Thursday, 9 March 2023

Western suburbs community groups

Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (09:57): This morning I would like to acknowledge and praise the work of several local volunteer organisations in the west that help to keep the government accountable. First up are the groups advocating against the expansion and mismanagement of the many landfill sites and waste in the west. Our residents have been forced by this government and its various agencies like the EPA, which itself has been condemned multiple times in independent audits, to live with the dust, debris, smoke, fumes and chemicals which impact their lives and the lives of their children. The groups are Sunbury Against Toxic Soil, Brimbank Community Against Barro Landfill and Stop the Tip Residents Forum. Then we have the Stop AusNet’s Towers group. They are fighting against the 190 kilometres of powerlines and massive towers, each as big as the MCG light towers, that are being built throughout the western region. They are fighting for property rights, cultural rights and better environmental outcomes for all those whose homes and livelihoods are literally about to be bulldozed. Then we have Caroline Springs United, which advocates for better police resourcing for the west. In fact there is a local councillor and Liberal member Maria Kerr who helped found it, so a shout-out to her too. Thank you so much for everything that your organisations do to help in the west.