A PACKED meeting of angry Mortlake district residents has overwhelmingly voted against the proposed Mount Fyans wind farm.
Almost 500 people attended the meeting on Monday night at the Mortlake Hall and supported a motion to reject Moyne Shire’s offer to establish a community engagement committee for the proposed renewable energy project.
"This meeting is totally and absolutely opposed to the development of the Mount Fyans wind farm and directs the Moyne shire councillors and officers to instruct the Minister for Planning Richard Wynne to reject any application by the proponent Woolnorth for the development...," the motion read.
Feelings were high at the meeting with the threat to endangered brolgas and impact of the 200-metre tall turbines on firefighting capabilities highlighted as issues.
Meeting organisers said representatives of wind farm owners Woolnorth were invited to attend but declined, despite being in the district to meet with Moyne Shire officials on Tuesday. About 500 submissions were also gathered to present to Mr Wynne against the proposed wind farm.
Mortlake district farmer Lachie Cumming addressed the meeting in relation to the lack of public consultation and secrecy around the proposal. He labelled it a "proposal by stealth" and questioned the morality of the neighbour communication agreements presented to adjoining landholders.
Those at the meeting were concerned that Mr Wynne and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning had granted Woolnorth an exemption from preparing an environment effects statement despite being in an environmentally sensitive area.
The meeting was told that was despite DEWLP finding that the reports prepared by Woolnorth were inadequate.
The proposed wind farm covers breeding and nesting sites for the Victorian brolga which is a vulnerable species with less than 600 left in the wild. The proposed turbines are the biggest so far in Australia at 200 metres.
Concerns were also raised that wind farms Australia-wide had been subsidised by government to the tune of billions of dollars with many of the companies foreign owned. Potential devaluation of both rural and urban properties by up to 40 per cent as a result of wind turbines was discussed, as well as current issues with the noise report for the Bald Hills wind farm.
Attendee Geraldine Conheady addressed the meeting about the failure of the State Government to have planning in place to include wind farms proposed throughout the south-west of Victoria.
Woolnorth was contacted for comment.
