Page 2691 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 16 September 2014
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the heritage and renowned beauty of its environment—recorded in iconic Australian literature and history—and shown in buildings, vegetation and unique landscape formations—with associated attractions for tourists and residents—will lead to it being an outpost in an industrial estate;
community harmony, since the proponent company, Ratchaburi Australia, rewards those with property hosting turbines, while not adequately compensating others, and has also been demonstrably dishonest in its dealings with the community.
In April 2013 Yass Landscape Guardians carried out a telephone survey of adult residents and landowners within eight kilometres of the Yass Valley wind farm. One hundred and eighty-three telephone numbers were collated, and these numbers were called over three nights. Key results from that survey included: most respondents do not support the wind farm development, with 70 per cent opposed, 14 per cent unsure, and only 16 per cent supportive; most respondents, 78 per cent, had not been contacted by Epuron or Origin Energy, with only 20 per cent having been contacted and two per cent unsure; and most respondents, 63 per cent, had not received a newsletter from Epuron.
The petition from Collector, which has been signed by a large portion, over 90 per cent, of the adult residents of the village, calls on the ACT government not to sign any agreement with Ratch to supply energy to the ACT, noting the lack of support for it by the residents of Collector and the surrounding community.
The petition from Tarago, which is signed by some 600 residents, calls on the government to stop approving and sponsoring industrial wind turbines being built in non-industrial areas, to require that industrial wind turbines not be built within five kilometres of any dwelling, and to require that if the ACT government wants wind power then the wind turbines should be built in the ACT.
Madam Speaker, people choose to reside in these rural communities for the self-evident reason that they want to be in a rural community. They do not want to be surrounded by wind turbines. They are there to enjoy the rural lifestyle, and the ACT government’s policies are ruining that for them.
We have a duty to look after, care for and take into consideration the greater capital region, as was discussed by the Select Committee on Regional Development. It is not news to anyone that this government has its priorities way out of alignment, where light rail and renewable energy targets are more important than the emergency department being overcrowded and dangerous, or the schools being run down and lacking maintenance, or the care and protection system failing. Anyone can see that there is something not quite right with the government’s priorities.
This government have as one of their main priorities to increase the cost of electricity for ACT residents, and they are proceeding with locking us into 20-year contracts with the companies responsible for these wind farms. This means the ACT will be paying a premium for this power for the next 20 years. This is not just a decision that affects us today; it affects electricity prices in Canberra and surrounding villages in the long term.
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