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Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Page: 398

Senator MADIGAN (Victoria) (16:21): Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a brief statement.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for two minutes.

Senator MADIGAN: The Senate inquiry into the social and economic impact of rural wind farms received more than 100,000 submissions and made only seven recomm­endations. It is now 7½ months later and not one of these recommendations has been implemented. I have been holding wind farm forums across the country and have been overwhelmed by the stories of families living close to turbines. I am calling for the govern­ment to act on the recommendations given by its own inquiry chaired by Senator Siewert. The motion also calls for a morator­ium on the construction of any new wind turbines. This call is identical to the morator­iums that other parties have called for when the adverse health effects of new technolo­gies have been raised. If there is no moratorium, there is no incentive to act. I am not a scientist. Perhaps the severe debilitating effects of wind farms can be solved by a simple engineering solution. I do not know. We need to stop the construction of any further wind turbines until we can study any problems and implement the recommendations that the Senate inquiry itself has made. Personal and community health need to be at the top of our concerns as elected representatives. Protecting and serving people is our prime reason for being in parliament.