WIND FARMS

Debate resumed.

Mr BROCK (Frome) (12:48): I will be very quick because I understand there are a few more who want to speak before the lunch break. Let me say straight out: I am very supportive of renewable energy and certainly it is the way we should be going for the future. However, wind turbines are not the only renewable energy we should be looking at. I believe we should also be looking at solar opportunities in conjunction with wind turbines to be able to go forward in this great state.

In my electorate, I have wind turbines at Clements Gap, the Clare Valley, Waterloo and Snowtown—with the Snowtown second stage being built at the moment—and it does come as a great economic support for those communities. I was at the Snowtown community association on the way to Adelaide on Monday night and they were talking about the project there, and the deli, the hotel, the accommodation and so forth are all benefiting from that.

One of the things that I wanted to make mention of is that generally the public is very supportive of wind turbines but I have one location in my electorate—Waterloo—where it is a big issue. It has decimated the whole of the community to the degree that there are some issues with the direction of the wind and the turbines. Certainly, there is no proven history of any health issues; however, it has split that community and that is a bit of an issue from my point of view.

The member for Goyder has made it very clear that we are here to represent people, and we have to take on both sides of that. Let me just say also that the landowners themselves who have wind turbines on their land do reap a financial reward, and that money is then spent back into the local community, which is a great economic boost.

I certainly think that we should be looking at not only the wind turbines but other opportunities. I also think that, going forward, we must look at the iconic locations and that maybe there are certain locations in this state where we should not be putting wind turbines because of the artistic image, etc., and I encourage looking at that issue when they give the approvals. I will certainly be supporting this, but I have concerns for the people of Waterloo, in particular, because there is a bit of an issue down there.

The Hon. L.R. BREUER (Giles) (12:50): I will keep my contribution very short because of the time frame. I have been a very long-term supporter of wind farms. In fact, when I was the chair of the ERD Committee back in 2003-04, we did a report that answers a lot of the questions that are talked about because it was a very extensive report that made many recommendations. A lot of the nonsense spoken about wind farms now was talked about in those days, and it saddens me to think that 10 years later we are still going back to those same issues.

At around that time, I also spent quite a bit of time looking at wind farms in the UK. I have probably visited more wind farms in Australia than anyone else in this place, except perhaps the ministers, because I have kept up that interest, as I have had a long-term interest in it, as I said, and visited many wind farms.

I mainly want to talk today, though, about the main recommendation that came out of the ERD Committee, that is, you really do have to be very careful with the siting of the wind farm. You do not put it in people's backyards if they are feeling unhappy about it. You certainly would not put a row of them along the top of the Flinders Ranges overlooking the gulf, and you would not put them on top of Mount Lofty. You need to be very careful about the aesthetics because people do not want their scenery destroyed; however, apart from that, there was no other major issue that this committee came up with.

I am particularly pleased with what is happening locally in Whyalla, and the economic benefits to Whyalla at the moment, because of course E&A Contractors—a big company in Whyalla—is actually building something like 22 towers for the Snowtown 2 project which is happening. That has really been very exciting for Whyalla. I was very pleased that the federal government also actually recognised this and put in a considerable amount of money to assist them with this.

The long-term benefits are that they will build these towers for Snowtown 2, and I presume they will go on to build towers for all over Australia, so it means many years of work for Whyalla. Whyalla has not been wiped off the map, as Tony Abbott said would happen, and we are certainly going ahead. I find it really exciting that, when I go home now, I go past E&A Contractors—a firm that has been there for something like about 40 years—and see the bottom of a huge turbine poking out of their huge shed. It is very exciting for Whyalla to see this happening. We have a lot of local people employed there, and we look forward to a very strong future.

I fully support wind power. I think we need to get into the 21^st century and get real. We need to be thinking about our children, our grandchildren and our planet and, to me, this is a way. The only way that we can look ahead is to look at alternative sources to the current power we have.

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (12:53): As the nation with the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the OECD, I regard it as our responsibility—one that we owe both ourselves and other nations around the world—to support and encourage investment in renewable technologies which will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, not least because fossil fuel derived electricity is responsible for over one-third of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. The reality that we and all jurisdictions around the globe must face is that our climate is changing and that our future economy cannot be dependent on high carbon emitting technologies. The future is coming and we are best served by preparing for it now.

In Australia, we have just ended our warmest summer on record. All states and territories had above average maximum and minimum temperatures for the period of December through to February. January 2013 was Australia's all-time warmest month on record. On average, during February 2013 Australia received rainfall that was 78 per cent of average, but we would all be aware that some coastal regions received higher than average rainfall due to various severe storm systems. Many households and businesses were adversely affected by these storms, suffering under dangerous flood conditions.

As the years pass, we are seeing more and more of this. Australia’s already wild weather is getting wilder. I believe that to deny this is both irresponsible and unfair to the people we are elected to represent in this place. If we can make a difference in the pace of climate change by reducing our carbon emissions, if we can avoid shirking responsibility and leaving this problem for future generations to solve once it is far too late, then my view is that we must pursue all feasible means of achieving fewer emissions.

In South Australia, of course, our government has been working hard to support the establishment of renewable energy industries, and we are seeing the benefits of this hard work through the growth of our renewable energy sector and its production capability. Our state has been the national leader in the uptake of renewable technologies, particularly wind and solar. The Australian Energy Market Operator estimates that in 2011-12 approximately 26% of South Australia’s energy generation came from wind power alone. This means that in taking account only our use of wind energy, our jurisdiction has already surpassed the Australian Government’s amended Renewable Energy Target to provide 20% of Australia’s electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2020. It also means that we are well on track to meet South Australia’s target of 33% of total energy production by 2020.

So we are making good progress, but we must not rest on our laurels if we are to make real gains towards eventually achieving zero emissions for energy generation in South Australia. We must continue to do all that we can to ensure that the climate for investment in renewable technologies is stable and that our policy environment is conducive to investment.

We must make it clear to investors and to industry that we are friendly to investment in wind energy, and that while we must also ensure that we are balancing the needs of the community with the progress of industry, we believe that supporting renewable energy investment is in the greatest long-term interest of South Australia and its community.

Sustained investment in renewable technologies will create jobs in South Australia. It will help to reduce our emissions and, very importantly, it will go towards easing the burdens faced by our children and their children around the ever-growing need for clean energy generation.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (12:56): I thank all members for their contribution to the debate, especially those members who have indicated their support for the motion. Just to remind members, the purpose of this motion is to send a clear expression of intention from this parliament about our commitment to wind energy in South Australia.

The reason that has become urgent is that a whole range of industry sectors have expressed their alarm at the way in which the present debate is emerging across the nation and in particular in relation to South Australia, where one of the major parties has called for a moratorium. So, it is important that this parliament expresses it is clear intentions about this matter so that we can create a very strong message that this is a stable and secure investing environment.

In that regard, it is disappointing that the Leader of the Opposition has not made a contribution to this debate. It is telling, I think, that he has decided not to make a contribution. It would have been an opportunity for him to stand together with me in making it clear that the Liberal Party stands together with the Labor Party in supporting this position. Instead, we have had a series of contributions which have largely cast doubt on the sentiments that exist within the motion that we promote.

It is disappointing that the Liberal Party has not chosen to take the opportunity to resolve its internal debate. To the extent that it has resolved its internal debate, it seems as though the member for Waite has not prevailed, which is disappointing. My intelligence had been that he was going to lead the debate internally within the Liberal Party to try to overturn what was, I think, quite a damaging and nonsensical proposition of this moratorium.

This was an opportunity to do that so that we could wipe off that idea and send a very clear message to the investor community. Nevertheless, a resolution, if it is indeed passed, will still make an important contribution to expressing the views of this chamber, especially if it is passed with as much support as we can muster. So I urge members to vote for this motion. It is important for the future prosperity of South Australia and the health of our community.

Motion carried.

[Sitting suspended from 12:59 to 14:00]