edited
7th Oct 2014
Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Excessive Noise from Wind Farms) Bill 2012 - Reference to Committee
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 84% attendance
28th Feb 2013, 11:30 AM – Senate Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Excessive Noise from Wind Farms) Bill 2012 - Second Reading - Read a second time
Summary
EditThe majority voted against a motion to read the bill for a second time.
This means that the majority of senators reject the main idea of the act, which was to provide the Clean Energy Regulator with powers to ensure that accredited power stations that are wind farms do not create excessive noise.(Read more about the bill here, including its explanatory memorandum. )
Background to the bill
The bill was introduced by Democratic Labor Party Senator John Madigan, also on behalf of Independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
Currently, there are questions about whether the noise generated by wind farms may cause health problems.(For example, read about the divided reactions surrounding a proposed major wind farm project in South Australia here. ) However, this is widely disputed.(For example, the South Australian Environmental Protection Authority rejected the link between wind farms and health almost a month before this vote took place (see here. ) These concerns reflect similar debates around the world in communities that are affected by wind farms.(Read more about these debates here.)
References
Votes Not passed by a small majority
Nobody rebelled against their party.
| Party | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Greens (100% turnout) | 0 Yes – 9 No | |
| Richard Di Natale Victoria | No | |
| Sarah Hanson-Young SA | No | |
| Scott Ludlam WA | No | |
| Christine Milne Tasmania | No | |
| Lee Rhiannon NSW | No | |
| Rachel Siewert WA | No | |
| Larissa Waters Queensland | No | |
| Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania | No | |
| Penny Wright SA | No | |
| Australian Labor Party (87% turnout) | 0 Yes – 26 No | |
| Catryna Bilyk Tasmania | No | |
| Mark Bishop WA | No | |
| Carol Brown Tasmania | No | |
| Doug Cameron NSW | No | |
| Bob Carr NSW | No | |
| Kim Carr Victoria | No | |
| Jacinta Collins Victoria | No | |
| Trish Crossin NT | No | |
| Chris Evans WA | No | |
| Don Farrell SA | No | |
| John Faulkner NSW | No | |
| Mark Furner Queensland | No | |
| Alex Gallacher SA | No | |
| Joe Ludwig Queensland | No | |
| Kate Lundy ACT | No | |
| Gavin Marshall Victoria | No | |
| Anne McEwen SA | No | |
| Jan McLucas Queensland | No | |
| Claire Moore Queensland | No | |
| Helen Polley Tasmania | No | |
| Lisa Singh Tasmania | No | |
| Ursula Stephens NSW | No | |
| Glenn Sterle WA | No | |
| Matt Thistlethwaite NSW | No | |
| Lin Thorp Tasmania | No | |
| Anne Urquhart Tasmania | No | |
| Stephen Conroy Victoria | Absent | |
| David Feeney Victoria | Absent | |
| Louise Pratt WA | Absent | |
| Penny Wong SA | Absent | |
| Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party | Yes | |
| John Madigan Victoria Democratic Labor Party | Yes | |
| Stephen Parry Tasmania Deputy President | Yes | |
| Nick Xenophon SA Independent | Absent | |
| Liberal Party (89% turnout) | 24 Yes – 0 No | |
| Eric Abetz Tasmania | Yes | |
| Cory Bernardi SA | Yes | |
| Simon Birmingham SA | Yes | |
| Sue Boyce Queensland | Yes | |
| George Brandis Queensland | Yes | |
| David Bushby Tasmania | Yes | |
| Michaelia Cash WA | Yes | |
| Richard Colbeck Tasmania | Yes | |
| Sean Edwards SA | Yes | |
| Alan Eggleston WA | Yes | |
| David Fawcett SA | Yes | |
| Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW | Yes | |
| Mitch Fifield Victoria | Yes | |
| Bill Heffernan NSW | Yes | |
| Gary Humphries ACT | Yes | |
| Helen Kroger Victoria | Yes | |
| Ian Macdonald Queensland | Yes | |
| Brett Mason Queensland | Yes | |
| Marise Payne NSW | Yes | |
| Michael Ronaldson Victoria | Yes | |
| Anne Ruston SA | Yes | |
| Scott Ryan Victoria | Yes | |
| Arthur Sinodinos NSW | Yes | |
| Dean Smith WA | Yes | |
| Christopher Back WA | Absent | |
| Mathias Cormann WA | Absent | |
| David Johnston WA | Absent | |
| National Party (100% turnout) | 5 Yes – 0 No | |
| Ron Boswell Queensland | Yes | |
| Barnaby Joyce Queensland | Yes | |
| Bridget McKenzie Victoria | Yes | |
| Fiona Nash NSW | Yes | |
| John Williams NSW | Yes | |
| John Hogg Queensland President | No | |
| Totals (89% turnout) | 32 Yes – 36 No |
Turnout is the percentage of members eligible to vote that did vote.