Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud is calling on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to outline the Department’s actions before the announcement of the world’s biggest solar project in the Northern Territory.
Mr Littleproud has raised concerns that despite the mega solar project being approved under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, the Department failed to visit the property.
“Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has just approved the biggest solar farm in the world but there are concerns not one person from her Department or the Environment Protection Authority has set foot on the property, to test whether any native species or vegetation is at risk,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Minister Plibersek claims the approval will completely avoid important species like the greater bilby and critical habitat, but did the Department even bother visiting?
“This area is far from a desolate wasteland and is understood to be able to run up to 70,000 head of cattle and 10,000 hectares of cultivation.”
The solar project, backed by billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, is located on a pastoral station between Elliott and Tennant Creek.
The project will be 12,400 hectares in size, with an 800-kilometre line to Darwin and 4300 kilometres of underwater cables to the end of Australian waters, into Singapore.
“Labor’s ideology isn’t meeting the practical reality of our energy needs because this project will export power to Singapore. In the meantime, our power prices continue to increase.
“This also comes at a time when Labor vetoed a $1 billion gold mine near Orange on Indigenous heritage grounds, costing the company $192 million, despite much of the community, including Indigenous locals, desperately wanting this mine to go ahead.
“Labor’s decisions are ideological and more about winning back inner-city seats to appease the Teals and Greens.
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