Residents of Seaspray are mobilising against proposed wind turbines 10 kilometres off their coast, the ABC reports.
The opposition highlights the tension between Australia's renewable energy ambitions and local communities concerned about visual impact and fishing grounds.
Classic Australian NIMBY meets climate action. These same people probably support renewable energy in theory, but not when they can see the turbines from their beach houses. Meanwhile Australia is way behind on renewable targets.
The proposed offshore wind farm would be positioned 10 kilometres from the Victorian coast near Seaspray, a small coastal town in Gippsland. The distance is meant to minimise visual and environmental impacts while harnessing the strong, consistent winds of Bass Strait.
Residents are raising concerns about the visual impact on their coastline and potential disruption to local fishing grounds. Some argue the turbines will damage the pristine coastal environment that defines the area's character and supports local tourism.
There are legitimate concerns worth examining. The fishing impact question is real - offshore wind farms can affect marine environments and fish behavior. Commercial and recreational fishing are important to the local economy.
But let's be clear about what else is happening here. A lot of the opposition is aesthetic - people don't want to see turbines on the horizon. That's an understandable human preference, but it's not a sufficient reason to block renewable energy projects when Australia is falling short of climate commitments.
Australia has ambitious renewable energy targets but keeps running into local opposition whenever projects are proposed. Solar farms, wind farms, transmission lines - they all face NIMBY campaigns.
The offshore wind sector is crucial to Australia's renewable transition. Bass Strait has some of the world's best offshore wind resources, with strong, consistent winds that could power significant portions of Victoria and Tasmania.
At 10 kilometres offshore, the turbines would be barely visible on the horizon. For context, that's roughly twice the distance that most coastal offshore wind farms sit from shore in Europe, where they're considered best practice.
The government will need to balance local concerns with national climate policy. That means proper environmental assessments, genuine consultation with fishing communities, and compensation where impacts are real. But it can't mean vetoing every renewable project because some residents prefer an uninterrupted ocean view.
Mate, there's a whole continent that needs to decarbonise, and offshore wind is part of how we get there. Seaspray residents have every right to be heard, but they don't have a right to veto the renewable transition.
