In 2002, my wife and I called into the new wind farm in Portland, Victoria, where we were given a guided tour around the towers.
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This windy site can produce enough electricity day and night to power 14,000 homes and creates no pollutants.
Standing beside a tower we noticed the sound was similar to that produced by a washing machine. As the base of each tower only occupied a few square metres, there was still plenty of pasture for the cows. We thought they were marvellous.
However, Joe Hockey describes wind turbines as "offensive" and Tony Abbott refers to them as "ugly" and "noisy" and has announced that the government will prevent the Clean Energy Finance Corporation from assisting in developing any further wind farms.
Instead, the government has now given approval for the Chinese Shenhua company to open a 35-square-kilometre open cut coalmine in the middle of the fertile Liverpool Plains.
As a result of the government's moves, the Australian manufacturer of the tapered steel towers have found that orders have dried up and staff have had to be retrenched.
How is all this going to help Australia reach its CO2 reduction target?
- George Aungle, Morisset Park