Issue raises ire for different reasons

The Star
Tuesday 15/8/2006, Page: 7

NATIONALS leader Peter Ryan, has spoken out in state parliament against wind farms.

Addressing his opposition to the government's Victorian Renewable Energy Bill, Mr Ryan said the wind energy industry was of "doubtful benefit" to Victoria. Mr Ryan is the Member for Gippsland South.

"The thing that really annoys me about this is that the government is absolutely consumed by these things (turbines) for sheer and utter political expediency," Mr Ryan thundered.

He's not the only one who has been angry about the subject of wind farms in recent days. At the last South Gippsland Shire Council meeting, Leongatha resident Wilma Western, was so cross, she said she was shaking.

What raised her ire was the council's apparent willingness to adopt what Mrs Western described as "the political platform of one section of the community". At issue was a council motion to support a submission to the Federal environment Minister by Prom Coast Guardians, calling for a national code for wind farms.

Speaking during public question time at the start of the meeting. Mrs Western made the following points:

• How does council justify adopting the political platform of one section of the community without giving all members of the community a chance to make submissions?
• The guardians groups have conducted a bitter and high-profile campaign against wind farm proposals and anyone who supports them, not only in South Gippsland but also in the western and central districts;
• The guardians are a self appointed group and there is no evidence that they represent the majority view. Many people believe that wind farms properly sited in South Gippsland, would be a good thing but because of the bitterness of the local campaign, have kept a low profile;
• How well informed are councillors about wind farms and their contribution to renewable non-polluting energy generation?
  
• Have all councillors read information from both sides of the debate?
• Has council ever invited wind farm proponents to put their case to the council?
• How much time have councillors spent studying the views of experts on renewable energy generation and climate change?
• Finally, how can council claim that it respects and welcomes community consultation when the only notice the community was given of this outrageous attempt to bulldoze a sectional political agenda into council policy was "two lines last night" in one of the local papers;
• The people of Foster and Welshpool areas got no notice at all as their paper "only comes out today".

Mrs Western's questions were not answered, but she was told by the mayor Cr Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks. that the council agenda was available well ahead of its meetings.

After lengthy debate which was reported in last week's Star, councillors voted to call for the national code, but not to support the Prom Coast Guardians' submission.

In his parliamentary speech, Peter Ryan said there was "no economic modelling to support the assertions that the government makes". "It makes outrageous claims as to the benefits on a number of fronts. There will inevitably be costs to consumers," Mr Ryan said. He said wind turbines could only operate at about 30 per cent efficiency which was in stark contrast to other rural industries.

"What is an affront in country communities is that these communities are constantly being asked to be efficient, to be more productive, to be world's best practice and to be able to operate without any subsidies:' Mr Ryan said.

He also highlighted the social issues of significant concern in regional areas where the construction of turbines has divided residents. "The greatest cost is one that the government would have no knowledge of or regard for at all and it is this: the cost to the community," Mr Ryan said.

"In an age when country Victoria in particular needs its communities working as one towards common goals, these things are calculated to achieve precisely and exactly the opposite. "That is the tragedy of it."