The Queensland LNP government has scrapped another major renewable project, this time a massive wind farm in the state’s Wide Bay region north of Brisbane.
In a statement issued on Sept. 1, Minister for Infrastructure Jarrod Bleijie said there had been widespread community concern around the Forest Wind Farm Development Act 2020.
The act was passed in Queensland’s state parliament in 2020 under the previous Labor government, which gave the green light for 226 wind turbines to be built across Gympie and the Fraser Coast.
Each turbine would have measured around 160 metres tall, the same height at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The project was originally proposed in 2016, but the current Liberal National Party (LNP) government says loss of landholder support, the withdrawal of the project’s venture partner in 2024, and community opposition meant it failed to meet the current government’s minimum standards for renewables projects.
“A new planning pathway for regulating wind farms which commenced in February 2025 was the first step to requiring all wind farm proposals be impact assessable and subject to the same rigorous approval process as other major development projects,” Bleijie said.
“Our further social impact and community benefit reforms, which commenced last month, ensure that local communities are never shut out from approval processes again.”
Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said it would be welcome news to his local community, around two hours’ north of Brisbane.
“Repealing this Act is further evidence this government is serious about genuine consultation when it comes to renewable projects.
“These forests are important for the Gympie region both for the economic and employment benefits but also for the character of the Gympie electorate.”
Crisafulli Government’s Net Zero Shift
In June, the Crisafulli government announced it was changing the rules around renewables projects by making them impact assessable rather than code assessable.
This means communities will have stronger objection rights to projects like wind farms if they have a negative impact on their lives.
The state also legislated mandatory consultation for projects, a condition not available under previous rules.
The Crisafulli government had earlier walked away from a $12 billion hydrogen project, and cancelled a $1 billion wind farm.
The Epoch Times contacted Forest Wind for comment.
The company’s Managing Director James Pennay did say deny community opposition to the project.
“For a project of this scale we’ve received very little opposition and we’ve responded to the concerns that have been raised. We’ve had hundreds of businesses register expressions of interest in that region. We’ve got tens of farmers and landowners who’ve entered agreements with us. And the environmental groups have been hugely supportive given the lack of impact on ecological considerations,” he told Renew Economy.
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