Illawarra residents outraged about a proposed wind farm off the coast are hoping over 1000 like-minded locals join them on Sunday, October 29.
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Yet three days out from the rally on Flagstaff Hill, organisers could not say who would address the hoped-for throng.
Grant Drinkwater, spokesperson for the Coalition Against Offshore Wind (COAW) group, said the group had a list of potential speakers, but was unable to confirm who would be speaking on the day.
Mr Drinkwater said the organisation did not know how many people would show up but would be happy if numbers reached 1000.
"That would be fantastic for us, that's a win," he said.
Mr Drinkwater said the group had handed out 25,000 flyers promoting the rally but said organising an in-person gathering in the digital age was a difficult task.
"We've been doing our absolute best to get the crowds down there, but who knows these days, how do you communicate with people?"
In addition to the rally, organisers are putting together a paddle-out, to occur at 1pm.
A police spokesperson said they were aware of the planned rally and had additional resources rostered on.
As work is underway on the rally, members of COAW met with shadow minister for Climate Change and Energy and Sunshine Coast Liberal National MP Ted O'Brien on Wednesday, October 25.
Mr O'Brien has been speaking with opponents of the offshore wind farm zone in the Hunter, standing alongside opposition leader Peter Dutton on Tuesday and telling reporters in Nelson Bay that Labor was "steamrolling over local communities".
Mr O'Brien said Mr Bowen should rescind the declaration and re-open public consultation in the Hunter.
When visiting the Illawarra, Mr O'Brien said he heard locals concerns.
"Residents I've spoken with are deeply concerned about the potential impact this could have on the environment, economy and the local way of life and their simple request of government for more information is falling on deaf ears," Mr O'Brien said.
Mr O'Brien is a noted supporter of nuclear energy, but when asked about whether this technology would be better suited than offshore wind to supply electricity to homes in the Illawarra and the Port Kembla steelworks, Mr O'Brien only said the Coalition had an "all of the above" approach.
"The Coalition has adopted an 'All-of-the-Above' approach to energy which embraces a balanced mix of technologies to decarbonise the grid while keeping prices down and the lights on for households and businesses," he said.
"The issue here is not a community against a particular technology but rather a community wanting more information and a proper engagement process," he said.
Consultation on the proposed Illawarra zone is open until November 15.
Despite the alignment between the federal Coalition and the groups in opposition to the wind farm zone, Mr Drinkwater said the campaign had tried to stay out of politics, but that it had caught up to it.
"Party politics is heavily involved in this whole thing," he said.
Mr O'Brien will not be attending the rally, however Mr Drinkwater said he expected a few other politicians to show up and even extended an invitation to Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes.
"If they want to listen to the community or talk to the community, that's totally up to them."
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