Testimony, Thorne,R. Excessive Noise Bill Inquiry, Submission

Dr. Robert Thorne, Noise Measurement Services Pty. Ltd.
Submission in favour of the Excessive Noise Bill, November 2012 

The need for control over excessive noise from wind farms has been clearly demonstrated and reported in the Explanatory Notes and the Senate Report The Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms, June 2011. As part of my submission I provide a report recording the effects of wind farm noise on people and this confirms the need for control measures independent of current approval and regulatory authorities. I do not therefore revisit matters that are already well established.

The critical important of the Bill is that it does not impose any restriction on the operation of a wind farm that does not cause excessive noise. The actual monitory requirements are inexpensive and, apart from the reporting to the internet, are little different from what the power stations should already be doing in order to comply with their approval conditions.

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