Candidates ignore meeting

By Shaun Inguanzo
A PETITION urging the Federal Government to halt the Lyndhurst tip’s receipt of hazardous waste was launched at a community forum on Friday night.
However the event attracted a poor turn-out of Federal Election candidates.
The evening was organised by Residents Against Toxic Waste In The South East (RATWISE) and held at the Arthur Wren Hall in Hampton Park. RATWISE spokeswoman Thelma Wakelam said a crowd of 60 residents turned up to what was billed as the Meet Your Candidates Forum, designed to allow candidates for the Federal Election running for the seats of Holt, Bruce and Isaacs to meet face to face with residents and hear their issues.
Ms Wakelam said that RATWISE was disappointed that no Labor candidates or incumbent MPs attended the forum, and so the group made sure their names were clearly labelled on the empty seats before the audience.
“It was clear the Labor candidates boycotted it. I don’t think they had any intentions of coming,” Ms Wakelam said.
The group received a late statement from Labor’s Isaacs candidate Mark Dreyfus, which Ms Wakelam described as “very positive and definite” in its intentions.
The issues discussed at the forum included the dumping of hazardous waste at the Lyndhurst tip, the preservation of Green Wedge land, and the rezoning of Dandenong South.
But the group also launched a petition that it hoped would reach the steps of Federal Parliament, urging the Federal Government to intervene in the Lyndhurst tip matter.
Ms Wakelam said anyone wanting to sign the petition could contact her on 0414 998 337.