Wind farms: Independent research needed

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Luckily, despite the general name Hallett wind farms- the township thus farm has not been impacted by wind farms within 10 kilometres. We managed to defend the beautiful Razorbacks, the desecration of which would have been a travesty. Hallett enjoys this beautiful backdrop and also its key role as a catchment area for our wonderful bore water. 

The political push for wind farms saw an unprecedented undermining of democratic access to development process by the former Premier Mike Rann, and this has been continued by the current Labor Government. We ask for what? It has compromised conflict of interest in council and damaged communities.

The desalination plant and the expansion of Olympic Dam? At a massive cost to the state's tax payers and farming ecosystems? Where is the economic and ecological justification? 

Certainly not the $1.4B estimated BHP Billiton return to the State if one takes into account Olympic Dam is enjoying a State within a State status that undermined Indigenous Native Title rights; that allows free use of water; more than the entire Eyre Peninsular, Pt Augusta, Whyalla and related industries that all pay a significant price for their water and contribute significantly more to our economy; or the massive power use, nearly have that of metropolitan Adelaide, which is then spread out cost wise  to the tax payer.

The pro-wind political and economic proponents have attacked those concerns expressed by affected communities with baseless and vicious accusations they are greedy or have connections to the coal and oil industry by pre-eminent figures such as academic Simon Chapman, Labor and Greens leaders. Yet they are facilitating the nuclear and desalination process, contrary to their policy. They are also facilitating unprecedented, since colonial times, destruction of ridge line ecosystems, bats, raptors and hilltop profiles.

It also overlooks the role of companies such AGL who had a chairing position on the Clean Energy Council while operating one of the most polluting brown coal plants in Australia- the Loy Yang power station. 

Much publicized returns to community are nothing more than a very cheap public relations exercise at a fraction of recommended returns based on overseas estimates or indeed those of other states.

The recent study by the EPA at Waterloo was academically biased and had flawed methodology, was not internally or  externally sound due to limitations in equipment and industrially biased referencing. It could only have been designed  to justify Labor policy than any real attempt to better the understanding of large industrial development in key agricultural sectors.

Congratulations to Nick Xenophon for his courageous focus on issues, their impacts and long term ramifications for South Australia.

It is interesting that key claims for above average temperatures are centred around metropolitan areas- where the power consumption is most concentrated leading to higher temperatures than many, traditionally warmers areas. Destroying more rural areas to cover up unsustainable development consequences in cities is not going to fix that problem.

But then both major parties seem to have  fund raising events at the behest of developers. The situation for South Australia, who is baring an inequitable burden of a massive unbalanced approach to addressing climate change impacts needs to be addressed by a Royal Commission into conflicts of interest in the motivation behind the shameful Statewide Wind Farm Development Plan Amendment.

*This includes removing visual amenity- key to overseas concerns and loss of home equity.

*Psychological impacts of an unfair inaccessible development process.

* Impacts on water use impacting key local aquifers by the massive escavation and filling of hilltops and gullies.