6.01.2025

Media Release: Immediate Halt Requested for Lotus Creek Wind Farm Due to Critical Environmental Breaches

We have called on Minister Plibersek for the immediate cessation of all activities at the Lotus Creek Wind Farm project due to multiple breaches of due process, government policy, and inevitable non-compliance with approval conditions. Recent construction activities have led to the bulldozing of critical habitats essential for endangered wildlife, resulting in the alarming disappearance of koalas and other species from this vital area.

This urgent letter serves as a formal request to address significant non-compliance issues linked to the Lotus Creek Wind Farm, which have profound implications for Matters of National Environmental Significance.  Our concerns center around breaches of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) that are crucial for protecting threatened species, particularly the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) and various endangered flora and fauna.

See letter here

Summary of Breaches:

  • Inadequate Ecological Surveys: The ecological assessments conducted in the area have been grossly insufficient and lack independent oversight. This area has not undergone comprehensive ecological evaluations concerning Matters of National Environmental Significance.

  • Non-compliance with EPBC Law and Offsets Policy: There are multiple violations of EPBC Law, with endangered species and populations not adequately identified. Furthermore, significant residual impacts on identified threatened species have not been assessed correctly, and the proposed offsets fail to account for the totality of these impacts.

  • Neglect of Current Scientific Evidence: The proponent has failed to incorporate recent scientific data regarding the adverse effects of clearing, road construction, and noise disturbances on wildlife, ecological communities, and particularly threatened species, ignoring the precautionary principle in the face of these unknowns.

  • Violation of “Nil Conservation Loss” Policy: The Federal Government’s policy of “nil conservation loss” has not been upheld. Numerous threatened species in the area have likely gone unidentified, and significant impacts on both identified and unidentified species cannot be satisfactorily offset.

  • Unrealistic Approval Conditions: Compliance with multiple approval conditions poses a significant challenge and is highly unlikely.

  • Lack of Wildlife Management: There is no documented evidence that wildlife catchers or spotters were engaged during the initial clearing operations for the wind farm.

  • Contravention of International Agreements: As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Framework, this wind farm proposal contradicts Goal A, which emphasizes the need to reduce extinction risks and maintain genetic diversity among wild species.

Given these urgent issues, we implore the relevant authorities to take swift action and put a stop to all work at the Lotus Creek Wind Farm until these serious breaches are adequately addressed and resolved. The potential for irreversible harm to our national environment is too severe to ignore.

For further information or to schedule an interview, please contact: info@rainforestreserves.org.au