00:00Another delay for the proposed Robbins Island wind farm.
00:05Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will not decide its fate until at least May 9,
00:10angering both supporters and opponents of the project.
00:14She has a responsibility, we believe, to decline it.
00:18Steve Pilkington's group, the Circular Head Coastal Awareness Network,
00:21has fought against the project and lost in the courts.
00:24They believe it should not be approved under the country's biodiversity law.
00:28It's there to protect biodiversity and Robbins Island's a haven of biodiversity.
00:33But a renewable energy advocate wants to see it built as soon as possible.
00:38It's a great project for Tasmania, provides on-island energy,
00:41but also provides energy, it will provide energy to go into the Mariner Sting project
00:46and help decarbonise the nation.
00:48The deferral comes in the wake of a recent study into an endangered bird species.
00:53A spokesperson for the Federal Environment Department said
00:56Additional time is needed to ensure all relevant information for this complex decision is thoroughly considered,
01:03in particular new scientific analysis about the migration of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.
01:09ACEN Australia, the company behind the wind farm,
01:12remains optimistic it will be green-lit despite the delay.
01:16Managing Director David Pollington called it
01:18a transformative opportunity for Tasmania's renewable energy future.
01:23With a federal election looming and further possible legal challenges,
01:27the project's future is anything but certain.
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