The following news story is from the Weekly Times. You can read the full article and add your comments at their website. Full marks for these two councils standing up for their communities.
We’ll be taking it easy over Easter and the week following but should be back in operation after that. All the best to our readers!
Wind farm plea rejected
Johanna Leggatt | April 5, 2012
THE Victorian Government has rejected a plea by two councils to grant them a reprieve from tough new wind farm bans.
The City of Greater Bendigo and Mount Alexander Shire Council have received letters from the Government in recent weeks, restating Planning Minister Matthew Guy‘s decision to make good on an election promise to “give the community a greater voice” on wind farms.
In August last year, the Government gave households the power to veto any turbine construction within 2km of their homes.
It also declared areas of the state “no-go zones” for wind farms, including parts of the Macedon and McHarg ranges, the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, the Yarra Valley, and within 5km of the Great Ocean Road and Bass Coast.
Both councils, whose shires fall within parts of the no-go areas, earlier this year sought an exemption from the laws on the basis of overwhelming community support for small wind farms.
At the time, Mount Alexander Shire chief executive officer Phil Rowland wrote to the Government pointing out “a potential economic loss to the shire as a small community-owned wind farm would now not be able to proceed”.
“Evidence of economic benefit is evident at Daylesford, where a wind farm development resulted in $7 million being brought into the area during construction,” he wrote.
Mr Rowland indicated he would take the Government’s response before the council in the next fortnight to vote on a course of action.
Bendigo councillor Keith Reynard said it would send a second letter to Mr Guy and continue to fight for the exemption.
“I will continue to push and will go down whatever avenue is necessary,” Mr Reynard said.
yes2renewables.org 
This is all deeply concerning. The newly elected liberals were expected by many to embrace the renewable future. In NSW and Victoria this has not been the case. Queensland is yet to reveal itself, but the signs of a retreat are apparent.
These governments are, aside from abrogating their responsibility to the future, are generating their own Achilles Heel, a weakness/vulnerability that will doubtless exploited by Opposition parties at any election.
I can assure any elected government person that my next vote will be swayed by the environmental policy presented by a candidate.
Minister for Banning.
Minister for Common Sense.
So much for democracy, Baillieu seems to have forgotten he is supposed to be serving the people, not the other way around. There was a time way back when the Conservatives were very prone environment but in recent decades they have become fundamentalist crackpots who prefer ideology over good science. Our current Minister for head in the sand and developments for mates, and his boss are only denying the inevitable.