West Gate Tunnel opponents fear for children’s health

Olexandra Vazhnenko, watched on with her 10-month-old daughter Margaret. Photo: Supplied

Hobsons Bay residents who were in Parliament for the successful vote to temporarily halt work on the West Gate Tunnel have slammed the state government for putting the health of children in their area at risk.

Don’t Destroy Millers Road member, Brooklyn’s Olexandra Vazhnenko, watched on with her 10-month-old daughter Margaret.

“If all of these powerful people just imagine for one second that their kids are going to primary school in Brooklyn … they would never even think to add an additional 7000 trucks a day to a fully residential road here,” she said.

Spotswood South Kingsville Residents Group spokeswoman Rosa McKenna, who was also in the house, said she was “disgusted” at the game playing.

“Government didn’t complete the approval process properly, then when the revocation motion came, knowing that they didn’t have the numbers, they filibustered for two whole sitting days to delay the vote, just filling in time quoting the support of the big end-of-town from paid ads, and [saying] that Maribyrnong Truck Action Group supports it from inner west and selling their western suburbs heartland out.

“MTAG don’t speak for the inner west.”

MTAG said in a statement it was “bitterly disappointed” the Greens joined with the Coalition to block planning approvals for the project.