The battlefields advocate hailed this week’s decision by French company Engie Green to abandon plans to build a wind farm over the former World War 1 battlefields of Bullecourt.

“I consider that we have won the battle against the wind farm,” Mrs Cameron said. “But the war will not be won until Bullecourt has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

“I am very pleased with the result and I want to thank everyone who got behind me.”

Speaking from France where she has spent the last 10 days touring the battlefields with local villagers campaigning against the project, Mrs Cameron said she was concerned the site could face a similar threat from future development. Australia suffered 10,000 casualties in the two Bullecourt battles of April and May of 1917 with an estimated 2,300 Australian bodies still lying unrecovered.

Veteran’s Affairs Minister and Wannon MP Dan Tehan has said while permanent protection for the battlefields was a matter for the French Government, he would be keen to add his support to any co-operative efforts to achieve future protection.

French journalist and battlefields activist Gilles Durand, whose parents Claude and Colette Durand have long driven the local campaign to perpetuate the memories of World War 1 Aussie Diggers who helped liberate France, said he and has mother were happy with the decision.

“The work of remembrance from my late father won’t be destroyed by this project,” he said. Mr Durand’s father, who died last year, received an OAM for services to further relations between Australia and France.

“Now I hope the Australian Government will try to protect the battlefield for a long time,” he said.

Mr Durand maintained the Australian Embassy had been aware of the wind farm proposal for three years but had failed to act until the recent public backlash.