We welcome the opportunity to respond to this Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications Inquiry. Our organisation supports offshore wind as a key technology that will deliver affordable and reliable renewable energy supply, especially as fossil fuel generation exits the market, and enable new clean energy industries to expand and grow. RE-Alliance identified early on that the Federal Government needed to ensure its enabling legislation included strong community engagement and benefit sharing in the framework itself.
Establishing a new industry – as offshore wind is in Australia – is complex and challenging. Doing it well will require ongoing productive collaboration and investment in research, partnerships and programs that are mutually beneficial – to the local community, businesses, industries and that look after the environment.
We recommend that the Government:
- Set clear guidelines for the offshore wind industry through developing a community focussed engagement and benefits guide that would help build understanding of what leading practice community benefits look like for offshore wind
- Invest in independent research through establishing a Renewables, Environment and Social Research Centre that investigates areas that communities want answers on from a trusted scientific source such as marine environment and offshore wind zones, offshore wind technology and construction approaches to minimise marine environment impacts, baseline data on whale migration etc.
- Invest in independent environmental data and information including marine spatial mapping
- Build the workforce pipeline by coordinating with industry, unions and education organisations to enable workforce development, retention and growth
- Make sure offshore wind delivers for the environment by integrating biodiversity considerations and protection into the planning, design, construction, operation and decommissioning phases
- Ensure First Nations’ free prior and informed consent is a condition of development. This would be better managed with investment by the government for First Nations and Traditional Owner groups’ to be better resourced as recommended by the First Nations Clean Energy Network
- Support pathways to build place-based community buy in and empowerment including through establishing Local Energy Hubs and setting clear requirements for community benefit as a condition of an offshore wind licence
- Better manage and effectively coordinate on regional cumulative engagement and development impacts, including workforce accommodation-local housing interactions, infrastructure and co-located industry