Tuesday, 12 May 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:49): (2502) My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Planning, and the action I seek is for the minister to outline what planning expectations and safeguards the government will now apply to future waste and resource recovery proposals across Melbourne and Victoria, following the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s decision to uphold the Environment Protection Authority Victoria’s health and environmental concerns regarding the Hampton Park waste transfer station. On 10 April 2026, I am very pleased to announce, the tribunal confirmed the EPA’s refusal of a development licence for a major waste transfer facility proposed by Veolia Recycling & Recovering Pty Ltd, which was intended to process up to 550,000 tonnes of waste from nine different councils in a residential area of Melbourne’s south-east. Critically, the refusal was based on potential health impacts on residents living just 170 to 250 metres from the site, an issue that has generated significant community concern and parliamentary scrutiny. Earlier this year more than 50 residents travelled to Parliament to support a petition, which I had the great honour of presenting here in Parliament, with over 4000 signatures opposing the proposal, and members from all sides of the chamber entered into the debate because of its scale, location and cumulative impacts that are already burdening this community.

International experience shows that failures in the management or oversight of contaminated or industrial waste can, under certain conditions, lead to serious long-term health consequences, including reproductive and developmental impacts. Relevant examples include the Corby toxic waste case in the United Kingdom, where negligent handling of contaminated materials was found to have contributed to limb deformities in newborn babies. The Love Canal case in the United States investigated increases in reproductive and developmental health issues linked to buried chemical waste, prompting major federal reforms. With Minamata disease in Japan, industrial mercury contamination caused severe congenital neurological disorders. With the Seveso disaster in Italy, dioxin release led to documented reproductive and long-term health impacts and the EU Seveso directive. With the Bhopal disaster in India, ongoing studies have examined possible long-term and intergenerational health impacts long after the catastrophic gas leak.

These cases are not directly comparable to an area like Hampton Park, which, I might add, is riddled with waterways and underground springs, but they reinforce a clear principle that waste-related activities must be planned, located and regulated with the highest degree of caution, especially near residential areas. While I was really honoured to stand with my local community, I want to ask the minister: after sustained community advocacy, please tell us what you are going to emphasise so residents have clarity about what safeguards will now apply and how similar conflicts can be avoided in the future.