At the 2013 federal election I intend to run as an Independent Senate candidate specifically in opposition to Wind Turbine development; Vote 1 for the Opposition to Wind Turbine Fascism (OWTF) candidate.
The OWTF is a vaguely humourous title for a devastatingly critical issue; sometimes if you don't laugh you cry.
Please do not mistake my sense of humour for a lack of commitment; my commitment to this issue is absolute; I am furious about the suffering being deliberately visited on regional SA to sure up marginal seats in Adelaide; turbines are just one issue.
The Maquarie Dictionary defines Fascism as a "governmental system with strong centralised power, permitting no opposition or criticism"; permitting no opposition.
I don't care whether it's about Wind Turbines or bouncy castles, when a government legislates to deny citizens access to the courts, denies the ability to oppose, that is Fascism.
The Wind Turbine Development Plan Amendments October 2011 deny citizens any opportunity to oppose Wind Turbines, and former Premier Mike Rann's behaviour is definitively that of a Fascist dictator.
On Tuesday June 15th I travelled the 250kms round trip to the Cape Bridgewater Turbine site and Portland (Vic) to attend a public meeting about Turbine noise issues, and spoke from the floor, repeatedly describing what was happening in South Australia as Fascism, and received loud applause.
From the front page of the Portland Observer (15/06/2012), under Sound advice at wind farm forum;
"In response to a passionate question from a Mt Gambier resident worried about new
South Australian planning appeal rules, Mr Crockett said he agreed with those
concerns and did not support the laws, noting they were too restrictive in curbing
the rights of residents to appeal wind farm site decisions."
Mr Lane Crockett, the general manager of Pacific Hydro, openly acknowledged the reality of the DPA, and his comments show that developers are absolutely aware of the issue, but that has not stopped them submitting development applications.
The October 2012 DPA changes legislate to remove the only possible legal challenge, visual amenity, by setting that at 1km from adjacent homes.
If the turbines are 1001m from your home you cannot oppose them at any stage, and there is no grounds for appeal in the Environment, Resource, and Development Court.
In late 2011 there was a state government information session in Mount Gambier about the Development Plan Amendments.
Mayor Richard Sage (District Council of Grant) spoke from the floor, repeatedly stating that the DPA removed development decisions from Council's control; he clearly opposed the DPA.
Within weeks, the DC of Grant lodged its official submission that fully supports the DPA.
DC of Grant has ignored written requests for an explanation as to why Mayor Sage openly opposed the DPA at a public meeting, but Council's submission with CEO Russell Peates name on it, officially supports it.
South East Councils have completely betrayed their citizens by supporting the DPA; Mt Gambier Council didn't even do a submission, which indicates tacit support for the DPA.
Other issues to be covered in future posts:
Subsidies - taxpayers paying companies massive 'renewable subsidies' just for having turbine towers
erected regardless of output;
Reliability - any power generation reliant on weather is fundamentally un-reliable; when the wind
doesn't blow in SA we will import electricity from brown coal fired plants in Victoria;
Economics - even in ideal conditions, without subsidies turbines are totally un-economic and will
never be 'self-funding';
- 'poles and wires' is in reality taxpayers paying for turbine related infrastructure, largely to
export electricity to the Eastern states (or import, as above);
Development - the de-valuing of land and severe restrictions placed on development of adjacent non-
host properties, etc;
Environment - the Environmental Protection Agency is a fundamental joke, completely under the control
of the state government, eg, Mia Handshin's appointment as head of the EPA;
- development approvals acknowledge that turbines are slaughter zones for birds,
particularly raptors (eagles, etc), eg, the Millicent turbines are approved to smash over
800 Ibis out of the air every year, described by the EPA as 'environmental interactions';
Health - eg, the issue of low frequency noise is not even acknowledged but the SA state government;
Fire fighting - the CFS's official strategy for fighting fires in turbine towers is to stand well back (at
least 1km) and let it burn out (seriously) because they have no way of fighting the fire
and it is too dangerous to stand any closer;
- ridiculous statements made on ABC Radio (Dec 2012) by the CFS's Aviation Service
manager David Pearce that water-bombing is not an important part of fighting fires and
that they can just 'fly round turbines like powerlines';
Propaganda - the relentless propaganda campaign being run by turbine proponents in a deliberate
attempt to undermine opposition.
This last point is possibly the most critical, because anyone identifying as an anti-turbine activist, let alone a political candidate, will/must be subjected to a push-back campaign based on character assassination.
Developers and proponents cannot afford to engage in a genuine factual debate on any single issue because they will lose.
This situation must be addressed and I have no character to assassinate; no reputation to be lost; I am nobodies idea of a mainstream politician, but I am wholly committed to the fight.
Tomorrow: Lance Armstrong's mia culpa; about as genuine as the Catholic Church's internal inquiry into Father 'F'.
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