Councils to unite to fight toxic dump

By Glen Atwell
THE City of Greater Dandenong will consider joining forces with the City of Casey to continue the battle against the toxic tip at Lyndhurst.
A motion passed at Monday night’s Greater Dandenong council meeting encouraged Greater Dandenong to take a joint stance on the matter with Casey.
Noble Park North councillor Maria Sampey’s successful motion also moved that the council immediately convey its extreme concern to the State Government over the decision to continue dumping waste at the Taylors Road tip.
Cr Sampey said the City of Greater Dandenong would continue to fight the State Government’s expectation on the people of Greater Dandenong to accept hazardous wastes until at least 2020.
“We’re pretty angry at the moment,” she said. “Premier Steve Bracks has avoided discussing this issue with us for a long time.”
Thelma Wakelam from the Residents Against Toxic Waste in the South East (RATWISE) backed the call for the councils to unite over the issue.
“It would make sense for the Greater Dandenong council to join forces with the City of Casey,” she said.
“Two voices are better than one.”
Casey mayor Colin Butler said his council would be “very interested” to know the direction Greater Dandenong would be taking on the matter.
“There is no doubt that the City of Casey would offer Greater Dandenong its full support on the issue,” he said.
The Lyndhurst toxic dump was again the centre of controversy on Tuesday night, when the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) appeared at a City of Casey committee meeting to discuss the implications the landfill would have on its nearby Lynbrook residential area.
Cr Butler said the EPA, which was represented by regional manager George Tsivaulidis, was typically guarded in its responses to residents’ concerns.
“Some of the questions were answered, but many were ducked and weaved around. It was a bit like a toothless tiger,” Cr Butler said.
Ms Wakelam said the meeting left concerned residents with more questions than answers.
“There was no depth to any of the answers. It was like Mr Tsivaulidis was reading from a textbook,” she said.
“Did it make us feel any more comfortable about what’s going on? Not at all.”
The fight to oust the toxic dump from Lyndhurst has already cost the Greater Dandenong council a considerable sum, but Ms Wakelam said the high legal costs were justified.
“This issue is not about the financial implications – it’s about safety and health of the residents across the region,” she said.