Response #6 to Chapman’s “study”

To The Editor

The Standard

Warrnambool, Victoria

I am writing in a rage, having read the absolute rubbish which your newspaper printed obviously having been sent a press release, or having interviewed Professor Simon Chapman from Sydney University, who it appears, given his rantings over recent years, is an advocate for the wind industry.

It is just a disgrace that this newspaper, our local newspaper is not prepared to come out to the Macarthur wind farm, speak to the people and report accurately just what is happening here.  Yet this same newspaper is prepared to report the “spin” given to them by Professor Chapman, who by the way does not have any qualifications in medicine, but is just a professor in sociology.

What a pity your reporters were not present some weeks ago when Dan Tehan, our federal member was prepared to sit and listen for over three hours to the stories of around 20 people, with 4 apologies.  What a pity your reporters aren’t prepared to take the time, as Dan did, to hear the “real” story and not just the “spin” which is being put around.

It is newspapers like yours, who are prepared to report this “spin” without proper research, which allow these “spin doctors” to get such mileage.

To begin with, Professor Chapman’s comment that people only started complaining about health impacts in around 2009 is possibly true.  Do you know why?

Because prior to that time, turbines were MUCH SMALLER and possibly did not emit infrasound anywhere near the extent to which the massive 3MW turbines, which are literally spewing all over the people in this district do.  The bigger the turbine, the greater the impact.

Next Professor Chapman’s claim that there have only been 120 complaints regarding health effects from wind farms.

WRONG,   WRONG,   WRONG,   WRONG.

I have in my possession over 90 – get that – 90 copies of written complaints made to AGL about the detrimental impact of the turbines at the Macarthur wind farm since it began operation in early October.

These complaints are only from people I know and there are a hell of a lot of people to the south/east and west of the wind farm whom I have never met.

This number does not take into consideration the number of people who have not bothered to put their complaints into writing, but just ring the hotline – thus allowing AGL to wipe these out and most probably claim “not many complaints”.

The DPCD, the Victorian EPA, the Victorian HEALTH DEPARTMENT,  the PREMIER, MATTHEW GUY’s department, the MOYNE SHIRE and many, many other addressees have copies of this number of over 90 complaints also.

But the Standard doesn’t bother investigating properly the outrageous claims of this Professor Chapman who has a public profile and is using it very successfully conning the media into believing that what he says is gospel.

IT IS NOT  gospel, and IT IS NOT TRUE.

How about report the actual facts to the people in this district, rather than the “spin” given to you by someone who is endeavouring to promote the wind industry – I wonder why this is ?

It’s time you protected your own readers rather than fall for the pro-wind lobby which just demonstrates that Fairfax media is very pro the wind industry.

Ann and Andrew Gardner

on behalf of some of the many, many people in this district who have had their health and the business ruined by the turbines of the Macarthur wind farm.