SELECT COMMITTEE ON WIND FARM DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. D.W. Ridgway:

That it be an instruction to the Select Committee on Wind Farm Developments in South Australia that its terms of reference be extended by inserting after subparagraph I(i) the following new subparagraph:

(ia) An assessment of the impact of wind farm developments on property values.

(Continued from 20 March 2013.)

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (16:38): I stand to give the government's response to the Hon. Mr Ridgway's motion, and it will come as no shock to members here that the government opposes it. I will also endeavour to keep my remarks brief because of what I expect will happen when this comes to a vote.

Much of this was covered in a recent debate on a motion in another place. Before I get to that, I just point out to members that I understand there is already paragraph (j) in the terms of reference which states 'any other matter the committee deems relevant'. Very often, this particular clause is used to get any committee involved in aspects which sometimes defy the imagination but, as we are not in the odd situation where the motion is being simply carried, it implies that it is not needed.

Regardless, the government has a clear policy about wind farms. When we came to office in 2002, there were no wind farms in South Australia. The state has been a significant beneficiary from wind generators and, according to the Clean Energy Council, South Australia has attracted almost $3 billion in capital investment, which has translated to 842 direct jobs and 2,526 total jobs.

We are for investment in South Australia and we are for jobs. Legitimising false science is dangerous and legitimising false expectations is also dangerous. Quite frankly, it presents a clear and present danger to this state's future prosperity. It presents a clear and present danger to the state's future investment priorities and it creates an environment of sovereign risk. I recognise that the select committee will continue and that this is only about adding a term of reference but, as a matter of principle, I urge members here who value investment in South Australia and South Australian jobs, to oppose this motion.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (16:41): I thank the lone member of the chamber for his brief remarks. I am disappointed that the government does not see that adding a term of reference to include the effect on property values is an important term of reference. The member is accurate that we could just include it as 'any other matter'—

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: We didn't need to. We could have done it under those terms.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: And he says we could have done it under those terms, but now they are saying they oppose it, so I really do not know where they are coming from. What I wanted to do was not try to sneak it in under 'any other matter' but to establish it as a real term of reference so that, when the wind farm select committee does finally report, it will report on that as a particular item or term of reference rather than being included under 'any other matter'.

The member rightly points out that the committee can resolve to look at it under 'any other matter' but I think it is important to establish it as a stand-alone term of reference. The Liberal Party has endorsed that position through its party room process, so I urge all members to support the motion to include property values as a term of reference of the wind farm select committee.

Motion carried.