Mr Schultz has called on the NSW State Government to immediately implement an independent and transparent policy looking into the reality of wind turbine construction throughout rural and regional NSW.

“In the Hume electorate the scale of planned and proposed wind turbines is staggering,” Mr Schultz said.

“There are 730 wind turbines, or around half of all proposed wind turbines for NSW planned for construction within a 90km radius of Goulburn.

“The NSW Government should immediately halt further wind turbine planning, approvals and development in NSW pending the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into this industry.

“Upon completion of the Inquiry the Government should then implement any recommendations by creating new regulations and guidelines enacted in legislation,” Mr Schultz said.

“We have something akin to best-practice already in place in Victoria. For example, the NSW Government should be following the Victorian Liberal Government’s lead and enforce a minimum 2km buffer zone between wind turbines and residential properties,” Mr Schultz said.

“The terms of reference for the Commission of Inquiry will need to ensure that any new regulatory framework implemented in NSW addresses a range of impacts including health risks, aerial fire bombing and the removal of individual landholders’ rights,” Mr Schultz.

“My practical and achievable guidelines for a moratorium on Wind turbines include:

1. Implement an immediate moratorium on all wind turbine planning, approval and development in NSW pending the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the industry;

2. Establish a Commission of Inquiry into the impacts of wind turbines and the commercial practices of wind turbines developers.

3. Provide for wind turbine-specific regulations covering planning, approval and development in NSW reinstating the democratic rights of landholders.

4. Implement and enforce a minimum 2km or greater buffer zone between wind turbines and residential properties.

5. Mandatory provisions to shut down wind turbines during periods of high-fire danger.”

“This desire to promote so-called energy-efficient green technology, or to meet some arbitrary carbon emissions target set by the Federal Government at the expense of the democratic property rights of existing landholders is appalling and must simply stop,” Mr Schultz said.

“Having been a State member for over a decade I know that this policy would fit within the NSW administrative and legislative processes at little cost.  In return rural and regional communities in my electorate would regain confidence in NSW planning and development processes which are currently not subjected to the appropriate public scrutiny they deserve.”

“For the sake of all rural communities, I again call on the NSW O’Farrell Coalition Government to introduce a moratorium on wind turbine construction immediately using the five guidelines I have proposed as a starting point.”

“I also plead with those rural based State Members of Parliament not to put selfish personal ambitions before the needs of their rural constituency,” Mr Schultz concluded.