Dear Tim Morris MP. Tim Morris responds

A response to: Greens move for parliamentary inquiry into Copping C-cell process

On Wednesday the 10th October residents of Lyons gathered at the mouth of the Carlton River to hand a petition of over 1700 signatures to Councillor Kerry Degrassi of the Sorell Council.

Southern Waste Solutions CEO Christine Bell had publicly labelled our community as “a minority of noisy people making a lot of fuss, based on inaccuracies.”

These signatures were gathered in less than a month showing clearly the community is absolutely against the development of a hazardous waste facility within the Carlton River Catchment at Copping.

You publicly told us that the consultation process was inadequate and have called for the proposal to ‘go back to the drawing board’. You said the proposal lacked a ‘social licence’. We whole-heartedly agreed with you.

This development no matter how well the proponents spin its virtues is nothing more than another toxic landfill. This site will be left as another legacy waste site for our children and future generations to deal with.

Where is the longer term vision and strategy here, Mr Morris?

A handful of individuals have decided on our behalf, that a toxic waste landfill is necessary for our community, in order for Tasmania to maintain its “Clean Green Image”.

A landfilling is not a Clean Green practice and is in fact considered by many developed nations to be old world technology representing the cheapest, dirtiest option for disposal.

Contrary to the proponents claims it is highly likely that you will live to see the day when this C-Cell will fail causing permanent irreversible damage to our entire region and the communities that it supports.

“While landfill applicants and their consultants often claim that a single and/or double composite liner system will not leak, it is obvious from the literature, principles of chemical thermodynamics and common sense that such claims have no technical validity.” Lee, G. F. and Jones-Lee, A., ‘Detection of the Failure of Landfill Liner Systems,’ Report of G. Fred Lee & Associates, El Macero, CA, April (1996).

Both you and the former mayor of Sorell, Carmel Torenius congratulated the community on their intelligence and knowledge on these issues and yet this community still has no effective voice.

The community is not foolish to believe that pollution does not already exist in our local environment. The former Carlton Tip site which was operated by the Sorell council prior to the opening of the current domestic and industrial garbage landfill at Copping is an example of this.

The community cannot tolerate yet another landfill development that will only further add to the load of toxic contaminants that are already present in our region.

How can we claim that this development will help Tasmania maintain its “Clean Green”credentials?

With advanced technologies currently in existence,why are we being asked to accept the out-dated and ineffective hazardous wastes practice of HDPE lined landfills by all levels of Government, with all major parties staying silent on this issue?

This is totally unacceptable, Mr Morris.

We are calling on the Tasmanian Greens– as the minor party in Government – to intervene in this situation and ask that a moratorium be placed on this development until a State wide waste management strategy has been fully devised and implemented in Tasmania.

It is inconceivable that our community has had a development of this nature thrust upon it prior to such a strategy being fully implemented.

Both State and Federal Greens voters should be outraged by the total lack of strong leadership on such a critical environmental and public health issue.

Mr Morris you have previously indicated on radio that

“I’m not about supporting ramming this through…. I’m not going to ram something down the community’s throats.” (ABC radio Hobart 936 – Mornings with Leon Compton 18/9/2012)

Mr Morris you have given your support to the rough treatment of our community through your lack of solid action in this matter.

Mr Morris, in the US landfills and waste disposal sites are known as Local Undesirable Land Uses (LULU’s) with a known range of significant social, economic, health and environmental impacts.

Due to the difficulty in siting LULU’s there is a tendency to cluster such facilities where communities are politically and financially weak, low in density or made up of minority groups.

These areas become known as ‘sacrifice zones’ and the discrimination is justified by claiming that pollution in these areas is already high and therefore it is better to create another waste dump in the sacrifice zone rather than contaminate a new area.

Mr Morris, given the extensive life span of the ordinary domestic (B Class) landfill at Copping and the potential for the expansion of the hazardous (C Class) landfill to be constructed on the same site, has the Carlton River and Southern Beaches region become the “sacrifice zone” for the state of Tasmania and those nations working inside of the Antarctic Treaty Area?

Every day the Tasmanian Greens fail to support the people of this region through genuine advocacy and real action on this serious issue is yet another day the people of Lyons reflect on the values the Greens bring to the democratic process in this State.

• Carlton River Catchment & Southern Beaches Conservation Society

Dump the Toxic Dump

RESPONSE TO YESTERDAY’S MEDIA RELEASE FROM TIM MORRIS (TT here)

The Carlton River Catchment & Southern Beaches Conservation Society (CRCSBCS)
welcome the Tasmanian Greens announcement yesterday to refer the Joint Authority,
Southern Waste Solutions (SWS) proposed hazardous materials waste cell adjacent to the
Carlton River, to the House of Assembly Environment, Resources & Development
Committee.

CRCSBCS want to see the C-Cell project assessed through an overarching state-wide
policy using the framework of the National Waste Policy 2009, the Tasmanian Waste
& Resource Management Strategy 2009 and the draft Sustainable Infrastructure Australia;
Controlled Waste Report 2008.

Shane Humpherys, from CRCSBCS said “It is interesting to note that a separate report
commissioned for the Southern Waste Strategy Authority (SWSA) in 2011 noted that “the
Copping landfill authority has a financial interest in maximising revenue by maximising
waste disposal to landfill. This is in opposition to the waste minimisation responsibilities of
SWSA and the recommended guiding principles (Tasmanian Waste Resource
Management Strategy 2009) … … … this would have negative long term impacts on waste
minimisation and management in the region.” ”

All of the above documents recognise landfill as the least desirable option.

“Whilst we recognise that the community consultation in relation to SWS’ proposal was
flawed and warrants further investigation, this of itself does not address all of the
community’s outstanding concerns in relation to the site of the project and its potential
environmental and social impacts. Furthermore, the project directly undermines a proper
state-wide strategy built on a recognised waste management hierarchy and
undermines investment in alternate management strategies.”

• LIBERAL & LABOR COPOUT ON C-CELL INQUIRY

Tim Morris MP
Greens Member for Lyons
Wednesday, 17 October 2012

The Tasmanian Greens today expressed disappointment at the Labor and Liberal parties’ refusal to support an inquiry into the consultation processes behind the recent issuing of a planning permit for the controversial Copping category C waste cell.

In State Parliament today, Greens Member for Lyons Tim Morris MP brought on a debate to refer the issue to the House of Assembly Standing Committee on Environment, Resources and Development to examine the processes and strategies for controlled waste management in Tasmania, and the processes undertaken to identify potential C cell sites state-wide.

“It’s clear that Tasmania does need a facility for securely storing controlled waste, but what we don’t have is confidence that the consultation processes provide the community with proper and meaningful input opportunities,” Mr Morris said.

“Given how unhappy the Copping and surrounding community is about the consultation process for this development, it’s disappointing that Labor and Liberal weren’t prepared to roll up their sleeves and put in the effort to investigate this.”

“The outcomes of this Parliamentary inquiry would have helped to improve the consultation process for any such proposals in future, and provide a bit more certainty to the community.”

“The Greens will continue to advocate for the Copping and surrounding community, who we believe do have legitimate grievances around the process by which this specific project was approved.”

“At least the community do now have clarity following this disappointing outcome as to where both the Liberal and Labor parties stand on this important issue, and that is not with the community,” Mr Morris said.