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If travelling to the back blocks to hug a busted 50m wind turbine blade’s your thing, has the NSW government got the holiday for you!!

With the streets of the normally bustling metropolis of Sydney bereft of life (thanks to the Coronavirus lockdown), the NSW government has decided that bringing the tourist trade back to life should start with a grand tour of Glenn Innes, a sleepy hamlet in the New England Ranges.

But, according to the wind power cult that masquerades as NSW’s Liberal government, it won’t be historic buildings and country charm that brings them in, the big draw card is a wind turbine blade that was busted up during the construction process; a toxic lump of fibreglass and composite plastics, which has no use or value.

At a time when small businesses, particularly hotels and restaurants are being pounded by the government’s COVID-19 lock-down measures and looking for a little financial support, you’d think that the government might throw a little taxpayer’s cash at helping them keep the wolf from the door. But no. The NSW government is determined to squander taxpayer’s cash on setting up a monument to greed and stupidity.

Mark Latham reveals government to spend thousands on ‘joke’ tourist project

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Alan Jones and Mark Latham

18 March 2020

One Nation leader Mark Latham has spoken out against the NSW government spending thousands on a renewable energy tourist attraction.

Mr Latham tells Alan Jones the NSW Government has granted $90,000 to Glen Innes Council to build a viewing platform for people to look at a large broken windmill blade.

The White Rock Wind Farm had offered the blade to the council in 2018 after it was damaged during construction.

The tourist attraction is considered a monument to the council’s commitment to renewable energy.

Mark Latham says the money could be better spent on the health system.

“This is supposed to be a monument to their commitment to renewable energy, what it is a monument to absolute government waste and mismanagement!

“To spend $90,000 is just beyond belief!”

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Transcript

Alan Jones: Thank God for you. I say this to you every week. Mark has written to me to advise me that, and in this way advise you, and this must be April 1 today, that the New South Wales government, get this, have granted $90,000.00 to the Glen Innes council, $90,000.00, To build a viewing platform for people to look at a large broken windmill blade as a tourist attraction, and a monument to the council’s “commitment to renewable energy.” Mark, is this a joke, or are you serious?

Mark Latham: No, we’re getting close to the 1st of April, but not quite there. This is serious. It’s hard to believe we’re going to have reports of, hospitals can’t cope. We haven’t got enough health funding.

State government giving $90,000.00 to a council for a joke project. Thinking people are going to stop their car and tell the kids to come over and look at a broken, disused windmill blade, and this is supposed to be for Glen Innes Council, a monument to their commitment to renewable energy.

What it is, is a monument to absolute government waste and mismanagement. To spend $90,000.00 on this is just beyond belief, isn’t it?

Alan Jones: Absolutely. However, it’s consistent with another speech made by this fellow, Matt Kean, another speech, the first instalment of his zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Spend an extra $2 billion in further subsidies for renewables, construct electric vehicle charging stations around New South Wales at taxpayer’s expense.

So you rightly say, so, on the one hand we’d prioritise coal-fired power, and socialise the cost of renewables?

Mark Latham: Yeah. Why are they doing that? Why did the Coalition government sell the assets for coal-fired power, to then effectively pay for the growth of renewables? Why privatise one form of energy and socialise the other?

You can only put this down to the influence of lobbyists and the rent seekers for renewables and their influence, their supreme influence, let’s face it, inside the left-wing faction of the Liberal party. They’re running the joint, and the taxpayers are paying for it. The policy doesn’t make sense. Matt Kean announced this, beating his chest, announced 2,400 jobs out of this. Well, so what? So what?

Alan Jones: It would be 75,000 lost in the Hunter Valley.

Mark Latham: It was 75,000 job in the Hunter Valley, relying on coal income, and they’re all at risk. And the best thing he can do is say, “Oh, it’s a potential replacement of two-and-a-half thousand jobs.” Well there’s still 73,000 jobs short.

Alan Jones: Hang on, hang on. You asked Matthew Kean on the notice paper, what economic modelling he’s relying on for this net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. He said, “The Department of Planning Industry and Environment has used modelling by the Commonwealth government.”

You have said, the only Commonwealth government modelling available is the 2019 CSIRO Australian national outlook technical report, and it uses the assumption of $200.00-a-tonne carbon price to get to these emissions. And yet Tony Abbott, Liberal Prime Minister, actually was the man who abolished the carbon tax, and here presumably, Matthew Kean thinks he’ll fund renewables by introducing a carbon tax.

Mark Latham: Well, do the other Cabinet ministers know of this?

Alan Jones: I don’t know.

Mark Latham: The people inside the government, are they aware, that the modelling that’s being used for the net-zero 2050 policy comes out of Canberra, and it points to a $200-a-tonne carbon price, which is eight times worse than Gillard. Eight times worse than Gillard.

Alan Jones: It’s unbelievable, this.

Mark Latham: No wonder John Barilaro is saying that this policy, if ever truly implemented, would destroy mining and agriculture in New South Wales. It’s eight times worse than the Gillard policy that Tony Abbott had to fight tooth and nail to get rid of.

Alan Jones: It’s astonishing. Is it ignorance? Is it irresponsibility? See, this stuff’s all written by the bureaucracy. They’re laughing at the Minister, and they’re laughing at us.

Mark Latham: Well, they’re getting things through the Minister and the Cabinet, that no normal, intelligent, sensible person would give five seconds’ attention to. You’d just throw this away, wouldn’t you?

Alan Jones: You would.

Mark Latham: The idea that a Federal Liberal Prime Minister can fight tooth-and-nail to get rid of the $25.00-a-tonne-

Alan Jones: Keep quiet, Latham. Latham, you’re too smart, but thank God. Thank God you’re there. Listen, we’ve got to go to the news. We say that every week. Lovely to talk to you. Catch up again soon.

Mark Latham: Good on you, Alan. Stay safe.

Alan Jones: Mark Latham.

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