[Greens-Media] Pivot Site in Yarraville a Toxic Legacy for Taxpayers

[Elizabeth.Ingham at parliament.vic.gov.au]

Wednesday 20 June 2007

PIVOT SITE IN YARRAVILLE A TOXIC LEGACY FOR TAXPAYERS

The Auditor-General has this week released a damning report*, showing that 
Port of Melbourne Corporation bought the former Pivot site in Whitehall 
Street Yarraville for $13.5 million, but the Auditor-General values it at 
only half a million, with a clean-up bill of up to $70 million.

?I know the site.  Everyone knows it.  It's been used for making and 
storing toxic substances for 150 years.  The land's contaminated, the 
groundwater is contaminated and the buildings are made of asbestos.  It 
has every toxic material except a nuclear reactor", said Colleen Hartland

"What us local campaigners have always wanted to know is, how did Ports 
get permission to buy the land with taxpayer money?  The report gives us 
the answer.  It shows that Ports was prepared to ignore every warning, 
bypass every process and spend as much taxpayers money as was necessary to 
get the land they wanted to expand the port."

"These are the steps Melbourne Ports had to take to make this foolish 
decision with our money. 

* First they received a report from their own consultant warning them of 
the toxic legacy, and 'major-clean up costs'.
* Then the Department of Treasury and Finance got a report reminding them 
there?s been an EPA pollution abatement notice on the site for six years, 
and Melbourne Ports would be responsible for clean-up costs.
* This consultant recommended quarantining some of the known toxics issues 
from the contract of sale.  It recommended further investigations of the 
environmental condition of the site.  Nothing was done.
* The Valuer-General weighed in, saying that $13.5 million was at least $2 
million above the market value, even if the cost of remediation was borne 
by the vendor.
* They failed to tell the Valuer-General that they?d agreed to absolve the 
vendor of liability for contamination. 
* They failed to get Government Land Monitor approval.
* They failed to get the Treasurer's approval, but managed to get it 
retrospectively one week after the purchase, following a deceptive 
presentation by the Department of Treasury and Finance."

"So why did they sweep the environmental issues under the carpet?  Same 
reason the Channel Deepening Inquiry is failing to consider the effect of 
more trucks in Yarraville.  They want to expand the port at all costs", 
said Colleen Hartland.

Further comment:
Colleen Hartland ? 9651 8788

* Purchase of Contaminated land by the Melbourne Port Corporation, 
http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_mp_psa/psa19cv.html
*******************************************
Liz Ingham
Office of Colleen Hartland MLC
9651 8413 / 0400 043 881
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