Koala population in danger as state gov races to net zero target

Perhaps the most important question asked in Parliament this week was whether wind farm turbine noise will disrupt koala communications and speed up their extinction, writes Des Houghton.

Perhaps the most important question asked in Parliament this week was whether low- frequency noise made by wind farm turbines will disrupt communications between randy koalas and speed up their extinction.

It was a reasonable question from Member for Mirani Stephen Andrew, but it was brushed aside by Mick de Brenni, Minister for Energy, in a cavalier fashion.

Twice Andrew rose on a point of order to accuse De Brenni of not answering the question, but was rebuffed both times by the Speaker, Curtis Pitt. Pitt erred in my view.

I thought it was an important question considering the tens of thousands of wind turbines already installed and or planned for the REZ in or near forests full of endangered koalas.

What, you haven’t heard about the REZ?

Renewable Energy Zones could impact koala populations.

REZ is the new buzzword for climate change catastrophists, and others. It stands for Renewable Energy Zones. The Queensland Department of Energy and Climate under De Brenni’s watch has declared 12 of them across southern, central and northern Queensland regions in building what it calls a Super Grid.

It means renewable energy zones will engulf much of the inhabited and uninhabited Queensland land from Cairns in the north to Warwick on the Southern Downs, 1742km away.

I fear that no koala is safe from Labor’s mad rush to meet new zero targets.

Although fobbed off during question time, Andrew did not give up.

Later in a speech in the House he challenged de Brenni to produce the scientific evidence that koalas would not be harmed by the noise.

Andrew, the solo One Nation member in Queensland Parliament, said he would be the koala’s voice.

“They cannot talk back. They do not have a say here in this House, so I will have a say for them.”

Andrew said experts feared the race to achieve net zero targets would probably wipe out the koala and endanger other wildlife, especially the wedge tail eagle.

Andrew told me he was made aware of the koala threat by Dr Roger Martin, a biologist and acknowledged koala expert who has moved to north Queensland to study the animals.

Martin warns against wind turbines in an enlightening post on Rainforest Reserves Australia social media.

Steven Miles and Energy and Mick de Brenni at the Kaban Green Power Hub. Picture: Andreas Nicola.

“While the focus on Queensland koalas has largely been on the population living in the southeast, they also occur in the far north of the state,” he wrote.

“One habitat they occupy is the high-altitude eucalyptus forest along the western edge of the Wet Tropics bioregion.

“Modelling suggests that, because of the altitude and high summer rainfall, this forest may be an important refuge for the northern koala.

“However, the altitude as well as the proximity of a 275 kV transmission line, has attracted wind farms to the area and the construction of over 300 large wind turbines.”

Martin said these would run for 150km in a strip through the forest between Atherton and Mount Fox.

“This constitutes a potentially serious threat to the koala populations there,” he wrote.

“Koalas are solitary animals and occur in low abundance in this forest. In the breeding season the females locate distant males from their low-frequency nocturnal bellowing.

“Wind turbines also emit a substantial amount of low-frequency sound, and my fear is this will mask the bellows of male koalas and disrupt the koala breeding season.

“Low-frequency sound can be heard from a long distance away, and these turbines are abutting the most biologically diverse forests in Australia.

“No consideration has been given to the impact of this noise pollution on koalas or any of the other wildlife species living there.’’

Rainforest Reserves Australia has also posted graphic pictures by environmentalist Steven Nowakowski, who reckons 1.8 million hectares of land in Queensland will be “covered in glass and steel” within seven years to meet Queensland’s 2032 emissions targets. So the koala will be sacrificed on the altar of renewable zealotry.

One of Nowakowski’s pictures shows a 70m-wide haulage road that was cleared to bring in the turbines near Ravenshoe in far north Queensland.

And there were reports that explosives were used near a koala habitat to clear trees for turbines.

Farmers and graziers are repeatedly complaining about the loss of agricultural land for wind turbines and solar farms.

Dr Martin had other fears.

In another lecture posted on YouTube he said the north Queensland koalas were notoriously difficult to see and he fears the turbine developers have underestimated their numbers in environmental reports.

De Brenni needs turbines to achieve Queensland’s 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032, and 80 per cent by 2035.

Andrew remains sceptical. He told Parliament our renewable energy targets were a pipedream.

“According to the CSIRO, renewable energy needs to increase an estimated 70 per cent by 2050,” he said.

“This will require an absolutely massive expansion. Doing so will cost the state up to $14 billion each year between now and 2050, according to CSIRO.”

Andrew raises another good question: How do we pay for that when coal and gas royalties stop flowing?

LABOR’S BID TO GAG MEDIA

We got a very clear idea this week how the blundering State Government wanted to deal with the youth crime epidemic: restrict the way the media reports it.

The barefaced attempt at censorship was revealed by the LNP member for Currumbin, Laura Gerber, the shadow Minister for Youth Justice and a member of the parliamentary youth crime committee sensationally disbanded this week.

Member for Currumbin Laura Gerber leaves the chamber, Qld Parliament Question Time, Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I want it on the record that the three LNP members on this committee would not, could not, put their names to a report that recommended media gagging provisions,” she told

the House.

“This report recommended that the media be regulated and gagged in relation to youth crime and reporting on youth crime.”

Gerber said the Member for Cooper Jonty Bush had put up a recommendation calling on the Queensland Government to “look into the impact of media and social media reporting of crime and any impacts it has on encouraging offenders”.

Gerber added: “They want to control the recommendations, they want to control the narrative and, guess what? They want to control the media, too!

“Our LNP members would not, could not, put our name to any provisions that gag the media.”

The next day Premier Steven Miles rejected the media censorship proposed by his backbenchers on the defunct committee. Too late. The damage was already done.