The taxpayer-funded commissioner role was established by Mr Abbott in October 2015 to monitor the wind industry and respond to community complaints about turbine noise and health effects. Mr Abbott called wind farms"visually awful" and noisy,and former treasurerJoe Hockey decried them as "utterly offensive”.
Official estimates put the cost of establishing the office and running it for three years at more than $2 million. The commissioner,Andrew Dyer,collects $205,000 a year for his part-time role and has a staff of three to assist him. He was appointed by former environment minister Greg Hunt.
Some people believe the low-frequency sound of wind turbines causes health issues for nearby residents. However the Australian Medical Association and the National Health and Medical Research Council say such claims have not been conclusively proven.
The commissioner received about163 complaints relating to noise,potential health impacts,amenity,lack of community consultation,economic loss and flickering shadows from wind turbine blades.
Most complaints related to proposed wind farms. Some 145 were resolved and closed by the commission – an average of about one per week. Some 52 complaints were closed because the complainant did not pursue it. A further 84 complaints were resolved by the commissioner providing information to the complainant. In some cases,one person made multiple complaints.
In an interview with Fairfax Media in 2016,Mr Dyer said he was carrying"a very big load",adding:"You're driving your car. You are looking at maps. You're with wind farms and residents all day. You're getting back to your motel,and they're not salubrious out in the bush."