FEBRUARY 19, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Toxic site fight begins By Esther Lauaki Residents are again preparing to go to war with the state government – this time to keep a Wyndham Vale railyard from becoming a toxic waste dump. The government is considering dumping toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel project at the newly constructed rail stabling yard at Hobbs Road, Wyndham Vale. The state-owned 82-hectare site, which backs onto the heritage-protected Werribee River, is just 70 metres from houses and abuts land where housing developments and four schools are planned. Werribee MP Tim Pallas now faces a bruising fight with his constituents, who have vowed to fight the proposal. Community advocate Joe Garra has labelled the proposal “a disgusting, disrespectful idea” from the state government. “If Tim Pallas isn’t prepared to stick up for the residents who voted for him, he should retire from politics tomorrow,” Dr Garra said. Wyndham Vale resident James Hohepa-Smith, who lives five minutes walk from the railyard, said he was “up-in-arms”. “Politicians aren’t thinking about our future,” Mr Hohepa-Smith said. “Quick solutions are not good for us.” Government officials met with Wyndham council staff last Tuesday and revealed a proposal to use the site to temporarily dump some of the Transurban project’s soil, which is laced with PFAS – chemicals associated with fire retardents and industrial products. Mr Pallas, speaking on 3AW on Friday, said that the site was a back-up option and would only be used as a “short-term solution”. “If it is ever used, and it may not ever be used … [the soil] is dropped and then moved as quickly as possible to a long-term facility within a matter of days at best.” The Wyndham Vale site is among a series of government-owned sites being considered to dump the West Gate Tunnel soil with sites in Footscray, Bacchus Marsh and Avalon also understood to be on the list. An urgent community meeting has been called for Wednesday night for Werribee residents who say the area continually bears the brunt of the government’s unpopular decisions. The latest proposal comes more than 20 years after thousands of Wyndham residents led a three-year campaign which resulted in the state government scrapping plans for a toxic dump and waste management precinct for the quarry next door to the Wests Road tip. Just two years ago, residents rallied to stop
Above: James Hohepa-Smith at the proposed dump location. (Joe Mastroianni). 204739_01 Above right: The Werribee Banner front pages from the original toxic fight in 1996 and 1988; and Star Weekly’s front page from 2017.
construction of a new youth detention centre in Werribee South. The state government eventually chose a new site at Cherry Creek, close to the Werribee tip. Wyndham mayor Josh Gilligan is seeking urgent information about the latest waste proposal.
“This is state government land and there is an obligation by the government not to palm it off to the private sector to deal with,” Cr Gilligan said. “We’re interested in an outcome that takes into account the interests of our local residents, who are outraged.
“Wyndham council works hard to build a livable city … and our residents are asking: Why is it that we will cop this toxic soil in our city?” If the proposal goes ahead the dumping site would need to be rezoned and receive the Environment Protection Authority’s approval.
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