'Utterly offensive blight on landscape'

Wind turbines at Bungendore, near Canberra, are not to the liking of Treasurer Joe Hockey. Photo: Bloomberg

Treasurer Joe Hockey has attacked wind farms as utterly offensive and a blight on the landscape in the latest sign that the Abbott government intends to cut back on renewable energy.

Mr Hockey told Macquarie Radios Alan Jones that driving to Canberra from Sydney meant he passed the Bungendore wind farm near Lake George on the NSW side of the ACT border.

Can I be a little indulgent? I drive to Canberra to go to Parliament ... and I must say I find those wind turbines around Lake George to be utterly offensive, Mr Hockey said. I think theyre a blight on the landscape.

Mr Hockey said he could not stop the wind turbines operating: "We can't knock those ones off because they're into locked-in schemes and there is a certain contractual obligation I'm told associated with those things."

Advertisement

The Treasurer said the government was intent on cutting massive duplication and indicated more of the climate change-related agencies would be pared back in the budget. He appeared to err, however, saying that the Clean Energy Regulator would go in light of Commission of Audit recommendations.

Well, they say get rid of the Clean Energy Regulator, and we are, Mr Hockey said. A spokeswoman said Mr Hockey had meant to say the Clean Energy Finance Corp, the green investment bank, would go.

NSW Greens upper house member John Kaye said the Treasurer's comments were a worrying signal that the federal and NSW Coalition governments were preparing to undermine Australias renewable energy industry.

Pandering to the Flat Earth, anti-wind brigade, crosses both parties of the Coalition and the federal-state divide, Mr Kay said.

Read more:
'Utterly offensive blight on landscape'