Too Close, Too Risky: Willcox Calls Out Abestos-Tainted Turbine Industry

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, says the Whitsundays is now facing an unprecedented double threat: a proposed wind farm pushed into the heart of rural communities, and growing fears about asbestos contamination that are eroding public trust in government safeguards and environmental protections.

Mr Willcox said residents in Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek are already living with enormous stress as the Mt Challenger Wind Farm proposal aims to push industrial-scale infrastructure far too close to their homes and farms. Turbines planned less than two kilometres from family bedrooms, backyards and children’s play areas would bring constant noise, shadow flicker, and heavy-vehicle movements on narrow rural roads never designed for hundreds of oversized loads.

“These are small, tight-knit communities that have cared for their land for generations,” Mr Willcox said.

“They’re not anti-renewables. They’re not activists. They simply expect the same basic protections and planning standards that people in the cities take for granted. Instead, they’re being treated like collateral damage.”

Mr Willcox said the timing of the project also raises serious concerns, given the heightened anxiety across Queensland about asbestos contamination and the government’s failure to control hazardous materials entering supply chains.

“Recent discoveries of asbestos in wind turbine lift brake pads at multiple Australian wind farms, including Clarke Creek in Central Queensland, show that banned hazardous materials are still making their way into critical infrastructure,” he said.

“When people are already questioning whether the government can keep them safe from asbestos turning up in everyday products, it’s no wonder they have zero confidence in a project of this scale being dumped on their doorstep,” he said.

“If the government can’t guarantee safety in what it allows to be imported, how can families trust the safety, quality and environmental impact of hundreds of imported turbine components and thousands of tonnes of materials being brought into the Whitsundays?”

Residents have also raised fears for local wildlife, health risks and the cultural and environmental values of Mt Challenger and the surrounding district; concerns they say have been brushed aside in the push to rush development for political climate target agendas rather than community needs.

Mr Willcox said he will continue to stand with residents every step of the way, ensuring their voices are taken to Canberra, and their concerns are impossible to ignore.

“There is nothing safe, fair or responsible about placing this project in the middle of a rural community,” he said.

“The location is wrong. The risks are real. The majority of the community is united. And I will not allow these families to be steamrolled.”

He said regional Australians deserve transparency, proper assessment, real consultation and genuine respect; not to be forced to carry the burden of poor planning and political convenience.

“People in Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek are telling me clearly: they feel unheard, they feel unprotected, and they feel abandoned,” Mr Willcox said.

“I’m not letting that stand.”

ENDS

Caption: Standing at the peaceful Lake Proserpine, Andrew Willcox says this is exactly what’s at stake in the Whitsundays; the serenity locals cherish being disrupted by a wind farm proposal placed far too close to homes, farms and families.

Contact: Amanda Wright | Media & Communications Adviser
P | 07 4944 0662   M | 0455 456 705   E | Amanda.Wright@aph.gov.au