A contingent of Illawarra residents opposed to plans for an offshore wind farm have travelled to Canberra for a national anti-renewables rally.
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However a spokesperson for the Illawarra group has said they are not opposed to other forms of renewable energy.
The rally, organised by the National Rational Energy Network which had been established to support regional communities affected by renewable energy infrastructure, including wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and high voltage transmission lines.
Organisers said their aim was to have the Australian government suspend all these forms of renewable energy transmission, which they characterised as "unreliable, unaffordable and environmentally destructive", and conduct an "urgent" Senate inquiry.
Amanda de Lore, from the Illawarra's Coalition Against Offshore Wind, was one of the community group guest speakers on a roster that included more than a dozen Liberal and National Party parliamentarians, as well as representatives from Pauline Hanson's One Nation and Clive Palmer's United Australia Party.
Also on the speakers list were Peter Ridd and Daniel Wilde, representatives of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), a Melbourne-based conservative think tank funded by mining magnate Gina Rinehart that has published climate science deniers and supported the speaking tours of climate science deniers.
Another speaker is Alan Moran. Previously an employee at the IPA, Mr Moran is now a policy expert at The Heartland Institute, a US-based, Exxon Mobil and Koch Industries funded think tank.
The Heartland Institute is known for promoting scepticism of climate science and human-induced climate change.
Questions directed to the Coalition Against Offshore Wind were referred to a spokesperson for the Illawarra chapter of Responsible Future, a group formed in January 2024 out of opponents of offshore wind farms in the Illawarra.
A letter signed by president Jenny Cullen states that Responsible Future stands apart from the intentions and speakers of the Reckless Renewables Rally.
"We stand firm against the industrialisation of our coast through offshore wind projects. While we support renewable energy, we advocate for solutions that do not compromise one ecosystem for the sake of another."
In a separate Facebook post, Ms Cullen described the rationale for attending the rally.
"This is a grassroots movement, untainted by external interests, focused solely on the welfare of our communities and the integrity of our natural landscapes," the post reads.
"Our attendance isn't an endorsement of all views expressed, nor a nod to media negativity or pro-industrial misinformation and disinformation agendas."
