Unusual alliances form to oppose wind power projects

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Wind power is essential for Australia to meet its green energy targets - but now it's at the centre of a new climate battle - fracturing communities and seeing old enemies forming new alliances.

Transcript

00:00 Stephen Nowakowski makes his living photographing nature.

00:09 He's a lifelong environmentalist, now campaigning hard against wind farms being built in the

00:15 forests of Queensland.

00:17 I'm aware that my information, my photographs, my love of nature could be weaponised against

00:25 the rollout of renewables and decarbonisation.

00:29 But what do I do?

00:30 It's this campaign that's taken him deep into coal country, to the industrial city of Gladstone.

00:38 This former Greens candidate is now embracing old foes.

00:44 He's teamed up with Colin Boyce, a federal parliamentarian who does not believe in climate

00:50 change.

00:51 Do you sometimes guys think you're a bit of an odd couple?

00:58 I'm a grazier and a farmer, I'm a boilermaker by trade.

01:01 I am very passionate about being sustainable.

01:07 What about you Stephen?

01:08 Do you sometimes think you're a bit of an odd couple?

01:09 I shake my head in disbelief.

01:11 I cannot believe that I'm in this situation.

01:15 They will spend the next three days touring Boyce's electorate with their anti-renewables

01:20 double act.

01:23 Next up is a public forum at Gladstone's Grand Hotel.

01:28 So thank you Colin and thank you everyone for attending tonight.

01:34 I'm happy to talk to anybody and everyone about my energy journey.

01:38 For Nowakowski it's a delicate dance.

01:41 By questioning the location of wind farms, he's providing ammunition for those opposed

01:46 to climate action.

01:48 If we just go back and sort of look at building a new coal power, it's a coal fired power

01:54 station here and there.

01:55 So there's no reason at all.

01:56 And Cole, that's a message you need to take back to the LNP.

02:07 There are plenty of countries building coal fired power stations.

02:10 Why is it we mine and export coal and sell it to China and don't use it ourself?

02:16 It's all about planning and there is no plan.

02:20 And we just need to plan where this stuff goes, where the renewables go.

02:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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