Tuesday, 16 May 2023

 Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (19:13): (167) My adjournment is to the Minister for Environment in the other place, and the action that I seek is that she direct the EPA, particularly in Wangaratta, to do their job and stand up for communities affected by noise pollution. They need to visit, listen and take some action. As a strong supporter of agriculture and farming families, I support the right of farmers to make a living and remain financially viable. However, on occasions there are frost fans that are installed in places that are far too close to dwellings.

Darryl Hitchcock lives in Cobram East, right next to the Cobram East Caravan Park. The noise from the fans is excessive to him and to those staying at the Cobram East Caravan Park. Sometimes these fans could still serve the same purpose and be located on farms to protect the fruit from the frost but at the same time be located away from dwellings. In many cases, the farm owner does not live on the farm and is not subject to their own noise pollution. The EPA has become a toothless tiger in this area, and I implore the Minister for Environment to stand up to the EPA and demand they take their role seriously. It is not good enough for the EPA to listen to the inquiry and then ignore any action from thereon in.