Angry NSW voters vow Labor exodus at next election over offshore wind farms

It’s one of Labor’s safest strongholds, but Illawarra residents are plotting revenge at the polls if party pushes ahead with offshore wind farms in their backyard.

The Albanese government’s pursuit of offshore wind farms in NSW’s coastal towns is threatening to cause a chasm within the left — with longtime Labor loyalists threatening to abandon the party over the policy.

The federal government is looking to prop up offshore wind farms in the Illawarra and Port Stephens regions prompting staunch opposition from both communities.

In the Illawarra, where Labor’s Alison Byrnes holds the seat of Cunningham by a very safe 13.4 per cent margin, Labor voters said they will be abandoning the party at the next poll citing concerns about the impact of the offshore wind farm on marine life.

The seat has always been held by Labor with the exception of 2002 when it was briefly taken by the Greens.

Paul McLeod, a resident in the Illawarra electorate of Whitlam, has voted for Labor for the past 45 years but when Anthony Albanese heads to the polls, expected to be around March 2025, he said he will no longer vote for the left.

Locals in the Illawarra are pushing back against plans for an offshore wind farm. Picture: Ole Berg-Rusten

“I voted Labor for 45 years. And my father and his father before that. I won’t be voting for Labor,” he said.

“We have transformed demographically to a satellite suburb of Sydney and with that came a lot of smart people, more professionals, more service industries.

“That hasn’t been recognised by the Labor Party in Canberra. Tourism and fishing are the dominant industries here.”

Mr McLeod said he is concerned about the impact of offshore wind farms on marine life and subsequently on the region’s booming tourism and fishing industries.

Local scientists and Labor MPs have said concerns about the environmental impact are based on misinformation.

Mr McLeod is hopeful Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will halt the proposed project when it progresses to the environmental assessment stage after she intervened in plans for an offshore wind turbine plant in Victoria.

The proposal has also got the opposition of former Shellharbour Mayor and state Labor MP Marianne Saliba.

Former Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba in 2019. Picture: Supplied

“I support renewable energy. I don’t have a problem at all. In fact, I was part of the council that switched to hybrids and electric vehicles and, and brought Shellharbour into the 21st century,” she said.

“However, the offshore wind farms or turbines are not renewable energy. Only the wind bits the renewable energy. These turbines are made using fossil fuels. They transported out to the offshore area using fossil fuels.

“They are then all during their life cycle there’ll be ships going out there to do repairs and maintenance and all of that, using fossil fuels.”

Thirroul resident Warren William, 83, has also vowed not to vote for Labor come the next federal election.

“We do need renewable energy at some time in the future but we have to take it a little bit slower and find better ways of going about it,“ he said.

“Everyone is supportive of cleaning the planet up and renewables but this is just crazy on the topic.”

Locals hope Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek could veto the project. Picture: Martin Ollman

Wollongong resident Sheryl Pursehouse, 61, voted Labor previously but said she too will not support the policy.

“I grew up in southwest Sydney from a working class family and everybody voted Labor but I don’t think they support their original voter base,” she said.

“We are not against renewables. We are not climate deniers or anything. We are concerned this is being pushed through without full consultation and without letting the public know all the details. ”A lot of people think we are just against visuals. You can see the wind farm but it’s what’s going on under the water that concerns us.”

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Originally published as Angry NSW voters vow Labor exodus at next election over offshore wind farms