Family First Senator Bob Day has strayed beyond his area of expertise by lending weight to unsubstantiated claims wind energy is linked to adverse health impacts.
Senator Bob Day, who is on the senate select committee on wind turbines, has asked Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Minister for Energy Martin Ferguson to delay resolving the Renewable Energy Target until the wind energy investigation is completed.
The Australian reports:
Senator Day said he had heard “harrowing” evidence about the impact of wind turbines on humans and animals during the inquiry’s first hearing last month and wanted to know all the “facts and figures” before a RET deal was reached. “I think it’s not unreasonable to ask that we don’t come to any agreement on the Renewable Energy Target until such time that we get to the bottom of this,” he said.
“I’m not talking about ending the RET, I’m just talking about ‘let’s defer the decision on it’. Nothing’s going to happen in the next six months anyway. It’s more important to do this right than do this quick.”
Senator Bob Day’s statement on the alleged health impacts of wind farms are out-of-step with the the view of public health experts.
Senator Bob Day is not a doctor and should defer to the experts on the matter. There are now 24 reviews by credible bodies, such as the Australian Medical Association, that show wind energy is clean and safe.
Senator Bob Day’s statement is further evidence that the current senate committee investigation is failing the impartiality test and is looking more and more like a witch-hunt.
If Senator Bob Day wants the inquiry to have any credibility with the Australian public, then the final report must discuss wind energy in context. It will have to compare the technology to fossil fuels, consider jobs and economic benefits, and its contribution to tackling global warming.
If it fails to do so, then what little public confidence there is in the inquiry will be eroded.
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