Just one day after the federal Parliament passed the Albanese government’s emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030, Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced consultation will begin immediately on Australia’s first offshore wind zone off the Gippsland coast.

The announcement comes after years of delay on offshore wind by the previous federal Coalition government.

Environment organisation Friends of the Earth has welcomed the news, and says kickstarting an offshore wind sector in Gippsland will be a game changer for action on climate change while creating thousands of new job opportunities and a new source of energy.

With frequent breakdowns at Victoria’s ageing coal fired power stations, the state has a huge opportunity to lead on offshore wind, create thousands of good jobs and act on the climate crisis.

Earlier this year, the Andrews government has announced it will secure investment in the country's first offshore wind farm this decade, and aims to build a massive 9 GW of offshore wind by 2040. 

In good news for communities across Gippsland the region is set to become the first in the country to host the industry.

The opportunity is huge, and now we need to make sure the start of this new industry delivers real change for regional communities and workers, while protecting the places we love.

Friends of the Earth would love to have a conversation about your hopes and concerns about offshore wind -- we invite you to join a series of community conversations about how Gippsland can make the most of offshore wind, and the renewable energy transformation that is already getting underway.

You can also sign up to lead a community conversation yourself, and we'll make sure to get you skilled up, leading discussions in your community.  

The federal Liberals suffered at the polls because of their lack of ambition on climate change. Waging a culture war instead of getting on with the energy transition has become synonymous with being unelectable.

So it's a smart move by Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy to back renewables and net-zero emissions by 2050 in an opinion piece printed in The Age today. But there are many details in Matthew Guy’s plan that can’t go unchallenged.

After years of delays and inaction the Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen is set to accelerate offshore wind for Gippsland, which has been designated the first region in the country to develop offshore wind.

Environment organisation Friends of the Earth has welcomed the news, and says kickstarting an offshore wind sector in Gippsland will be a game changer for the state’s efforts on climate change while creating thousands of new job opportunities.

The Latrobe Valley and Gippsland can lead Victoria in renewable energy as the state transitions away from coal-fired power, a report tabled in the state's Legislative Council has found.

Our Gippsland campaigner Wendy Farmer takes a deep dive into the inquiry, how it came about and what it means for the Latrobe Valley.

The Victorian Parliament has today received evidence it can go further and faster on renewable energy to create jobs and cut emissions, just days after a watershed election dominated by the issue of climate change.

Friends of the Earth says the combined evidence of Victoria’s Parliamentary Inquiry into 100% renewable energy and strong public support for action on climate shows the Andrews government can demonstrate greater ambition.

“With the federal election result proving that political parties who take climate change seriously will be rewarded at the ballot box, will Vic Premier Dan Andrews seize the opportunity?" asked Friends of the Earth renewable energy spokesperson Pat Simons.

Victoria could soon be home to the country's first offshore wind farm, the flagship Star of the South offshore wind farm proposed in the Bass Strait off the coast of South Gippsland.

On 6th April 2022 our Gippsland campaigner Wendy Farmer joined a tour of the region by the offshore wind project's Community Advisory Group.

The group represents people from across Gippsland who have continued to work with the Star of the South team and surrounding communities. We toured the Port Welshpool area, known as the windiest place in Victoria, McLoughlins Beach, Reeves Beach and Giffard West allowing the group to take in the area surrounding the offshore wind farm, where project infrastructure would be located including proposed transmission lines.  

In a key moment for Victoria’s transition to renewable energy, the Latrobe Valley’s first wind farm has been approved by Victorian planning minister Richard Wynne MP.

Once constructed, the Delburn wind farm will be situated in pine plantation south of Morwell and overlook the retired Hazelwood coal fired power station and mine site.

Building the project is expected to create up to 186 new full-time equivalent jobs during construction, 24 ongoing jobs over the the operating life of the project, and power an estimated 135,000 Victorian homes with clean renewable energy.

The announcement comes one day before the fifth anniversary of the closure of the Hazelwood coal fired power station.

March 2022 has been a huge month for big renewable energy announcements in Victoria and marks an important turning point for the transition.

Victoria's epic offshore wind target a game changer for climate, jobs

Just over two weeks ago Victoria's Andrews government announced it will build a massive 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040 -- arguably the largest commitment to renewable energy in the state's history.

It is a game changer for the state's renewable energy transition and will help deliver the deep emissions cuts needed to prevent catastrophic climate impacts from getting worse. Not only that, it offers a real pathway for transitioning workers in coal, oil and gas into new jobs in renewables.

No wonder the announcement has already got fossil fuel lobbyists worried...

The announcement comes after years of campaigning for offshore wind by the union and climate movements and is a reminder of what we can achieve at the state level even when the federal government is trying to delay climate action. 

But our work is not over yet, this is just the beginning. Establishing an entire new offshore wind industry will be a huge task for the state. We'll be on deck to make sure offshore wind creates good jobs, and delivers good outcomes for the community and environment. For now, we're celebrating the good news.

Read the full story in The Age, featuring contributions from Yes2Renewables Coordinator Pat Simons.

WATCH: Victoria's Offshore Wind Leadership with Min. Lily D'Ambrosio

On Thursday March 10 just days after Victoria's game changing announcement on offshore wind, Vic Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Lily D'Ambrosio joined Friends of the Earth and the Victorian Trades Hall Council for an online briefing to talk about what the plans means for jobs and state led action on climate change.

Thankyou to everyone who joined the call, you can watch the webinar in full here.

BLOG: Offshore wind and electrifying everything highlight at Vic 100% Renewables Inquiry, but fossil fuel lobby isn't happy

Gippsland Update: Pieces of Latrobe Valley energy transition coming together

Gippsland's renewable energy transition is gathering pace, with coal closure dates being brought forward and big announcement for community owned renewable energy and offshore wind coming all at once.

Read Wendy Farmer's analysis of the big changes happening in Gippsland here.

Fed up Rokewood community gets organised for wind power

The Golden Plains wind farm proposed in Victoria will power 750,000 homes with clean energy and make a significant contribution to slashing Victoria's greenhouse gas emissions.

After facing years of delays, Rokewood landholders, neighbours and businesses have had a gutful, launching Rokewood for Wind Farms and a new campaign supporting this state-significan wind farm. In an open letter in The Ballarat Courier they say "The effects of climate change are real and our community wants to make a difference."

Follow the Rokewood community's campaign here on Facebook and support regional voices for wind power by signing their petition to get on with the Golden Plains wind farm.

Coal Face Podcast: After the Smoke — The Hazelwood Mine Fire with Wendy Farmer

Eight years ago the Hazelwood mine caught fire with devastating consequences to the people of the Latrobe Valley. Yes2Renewables Gippsland campaigner and President of Voices of the Valley Wendy Farmer joined local podcasters Josie and Steph to talk about how the Hazelwood mine fire changed the Latrobe Valley and the course of her life. 

Click here to listen.

Become a member, support the campaign

With some massive wins under our belt on offshore wind, Yes2Renewables is gearing up for another big year campaigning for wind and solar in regional Vic.

We've got exciting plans to kick off kitchen table conversations in Gippsland, run a series of creative events, and launch a new film project telling the story of the transition. We'll have more to say about all this soon...

None of that is possible without the support of the community.

Signing up as a regular member or making a donation to Yes2Renewables keeps our campaign on the road, connecting with regional communities and building power. We'd love to have your support:

Latest renewable energy news and blogs:

Victoria’s offshore wind plan is biggest thing since Loy Yang. Shame the media missed it, Dr Bruce Mountain, Reneweconomy

Offshore wind will come to Australian waters – as long as we pave the way for this new industry, Prof. Llewelyn Hughes & Dr Thomas Longden

It’s nonsense for Angus Taylor to suggest Australia could face an energy crisis like Europe’s, Adam Morton, The Guardian

Upcoming Events

• Volunteer with Friends of the Earth - Intro, Thurs March 31, 5:30PM. RSVP NOW