Parliamentary committee investigates faux signatures on Illawarra wind farm petition

Nearly 200 signatures have been discovered to be duplicates in an anti-wind farm petition that attracted over 11,000 signatures. The petition was offered to the Home of Representatives right now.

Labor MP Susan Templeman, chair of the Petitions Committee, mentioned that following reporting within the Mercury which revealed that anti-wind farm campaigners had supplied prizes or vouchers for anti-wind farm signatures, the committee secretariat investigated whether or not the signatures on the petition had been actual.

The secretariat discovered that just about 200 names or 1.7 per cent of signatories signed the petition greater than as soon as utilizing the identical identify however totally different e mail accounts. Ms Templeman mentioned it was unknown whether or not folks signed the petition utilizing totally different names in addition to e mail accounts. “The committee additionally wrote to the principal petitioner who has advised us that he was unaware of the inducements being supplied till he learn our letter,” she mentioned. “That he has not seen the media protection within the newspaper and that the provide of prizes or some those that signed the petition had been shortly eliminated.”

Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes, who can be a member of the Petitions Committee, mentioned whereas the good majority of those that signed this petition had been real, there was a “coordinated effort” to undermine help and inflate neighborhood opposition to the wind farms. “The proposed offshore wind farm within the Illawarra has raised plenty of questions and issues, and that is justified, there’s a lot to study and take into account with renewable vitality technology for Australia, and I’ve been listening to my neighborhood’s questions and issues,” she mentioned. “Nevertheless, my workplace has been waylaid in having to kind by way of the numerous faux emails, faux profiles and pseudonyms. This can be a coordinated motion by a choose few, whose clear intention is to hinder and hamper my skill to interact and reply questions from real members of the neighborhood.”

The petition requests that the Home of Representatives cease plans to create an offshore wind zone. Ms Byrnes mentioned there have been studies of petitioners utilizing “faux” e mail addresses to signal the petition a number of occasions. “There may be proof of additional allegations of individuals sending a number of responses and a faux e mail addresses or aliases to each subvert the legitimacy of this petition and the neighborhood session course of.”

Session on the zone closes on Wednesday, after which Local weather Change and Power Minister Bowen will determine whether or not to declare the zone at its present measurement, a special measurement, or not declare a zone in any respect. Following the revelations, the Petitions Committee will examine strengthening the integrity of the petition system.