Deliberative Speak at the Turbine Face

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Deliberative Speak at the Turbine Face Community
Engagement, Wind Farms, and Renewable Energy
Transitions, in Australia
Richard Hindmarsh Catherine Matthews Griffith
School of Environment, Griffith University,
Nathan, Brisbane
Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy
Workshop, ANU. 7-8 February 2008
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Late November 2007!
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• Rudd ratifies Kyoto
• reversing earlier suspect trends

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Less noted was Australias commitment to meeting
20 of Australias energy consumption from
renewable energy by 2020
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2. socio-political problems
a. A maze of inconsistent state, federal and
local government policy positions and planning
approval processes
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42 wind farms 21 coastal landscape
guardian groups
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research problem
How might community engagement be best negotiated
in Australia to address legitimate community
concerns in a democratic society, and to also
lay the basis for a socially viable and
constructive transition to wind energy, more
broadly, to renewable energy, tempered by the
apparent urgency of meeting climate change
mitigation policy objectives?
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central problematic
renewables, especially wind farms, are sited most
often within communities, who are then
confronted daily with their location and the many
social, environmental and economic issues
arising.
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topics

• Part A the Australian political and policy
  landscape
• emergence of the issue and relevant policy events
• 2. the federal governments participatory policy
  response of a proposed National Code for Wind
  Farms

• Part B comparative analysis and deliberative
  assessment
• European experience of wind farms community
  engagement
• 2. Assessment of the proposed National Code for
  Wind Farms

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Issue ID through policy actions and responses,
media, community websites

• 1. Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (2001-10)
• starts a wind wind rush
• 2003 Review
• qualified supporters turn into objectors
• MRET provides no participatory community
  engagement mechanisms state planning approval
  processes limited involvement

• Key emergent issues
• negative impacts on tourism, land values, visual
  amenity, community cohesion, wildlife, and
  environment (noise development impacts)
• inappropriate planning and public consultative
  mechanisms

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Community 'divided' over Bald Hills wind
farm Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan says
the approval of the Bald Hills wind farm in South
Gippsland has divided the community.
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Issue ID through a number of policy actions and
responses, media, community websites

• 2. Early policy analysts
• wind turbines highly intrusive industrial
  structures
• community v developer anti- v pro-wind positions

• by 2004, key issues
• issues raised in MRET review build stress
• landscape value (esp. coastal) and noise
• Also confirm strengthening underpinning issue
• inadequate community engagement processes
  employed by developers, and inability for
  affected communities to participate in planning
  processes.

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Issue ID through a number of policy actions and
responses, media, community websites

• 3. Senate Inquiry 2004 (Energy White Paper)
• submissions critical of wind
• issues already identified continue to build
• New one communities unable to state preferences
  for different energy options, or mixes thereof,
  which reinforces inadequate community engagement
  as an issue

• broader context
• increasing objections about wind farm proposals
• one response Australian Wind Energy Ass. link
  up with the Australian Council of National Trusts
  to develop a Wind Farms and Landscape
  ValuesNational Assessment Methodology (with
  direct community participation).

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National Code for Wind Farms

• 2006 Senator Campbell proposes a National Code
• fierce social conflict in Denmark (WA) Sellicks
  Hill (SA)
• local communities ignored
• lack of community engagement constraint for
  wind farm development
• strong inclusive participatory approach needed
• active early participation and throughout project

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Part 2

• European wind farm studies addressing the same
  problem endorse
• collaboration, local embedment and strong
  inclusive participatory frameworks
• as the policy style with most potential to
  develop socially viable and constructive
  renewable energy transitions
• good results in Norway, the UK, Germany, France,
  Sweden, and many US states
• factors of ownership, information and active
  participation are important to gain public trust
  for regional wind farm development.

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Assessment of proposed National Code

• A strong case of deliberative speak
• a strategic language comprising a rhetorical
  array of terms reflecting deliberative principles
  and ideals of active public engagementsuch as
  inclusive, informed, transparent or
  participatory decision-makingaccompanied by a
  lack of appropriate processes and practices of
  active public engagement to adequately address
  those principles and ideals.

Here, we follow the mythologised grammar of
Loges concept of biospeak, which refers to
the literal application of the metaphor to
enrol and persuade, part of which is to redefine
reality, here, an apparently empowered public
engagement reality to attain broad public
acceptability of wind power.
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PLACATION!

• Draws on Arnstein's definition
• citizens have some degree of influence athough
  tokenism is still quite apparent
• Alternatively, social engineering cooptation,
  absorption of protest, with incremental citizen
  gains, etc
• So this suggests a sub-optimal or
  counter-productive deliberative-placation
  approach
• Where the Code suggests a deliberative-partnershi
  p model of consensus building.