Jirrbal Peoples, property manager supportive of Chalumbin wind farm

The project area is sited on two cattle grazing properties about 15 kilometres south of Ravenshoe and when constructed, will incorporate 86 wind turbines capable of generating 602 megawatts of renewable energy.

Katter's Australian Party has opposed the wind farm, attending the Keep Chalumbin Wild rally at Ravenshoe in May, which lobbied federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reject the renewable energy project on environmental grounds.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter said at the time they were united to "protect our nature wonderland. We will not allow the destruction of our forests' wildlife, for what - maybe a 15 or 20-year life in these wind turbines."

Atherton Tablelands advocate Matt Lachlan is among those strongly opposing the project, setting up the stopchalumbinwindfarm.com website in 2021 and saying the development would lead to severe wildlife fragmentation with a maze of roads and infrastructure.

Ark Energy's development application received conditional approval from the state government in August last year, and federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is due to hand down her decision shortly.

On the weekend, Jirrbal Elder Bradley Go-Sam came out in strong support of the project, saying he was representing the First Nations people who have authorised an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the Chalumbin Wind Farm site.

"It will bring opportunity for our Peoples and will help improve land that is now covered in weeds and pests," he said, adding that he believed there had been a lot of misinformation spread in the media, which he aimed to correct.

He said the Chalumbin Wind Farm project took into account their views to make sure it protected his peoples' sites of significance, and said the ILUA and cultural heritage management agreement allowed them to access Wooroora Station, currently not available to them.

He said Wooroora Station and the other property involved, Glen Gordon Station, contain culturally sensitive sites, which are avoided by the proposed wind farm development.

Wooroora Station, formerly Blunder Park, is managed by Robert McDowall and his wife, and they have given their support to the project, seeing it as an opportunity to future-proof the property while also securing better access to their higher country.

The 14,500 hectare property grazes up to 1200 head of commercial Brahman cattle on sclerophyll forest country and is slated to host up to 60 turbines.

Mr McDowall and the property's owners support the Jirrbal Peoples' request to access their property, as long as they don't interfere with their day-to-day cattle operations.

"The Jirrbal people, like anyone who enters our property with biosecurity, have got to obtain permission to come on to our property," Mr McDowall said.

"If the proposed wind farm is approved and the Jirrbal people are able to check out their culturally sensitive sites, it's not going to give them any more access than what they've already got.

"As far as the cultural areas, they don't know where they are at the moment, they're out here now and they're currently going around looking for anything, which would show cultural significance."

Earlier this week, the wind farm developer's independent ecologists, scientists and specialist survey teams were undertaking pre-construction cultural heritage surveys with the Jirrbal Peoples under the Cultural Heritage Management Agreement.

Mr McDowall said misinformation about the project's proposed site was being spread by activist groups Stop the Chalumbin Wind Farm, Keep Chalumbin Wild, and Katter's Australian Party.

"There is a group in town in opposition to this wind farm and they have been trespassing onto the place, and they've got photos of pristine areas that are not anywhere near where the proposed windmills will be built," he said.

"You drive into town and the group has put posters up featuring koala bears, and all the different animals, none of which are in this area.

"The Katter party also hasn't been out onto the property. They'd be aware of where it is, but as far as where those wind turbines are going, they've got no idea of that situation up there."

Mr McDowall agreed with the Jirrbal Peoples' criticism of the project name, because Chalumbin Hill was an area in the nearby world heritage rainforest north of Koombooloomba Dam, and so the public could misinterpret where the wind farm is proposed to be built.

"It gives the false impression that Wooroora is all rainforest too," he said.

"The nearest proposed wind turbine on Wooroora is more than a kilometre away from the world heritage site.

"There are a lot of eucalyptus trees and out on the higher country of where these wind windmills are going, is turkey bush, wattles and tea trees, all trees with no height about them."

Mr Go-Sam said Chalumbin Hill was very sensitive to his people and was outside the project boundary to the east and will remain protected in the world heritage area.

He said the project was named after the existing Chalumbin substation, and his people were in discussions regarding a name change to one that was culturally appropriate for its location on the Wooroora and Glen Gordon stations.

Mr McDowall said they'd been kept informed by the wind farm developers, believing it would mostly impact them in the initial building stages.

"Once it's all up and going, it'll mean we'll have more access to our higher country, if we want to go looking for cattle, ensuring we can drive or muster in those areas," he said.

"As far as where the closest wind turbine will be to the homestead, they will be visible from here, but as far as the windmills in our country, it will be something to look at, that's all.

"That's the reason why they've chosen this area, because the existing transmission lines run more or less, right along the top of the ridge, where these turbines are going."

A Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water spokesperson said it wasn't appropriate to comment on applications before a decision is made.

No date was given for when that would be made, saying the Chalumbin Wind Farm Project continued to be assessed in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

KAP MP for Hill Shane Knuth remains firmly opposed to the project, saying a line in the sand has to be drawn.

"With projects of this scale there are always cultural sensitivities, however in this case there has been significant opposition to this project from within the community from the start," he said.

"I would ask anyone in the state how they would feel if their small community was surrounded by three wind farms, with Chalumbin's turbines and blades set to be among the largest in the southern hemisphere.

"I find it incredible that the federal government is still considering approving this project and seem to be ignoring that it is right next door to a World Heritage Listed area, which includes threatened and endangered species and wet sclerophyll forest.

"Valuable water projects and dams in this state are stopped when a species or natural habitat is threatened, but a free pass seems to be given to wind farms, despite knocking down forests, clearing land, endangering wildlife and destroying the quality of life of a community.

"This is neither clever nor economically or environmentally sensible.

"The negatives of this project far outweigh any minor positives it may provide and I 100 per cent support the community in campaigning against this foreign-owned development."

Opposition natural resources spokesperson Pat Weir has called on the state government to front up and explain how the assessment project will work.

"Queenslanders deserve to have their say on major energy proposals and all feedback should be considered as part of the assessment," he said.

"The community is rightly concerned because the Palaszczuk government has failed to explain how it will assess this proposal and whether community feedback will be considered in their decision.

"Queenslanders deserve to know their feedback, whether it is about the energy and economic benefit, or about the cultural or environmental impact, will be taken into account."