Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to further update the House with respect to wind turbine development in the Hume electorate. The New South Wales Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the Hon. Brad Hazzard, recently announced the timetable for the much anticipated planning system review arranged to document community concerns related to the state planning process. I am here to announce this review is a gigantic fraud on my constituents. On the face of it, this initiative appeared to be a positive step towards meeting the commitment made by the O'Farrell government to consult communities before making changes to the planning process. Currently, the balance of the approvals process is tipped too greatly in favour of the wind energy developers at the expense of local communities and local shire councils.

A classic illustration of this imbalance is the sidelining of local government from the approvals process. This year I met with the mayors of the Yass, Boorowa and the Upper Lachlan shire councils to discuss the impacts of wind turbine developments on local governments. All three shires expressed their indignation at having industrial wind turbine developments classed as A1 agricultural land, consequently attracting only agricultural production rates instead of industrial rates, despite the industrial nature of turbine energy production. This is an appalling manipulation of the planning laws to favour wind developers and short-change local communities.

In fighting to restore property rights of individual landholders and communities against the many cowboys in the wind turbine development industry, I have no fear exposing this planning system review for what it is—a politically biased exercise not aimed at fixing the fundamental problems in the planning system but instead a soothsaying talkfest aimed at silencing community dissent over wind turbine development.

I take issue with the appointment of the Hon. Tim Moore, a former Greiner government minister and commissioner of the Land and Environment Court. It is his period of service in the latter of these roles that causes disquiet among community stakeholders in favour of greater regulation of wind turbine developments. This is a commissioner who thought the impact of wind turbines was more important to a small country airport at Crookwell than it was to the property rights and health of 13 families dramatically affected by the same group of turbines. Interestingly, if that development had been refused to protect both the Crookwell airport and the 13 families, it would have reduced the project from 84 to approximately 12 turbines, making it financially unviable. Disturbingly, at the hearing one of the two commissioners made the point that the 13 families were 'collateral damage' in the drive towards achieving the 'greater good' of a clean energy future.

After 16 years of incompetency under a Labor government, the local communities are wary of processes that do not have the appearance of complete impartiality. For the public to accept the new planning review process, there needs to be an appearance of objectivity and impartiality, which is important to the credibility of the review. I have publicly called on the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure to ensure that no politically deceptive exercise drives this review, considering the serious issues involving wind turbine construction and the pathetic planning laws that were put in place by the previous Labor government. He was warned. Sadly, it would appear he has not only ignored the warning but also embraced the deception. Outrageously, the New South Wales government has scheduled the planning system review in Goulburn within 90 kilometres of where nearly 700 turbines are planned for construction. From 3 pm to 5 pm on Tuesday, 1 November, the time and day of the Melbourne Cup, who on earth will be at the Goulburn Soldiers Club talking about planning laws when the race that stops the nation is running?

They say, 'Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.' Having been so intimately involved with this issue and having seen firsthand the deplorable tactics used by bureaucrats in the New South Wales planning and environment departments, I am loath to adhere to this idiom. Again, local communities are being dudded.

Finally, the Clean Energy Council, developers and government departments claim that thousands of jobs are created in rural communities by wind turbine developments. Claims such as these are a classic example of the deceitful way in which developers and pro-wind lobbyists, private and government, operate. The majority of these thousands of jobs are temporary at best, lasting only for the construction phase of the projects with only a handful of jobs being established post construction. The lies and deception must cease. Landholders and local landholders within the electorate of Hume expect this new O'Farrell-Stoner government and its responsible minister to fix the problem of abuse of property rights and not succumb to the political manipulation of unsympathetic bureaucrats in government departments. (Time expired)