Ex-LNP head’s bizarre offshore wind farm claims

The former head of Queensland’s Liberal Party has called for voters to back LNP defector Gerard Rennick in a bizarre ‘how-to-vote’ card that makes false claims about the Labor Party.

Former Queensland Liberal Party state director Geoff Greene.

The former head of Queensland’s Liberal Party has called for voters to back LNP defector Gerard Rennick in a bizarre how-to-vote card that misleadingly claims Labor wants to build an offshore wind farm off Brisbane’s coast.

The how-to-vote card authorised by Geoffrey Greene also calls for voters in the north Brisbane electorate of Lilley to vote for the LNP in the lower house — in an unusual cross-party promotion.

Mr Greene is a former campaign manager for Peter Dutton, and a former head of the South Australian Liberals and the Queensland Liberals before the merger that made them the LNP.

The unusual how-to-vote card claims “Kimberley Washington and Senator Gerard Rennick will help stop Labor and the Greens’ plan for wind farms in Moreton Bay”.

Mr Greene, who remains an SA Liberal Party member but not an LNP member, confirmed he had not sought the permission of either Senator Rennick or Ms Washington to print the pamphlet.

The How To Vote cards in Lilley authorised by a former Queensland Liberal Party head.

Asked to identify what wind farm he was referring to, Mr Greene said he could not remember the company only that the proposal involved wanting to “be able to connect to Brisbane Port” to transmit power to the mainland.

It appears Mr Greene’s claim stems from a 2023 press release from Orchid Energy, a Brisbane-headquartered company, which was “investigating the feasibility of building a multi-gigawatt portfolio of offshore wind farms off the coast of Queensland”.

But there have been no updates since, with Orchid Energy’s website claiming it was “currently working through early-stage feasibility planning for all projects”.

Orchid Energy’s hotline appears to be disconnected, emails to the company have gone unanswered, and repeated attempts to contact the company’s directors including chief executive Clint Purkiss have been unsuccessful.

The peculiar How To Vote cards in Lilley authorised by a former Queensland Liberal Party head.

Queensland is also not one of the six designated offshore wind development areas announced by the federal government in late 2022, and rules impacting wind farm projects have been significantly tightened at a state level.

It means there would need to be major changes to both federal and state rules and guidance for any offshore wind project to even be considered anywhere in Queensland, let alone the waters off Moreton Bay.

Mr Greene is still calling for Labor to rule out wind farms off Brisbane.

“If there will not be wind farms off Brisbane, then they (Labor) can categorically rule it out before the eleciton,” he said.

Senator Rennick confirmed he was not made aware of the how to vote card, but supported its intent.

Ms Washington also confirmed she had nothing to do with Mr Greene’s unique how to vote card, and said she was surprised when it surfaced.

Labor Senator Anthony Chisholm said “dishonest tactics” like the pamphlet had “no place in election campaigns”.

He called for Ms Washington, as the “beneficiary of the tactics” to disown the pamphlets and “call for them to be pulped”.

There are no truth in political advertising laws in federal elections, with Senator Chisholm accepting those rules is “something we should explore considering the increasingly wild claims that are made during an election campaign”.

Originally published as Ex-LNP head’s bizarre offshore wind farm claims