[Greens-Media] East Maitland stink: Greens move motion in Parliament

[Lee Rhiannon]

Media Release - 28 August 2008

East Maitland stink: Greens move motion in Parliament

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon today moved a motion in NSW Parliament calling
on the Environment Minister Verity Firth to instruct her department to:
release results of its previous investigations into pollution in West
Maitland, ensure offending industries abide by their license conditions
and act to prosecute polluting companies. [Full motion below]

"After being briefed by representatives of the Maitland Anti Stink
Campaign during my recent visit I have put a motion to the NSW Upper
House for debate," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The Department of Environment and Climate Change must drop its gently
gently approach to polluting industries in the Rutherford Industrial
Estate and exercise its powers to prosecute for breaches of license
conditions.

"The priority here should not be the profits of the oil waste refining
and PVC manufacturing industries but the health of nearby residents
which has suffered as a result of noxious pollution," Ms Rhiannon said.

Greens Councillor in Maitland's West Ward, Wendy White said, "The
dangers of polluting industries sitting right next to booming
residential development are obviously very real. I will work to see
Maitland Council better manages planning applications to see decisions
that best protect the health of residents.

"The government must urgently investigate reported cancer clusters
among people leaving near these polluting industries," Councillor White
said.

Motion
1. That this House notes:
(a) that thousands of residents of West Maitland are regularly exposed
to offensive odours emitted from industries within the community and
report high rates of asthma, respiratory distress, allergies and other
illnesses,
(b) that there are reported cancer clusters within the community living
near to the polluting companies, a situation that requires urgent
investigation,
(c) that section 127 of the Protection of the Environment Operations
Act states that the onus of proof in air pollution offences is on the
suspected industry to prove that they are not polluting,
(d)  that in 2004 the then equivalent of the Department of Environment
and Climate Change (DECC) received a report from a waste oil refinery
located in West Maitland that their incinerator was faulty and was
polluting the area with what was described as a *burnt oil* odour,
and
(e) that DECC has failed to prosecute companies located in West
Maitland that regularly release offensive odours, even though they have
the legislative power to do so, and have chosen instead to pursue
inadequate mitigation measures.

2.That this House calls on the Minister for the Environment to instruct
DECC to: 
(a)  release publicly the findings of any previous investigations into
pollution or licence breaches by these companies, 
(b) ensure the petroleum refineries and PVC manufacturing industries in
West Maitland abide by their licence conditions, and
(c) prosecute those companies where they have failed to prove they are
not the cause of the pollution or have failed to comply with their
licence conditions. 

For information: Lee Rhiannon - 9230 3551, 0427 861 568, Wendy White -
0417 111 844


--------------------------------------------------
Lee Rhiannon, MLC
The Greens
Parliament of New South Wales
Macquarie St 
Sydney 2000
Tel: +61-2-9230 3551 
Fax: +61-2-9230 3550
lee.rhiannon at parliament.nsw.gov.au
http://www.lee.greens.org.au/
http://www.democracy4sale.org/ 

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