- Crisafulli Government to repeal Labor's failed Forest Wind Farm Development Act 2020 ending years of community uncertainty.
- Permanent local community and landholder certainty delivered for Wide Bay region.
- Today's decision comes just months after the Crisafulli Government introduced nation-leading laws to provide local community and industry certainty for Queensland renewable energy projects.
- Queenslanders have now seen 10 months of delivering for regional communities under the Crisafulli Government, after 10 years of decline under Labor.
The Crisafulli Government has today announced it will repeal the Forest Wind Farm Development Act 2020 (the Act) after wide-spread concerns were raised by the local community and years old approvals weren't acted on.
The proposal sought to embed up to 226 wind turbines with heights of around 160 meters in Queensland State forests between Gympie, Maryborough and the Fraser Coast.
The project was originally proposed in 2016 under the former Labor Government's failed market led proposal program and renewables planning framework, with no requirements for mandatory community consultation or third party appeal rights.
Following the project's loss of landholder support and the project's venture partner withdrawal in August 2024, the Forest Wind Farm project has failed to meet the minimum project requirements agreed to by the former Labor Government to allow it to go ahead.
With no realistic project pathway, the Crisafulli Government is ending years of uncertainty for the local community by repealing the special purpose legislation introduced by Labor designed to steamroll the local community in their reckless rush to renewables.
The Crisafulli Government is re-setting the planning partnership with Councils and communities through an improved transparency, accountability and community-focussed development assessment processes.
This decision comes after the Crisafulli Government introduced nation-leading laws delivering on its election commitment to empower our regional communities on renewable energy projects.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie said that repealing the Act would remove ongoing uncertainty for local communities over the proposed large-scale renewable energy development.
"This Act is another example of Labor promising to deliver projects that never eventuate, while creating fear and anxiety in local communities – emblematic of their 10 years in government," Deputy Premier Bleijie said.
"The Crisafulli Government has introduced nation-leading laws to give local communities a say on major developments in their own backyards.
"A new planning pathway for regulating wind farms which commenced in February 2025 was the first step to requiring all wind farm proposals be impact assessable and subject to the same rigorous approval process as other major development projects.
"Our further social impact and community benefit reforms, which commenced last month, ensure that local communities are never shut out from approval processes again."
Minister for Primary Industries and Member for Gympie Tony Perrett said his community would not be mourning the death of this Act.
"The former Labor government had this project in the works for years before the community got wind of it.
"Repealing this Act is further evidence this government is serious about genuine consultation when it comes to renewable projects.
"These forests are important for the Gympie region both for the economic and employment benefits but also for the character of the Gympie electorate."
Member for Maryborough John Barounis said this announcement was welcome news for local residents of the Fraser Coast and Wide Bay.
"I'm proud to be part of a Government that is listening and acting on the concerns of local residents," Mr Barounis said.
"Under the former Labor Government, Maryborough was taken for granted and residents were ignored when it came to significant energy projects in our backyard."
