Oppose the Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) & Deny Social License
Petitioner:
Mrs Jeannette Cullen
| Member:
Ward, Gareth
| No. of Signatories:
2,418
| Date closed:
26/05/2024
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, The undersigned citizens, oppose the Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) and the Federal Government's proposed Offshore Windfarm, denying our social license, acceptance, or approval for its development and operation for these reasons:
I. Potential irreparable damage to onshore/offshore environments, including threatened ecological communities, marine life and ecosystems from the construction and maintenance of infrastructure.
II. The lack of clear, transparent and independently-sourced information regarding the risks and opportunities associated with the project, including the netsocial and economic benefits and how the community will realise these.
III. The industrialisation of our landscape and pillaging of our way of life without adequate mitigation/management measures.
IV. The failure of REZ proponents to prioritise trust and transparency with the community, to understand and address community needs/concerns.
V. Lack of community consultation by the NSW government regarding aspects of the proposed REZ under its jurisdiction.
VI. In October 2023, 12,079 signatures opposing Illawarra windfarms were collected through two Parliament of Australia E-petitions.
VII. Implementing such a significant project without addressing the community's concerns violates our trust and disregards our wellbeing.
Under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020, the NSW government can deny grid connections in REZs where there is “significant opposition from the community in the local area to the proposed infrastructure” and it “is in the public interest”.
We call on the NSW Legislative Assembly to suspend REZ progress until a thorough, inclusive community consultation is conducted, prioritising our voices and well-being in related decisions.
