Friends of the Earth have criticised the senate inquiry into wind energy, branding it a witch-hunt and part of an ongoing campaign to demonise the technology (final report available here).

“You didn’t need a crystal ball to know the inquiry was going to demonise clean and safe wind energy,” said Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth’s renewable energy spokesperson. (We penned this article back in April).

“Stacked with senators opposed to wind farms and selective leaks to the press show that the inquiry was a political exercise, not a impartial review.”

“The composition and conduct of the inquiry means the public can have no confidence in its findings. It provides no basis for policy.”

Friends of the Earth say the recommendations of the Senator John Madigan-led inquiry are reckless and a risk to investment, construction and manufacturing jobs, and national efforts to tackle climate change.

“Investors will back away from Australia if the committee’s radical recommendations are implemented. Billions of dollars worth of projects in regional areas and thousands of jobs would be lost,” said Ewbank.

“Stalling the rollout of wind farms will make it more difficult for Australia to tackle climate change.”

In July, The Guardian revealed Environment Minister Greg Hunt had struck a deal with the anti-wind senators to introduce a series of measures, including the widely-mocked pledge to establish a “wind commissioner.” (Remember #AllTheCommissioners?)

“If Minister Hunt wants to see Australia take meaningful action to address climate change, he will know we need to transition our energy system away from fossil fuels to renewable sources.”

“Wind is the cheapest form of renewable energy. Why would he support this biased, political inquiry? It is so blatantly biased against wind farms that it undermines the case for regulating the sector.”