Coalition Senators’ Additional Comments

Coalition Senators are strongly of the view that the Gillard Government’s lack of responsiveness in relation to a significant issue affecting many people has greatly contributed to a deep sense of frustration and powerlessness among many in the community affected by the issues this Bill seeks to address.

Coalition Senators note that at least some support for this Bill appears to be founded in a desire to see something happening in response to concerns about wind farms rather than nothing happening, for example:

I feel there needs to be independent health studies into rural wind farms, focusing on excessive noise ... However until that happens, I fully support the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Excessive Noise from Wind Farms) Bill 2012.[1]

Coalition Senators appreciate the concerns about how this Bill would operate were it to be passed.

Nonetheless, Coalition Senators believe the issues this Bill seeks to address do need addressing, as has previously been highlighted by a Senate Committee inquiry.

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee’s inquiry into The Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms reported on 23 June 2011.

Among several recommendations made by this Committee was that well resourced research be initiated as a matter of priority:

The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government initiate as a matter of priority thorough, adequately resourced epidemiological and laboratory studies of the possible effects of wind farms on human health. This research must engage across industry and community, and include an advisory process representing the range of interests and concerns.[2]

Far from treating this as a matter of priority, it took more than 14 months – and more than 7 months after an 8 February 2012 Senate motion calling on the Government to act immediately on the Senate committee’s recommendations[3]  – for the Gillard Government even to respond, on 13 September 2012.

Even now after it took so long for the Government to respond, Coalition Senators consider deeply inadequate the Government’s response:

The Australian Government accepts these recommendations in principle.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is already actively engaged in supporting the assessment of available research on this issue and will shortly commission a comprehensive review of the literature to inform any update to its 2010 public statement. The review will include audible noise, infrasound and low-frequency noise. A reference group will be established to advise on the review and will include members of the public, industry, researchers, sound engineers/consultants and planning representatives.

The results of the literature review and the revised public statement will be published on the NHMRC website.

Further, there are a range of funding mechanisms within the Australian Government, in particular within the NHMRC, that could be used to fund additional research on the possible impacts of wind farms on human health, including epidemiological and laboratory studies.[4]

This response is manifestly inadequate.

Nowhere in this Government response is there any suggestion of the Government initiating thorough, adequately resourced epidemiological and laboratory studies of the possible effects of wind farms on human health, let alone as a matter of priority.

Simply assessing available research is not adequate and is not what the Senate Community Affairs References Committee recommended.

These issues should be seriously and properly addressed and the only way debate surrounding these issues is going to progress meaningfully is for adequate research that is conducted in a manner in which all sides of the debate can have faith.

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee made good and worthy recommendations in June 2011 that remain good and worthy recommendations today.

In particular, had the recommendation cited above been implemented, and as a matter of priority as recommended – as Coalition Senators remain of the belief should have occurred – such action could most likely have obviated the introduction of this Bill or the conduct of this inquiry at this time.

Accordingly, Coalition Senators recommend that such action be taken.  Further, given the intransigence of the Labor Government on these matters to date, Coalition Senators recommend that the Bill be amended so that its passage would actually require the Government to undertake such research.

Recommendation 1:

That the Commonwealth Government initiate, as a matter of utmost priority, research into the potential health effects of wind farms, including adequately resourced epidemiological and laboratory studies of the possible effects of wind farms on human health, as well as an independent study into the impact of wind farm project proposals on the environment and on the social and health aspects on the community.

Recommendation 2:

That the Bill be amended such that its purpose would be to cause such research and study to be undertaken.

 

Senator Simon Birmingham South Australia	Senator Chris Back Western Australia
Senator Bridget McKenzie Victoria

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