Politics excised from wind farm motion

The Mirror (Foster), Page: 3 Wednesday,
9 August 2006

COMPROMISE was finally reached in a lengthy and at times passionate debate on wind farms at last Wednesday's meeting of South Gippsland Shire Council at Port Welshpool. Cr David Lewis had proposed the motion: That Council writes to the Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage in support of the submission on the proposed national code for wind farms made by the Prom Coast Guardians, dated 26 May 2006, and requests the Minister ensure that wind farms are not constructed without the approval of the local council involved. 'Affronted by what she saw as "an outrageous attempt to bulldoze a sectional interest through Council", Leongatha resident Wilma Western rose to her feet in the public gallery during submissions and expressed her outrage that Council should consider supporting the submission of a lobby group whose views were contrary, she said, to those of many ratepayers. "Please listen to all points of view," she pleaded.

When it came time to debate the motion, Cr Bob Newton was first to stand up, stating that he should not vote as he owned a property at Korumburra which had been identified as having potential as a wind farm site. Cr Heather Bligh suggested that Cr Lewis's motion be split and the two points - Council writing to the Minister in support of Prom Coast Guardians' submission and Council requesting the Minister ensure that wind farms are not constructed without the approval of local councils - be voted on separately. Cr Lewis made the point that neither Council nor Prom Coast Guardians were against wind energy facilities per se, but that they saw difficulties in finding appropriate locations. He said that the State Government in its planning guidelines had removed the rights of communities to have a say in the location of wind farms, although it had been recognised that they produced significant noise, many people found turbines unsightly and they had a detrimental effect on land values.

Cr Lewis said that in contrast to the State, the Federal Government had proposed a national code which would bring local councils and the communities they represented back into the equation regarding wind farms. He was supported by Cr Kieran Kennedy, who added that it would be helpful to have a national code on a variety of issues for the sake of clarity and to make the job of councillors easier. Cr Clyde Paterson said he agreed with many of the points raised so far, but he was not in favour of endorsing a view which came from a pressure group -Prom Coast Guardians. He claimed that Council was gaining a reputation of being against wind farms, when this was not the case, and he lamented the time spent on discussing wind farms when there were "many more important issues Council should be dealing with."

Cr Paterson did, however, praise the quality of Prom Coast Guardian's submission, but he said that a poll should be taken of all ratepayers in the shire before one particular view was pushed by Council. He asked councillors not to support Cr Lewis's motion. At this point Cr Diane Casbolt said that as a member of Prom Coast Guardians she had a declared interest and should not be voting on the motion, but she added that she believed there was a need for a national code on wind farms. Cr Bligh spoke next, saying that in contrast to Cr Paterson she felt that Council had not spent enough time on wind farms.

"Much as I support a national code, I can't support this motion unless it is debated by the community. That is why I am calling for the motion to be split. 1 can't support the first part," she said. Cr Bob Newton was reminded to keep to the point when he said that he agreed that "we've wasted enough time on this issue" and that the water issue was the most alarming one around. He went on to say that he did not believe that there was one property which had decreased in value because of wind turbines. He added that Senator Campbell had egg on his face for halting the Bald Hills Wind Farm because of the Orange-bellied Parrot - because there was no parrot.

Cr Kennedy and Toora resident Steve Garito had rejoinders for Cr Newton later, when it came time for 'Urgent or Other Business. 'Cr Kennedy claimed that he had had an Orange-bellied Parrot in his front yard. "How do we go about getting a rate reduction?" asked Steve Garito, stating that the value of his property had dropped considerably since the Toora wind energy facility had been built nearby, whilst there had been a general increase in property values of around 25 per cent across the shire. "Wind energy facilities do devalue the land and this is a cost councils will have to bear in the future," he said, a view which was supported by the mayor, who promised to take his question on notice.

Concerned, he said, that three councillors would not be voting on his motion (Cr Jennie Deane was absent on leave), Cr Lewis recommended altering it to read That Council writes to the Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage in support of a national code for wind farms and requests the Minister ensure that wind farms are not constructed without the approval of the local council involved. 'The mayor, Cr Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks, took the opportunity to speak at this point, prefacing his remarks with the understatement "Wind farms are a fairly emotional issue."

The mayor said he had a background as a planner in favour of sustainable development and he was disappointed that not nearly enough was being done to promote either solar energy or water saving measures. He objected, he said, to wind farms being thrust on communities who did not want them and he said as someone who had expertise in planning issues relating to airports he could understand the objections people had to the noise from wind turbines. "No-one in government is taking things seriously enough. The community gets nothing from wind farms," he said [at which point Cr Newton remarked that history had shown the Toora community had benefited quite considerably from its wind farm].

Cr Hutchinson-Brooks said that it was unfair that wind energy facilities were an industry but councils could only charge rural rates for them. He stressed that he was not opposed to wind farms but was against them at inappropriate sites, such as Dollar. What he particularly objected to was that the view of local councils on wind farms had been wiped out [by the State]. "It's the biggest issue facing this generation," said Cr Lewis, defending the time spent on the wind farm debate.

"If the government had its way the whole of South Gippsland would be covered with wind turbines. "He said that the government saw green votes in wind farms and the multinationals welcomed the subsidies. "Don't make the people of South Gippsland pay for it!" he urged. He said that his motion was designed to give power back to Council.

The amended motion was passed unanimously, Cr Casbolt having withdrawn her declaration of interest once the Prom Coast Guardians were dropped from the motion. Wilma Western saw the amendment as a victory of sorts, commenting later that it might not have happened without her submission. She said there had been a lot of intimidation surrounding the wind farm debate in the community and she "was concerned that there had been some blatantly political views aired" at the Council meeting. Secretary of Prom Coast Guardians, Peter Wingett, was also at Wednesday's meeting. He said he would have preferred the original motion getting up, but he was happy with the motion that Council had passed supporting a national code on wind farms.