By Goya Dmytryshchak
A submission to the state government’s report on air quality management is calling for environmental polluters to lose access to government funding.
The submission comes as Brooklyn residents continue to live with dust levels equal to those experienced during Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires.
Williamstown MP Wade Noonan and Labor candidate for Williamstown Melissa Horne have made a joint submission to Victoria’s Clean Air Statement, which will help the government identify priorities for future air quality management.
“Companies who are found to have not met their legal obligations should be ineligible for any form of government assistance,” their submission states.
“We believe this will not only serve as a deterrence against non-compliance, but will also ensure that taxpayers do not have to foot the bill of polluters who ultimately contribute to the environmental degradation within their community.”
The Brooklyn industrial precinct has more than 60 industries, including landfill, recycling, abattoirs and tallow producers.
The suburb’s air quality is significantly poorer than the rest of Melbourne, failing to meet national air quality standards on 38 days between November, 2009, and October, 2010 – much more than the five days a year deemed acceptable.
The EPA received 754 odour reports for the Brooklyn area last year, up from 399 in 2016 and 173 in 2015.
The submission states: “Some companies have demonstrated a complete lack of regard and abidance towards their legal requirements regarding waste management, which makes efforts to improve air quality in the area increasingly difficult.
“As a result, the Brooklyn community have rightly expressed their frustration and outrage at the conduct of certain companies that operate in the area.”
Related: Community groups divided over new air quality reference group
