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	<title>National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News &#187; Australia</title>
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	<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news</link>
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	 	<title>National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News &#187; Australia</title>
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	<description>Industrial Wind Energy/Wind Power News</description>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farms risk local jobs</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/22/wind-farms-risk-local-jobs/</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 12:25:09 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Ted McIntosh has based his aerial fertilising business, Yass Air Proprietary Limited, out of his Black Range Road property since 1975. He has now found out, through a newsletter, that his airstrip will be situated &#8220;not three kilometres&#8221; from the 152 proposed turbines. This is inside the likely aerial exclusion zone, which Mr McIntosh says will be at least six kilometres, and will close down his runway, preventing him from flying his two aircraft. &#8220;I found out about it because&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=37187</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm under threat</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/21/wind-farm-under-threat/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 12:31:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[About a third of King Island&#8217;s adult population have signed a petition in opposition to Hydro Tasmania&#8217;s plan to build a massive 200-turbine wind farm on the Bass Strait island. The No TasWind Farm Group, which has now hired the services of a mainland PR company to help it fight the $2 billion proposal, collected 434 signatures on its petition which has been presented to the King Island Council. Hydro Tasmania will conduct a survey next month to assess how&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=37162</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press releases]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind turbines but no jobs</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/21/wind-turbines-but-no-jobs/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 12:29:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Despite the promises South Australia will never become a hub for manufacturing wind turbines, towers or blades, according to evidence at a parliamentary inquiry into wind energy. “It’s disappointing,” inquiry chair David Ridgway said. “I’d hoped that as the wind power capital of Australia, with over half the installed wind generating capacity, SA would have had hundreds of jobs in manufacturing turbines and blades. “Instead we hear they’re all imported from the USA, Europe or China, and that’s not going&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=37173</guid>
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					<item>
				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Windy debate questions natural power</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/19/windy-debate-questions-natural-power/</link>
		<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 11:20:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[An independent body, appointed by the Government to speak on behalf of regional South Australians, has reported that farmers with land near wind-driven power stations are facing lower profits and falling land values. The report from the Regional Communities Consultative Council (RCCC) came as groups gathered to give evidence during a parliamentary investigation into the social and economic effects of the wind-powered station, which highlighted the clash taking place between the energy industry and primary production sector. RCCC chair Peter&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=37113</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denmark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Radio]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Can wind turbines make you sick?</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/17/can-wind-turbines-make-you-sick/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 15:17:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[No easy answers as turbines pop up around the world. After years of complaints about noise and health effects, on May 21, 2013 residents of Falmouth, MA will vote on whether or not to tear down both of the town’s wind turbines. (Credit: Mass. Office of Energy &#038; Environmental Affairs) When it comes to renewable energy, wind is the leader of the pack. Wind energy in the U.S. grew by a whopping 30 percent in 2012, and the U.S. is&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=37061</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Yass Valley wind farm community survey</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/16/yass-valley-wind-farm-community-survey/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 20:02:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[In April 2013 Yass Landscape Guardians carried out a telephone survey of 183 residents and landowners within 8kms of the proposed Yass Valley Wind Farm. A large majority (70%) of the 112 respondents do not support the development with only 16% supportive. These results are consistent with the results measured by a similar survey in the Collector area taken in 2012. Both these surveys contradict claims of strong community support made by the wind farm developers, and generally accepted by&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=37022</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Local politics of wind farms</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/15/local-politics-of-wind-farms/</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 06:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Wind farms are becoming a feature of the Australian landscape particularly in the areas surrounding Canberra and the Southern Tablelands. If you were to take a drive from Canberra to Goulburn, Yass, Crookwell or even Bungendore at some point along the way, you would be certain to notice the numerous wind turbines lining the hills. Large energy companies are frequently investing billions of dollars in the planning, construction and operation of large wind farms across the country. However, the construction&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36963</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Power giant cuts stake in controversial wind farm</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/14/power-giant-cuts-stake-in-controversial-wind-farm/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 12:34:41 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[EnergyAustralia has raised $228 million from the sale of three-quarters of its holdings in the controversial Waterloo wind farm in South Australia but says it remains committed to the project’s expansion. The 111-megawatt wind farm in the wine-growing Clare Valley region is the largest wind farm operated by EnergyAustralia. The company will continue to buy power from the project and manage its operations after the sale of the stake to infrastructure investment specialists, Palisade Investment Partners and Northleaf Capital Partners.&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36893</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press releases]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Foundation vows to expose corrupt Australian system</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/13/foundation-vows-to-expose-corrupt-australian-system/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2013 20:40:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Public Inquiry called into wind industry On May 9th, Australia’s Waubra Foundation issued a call for a full Public Enquiry by a Royal Commission into the wind industry (1). This was prompted by an attempt to silence their CEO and longstanding advocate for independent multidisciplinary research, Dr Sarah Laurie. Following in the steps of Dr Nina Pierpont in the US, Dr Laurie has joined the numerous acousticians and health professionals around the world (2) who have been studying or expressing&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36878</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Frost blows hard on wind</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/10/frost-blows-hard-on-wind/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 14:47:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Yass Valley deputy mayor Geoff Frost gave an impassioned speech at the last council meeting over concerns regarding wind turbines. He had placed before council a Notice of Motion that included seven reasons why council should let state and federal governments know it is opposed to the developments. &#8220;There are seven different issues that I think are a problem for wind farms,” he told the meeting. &#8220;Fire risk and the non-use of aerial support is a major issue. &#8220;As well,&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36790</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Epuron responds</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/10/epuron-responds/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 08:23:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Epuron told the Tribune it has a number of concerns about the recent survey conducted by Yass Landscape Guardians (see page 1). Andrew Wilson, a construction manager with Epuron, said guardians was not an unbiased organisation. “The survey was not conducted by an independent organisation or by someone with any expertise with these assessments.” He also disputed that the survey was &#8220;authenticated&#8221; by Galaxy Research. “Their letter (Galaxy’s) only comments on the standards applied and the response rate, without any&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36799</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Fire fuels wind worries</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/09/fire-fuels-wind-worries/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 19:32:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[As the crow flies, there will be just 80 kilometres separating the Yass post office with the furthest of 12 proposed wind-farms in close proximity to the township. Along with the fully-operational wind farms of Capital Hill, Crookwell, Cullerin Range and Gunning, a further eight projects have been approved, are close to being approved or are already under construction. With an estimated total of 700 turbines, a number of concerns are being raised. There are objections based on aesthetic degradation,&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36773</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press releases]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Waubra Foundation calls for full public inquiry</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/09/waubra-foundation-calls-for-full-public-inquiry/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 12:28:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The Foundation has been informed that an “anonymous” document appeared at the office of Michael Moore, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia alleging that the Foundation’s CEO, Dr Laurie, is “conducting research without ethics committee approval” and that Dr Laurie is “practising medicine without being registered”. These are serious, and reputation-damaging, accusations, deliberately made. Moore then transmitted this anonymous and malicious document to the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority and the&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36746</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Review rejects claims wind turbines cause health problems</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/07/review-rejects-claims-wind-turbines-cause-health-problems/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 12:38:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A review by the Victorian Department of Health has found that inaudible sounds caused by wind turbines do not have adverse affects on human health. Groups opposed to wind turbines claim that they can cause a range of health problems including sleeplessness, depression, hypertension, heart attacks and memory dysfunction. The review says sound can only affect health at levels that are loud enough to be easily heard. However it acknowledges that annoyance is a recognised health effect of noise and&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36653</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Funding to fast-track wind farm</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/07/funding-to-fast-track-wind-farm/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 12:38:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A wind farm in the Central Highlands will be fast-tracked after a new global energy private firm invested $US75 million ($A73.2m) to finalise it and a number of other wind projects around Australia. The $500 million Cattle Hill wind farm, which will be the biggest on mainland Tasmania, received Environment Protection Authority approval in 2011. The 100-turbine development is expected to produce up to 240 megawatts of electricity &#8212; enough to power more than 80,000 homes. By comparison, the wind&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36635</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm report puts pressure on government restrictions</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/07/wind-farm-report-puts-pressure-on-government-restrictions/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 12:38:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[ELEANOR HALL: A company that makes wind turbines is urging the Victorian Government to respond to a Health Department report by ending restrictions on wind farms in the state. The report by the Victorian Health Department dismissed concerns that wind farm noise makes people ill, although it did find that the noise could be annoying. In Melbourne, Simon Lauder reports. SIMON LAUDER: Noel Dean moved to Ballarat to get away from Waubra. He says the wind farm there made him&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36637</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Turbines create low &#8216;swish&#8217;: health dept</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/07/turbines-create-low-swish-health-dept/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 12:38:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Wind farm noise is lower than most other sources of environmental noise according to the Victorian Department of Health. An information brochure released last week on wind farms and health describes the main sound within 300m of a turbine as a mid-high frequency level &#8220;intermittent swish&#8221;. &#8220;At the distance of most neighbouring residents, the level of sound from wind farms is lower than that of many other sources of environmental noise,&#8221; the brochure says. &#8220;Low frequency sounds may be more&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36632</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Turbine claims wrong</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/07/turbine-claims-wrong/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 09:54:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[We were disturbed to read the editorial piece in The Standard (April 27) entitled ‘Wind energy’s noisy divide’ regarding the Macarthur wind farm. In particular the claim that “most people accepted the wind farm and welcomed it” offended us most. Of course the people living in the township of Macarthur are hoping the wind farm will bring income to their town. These people are not impacted in any way by the turbines at the Macarthur wind farm as their homes&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36654</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Govt advisor warns of wind farm dangers</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/06/govt-advisor-warns-of-wind-farm-dangers/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 12:11:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A South Australian Government advisor has blown the whistle on the dangers of building wind farms on prime agricultural land. Mike Smithson reports. One of the South Australian Government’s own advisors has blown the whistle on the dangers of building wind farms on prime agricultural land. Former MP Peter Blacker is heading the Government’s independent council into windfarm impacts and came out swinging at a Parliamentary Committee today. He said wind sheer from massive turbines sweep across vast areas, from&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36620</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Radio]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Thousands of birds paying a high price for green energy</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/06/thousands-of-birds-paying-a-high-price-for-green-energy/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 12:07:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Many years ago work places wanting to avoid arguments banned discussion of sex, politics and religion. Today, if you wanted to avoid arguments in the work place, I think you’d be wise to add wind farms to that list. It’s a subject that people feel passionately about. There are those who support a source of fossil-free renewable energy. There are those who think the turbines are beautiful, and those who believe they’re a blight on the landscape. There are those&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36619</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Fighting wind and fire</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/03/fighting-wind-and-fire/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2013 12:33:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Dear fellow residents, Consider the impact on fighting the recent bush fires from the ground or the air if wind turbines were present. Would aerial fire crews and grounds crews have been able to halt the fires where they did? Air support was on the scene of the Cobbler Road Fire within 2 hours. It might seem sensible to draw the conclusion it was strategically important. Some concerned residents are hoping a &#8220;no air support&#8221; scenario due to proposed turbines&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36534</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Macarthur wind farm critic disputes data</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/03/macarthur-wind-farm-critic-disputes-data/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2013 12:32:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A campaigner against the Macarthur wind farm has dismissed the energy company’s claims the turbines are operating within required noise limits. AGL Energy (AGL) this week announced that an independent noise compliance assessment on the wind turbines by the AECOM company had shown the farm was operating within the noise limits set down in its planning permit. However, Annie Gardner said residents who lived near the turbines could still not sleep at night because of the infrasound (low-frequency) noise, as&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36532</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Verve says no truth to turbine rumours</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/02/verve-says-no-truth-to-turbine-rumours/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 11:02:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Verve Energy has been forced to deny rampant industry speculation that faulty concrete wind turbine tower foundations at its troubled Mumbida green power project were responsible for a six-month delay and cost blowouts on the $130 million venture. To ensure stability in high winds, concrete strength at the base of wind towers usually ranges from 30 to 45 Newtons per square millimetre according to analysts. However, multiple sources have suggested to WestBusiness that the measure got as low as 18&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36513</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Farm Group continues wind farm opposition</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/01/farm-group-continues-wind-farm-opposition/</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2013 19:01:39 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A meeting held by the No TasWind Farm Group last week saw guest speaker Dr Sarah Laurie address King Island residents about her research into wind farms. Dr Laurie is the CEO of the Waubra Foundation, which was created to research health problems associated with wind turbines. Initially Dr Laurie was in favour for a wind energy project proposed for the hills near her property in South Australia. But after being alerted to health problems associated with wind turbines, Dr&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36463</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm divides festival</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/30/wind-farm-divides-festival/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:07:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A Collector plumber has outbid a multinational, multimillion dollar energy company to be this year&#8217;s primary sponsor of the Collector Pumpkin Festival, as the divisive issue of wind farming continues to split the small NSW community. Zoltan Hegyi, who has lived in Collector for about 20 years, said he increased his financial sponsorship of the festival by more than 10 times, from $300 to $3500, to snare the event&#8217;s main billing and take it back from wind farm and energy&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36424</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Macarthur&#8217;s turbine test results</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/30/macarthurs-turbine-test-results/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:26:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Macarthur wind farm&#8217;s operator AGL Energy says independent noise assessments prove the farm was noise compliant. AGL&#8217;s group general manager power development Scott Thomas said noise monitoring was carried out independently by AECOM Australia and demonstrated the wind farm was operating within the strict noise limits set in the developments planning permit. &#8220;We appreciate some community members have been concerned about wind farm noise levels so we wanted to make sure it was operating correctly from the start and give&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36387</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>King Island still divided over wind farm</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/29/king-island-still-divided-over-wind-farm/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:33:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Community opinion about a proposed 200-turbine wind farm on King Island remains split. Hydro Tasmania is still consulting the community over the $2 billion project, before deciding whether to continue to a full feasibility study. Residents will be surveyed in early June with results expected a few weeks later. The consultative committee&#8217;s chair John Brewster says it is hard to know how many people support the project. &#8220;This is a question that&#8217;s asked quite often and I really couldn&#8217;t tell&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36361</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Sale plan raises wind-chill</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/29/sale-plan-raises-wind-chill/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The owner of a wind farm on Lake George&#8217;s eastern fringe could sell it, stirring criticism from opponents of a proposed $350 million project at Collector. Infigen Energy has told the Australian Securities Exchange it is in the early stages of testing demand for the Capital Wind Farm, which began operating in 2009. The Australian Financial Review has reported Infigen&#8217;s potential buyers could be pension funds, or Japanese trading houses with lower capital costs, while it could keep the role&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36363</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm debate continues</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/26/wind-farm-debate-continues/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:29:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[High levels of infrasound was one of the key subjects discussed by farmers at a TasWind community meeting in King Island last Friday. The community meeting is just one of many in relation to a 600-megawatt wind farm proposed for the island by State-owned company Hydro Tasmania. If approved, the project would see between 195-250 turbines on the island. The proposal is currently in the community consultation period and will proceed to a feasibility study if the community approves, but&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36278</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Moyne wants compo for energy projects&#8217; collateral costs</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/25/moyne-wants-compo-for-energy-projects-collateral-costs/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:36:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Local government has been left to carry the can in the national push for more renewable energy supplies, Moyne Shire Council has been told. Moyne, which is at the hub of one of Australia’s largest energy-producing regions, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on planning approval work and borne massive costs in maintaining roads linked to construction sites. Yet it, like other rural municipalities, gets little in return apart from annual rates revenue when the projects are up and&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36237</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Ararat bucks wind farm responsibility</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/24/ararat-bucks-wind-farm-responsibility/</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:34:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Ararat Rural City Council has warned it does not have the expertise to enforce planning permit conditions on the city&#8217;s wind farm after the State Government handed it the responsibility. The State Government passed laws on Thursday to have councils enforce conditions, including noise restrictions, on eight wind farm projects across the state. Ararat Rural City&#8217;s will take on the new role, as well as the Moyne, Moorabool, Pyrenees and Golden Plains shire councils. Ararat Rural City Council council services&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36181</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>EPA tests noise near Waterloo wind farm</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/23/epa-tests-noise-near-waterloo-wind-farm/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:34:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is using noise testing near a Clare Valley wind farm to determine whether local residents&#8217; claims about health impacts are valid. Continuous noise frequency and level testing is being done at six sites near the Waterloo wind farm over the next two months. This follows testing done by the EPA earlier in the year at several urban and regional locations around South Australia. Peter Dolan from the EPA says 57 residents will also be keeping&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36132</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farms face scrutiny as reported health problems rise</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/23/wind-farms-face-scrutiny-as-reported-health-problems-rise/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:34:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[With the recent construction and opening of the southern hemisphere&#8217;s largest wind farm in Macarthur, Victoria, a debate has been raging over the health risks of wind generation. At the launch of the Macarthur facility, a group of locals turned up to protest, claiming that land vibrations and air pressure caused by the &#8220;sub-audible infra-sound&#8221;, which is produced by the facility, was also producing a number of symptoms in locals — namely headaches, anxiety, insomnia and nausea. This is not&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36130</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm permit outrage</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/22/wind-farm-permit-outrage/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:27:37 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Moyne mayor Jim Doukas says the state government is passing the buck by making local councils enforce permit conditions on some wind farms. Cr Doukas said new state legislation requiring local government to be responsible for enforcing wind farm permit conditions could impose high costs on councils. Under legislation passed in the upper house of State Parliament on Thursday, councils will be responsible for enforcing conditions such as noise levels on eight wind farm projects unless the permit conditions says&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36110</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Push to close wind turbine loophole</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/22/push-to-close-wind-turbine-loophole/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:27:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The Local Government Association (LGA) will lobby the State Government to ban wind turbines from suburban backyards. The move comes after Burnside Council unsuccessfully lobbied the government to close a planning loophole that allowed wind turbines up to 10m tall to be erected without development approval. Burnside Council raised the issue at last week&#8217;s LGA general meeting, winning the backing of other councils. Burnside Mayor David Parkin told the Eastern Courier Messenger he was pleased other councils had supported the&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36114</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Turbines a waste</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/22/turbines-a-waste/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:20:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Premiere Denis Napthine has lauded the opening of a wind turbine farm near Macarthur. My question to the Premier is: “Why are you wasting taxpayer’s money on wind farms?” No doubt he is wanting to be trendy and placate the carping hordes of environmentalists ensconced on Spring Street. Wind turbines will generate on average 30 per cent of their rated capacity over any given year. The turbines can only work in low wind, and periods of widespread low wind are&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36112</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Premier out of loop</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/22/premier-out-of-loop/</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:19:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[It’s all very well for our new Premier Denis Napthine to admit to loving wind turbines, calling them majestic. He doesn’t have to live next to them, or deal with unscrupulous behaviour by wind farm companies. It’s all very well for him to want to cover the state in them. I hope he will be equally as happy to pay to pull these rusting hulks down in 15-20 years, because no one else will. When meeting with Macarthur residents affected&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36111</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Spin from Victorian Wind Alliance</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/20/spin-from-victorian-wind-alliance/</link>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:33:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[I refer to “No Complaints” W.T. April 3, 2013. The author Andrew Bray, refers to the new study from the University of Sydney. Professor Chapman (no doubt involved in this study but not qualified in medicine, rather a sociologist) and Tim Flannery, also aligned with the wind industry, have both been very busy with the local media in south-west Victoria lately. However, this “new study” could not possibly have included the massive Macarthur wind factory. AGL/Meridian Energy certainly could not&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36088</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Letters]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Open letter to Victoria Premier Denis Napthine</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/19/open-letter-to-victoria-premier-denis-napthine/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:05:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[I have been advised that after the opening of the AGL/NZ Government owned Meridian Energy Macarthur wind development 4 days ago, you met with some of the sick and exhausted residents who asked you to listen to them, and pleaded with you to help them. The delegation included residents in your electorate from Macarthur, who cannot sleep in their homes at night, and cannot remain living or working in their homes, workshops and on their farms during the day, because&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=36066</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Deadline looms for wind farm submissions</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/18/deadline-looms-for-wind-farm-submissions/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:12:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Yorke Peninsula residents against plans to build what would be Australia&#8217;s largest wind farm say it is not too late to dump the project. REpower Australia submitted an application for its 199-turbine wind farm near Black Point in January. Public submissions to the Development Assessment Commission close today, with the developer expecting a decision from the State Government by mid-year. Heartland Farmers Association spokeswoman Tania Stock says it supports renewable energy projects but does not want one in its area.&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35977</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Council drops wind farm court appeal</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/18/council-drops-wind-farm-court-appeal/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:11:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The Regional Council of Goyder has withdrawn its court appeal against a proposed wind farm in the region. The council&#8217;s development assessment panel had rejected the development but the council is now giving its consent. Last August, the panel ruled against an application for the Stony Gap wind farm near Burra, based on noise-related health concerns. The developers, Energy Australia, appealed against the decision soon after in the Environment, Resources and Development Court. However, council CEO John Brak says it&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35975</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Inquiry to probe wind farm property price impacts</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/16/inquiry-to-probe-wind-farm-property-price-impacts/</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[A Federal Court decision has triggered a South Australian parliamentary investigation into whether wind farms can devalue neighbouring properties. The terms of reference have been expanded for a select committee looking into wind farm developments. Committee chairman David Ridgway says it results from a Federal Court decision finding the developments can cut the value of surrounding properties. Mr Ridgway says it is a significant issue for country people that extends beyond simple property prices. &#8220;There&#8217;s a flow-on effect that if&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35886</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Wind farm &#8216;handball&#8217; claim as councils fear big expense over compliance</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/12/wind-farm-handball-claim-as-councils-fear-big-expense-over-compliance/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:50:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Seven councils, including Moorabool, Pyrenees and Golden Plain Shire, have asked the Planning Minister Matthew Guy to reconsider a bill that some say could cost ratepayers millions of dollars. Moorabool mayor Pat Toohey said the bill, which is to be introduced to the Upper House on Monday, sought to overhaul the administration and enforcing of wind farm permits. “There’s a proposal to transfer responsibility for pre-construction, construction and post-construction compliance of all wind farms on to local councils,” Cr Toohey&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35757</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>All systems go…but Macarthur windfarm protestors stand firm</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/12/all-systems-gobut-macarthur-windfarm-protestors-stand-firm/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:50:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Victorian Premier, Dr Denis Napthine, officially opened the Macarthur Wind Farm today under tight security and the distant glare of protestors. A select group of industry officials, locals and media were invited to participate in the opening, including Ditlev Engel, chief executive of the Danish engineering firm, Vestas, which constructed the farm’s turbines. Mr Engel said Australia was ideally placed to reap the benefits of modern wind farm technology. “In Denmark, where I come from, we have 44,000 square kilometres&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35764</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>I love them, but we can&#8217;t have them everywhere: Premier on wind farms</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/12/i-love-them-but-we-cant-have-them-everywhere-premier-on-wind-farms/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:50:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Premier Denis Napthine has declared his personal love for wind turbines, but says his government&#8217;s restrictions to where they can be built won&#8217;t change. Dr Napthine on Friday launched the Macarthur wind farm in Victoria&#8217;s south-west, the largest wind energy project in the southern hemisphere. The Macarthur project was built by AGL Energy and New Zealand firm Meridian Energy, cost $1 billion, and sits in Dr Napthine&#8217;s electorate. It consists of 140 turbines generating up to 420 megawatts of electricity,&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35770</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Residents rally against wind farm</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/12/residents-rally-against-wind-farm/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:42:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[King Island residents have rallied to form the No TasWind Committee in a bid to save their community from the large-scale wind farm proposed for their island. A meeting run by concerned King Islanders last Thursday saw a turn-out of 75 residents from which the NoTas Wind Committee was elected. The committee is made up of 10 members and their first aim will be to push for a democratic vote on the proposed 600-megawatt wind farm, expected to consist of&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35747</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press releases]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>New powers for wind committee</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/11/new-powers-for-wind-committee/</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:31:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The Legislative Council has overwhelmingly agreed to expand the powers of a parliamentary inquiry investigating the impact of wind farms in South Australia. SA already has more wind farms than any other State, with dozens of new proposals in the pipeline or fully approved for construction and connection. “Some of these wind farms are close to inhabited areas,” inquiry chair David Ridgway said. “There is a legal precedent set in the Federal Court which shows a wind farm can devalue&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35736</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Company responds to Collector windfarm concerns</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/11/company-responds-to-collector-windfarm-concerns/</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:28:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[The company behind a proposed windfarm in the Upper Lachlan Shire Council says it will address traffic concerns with the project once it gets approval. The Collector Wind Farm was going to see almost 70 turbines built south west of Goulburn. Following 140 public submissions on the project, RATCH Australia says it is now looking to remove five turbines to help reduce habitat loss. In its submission on the project the Roads and Maritime Services opposed widening stretches of the&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35698</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>Protesters target Macarthur wind farm opening</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/10/protesters-target-macarthur-wind-farm-opening/</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:01:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Anti-wind protesters will try to disrupt the opening of the $1 billion Macarthur wind farm tomorrow. Macarthur residents will picket the arrival of industry leaders and dignitaries, including Premier Denis Napthine, who will officially cut the ribbon on the southern hemisphere’s largest wind farm. Anger and discontent has been brewing in the south-west over the health impacts of wind farms. About 30 landowners from the area, and possibly some from interstate, are expected to voice their anger before the opening&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35680</guid>
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				<category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press releases]]></category>
		<category>Wind power</category>
		<category>Wind energy</category>
		<title>VCAT Commissioners confirm evidence of damage to sleep and health from operating wind turbines</title>
		<link>https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/10/vcat-commissioners-confirm-evidence-of-damage-to-sleep-and-health/</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:52:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<description><![CDATA[Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal Commissioners, Mr M Wright QC and Mr A Liston have made the following remarks in orders given on 4th April, 2013.¹ Paragraphs 116-118 of their orders state the following: There is evidence before the Tribunal that a number of people living close to wind farms suffer deleterious health effects. The evidence is both direct and anecdotal. There is a uniformity of description of these effects across a number of wind farms, both in southeast Australia and&#160;.&#160;.&#160;.]]></description>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.wind-watch.org/news/?p=35677</guid>
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