Benchmarking public support for offshore wind in Bunbury

This blog highlights some preliminary findings from a Bunbury area resident sample of respondents to a national survey on offshore wind farms in Australia. These responses are intended to capture baseline community sentiments, with no detailed information about projects or expected impacts provided at this stage of the survey.

Within the Bunbury region, 145 respondents were sampled, as a complementary sample to our national survey of over 3,000 respondents [Factsheet here].

Support for Offshore Wind

Seventy-two percent of Bunbury respondents indicated some level of support for offshore wind development in Australia, with 21% strongly supporting it. Opposition to offshore wind was minimal, with 12% of respondents expressing any level of opposition, and 4% strongly opposed. 16% of Bunbury respondents had no opinion either way.

Economic Benefits

Bunbury respondents held expectations about the positive economic benefits of offshore wind farms. More than three quarters of the participants (78%) believe that offshore wind would boost regional economic development and create jobs. Similarly, 74% see offshore wind as a positive for Australia's overall economic growth. These findings suggest that for many Bunbury residents, the potential for economic gains could be reason for supporting offshore wind energy.

Over 90% of respondents thought that offshore wind would have a neutral or positive impact on the reliability of household electricity.

Concerns Highlighted

Bunbury residents were most concerned about impacts on visual amenity (64% concerned), impacts on coastal property values (63% concerned), and impacts on the local fishing industry (52% concerned) and recreational boating and fishing (47% concerned).

While the survey revealed strong economic optimism, it also showed environmental concerns. Between 55% - 61% of respondents felt that birds, marine mammals, and the marine environmental in general could be negatively affected (a small or large amount) from building offshore wind farms in Australia. These environmental considerations highlight the need for careful planning and impact assessments as offshore wind projects progress in Australia.

Considerations about the sample

The Bunbury sample was collected, using an online panel in December 2023 and January 2024, along with the national survey. Bunbury residents were sampled from the area in the region shown in the map below. The responses from the Bunbury region are not fully representative of the regional population. Male representation in the sample is lower than in the general population, with 38% in the survey compared to 49% in the region. Additionally, our respondents tend to be more highly educated, with 28% having university degrees, compared to the regional average of between 12-19%. However, the sample does reflect similar income levels to the region, with the median income aligning with broader population data.

Conclusions

Despite limitations in the representativeness of the sample, the data provides valuable insights into the public's views on offshore wind development in Bunbury. The strong support, driven by optimism about economic benefits, combined with environmental concerns, suggests that future discussions about offshore wind in the region will need to carefully balance both economic opportunities and environmental safeguards.

The alignment between the Bunbury sample and our nationally representative survey (summarised in our Factsheet) suggests that support for offshore wind energy is widespread across both local and national populations. While economic benefits are a key driver of support (along with climate perceptions as we highlighted in our national survey) concerns about environmental impacts, particularly on marine mammals, remain significant. This suggests that there is a broad consensus in favour of offshore wind development in principle, provided that regional economic opportunities are realised, and environmental concerns are properly addressed through careful planning and mitigation strategies.

Figure showing the approximate area where where data was collected from (Map created using OpenStreetMap)