Media Release - 27/2/2025
MEDIA RELEASE
Date: 27 February 2025
Media contact: admin@wmeap.com
WMEAP Provides information for Community
Over 120 people attended the second meeting for the year of the Wimmera Mallee Environmental and Agricultural Protection Association Inc. and heard two very informative speakers on the topic of living near wind energy projects and mining on Monday night.
Dominica Tannock from DST Legal in Melbourne and Viva-Lyn Lenehan from Killarney, Western Victoria enthralled the audience, who came from as far away as Ararat, Nhill, Birchip and Wycheproof areas as well as many local residents.
Dominica discussed the legal aspects of what neighbours and the community can do when confronted by the noise nuisance made by wind turbines. She commented that most, if not all Victorian wind projects cannot meet their noise requirements, and that most of these projects have had either a successful prosecution for noise nuisance made against them or has settled a case with a complainant out of court. She spoke for over 1 ½ hours and answered many questions from extremely concerned residents.
She spoke on the need to keep records of all conversations with the developer, to monitor the developer’s testing methods and most important of all, to not sign any agreement with developer until the resident has had independent, expert legal advice.
Our second speaker for the night, Viva-Lyn Lenehan then explained that these developers are not utility companies but are private, usually multinational, companies that wish to make a private contract with the turbine hosts and project neighbours and that the landowners have the right to say no.
Viva also explained how noise testing is done and that usually these are statistical numbers and that often the noise is much higher that the figure that the company will tell you is going to happen. She explained why it is so hard to go to sleep and stay asleep when you are within 5 km of a turbine.
WMEAP’s policy is to support our communities as they strive to protect the natural environment and food production in the Wimmera Mallee region of Victoria. For more information contact admin@wmeap.com
