“… an irresponsible act of partisan pro wind turbine propaganda … one would have expected any responsible farmer organisation to have done its homework … it is downright amateurish and lazy incompetence.”
PRESS RELEASE
January 29, 2013
Member for Hume Alby Schultz MP today described the recent announcement by the NSW Farmers Association that it had released its first wind farm guide supposedly to help farmers make informed choices on whether to host wind turbines as an irresponsible act of partisan pro wind turbine propaganda.
“The document funded by a grant from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, supported by NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker, is a classic example of an alleged responsible farmer organisation in its ignorance and poor judgment failing to offer its members balanced advice relating to the positives and negatives of hosting wind turbines on agricultural land,” Mr Schultz said.
“No mention has been made by the NSW Farmers Association that it had engaged GHD Pty Ltd as consultants for drafting its much lauded ‘Wind Farm Guide for Host Landholders’ nor indeed that this company embraces the wind industry as high worth clients.
“The guide was generated from GHD’s ‘power’ division led by a Julien Gaschignard, a former wind industry representative who has close ongoing connections to the wind industry and the Clean Energy Council (formerly the Wind Energy Association of Australia).
“The lack of due diligence by the NSW Farmers Association doesn’t stop there. It also accepts praise for its efforts from the NSW Minister for the Environment. A minister in the O’Farrell/Stoner Coalition Government which owns two wind farms at Blayney and Crookwell through state owned company Eraring Energy.”
“In the meantime, one would have expected any responsible farmer organisation to have done its homework given the impact wind turbines have on the social fabric of rural communities, notwithstanding the serious issue of fire fighting in close proximity to industrial wind energy developments on agricultural land.
“It also begs the question – is the NSW Farmers Association aware of the increased costs of electricity (the cost of RECs – Renewable Energy Certificates – to Australian electricity consumers including farmers) created by wind turbines?
“Lack of forensic research background on wind turbines and their impact on communities, fire fighting, neighbours of host farmers, gag clauses, litigation issues and health to name but a few is not just an oversight, it is downright amateurish and lazy incompetence.”
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Hi STT, Did you know your Experts page is missing? Diana
Dr Diana Quinn University of South Australia
Profile page http://ep.unisa.edu.au/user/view.php?id=12
Thanks Diana. All fixed now.
Every day that passes is a day closer to the Royal Commission exposing the coruption and Fraud perpertuated on the Australian People. Political donations round robin paper trails with such, and Numbered swiss bank accounts , will make the current ICAC inquiry in NSW look like a Sunday school picknick.
Well said, when I first read it I thought it was an example of well- funded propaganda from the industry, which was produced to trick farmers. Another example of how scared the industry is and how they continue to use such blatantly manipulated methods to misinform people.