John Madigan (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I present the interim report of the Select Committee on Wind Turbines, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the reports be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

It is my pleasure, as chair of the Select Committee on Wind Turbines to present to the Senate our interim report. To date, we have received 464 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders. These have come from wind farm opponents and proponents, environmental and community groups and those in the private sector. Submissions have come from individuals who host turbines and those who have fled their homes to escape them. The committee has received written and verbal evidence from state governments, local councils, various federal government agencies, wind farm operators and manufacturers, country fire authorities, acousticians, medical authorities and representatives from various associations and institutions. In addition, many private citizens have had the opportunity to voice their opinions with the planning, consultation, approval, development and operation of wind farms in Australia. We have conducted public hearings in Portland in south-west Victoria, in Cairns, in Canberra, in Melbourne and in Adelaide, and further public hearings are planned for Canberra and Sydney.

I have been following the wind farm issue for nine years now, and that includes the five years before I was elected to this place. I have toured wind farm facilities, I have visited countless numbers of wind farm homes. I have hosted public meetings. I have met with wind farm developers and operators. I have engaged with both pro-wind-farm and anti-wind-farm groups. Am I obsessed with this issue? Some accuse me of this, but I would deny that.

My interest began and continues for one simple reason, and that is people. We stand on the edge of a new energy future for Australia. Today, and over recent months, many of us have been involved in detailed discussions on the renewable energy target. The RET essentially favours wind, but there are a host of other eligible renewable energy technologies that we should also be supporting. Both manufacturing and jobs in the emerging clean energy sector are intimately intertwined with this. Our future as a country rests in a strong manufacturing sector. Our jobs, and the jobs of our children and our grandchildren, depend on this. Jobs are the DNA for social, environmental and economic stability and growth. Effective, efficient, secure and safe power generation is integral to this.

The welfare of our people, particularly those who are most vulnerable, depends on an efficient supply of low-cost, readily available and secure energy. As I said yesterday in this place, in my home state of Victoria 34,000 homes were disconnected from the electricity grid because they can longer afford to pay their power bills. Rocketing power bills are of deep concern, and the link between this trend and wind farms is both serious and significant. As debate continues in this place on the renewable energy target we, as parliamentarians, must put to rest the continuing controversy around wind farms. We must answer the questions that continue to linger and we must address the rising tide of anger and concern.

This issue is a complex one. It involves a diverse range of disciplines. Some of these are: acoustics; the engineering complexity of power generation and supply; legislative parameters governing such areas as planning and local government; the operation of bodies such as the Clean Energy Regulator and the National Health and Medical Research Council; the effectiveness of monitoring the compliance of wind farms; the impact on flora and aerial operations in their vicinity; firefighting; and crop management.

But in the middle of all this data and complexity there is one simple element, and that is people. On one side of this debate we have some of Australia's largest companies and some very large multinationals operating wind farms. On the other hand, we have people. We have forceful and exceptionally well-funded environmental lobby groups with sophisticated digital media and campaigning skills, and on the other side we have people. Many of the people most impacted by wind farms live in isolated areas and often in rather humble circumstances. They are not experienced or sophisticated in the ways of lobbying or campaigning and they lack deep pockets and the ability to fight strong forces.

I do not believe people like this simply move out of their homes for no reason. For almost a decade now I have been hearing stories about the negative impact of wind turbines on nearby residents. I have heard stories about people driven to ill health, and to the brink of suicide, by industrial wind power generation plants erected near their homes. I have heard stories about how wind farm developers operate without integrity and how they divide communities and bend the rules in pursuit of profits. I have heard stories about compliant state government planning departments bowing to wind farm company pressure, and local councils are ill equipped to deal with the tsunami of issues that always follows. I have seen an ongoing campaign of 'blame the victim', with those who make claims about adverse health impacts being vilified and smeared.

This issue is not going away. Despite the shrill denials from wind farm companies and environmental groups, Australians are suffering in their homes. In short, all these issues must be addressed. I am sure the wind industry would welcome this as a way of clearing the runway, if you like. I am sure the environmental lobby groups and Greens, with their expressed concern for the welfare of people, would welcome this.

As such, our interim report contained seven key recommendations. We would like to see the creation of an independent expert scientific committee on industrial sound, as well as the creation of a national environment protection and low-frequency noise measure. This measure would be integral to the ongoing accreditation of all wind turbine facilities. We urgently need new wind farm national guidelines so each Australian state and territory has a clear road map for future development. We recommend that the eligibility of renewable energy certificates, a source of huge profit for wind farm operators and one of the drivers behind the spike in power prices, be linked to compliance with the aforementioned guidelines. We would like to see the establishment of a national wind farm ombudsman to handle wind farm complaints. We propose a levy on operators who receive RECs, to fund the costs of the independent expert scientific committee on wind turbines. Lastly, the industry need more transparency. The old excuse of commercial-in-confidence does not cut it. Data such as wind speed and basic operation statistics, including operating hours and noise monitoring, should be made freely available under conditions monitored by the independent expert scientific committee. This industry needs transparency. We, as a country, need it. If—as the wind industry keeps telling us—it has nothing to hide, then it has nothing to fear. We are all in this together. We all have a shared interest in and responsibility for getting to the truth. Now is the time.

I would like to thank Senator Leyonhjelm for his initiative in calling for this inquiry. I thank Senator Day for his valuable support as deputy chair. I thank my other fellow committee members, Senators Back, Canavan, and Urquhart for their assistance and patience with me as chair, and for their enthusiasm and thoroughness. I thank Senator Xenophon for his valuable input as a participating member, as well a Senator Marshall. I thank the committee secretariat, Jeanette Radcliffe, Richard Grant, Carol Stewart and Cate Gauthier, for their exceptional assistance, support and guidance.