Wind farms a stormy issue in the shire

Sunday Canberra Times
Sunday 21/9/2008 Page: 29

A TURBULENT issue is buffeting the Upper Lachlan Shire. It's dividing once tight communities and setting neighbour against neighbour. When it comes to the stormy subject of wind farms, Shire residents aren't content to blithely shoot the breeze. Last Saturday's election gave the local council the opportunity to definitively canvass public opinion. A poll asked whether voters supported "the continuing development and construction of wind farm turbines in the Upper Lachlan Council area".

An overwhelming majority of the Shire's 5468 voters - 70 per cent - said yes. Every polling place came out in favour of turbines, which surprised Mayor John Shaw. The anti-wind farm lobby had mounted a strong and vocal campaign. Asked if it was just another case of Not In My Back Yard, Mr Shaw begged to differ.

"People aren't against the introduction of wind farms because they know we have to do something about not expanding out coal use ... We're quite happy to share the burden if the rest of NSW does," he said. "My argument is you try to put them on North Head or South Head in Sydney, and you can imagine the outcry. Maybe Newcastle and Sydney are the NIMBY areas of our state." The Upper Lachlan Shire already has one small wind farm at Cullerin, near Gunning. Four more have been approved and another is being assessed by the NSW Department of Planning.

The anti-wind farm folks say the turbines intrude on otherwise serene vistas, that the blades can kill hapless birds, that they don't generate employment and that they may bring down the value of adjacent properties. Supporters of wind farms cite the considerable ethical and practical benefits of sustainable energy and the income landowners can generate for every turbine they host. The anti-turbine lobby insists the poll result will not take the wind out of their sails.