Hetherington, J. To ACNC in Support of Waubra Foundation
My symptoms are so serious, I am forced to leave my home and property, including my business, each week in order to remove my body from the impact from the turbines and to attempt to get a decent sleep at night
Dear Commissioner Pascoe,
I am writing to express my utter dismay at the recent decision by Assistant Commissioner David Locke, in ruling that the Waubra Foundation is not a Health Promotion Charity.
I find it hard to believe that he has continued the repetitive line or “spin” that there has been NO rigorous independent scientific evidence that finds that ill health complained of is caused by the physiological effects from wind turbines ……. THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
I am writing in support of the Waubra Foundation, as this organisation, a purely voluntary organisation has given me, along with many other families in the Macarthur district, unbelievable support since the turbines at the Macarthur wind farm, turned our lives into “hell”. Their dedicated work attempts to expose the truth about the real impact of industrial noise, in their endeavour to reduce the severe health problems caused by environmental noise pollution, whether it be caused by wind turbines, coal seam gas or another form of industrial development forced upon hard working rural Australians.
I am one of the thousands of rural Australians who suffers severely as a result of siting of large numbers of turbines (140 here) FAR TOO CLOSE TO HOMES. I suffer constantly from severe sleep deprivation, and also experience shocking symptoms including head pressure, ear, nose and throat pressure, heart palpitations, chest pains to mention a few. These symptoms began as soon as the first 15 turbines began operation at the Macarthur wind farm in October 2012, after having lived a very healthy life in my home and farming property for nearly forty years, prior to this wind farm trespassing on my property rights.
My symptoms are so serious, I am forced to leave my home and property, including my business, each week in order to remove my body from the impact from the turbines and to attempt to get a decent sleep at night, which is my common law right.
In making his decision Mr. Locke obviously ignored the evidence of the many diseases caused by excessive environmental noise at night. Ongoing sleep deprivation, from which I have suffered since October 2012, is recognised by the World Health Organisation as TORTURE.
The Waubra Foundation concentrates primarily on the impact of sleep deprivation as a result of excessive environmental noise and vibration from industrial developments such as wind farms, and coal seam gas exploration.
By removing the Waubra Foundation’s Health Promotion Charity accreditation, the ACNC has effectively taken away the only assistance which is given to desperate people like myself, who have been lied to, bullied and vilified by developers, bureaucrats and government at all three levels, in their ongoing attempt to cover up the massive fraud involved in the wind industry. Obviously without the tax deductibility status, the Waubra Foundation will lose most of its donations and be prevented from carrying out the invaluable work and provision as an invaluable resource for Australians, and others around the world, to access reliable information.
The ACNC should do its homework properly and as a result will find that there is ample evidence of ill health as a result of industrial noise. This information has been largely denied by governments and others in authority, and strong scientific evidence ignored as a result of strong influence by those involved in the wind industry and with a vested interest in this industry, involving billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidy.
The detrimental impact caused by wind turbines was revealed in the 1980’s by the work of Dr. Neil Kelley and NASA, financed by the US Department of Energy. This information was conveniently ignored until recently, as has so much other credible research and evidence.
The world first outstanding work of Mr. Steven Cooper, acoustic expert at the Cape Bridgewater wind farm at Portland in Victoria has recently exposed the TRUTH about the link between wind turbine acoustic emissions and health complaints made by residents. Perhaps the ACNC should acquaint itself with this ground breaking evidence by reading Mr. Cooper’s report in its entirety.
The Waubra Foundation works to assist people detrimentally impacted by not only wind turbine excessive noise, but also coal seam gas exploration, among other sources of industrial noise. The coal seam gas industry is certainly in its infancy in Australia, particularly with a continued moratorium in Victoria, but it won’t be long before this industry is expanded and the impact felt far and wide across Australia, in a similar manner to the wind industry. How will the Waubra Foundation cope with this overload, particularly with slim pickings from donations due to the callous and uninformed decision by the ACNC ?
I am inviting you Ms. Pascoe and Mr. Locke to come and visit us here at Macarthur in order that you may experience for yourself, the suffering of so many residents living up to six kilometres from the nearest turbine. See how well you sleep at night with the constant ROARING of turbines which sounds as if a tornado or a truck is coming, but never comes, night after night. See how well you sleep in a bed with the vibration which makes you feel as if your body is being cooked in a microwave, or there is an electric charge constantly going through your body from toes to head. See how well you sleep with the severe head/ear/nose pressure which makes you feel as if your head is in a vice. See how well you sleep with a sharp pain in the back of your neck, going up through your head, in addition to an ever present headache.
Mr.Locke’s statement claiming there has been NO rigorous independent scientific evidence, in my opinion only, appears to be very similar to the statements which come straight from the wind industry’s book of “spin”. I certainly would not like to think that this decision was influenced in any way by any individuals aligned to green politics or associated with the industries responsible for the excessive industrial noise emissions.
I urge you to seriously reconsider reversing the decision of 11th December 2014, in order that the Waubra Foundation may continue helping rural Australians such as me, who find themselves with no other avenue for assistance to cope with this simply devastating effect on their lives, through no fault of their own.
In my opinion, I feel this is a “witch-hunt.”
Janet Hetherington
Victoria