North Queensland quarry owner exposes wind blade 'graveyard' discovery

ON BEHALF OF BOB KATTER, FEDERAL KENNEDY MP

ON THURSDAY, KATTER'S Australian Party MP Bob Katter provided the Federal Environment Minister with an "out" for her looming decision on a proposed 86-turbine wind farm in North Queensland.

In his question without notice, Mr Katter referred the minister to Tasmania's Franklin Dam – a project which had received State approval but was overturned by the Federal Government based on its obligations to protect heritage-listed sites.

Mr Katter said erecting 86-turbines in the periphery of the virgin jungle at Chalumbin, near Ravenshoe, would threaten endangered bird species and should receive federal attention like Franklin Dam.

"Whilst applauding your brake applied on this project so far, would you agree with local professor Tim Nevard's summary that Chalumbin destroys 200km of nature wonderland turning it into an industrial wasteland," Mr Katter asked.

Mr Katter's question comes after visiting a Ravenshoe quarry just last week belonging to local operator Blake Kidner where a pile of retired blades lay dormant, to help set the record straight on their treatment.

Mr Kidner advised Mr Katter an online video had surfaced where a journalist had allegedly trespassed onto his property to film the disused wind blades and attempted to portray them as "dumped" in the forest, with creative camera angles.

Mr Kidner said while the journalist made valid points in his video about the difficulty of recycling materials used in renewable energy, he was upset the reporter entered his property to portray the incorrect image.

Mr Kidner said had the journalist asked for permission for entry, he likely would've supported his video.

"They were going to landfill but my dad thought the blades were too good to throw away, surely in a circular economy we can find a better use for them," Mr Kidner said of the 15-year-old blades.

Mr Kidner admitted the material – primarily fibreglass – made it difficult to recycle, but was adamant they had not been dumped in the forest, and he was working with researchers to explore recycling potential.

"There's a road here, a firebreak all around, there's an office and shed behind us that we work out of every day, so they're clearly not dumped out in the bushland,"

Mr Kidner said describing the site."

Mr Katter said while he also agreed with the journalist's statements about renewable energy, the method undertaken did not help the cause of "achieving cheaper electricity."

"When we're trying to get cheaper electricity, it does not help our cause to go sneaking around in bushland misleading people," Mr Katter said.

However, he said governments ought to take notice of the inert blades sitting at the Kidner quarry and questioned how many quarries would be able to prevent landfill waste, "all for 15 or so years of intermittent power when 86-turbines go up at Chalumbin."