Australia’s major scientific research organisation, the CSIRO, has found that there is stronger community support for wind farms across Australia than suggested by media coverage.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) looked at nine wind farms across the states of South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria and analysed 49 articles from 19 newspapers in the second half of 2010.
It found that more reasons for wind farm opposition were reported than reasons for support, and that rural residents often backed the developments but did not seek media attention or political engagement to express their views.
“If popular media articles were to provide the only evidence for or against wind farms, opposition in the media would dominate,” the report said.
The CSIRO said there was also an emerging notion of a social licence to operate which could provide a useful framework for wind farm developers to engage and win over local communities.
“This approach could provide a structured and cooperative framework for exploring strategies for reducing potential adverse impacts, sharing financial benefits equitably and building local trust and understanding through a clear communication process,” it said.
AAP newsagency reports that South Australia produces more than half of all Australia’s wind power and state’s Labor Party Attorney-General John Rau said he believed there was considerable support in the state’s rural communities for wind farm developments.
“You hear a lot from the people who are not happy with them but there are a lot of people who have them on their property who are very grateful for the income that they receive,” he said.
Mr Rau said many country people hold no views on wind farms, for or against.
“They’re not offended by them, they don’t love them, they just live with them,” he said.
“I think it would be misleading to believe that everybody in country South Australia is opposed to wind farms.”
South Australia has recently introduced new draft rules for wind farms which allow turbines to be located as close as one kilometre from a home, or closer if the home owner agrees.
The government is taking public submissions on the new arrangements until February 2 and will consider amending the rules if necessary.
Recently, the conservative Liberal-National Victorian and NSW state governments announced new regulations that would force turbines to be located more than two kilometres from homes.
The move has been seen as a serious setback to wind farm development in those two states.
Media is owned by right wing. Right wing own coal industry. The public are hammered so much by anti-alternative energy statements (non of it factual), that after time they think like they are being taught. Media is corrupt, likewise the 2 major parties.
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We who have known about the warming of the earth, and, the rising of the sea levels, and have tried to live simply as possible, for many years before most of Australias population were born, see Wind Mills as a false God of the corrupt. If you tell a lie often enough it becomes the truth.
The concern for the earth today is all about how to make big money out of a small investment, or, how to tax the poor twice over.
The lowest form of humanity shows its true colours when they tax the poor to make them short of water, light and heating. The poor have no political power or even allowed to be seen in the media.
Wind farms are taxes on the poor as only they feel the pain of their introduction.
No one cares for the children that have to go hungry to pay for the money making schemes of the elite.
The ones pushing for Wind Farms are the ones driving new cars and holidaying in southern France and live like royalty, and, the pitiful converted slaves.
The allmost religious gloom and doom about the earth is something straight out of the Dark Ages, when Christianity covered people with its supreme level of evil, “repent or you will suffer everlasting punishment”. This was said by the Bishops and the Lords that feasted while people sad in the dark, cold and hungry hovels.
The poor can only wait for their saviour with his sword of vengence, and he will come, as the earth is regularly visited by the “black angel of violence”.
Meanwhile we agree to you stealing from us, but please spare us the religious angst. The hope of all logical people was that we finally may have rid the world of the pure evil all religious people are about fifty years ago, only to have you come back with your “wind mills” and your new preaching of the doom for those who do not listen to you.
Nothing is new in the World.
“Spare us the religious angst”? After that rant … what on earth are you talking about?
Anyway … my partner and I were travelling in SA recently and found we could drive to within maybe 50m from a wind turbine. It was a windy day and the sails were turning – probably at maximum speed.
We had heard so much negativity that we simply sat there for some time listening. We reached the conclusion that if where we were sitting was our home, we wouldn’t even notice the noise after an hour or so. Absolutely nothing compared with traffic noise even on our quiet rural road. To insist that the turbines are 2km (or even 1km) from homes is just making things difficult for people trying to develop renewable energy sources. I would love one in my backyard.
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