Wednesday, 29 July 2026

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:08): (1383) My question is for the Minister for Environment. In what appears to be a large-scale illegal organised dumping operation, a tenant has allowed an estimated 2000 tonnes of building waste, including asbestos, to be dumped at a 15-acre property near Diggers Rest. The owner of the property has bravely done everything they could to try and stop it, including notifying the EPA and police early. The landowner says that she has been badly let down by the EPA, her council and also by the police and that those responsible are not going to clean up the mess. I believe the government should protect property rights. Given the lack of support she has been given, I am asking the minister to use his discretion to direct the EPA to step in and help this landowner fix this terrible situation.

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:09): I thank Mr Limbrick for his question and his interest in this matter. It is an important matter of public interest, the matter of illegal dumping. It is a matter that the Carroll government is taking very seriously. That is why we have committed $21.5 million to crack down on illegal dumping and $13 million to bolster the illegal dumping taskforce, led by the EPA in partnership with the conservation regulator, DEECA and Parks Victoria.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Mr Limbrick wants to hear the answer. The minister to continue.

Enver ERDOGAN: Hopefully uninterrupted this time. There is an additional $8.5 million for the clean-up rebate program to help councils and public land managers recover costs. This taskforce is taking action, but we do know that there is a need for more targeted action. As the minister I have made clear to the EPA my expectations. If you go online, you can check the updated statement of ministerial expectations where I have made it clear that I want a stronger enforcement posture. I think that is what the community is calling for. I have asked them to take tough action on polluters. I want them to consider the social licence and social equity considerations going forward.

These are all important factors. It is a consistent theme I hear. It is a shared responsibility between local government and state government and the agencies we are responsible for. I do offer deepest sympathies to that resident and that story I did read online. To be honest, it would be quite difficult and traumatising for the landholder in that situation. It is an ongoing operation, so I am always limited in what I can say without breaching anyone’s privacy. This is an ongoing operational matter that the EPA is dealing with. My message has been clear: I want to see strong enforcement action. We have provided more tools to the regulator to do that work, and that is my expectation.

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:11): I thank the minister for that answer. It does appear, however, that organised groups are very easily setting up these operations and then moving on to the next operation, so whatever is happening at the moment is not stopping this at all. In fact, even though the EPA was notified early in the piece, they did not intervene to stop this becoming a worse problem than what it should have been. My question is: what is the minister doing to stop this happening in the future? Because it is a continuing problem that does not appear to be slowing down at all.

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:11): I thank Mr Limbrick for his supplementary question and his concern with the performance of the EPA. What I will say is as a government we are equipping the EPA with additional resources. I will have further announcements to make in the coming weeks – I do not want to pre-empt them – in relation to the resources. We definitely need a better mix of technology, but a much stronger enforcement posture is what is necessary. I think that we need to hold polluters to account, and that is why I have updated my statement of expectations with that in mind.

The PRESIDENT: Can I acknowledge in the gallery former member of the Victorian Parliament Donna Hope.