A part-time bureaucrat in a role created by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott to appease wind farm critics earned $205,000 a year to resolve one complaint a week – most relating to wind farms that have not yet been built.

The revelations into the controversial wind farm commissioner are contained in a review by the Climate Change Authority. It said the commissioner had “exceeded expectations” and should continue for at least three years, with a bigger budget to also address public concerns about solar projects.

Wind farm critics complained about noise and flickering shadows. Credit:Reuters

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 treasurer Joe 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.