Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Lara waste-to-energy facility

Ella GEORGE (Lara) (13:20): Today I rise to speak in the Parliament about an issue that is of great concern to residents across the Geelong region: the proposed Lara incinerator. I have spoken about the proposed incinerator before in this chamber, but I am raising it again today because it is incredibly important to the community that I represent. I am proud to stand with the community as they continue to fight against this. The Lara community has some very reasonable concerns about this project, and these are concerns that I share. These include safety issues; the proximity of the proposed incinerator to local homes, schools and businesses; and the impact that it will have on air quality and noise pollution in the area. This project has no social licence. There have been hundreds of written objections lodged throughout the planning process, with hundreds of community members attending forums and thousands who have signed a petition to object. While I have had hundreds of residents raising these concerns with me, I am yet to have anyone contact me or speak to me about their support for this project. Local businesses do not support the project; the City of Greater Geelong, the Committee for Geelong and the Geelong Chamber of Commerce do not support this project. My colleagues in this house and the upper house and the federal member for Corio do not support this project. But the real champions working tirelessly against this project are local community members such as Charles Street, Les and Ryan Dew and their family, Annie Duncan, Melanie Szocs and James and Jane Compston. They have been fighting this since 2021, and I commend their efforts. I am proud to support them, and I will always stand with the community against this proposal.