Under The Cover Of COVID
Western Victoria Region MP Bev McArthur has strongly condemned the application to Government by Maddingley Brown Coal (MBC) for planning approval to accept contaminated soil from the West Gate Tunnel at the facility, adjacent to the Parwan Creek, productive agricultural land, and less than 500 metres from Bacchus Marsh Grammar School.
Mrs McArthur said: “This is a shocking development, yet again MBC have gone behind the backs of the Bacchus Marsh community and Moorabool Shire Council. They promised transparency at every stage, yet informed no one of this latest bid.”
“It is clear that no proper consultation can happen while current social distancing restrictions remain, and MBC haven’t even tried. Instead of delaying the application, they have gone straight ahead in their demand to Minister for Planning Richard Wynne, effectively asking him to bypass the local decision making process. Well I'm telling him now, he cannot ignore the people of Bacchus Marsh, and he cannot hide this decision.”
Mrs McArthur has previously raised her concern that Minister could use his powers under Section 20(4) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to override Council opposition.
“It would be a sham. I’ve seen at first-hand how strongly the community in Bacchus Marsh feels, and to see that overridden by a politician inside the tram-tracks in Melbourne would make a mockery of the whole process.”
She added: “On 5th March, I raised this in Parliament, asking Gavin Jennings, Special Minister of State: “Minister, will the Mooorabool Shire Council be in a position to refuse the government’s plan to dump toxic waste, or will the government override legitimate council and community concerns?”
Mr Jennings replied [please see full exchange attached]: “What I can say is that the government will not override legitimate concerns or the appropriate authority to make any decision.”
“I said at the time I was far from reassured by this response. What does ‘appropriate authority’ mean?”
“I worry that the Government will consider their own Planning Minister in Melbourne the appropriate authority, not the local council elected to take this decision by the people of Bacchus Marsh. It’s absolutely wrong that this could happen, endangering the health of the community, the environment and the agricultural produce of Bacchus Marsh, just because Labor can’t competently manage a construction project.”
“Moorabool Shire Council are absolutely right to threaten the Government with legal action on this – what choice have they been left? If Labor’s intransigence now forces a lengthy and expensive court battle, it will be the latest setback for the whole botched project.”
“The Minister must reject this application immediately and go back to the drawing board. Many in the community already believe this to be a deal cooked up between MBC, Transurban, the West Gate Tunnel Project contractors and the Labor State Government. If the views of local people are disregarded by him, it will be hard to disagree.”
Mrs McArthur called on fellow MPs to demand the Minister reject MBC’s application.
“It’s time that Steve McGhie (Labor Melton MP), Michaela Settle (Labor Buninyong MP) and their upper house colleagues, Labor Ministers Jaala Pulford and Gayle Tierney - along with Western Victoria Region crossbenchers Stuart Grimley (Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party MLC) and Andy Meddick (Animal Justice Party MLC) – stood up for the people who elected them. The Labor MPs need to end their code of silence, get off the fence and demand their colleague, Minister for Planning Richard Wynne MP, knocks back this blatant attempt to bypass local democracy.”
8 MAY 2020