Greens leadership under pressure on Robbins Island wind farm
The Greens are navigating a delicate balance as internal tensions surface over the Robbins Island wind farm in Tasmania. The project, proposed as Tasmania’s largest renewable energy development with 100 turbines, has drawn swift opposition from two Greens colleagues, Tasmanian senators Nick McKim and Peter Whish-Wilson, who argue the site threatens several endangered species.
Larissa Waters avoids a firm stance, urging caution
Greens leader Larissa Waters has sidestepped taking a firm position on the Robbins Island proposal. In an interview on ABC’s Insiders, Waters said she was not “familiar enough” with the high-profile project to declare a stance but emphasised the need to protect biodiversity while expanding renewable energy. “I accept it has to be in the right place and if this one isn’t, let’s look at somewhere else to put it,” she said. Waters indicated the Greens would assess the project closely, highlighting a broader goal: balance the scale of renewable energy with biodiversity safeguards.
Opposition within the party and environmental concerns
The Robbins Island wind farm has drawn condemnation from Senators McKim and Whish-Wilson, who released a joint statement calling the approval “the worst possible place anyone could build a wind farm.” They argued that the project could undermine community confidence in Australia’s renewable rollout, describing it as the wrong project in the wrong place. Their stance reflects a broader tension within the Greens between accelerating renewables and preserving biodiversity, especially for endangered species such as the orange-bellied parrot, Tasmanian devil, and Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, all of which are cited in the project’s environmental safeguards.
Regulatory context and environmental safeguards
Environment Minister Murray Watt granted conditional approval to Robbins Island in August, outlining 88 requirements aimed at protecting threatened species. The decision places the Greens at a crossroads: support for large-scale renewables must be weighed against ecological integrity and community acceptance. The party’s stance could influence broader debates about how fast Australia’s energy transition should unfold and under what conditions major projects proceed.
Climate policy and a call for no-go zones
Waters pressed for reforms to environmental laws, arguing for clearer protection of ecosystems and climate considerations in major infrastructure assessments. She suggested environmental reforms should include explicit “no-go zones” where projects would be automatically disallowed, pointing to areas such as the Bowen Basin as an example. The Greens want the environment minister to be legally bound to consider climate-change impacts when evaluating projects, a move aimed at aligning energy development with long-term emissions goals.
Renewables targets and the technology debate
Waters did not endorse the Climate Change Authority’s directive to quadruple wind power by 2035, instead saying she supports quadrupling renewable energy in general while remaining open about which technologies are most efficient. She criticized Labor’s climate target as inadequate, signaling that the Greens intend to push for stronger benchmarks alongside environmental protections.
The Greens’ leadership will need to navigate internal disagreements while articulating a clear, principled stance on Robbins Island. As Australia’s energy transition accelerates, the party’s challenge is to reconcile ambitious climate objectives with rigorous biodiversity safeguards and credible, transparent decision-making.
