Tuesday, 15 October 2019

 Mr O’DONOHUE (Eastern Victoria) (18:16): My matter this evening is a matter for the Minister for Planning. It relates to wind farm developments across Victoria and the standards that apply to the assessment process for which he as the minister is responsible. My adjournment matter flows from a recent meeting I had with concerned residents about the proposed Delburn wind farm.

The proposed Delburn wind farm is an enormous proposal. Whilst it is yet to be submitted for consideration, from the public meetings that have been held by those against this proposal and some contact from the proponent it is clear that it is a very large proposal with turbines higher than normal—250 metres or higher, noting that the regulations allow an extra 20 per cent as of right. So we are talking about turbines that may stand more than 250 metres high and contain more than 1500 tonnes of concrete, each in a fault line area.

Those who are opposed to this wind farm, or should I say the scale of this wind farm, say to me that they support the notion of renewable energy and they support the notion of a more diversified energy source for Victoria’s power grid but that we have to make sure we get it right. The research and the understanding about the impact of wind farms continue to advance. There have been several high-profile wind farms built in Victoria and a lot built overseas, and we are gaining a better appreciation of the impact on bird life and the impact on residents who live near these wind farms from infrasound—that is, noise that is not audible to individuals but is emitted by the wind farms and has an impact on nearby residents.

This is a very serious issue. This proposal, if it is submitted in the form that is anticipated, will have an end value of hundreds of millions of dollars and will impact several hundred residents across the Strzeleckis, from the South Gippsland shire region into Latrobe and possibly into the Narracan local government area. Local residents have a right to be heard, and it is critical that the most up-to-date, current information available from across the globe about the impact scientifically on both flora and fauna and on human beings is understood. The action I seek is for the minister to ensure that his guidelines and the guidelines that exist for the approval of wind farms consider all the most recent scientific data and analyses from Victoria and across the globe.