Speech by Federal Member for Hume, the Honourable Alby Schultz, delivered in the House of Representatives 30 May 2013.
Mr SCHULTZ (Hume) (16:40): I rise to record my utter disgust at the attempted character assassination of a very dedicated, committed and concerned rural resident, a lady of outstanding credentials.
This is a lady who established a rape and sexual assault centre in outback Australia, was the general medical practitioner liaison for regional mental health, operated an Aboriginal healthcare centre, was an examiner for the Royal Australian College of General Medical Practice, was a committee member of the South Australian branch of the Australian Medical Association and is a cancer survivor; whilst her husband is a public health dentist operating in remote Aboriginal communities. However, this lady is not without error as she has in the past openly voted for the Greens, an error she confesses will not be repeated.
You may wonder how this lady is being repaid for her outstanding community efforts and social contribution. Currently, a significant orchestrated attempt to assassinate her outstanding reputation and undeniable credibility is underway, assisted and promoted through left-aligned media outlets.
This is a campaign strongly suspected of being led by the non-medically accredited Professor Simon Chapman of the University of Sydney, a person who obtained his PhD from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, a self-proclaimed expert in marketing and public manipulation via media sources. He is a person who is not lawfully permitted to conduct any form of medical research or study in relation to human health.
I am of the firm belief that Professor Chapman is close to the author of this anonymous letter of baseless and faceless complaint made for no other reason than a seedy attempt to salvage his fast-dwindling reputation as a credible, reliable and balanced source of information. Professor Chapman, with his nose in the public trough—through the apparent never-ending funding of the NHMRC—for bewildering reasons unbeknown, other than regular speaking engagements at industry conferences and committees, has connected himself to the insidious industrial wind turbine industry.
Through his joint authorship, misleading to the extent of being potentially fraudulent, publications such as the highly criticised 2010 Rapid Review of selective literature, provided the wind turbine industry with support whilst placing many rural communities in peril.
As the evidence mounts in relation to the potential corrupt behaviour of this industry and those associated with it, both politically and professionally, it is of no surprise to me that those deepest entrenched in this fraud against the Commonwealth, the Australian energy consumer and rural residents of Australia will stop at nothing to protect their personal and professional interests—in this case, the deliberate self-motivated instigation of serious allegations against a lady of high regard.
It is not the allegations that are of concern, as they will be defended and proven baseless. It is the matter of the anonymous letter of complaint being provided to several media outlets prior to the alleged offender being notified of the details of the anonymous complaint.
Coincidentally, these media outlets appear to be all associated in many ways with both Professor Simon Chapman and the initial recipient of the complaint, the Public Health Association of Australia CEO, Mr Michael Moore.
This outrageous document was clearly provided for no other reason than a further seedy attempt to assassinate the good standing and character of Dr Sarah Laurie. These allegations will be proven baseless and defamatory; the so-called ‘anonymous’ author of the complaint knows this, as does Mr Michael Moore, otherwise why is the complaint anonymous?
As they will be proven baseless, the author would be exposed for what he truly is, and face potential criminal defamation charges. Does anyone truly believe that a genuinely anonymous letter of complaint would be referred from a trusted association and then, astonishingly, receive attention from relevant bodies if the anonymous person were not well known to them?
Professor Chapman, you are devoid of any decency and courage. If you truly believe an offence has been committed, put your name to it and stand accountable for the baseless claims within.
Michael Moore, by your grubby unprofessional actions you have destroyed all credibility of the association you control. If you genuinely believe the allegations to be true and had no involvement in the production of the defamatory document you should publicly disclose the identity of the so-called anonymous author or resign for your own despicable actions.
Dr Sarah Laurie, as you know, is well above your levels of gutter public manipulation and only deals with the truth; you should take a leaf out of her book and do something good for the community in which you reside—for free.
Alby Schultz, Member for Hume
Ouch! Stinging stuff there, from STT’s favourite “street-fighter”. So Simon and Michael, it must feel good to know your Country’s leaders regard you so highly?
For some though, it’s all about the money, and being branded grubs and liars doesn’t mean much at all.
But, here’s the NEWS – that little consolation prize is all about to disappear; the Great Wind Scam is all over, bar the shouting. And once the wind developer gravy train dries up, this pair of goons will only have their “outstanding” reputations to comfort them.
This little “correction of the ledger” couldn’t have happened to a “nicer” bunch of lads. STT says: “hats off, Alby”.
A pdf of Alby’s speech is available here and a video is here.
STOP THESE THINGS 
I would like to convey appreciation too for the voice Alby has provided in our national parliament on the underlying confusion and stupidity the national and State Labor Governments are demonstrating by ongoing support for industrial turbines without taking community voice of health incidence seriously. Content to accept the nocebo effect proposed by Prof Chapman and others, as all that is involved is as obscene as Professor Chapman’s put down of the Dr Laurie. The acceptance of nocebo is indeed the management strategy Governments and independent EPAs have been using for all intruding low frequency noise from many sources for a very long time. Their line is “if you don’t like it, move”. This delivers to Government, fees & taxes on property sales, and destabilises property markets everywhere there is intolerable and harmful noise. EPAs are not willing to measure and account for low frequency noise, to relate it to stress and physical harm for those affected. They are just playing the market as an irrational and immoral process.
I ask the Hon Member for Hume, Alby Schultz, to challenge further the immoral isolation process used against Sarah, and question why the Minister of Health, and the Health Protection Office, have recently dropped the national review of noise regulation that has been proposed since Labor came to Office in 2004. Why, after the national parliamentary review of industrial turbine use declared a need for scientific evaluation of their noise fallout and its effects, did the Government halt the proposed review of noise regulation across Australia? Such action has immoral connotations that we would like to see driven from all Australian parliaments.
Interestingly, one of the founders of our local sustainability group and sponsor of the MACWind Project, Dr. Susie Burke, psychologist, continually quotes the “nocebo” effect. Dr. Burke has ‘facilitated’ a number of so-called community meetings to try to convince them of the value of community wind factories. Hasn’t succeeded yet. I believe she has made submissions to the Senate also on this.
Jonathon Upson has complained that “the largest public relations issue for the industry at the moment is the theory of an ex-doctor.”
Upson might now want to add Alby Schultz to the list!
Thanks so much Alby for informing the people of Australian how great a person Dr Sarah is. The truth and the facts will surely make Australia a better place for all to live, thanks to Dr Sarah, Yourself, John, Nick and the growing number of fair dinkum Australians, who know right from wrong and are prepared to do something about it.
I add my support to the chorus of congratulation to Alby Schultz and Sarah Laurie. I also strongly endorse the comments made so far. Industrial wind turbines are a ‘false god’ for those desperate to see something being done about man made climate change. Sarah Laurie’s fight to protect the health of impacted and potentially impacted people, in tribute to this ‘false god’, is applauded by all who care for the human family. To expose the false promises of the wind industry is up to the rest of us!
Mr. Schultz I thank you sincerely for your plain speaking. We could use a few more like you in Washington, D.C. these days.
Dr. Sarah Laurie is a person with impeccable credentials and unimpeachable integrity, just as you have said. She richly deserves your courageous defense and praise of her work. There simply are no others quite like her.
Simon Chapman has added a new chapter to the Malleus Maleficarum. Like the witch hunters before him, his motivations are purely selfish and self-aggrandizing and he does not care who is harmed by his words or actions. He, too, richly deserves your scorn, your contempt, and your ire. He has earned all this and more.
I sincerely hope that his colleagues at the University of Sydney will take the trouble to censure him and distance themselves from his cowardly and unethical behavior. This scoundrel deserves no place of sanctuary or refuge among decent and honorable people.
Thank God for people like Abby and Dr. Sarah Laurie. Too many people are afraid to fight the evil and corrupt individuals and corporations, as they NEVER fight fair!!!
Well done Alby, I don’t know how else say it.
Dr. Laurie came to speak to our Concerned Citizens Group of Cooranga North in QLD (she came at her own expense) about the problems of industrial wind turbines. The so called ‘mighty AGL’ said there are no problems of noise with industrial wind turbines, as that they intened to build the Coopers gap Wind farm.
AGL have tried to use that weasel, Professor Simon Chapman, to tell us that there are no problems with health effects from industrial wind turbines. We could see through their fraudulent motives for pushing that agenda (I wonder how much he is getting payed for his FRAUDULENT spin, it would be under the table).
Dr. Sarah Laurie is a very respectable lady, with peoples’ well being at heart, not like AGL & the other weasels that are pushing the fraudlant wind industry’s agendas.
The truth is about to come out.
Alby Schultz, you are the Man, Thank you for speaking out about these two, as I have been saying all along, I asked Dr.Sarah Laurie to come to the Town of Waterloo, South Australia long after we had complained, to Council & E.P.A. and Roaring 40s. Mr. Chapman should keep his mouth shut, there have been lots of emails and letters sent to the Sydney Uni complaining about him and the way he sides with the Wind Turbine Developers.
Dear Alby,
You have shown yourself to be something that is sadly lacking in our greater society and particularly amongst the political elite; a person of substance, one who has a strength of belief that will not be swayed by populism and this bizarre notion that to question the corrupt nature of the wind industry is somehow inappropriate and not to be discussed.
Any objective study of Big Wind shows it to be totally lacking any merit whatsoever. There is no argument.
Normally I would not speak in such absolute terms, but this industry has been shown, in comprehensive terms to have no merit. It is nothing other than a gravy train for those of a parasitical nature. That “professionals” from national health bodies are dismissive of victims of this worthless industry is in itself reprehensible, but in time I feel these same people and their intentions will be shown to be criminally negligent and worse still, malicious in intent.
It is beyond me why any government of any persuasion can possibly defend this worthless industry.
It appears to me to be nothing more than an ideology that determines that we must follow blindly and not question, whilst vested interests, such as heavily invested union superannuation funds, having too much influence.
It is blindingly obvious that Gillard’s rise to power and the union influence that facillitated that rise, has been most influential in her backing of Big Wind and the gravy train upon which they exist.
It is obvious to me, that at this point in history, renewable energy just doesn’t cut it. The technology is not there yet to keep us economically competitive and therefore sustainable as a society.
I do believe we should invest in renewables, but our societies approach in pouring multi billions prematurely, into yet to be proven technologies, is at best misguided and at worst criminally negligent.
We could achieve much more if we poured these monies into research and development into renewables and cleaning up the fuels that have made us economic powerhouses for the last 150 years.
The tragedy of renewables, at this point in time, is that so many gullible people actually believe that these opportunistic multi national corporations have our well being at heart. THEY DO NOT.
Their business model is no different to any other self interested corporate.
The wind industry strategy model is no different than Big Tobacco or James Hardie/ asbestos.
And as with the aforementioned, we will find the parasites and amoral clinging to “easy street”. We have no better example than Professor Simon Chapman. He is a disgrace.
I congratulate Alby Schultz for exposing this sinister act against Sarah Laurie.
Currently there is an attempt to paint Sarah Laurie as a public health hazard because she supposedly affects the mental health of Australians by “administering” nocebo – that she supposedly is a witch, casting spells and turning the toughest rural men into hyperventilating hypochondriacs.
An examination of media coverage on Sarah Laurie’s talk at King Island reveals a medieval attempt to have her demonised and removed from the public sphere – maybe to have her thrown into some dungeon or exile her to a remote location in case she “poisons the minds of the innocent”. She supposedly made the King Island residents hysterical and fearful of massive industrial wind turbines, even though none have been erected, and probably never will. One thought that the Chapmanian “nocebo” hypothesis related to complaints about existing wind farms… Better not tell your children not to eat McDonalds – you may be guilty of instilling undue fears in them.
Such is the integrity of those who have a wide and well funded network of academic and industry friends – as opposed to a growing backlash against corporate rule and insane development in Australia’s rural areas. Once they no longer win the argument – they pull out the philosophy that during warfare the intention blesses the means.
What a man to stand up for a great woman. Hats off to you Alby and you Sarah.
I wish there was more of you, both amazing.
Well done Alby Schultz it disgusts me this vitriolic campaign being waged against Dr Laurie. Good on you Alby.