Rottnest Wind Turbine is using Twitter to carry out a spirited self-defence against the insults of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
@Rottoturbine now has more than 700 people following its tweets, which vary from wind energy-related links and information, banter about Mr Abbott's "visually awful" description of turbines and pictures of generators against stunning rural backdrops, hashtagged #notvisuallyawful.
The turbine, installed in 2004 with substantial funding from the Howard government, provides 35 per cent of the island's power needs, saving $350,000 worth of fossil fuel per year and powering the desalination plant that allows Rottnest to be entirely self-sufficient in terms of water use - all without ever causing a single complaint.
@Rottoturbine consented to share some of its views with Fairfax Media though an email interview, facilitated by its "human helper", a Perth man in his thirties who the turbine says shares its concerns about renewable energy.
"I set up the Twitter account after hearing about the Prime Minister making some rather hurtful comments about me," it said.
"I had been aware of negative views being expressed by some government Ministers about wind farms in general and this was concerning, but personal attacks against me were the last straw.
"To tell you the truth, it has become a bit bigger than I expected ... while there continues to be injustice out there against wind turbines, I will continue to speak out. I also feel I need to do my bit to help protect my island home from the impacts of climate change. Rottnest has some of the world's most beautiful beaches and I'm afraid they are in jeopardy from rising sea levels and a warming climate."
Hey look! The land around #windfarms can be used for agriculture. You can't grow corn in a #coal mine. pic.twitter.com/ks6Q7J2YfC— RottnestWindTurbine (@Rottoturbine)
June 26, 2015
@Rottoturbine also thanked Fremantle MHR Melissa Parke for her recent speech in support of the "tireless work" of her "special constituent – a whirling white giant".
"I am taking this opportunity to speak in defence of the Rottnest Island wind turbine which has been verballed by the Prime Minister as ugly and noisy," she said.
"Ugly and noisy – well I guess that's a matter of personal judgement. But I can't imagine that there would be many people who'd join the PM in making that judgement about wind turbines, as compared to, say, coal-fired power stations, diesel generators, or massive and unnecessary new roads like Roe 8 and the Perth Freight Link."
Ms Parke said Mr Abbott's statement that lowering Australia's Renewable Energy Target would stop "an explosion of these things [wind turbines] right around our country" revealed what she called the Prime Minister's "dangerous irrationality" around climate change and renewable energy.
@Rottoturbine yeah.....your mates blight up the landscape.......don't they.... #auspol pic.twitter.com/jgHrfoPAPW— Reecho (@Reecho_Perth)
June 27, 2015
"It is interesting to note that in the past five years alone, the Liberal Party has backed 10 separate inquiries into wind power, including a current Senate investigation, while showing little interest in the health and environmental costs of coal-fired power stations or exporting uranium or gas fracking," she said.
A week ago, the Senate passed legislation to reduce Australia's RET for 2020 by about one-fifth, from 41,000 gigawatt hours to 33,000.
The legislation includes the burning of native timber as a renewable energy source.
The government will also appoint a national wind farm commissioner to investigate complaints about wind turbines, a move promised to anti-wind energy senators in order to get the legislation through.
"I really think a reduction in the RET is a bad move," @Rottoturbine said.
"I think we are the only industrialised country to have both got rid of a price on carbon and reduced its renewable energy target. Other countries around the world are increasing their targets.
"My European wind turbine friends are laughing at me. The government's own review showed that more renewable energy would actually decrease costs for consumers.
@lawbrand @KetanJ0 perhaps if we had smoke coming out the top we would be more acceptable? #windfarms pic.twitter.com/sKdIwzkjCO— RottnestWindTurbine (@Rottoturbine)
June 24, 2015
"As to the wind commissioner, well it's a bit of a joke. Study after study has shown no credible health impacts from wind farms, there is more 'infrasound' generated by a washing machine or inside a moving car. A commissioner for industrial noise complaints would be a reasonable thing to consider, but to single out wind farms just doesn't seem fair."
The federal government's most recent inquiry into wind farming, the Senate inquiry, is due to be tabled on August 3.
The Senate committee that held the inquiry held public hearings in Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and New South Wales but not WA.
Meanwhile, the long-delayed decision on the RET has cleared the way for a $450 million deal to build Australia's third-largest wind farm.
