Pressure is building on the Morrison government to deliver on offshore wind, after Gippsland Nationals MP Darren Chester faced questions on QandA and regional climate groups raised the alarm on the climate crisis during the past fortnight.

With the game-changing Star of the South proposal in Victoria representing an opportunity to establish Australia’s very own offshore wind sector to act on climate change, it’s important we learn from leading jurisdictions about the key to successfully establishing the sector.

While hundreds of thousands rallied for climate action across the country this September, momentum is building for Australia's offshore wind proposal, with consultation underway into the Star of the South across Gippsland in Victoria.

After years of disarray in national energy policy, Victoria is taking the lead on wind and solar power. And this leadership has put Victoria on the map for offshore wind.

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has backed Australia's first major offshore wind project, Star of the South proposed off Victoria's Gippsland coast, urging the federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor to sign off on the project's exploration license. Answering questions in senate estimates this week and following an FOI by the union, the Department of Environment & Energy revealed it has evaluated the project, briefed the Energy Minister and made recommendations on the project -- but no decision has been made. The MUA represents 16,000 Australian stevedores, seafarers, and offshore oil and gas workers, and argues that the project would create a new source of jobs for people working in the offshore fossil fuel sector. MUA Deputy Sectretary Will Tracey said "This project isn’t just about generating renewable energy and tackling climate change, it’s about creating secure jobs for the future, particularly for workers who are being displaced from the offshore oil and gas industries"

Australia could soon be home to the world's largest offshore wind farm, with the 2GW Star of the South proposed off Victoria's Gippsland coast in June 2017. But more than 18 months later, the federal Coalition government remains quiet about the proposal despite receiving departmental recommendations, as revealed in Senate estimates yesterday.