[Greens-Media] Media Release: Fertilizer Plants Alert - WA Ignores Texas Wake-Up Call

[Chapple, Robin]

Robin Chapple MLC
Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region




MEDIA RELEASE


Fertilizer Plants Alert - WA Ignores Texas Wake-Up Call

Monday 6 May 2013

Greens WA Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region, Robin Chapple MLC, today expressed frustration at the lack of action by the state government following last month's tragic ammonium nitrate fertilizer plant disaster in West, Texas.

"Despite reports of more than a dozen deaths, with hundreds injured, and part of a small town flattened, my urgent call on the State government to bring an immediate halt to all ammonium nitrate facilities in WA while investigations into the causes of this explosion are undertaken has been ignored," Mr Chapple said.

"There are just too many documented cases of explosions during processing of this inherently unstable material, for us to now just sit back and do nothing, when it could happen in my constituents' backyards - near the Burrup Peninsula, and now with this new plant about to reach full steam ahead in Port Hedland - barely a stone's throw from residential areas.

"There are also hundreds of workers in and around these innately risky facilities every day.

"While guarding against the awful effects of an explosion on human life must be paramount, the potential destruction of the world's oldest petroglyph galleries, in the middle of a future World Heritage zone, should be enough to cast serious doubt on the wisdom of locating this type of plant on the Burrup.

"Who is going to pay the massive insurance premiums which should be in place to cover public liability and damage to priceless world heritage precincts?

"Clearly, no business organization would be able to afford it - the government, on behalf of the taxpayers of WA will be left to pick up the tab.

"This situation is so clearly foreseeable - it is irresponsible not to act pre-emptively.

"Let's not wait for this to become a local tragedy - Mr Barnett, act now!" urged Mr Chapple.



For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255


All the best

Robin Chapple MLC
Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region
PO Box 94, West Perth WA 6872
41 Havelock Street, West Perth. WA 6005

Phone: (08) 9486 8255 | Email: Robin.Chapple at mp.wa.gov.au<mailto:Robin.Chapple at mp.wa.gov.au>  | Freecall: 1800 138 610 | WEB: http://robinchapple.com/
Our office provides a facility for members of the public to ask their own Parliamentary Questions through my website at http://www.robinchapple.com/ask-question. Questions on Notice are preferred, instructions and templates are provided.
[cid:image001.jpg at 01CE4A76.76CA5150]<https://twitter.com/#!/ChappleMLC>[cid:image002.jpg at 01CE4A76.76CA5150]<https://www.facebook.com/#!/ChappleMLC>
þ please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. It is intended solely for the named addressee. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to the addressee), you may not copy or deliver this message or its attachments to anyone. Rather, you should permanently delete this message and its attachments and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Any content of this message and its attachments which does not relate to the official business of the above mentioned organisations or person must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by any of them. No warranty is made that the e-mail or attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect.