renewable energy projects.


Residents from over 50 regional communities who are directly and adversely affected by planned renewable projects rallied to call on the government to suspend the development of wind, solar and high-voltage transmission lines in rural, regional and coastal areas of our country.


Mr Pasin attended the rally and spoke to the crowd about the Federal Government’s proposal for an offshore renewable wind zone in the Southern Ocean off the coast of Port MacDonnell.


“The Southern Rock Lobster industry employs over 1000 people and contributes around $140m to South Australia’s gross state product. The industry’s success is due to its unique environment and the stewardship of generations of fishers,” Mr Pasin said.


“To drill into a reef and pour concrete into it to erect turbines reaching 250 metres above sea level is contrary to efforts the community undertakes to protect it.


“The Labor Government are completely out of touch with rural and regional Australia. Worse still, the Minister is attempting to exploiting the fact that most of their planned renewable projects are located in or near coastal and farming communities with small populations who they think will not be able to impact them politically. The size of the crowd on the lawns of Parliament House says otherwise.


“To disregard the voices of our farmers, our fishers and our regional communities to win the votes of inner-city electorates of Sydney and Melbourne would be a travesty against our national interest.”