AUGUST 10, 2017
YOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
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PH: 4325 7369
ISSUE 164
ABC 4 Corners blows the lid off massive waste dumping at Mangrove Mountain
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SW Shadow Minister for the Environment, the State Labor Members for Gosford, Wyong and The Entrance, The Greens NSW and the Community Environment Network are all demanding that the NSW Government urgently intervenes to resolve waste issues confronting the Central Coast. A report on the August 8 edition of ABC 4 Corners program revealed significant problems with the waste industry across NSW, with two important Central Coast examples highlighted. The Community Environment Network (CEN) has called for a full inquiry into the actions of decision makers for their role in the dumping of nearly one million cubic metres of waste at Mangrove Mountain since 2008. “CEN and locals have been pilloried, ignored and accused of misleading the public,” said CEN chairman, Mr John Asquith. “Monday night on ABC 4 Corners, we found out why? corrupt staff, massive amounts of money and self-interest,” he said. The object of the dumping was originally to level a small part of the Mangrove Mountain RSL Memorial Golf Course with clean fill. “Since then, it has grown to nearly one million cubic metres, with another 1.3 million tonnes awaiting an EPA licence.” According to CEN, the whole
Drone photo shows the size of the landfill by 2017 Photo: Andrew Cooney Photography
board of the EPA was culpable and should be sacked by NSW Premier, Ms Gladys Berejiklian “There needs to be an investigation into the sordid facts behind Gosford Council’s and the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s apparent gross neglect of statutory
the dumping by claiming that the EPA had assured him that the waste was safe and not a problem. “However, the waste dump by that time was already well above the level of the 280,000 tonnes approved by Gosford Council.
time. “Presumably, Mr Holstein took their advice and did not check or believe the community that elected him.” CEN wants to see the dump closed and an Inquiry into the actions of the EPA. Mr Asquith said that it was
“There needs to be an investigation into the sordid facts behind Gosford Council’s and the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s apparent gross neglect of statutory responsibilities. - John Asquith responsibilities. “In 2014, former Mayor and then state member for Gosford, Mr Chris Holstein, defended
“Large sections of the waste were of unknown origin. “We now know that corrupt staff were involved at that
time that investigation of environmental issues worth over $20 million was taken away from the EPA and local
councils and managed by the NSW Police, in the same way that similar high-value planning matters were managed by the NSW Government as state significant. “In the four years to 2016, there had been no prosecutions by the EPA of anyone for causing serious harm to the environment. “Incredibly, fines for less serious breaches have been an average of only 84 per year for the past 10 years. “CEN wants to see the EPA Board sacked immediately,” Mr Asquith said. According to CEN, over the past six years that EPA had: overseen no prosecutions for causing serious harm to the environment (Tier 1 Offences); allowed illegal dumping to flourish; taken no action on waste dumping from NSW
in Queensland; ignored the collapse in recycling rates to occur with no planning, support or strategies; allowed a culture of misleading information and spin to be foisted on the public; tolerated poor behaviour and corruption and attempted to cover up, instead of clean up; attacked and marginalised anyone who complained; and, kept information secretive with no real transparency. One year ago, Greens MP, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, gave notice for a parliamentary enquiry into the Mangrove Mountain landfill and the role of both the EPA and the former Gosford Council in approving the private tip at the head of the water catchment of the Central Coast. “The 4 Corners program has highlighted the need for a full parliamentary inquiry and the Central Coast Greens demand that it now goes ahead immediately,” said Central Coast Greens spokesperson, Ms Kate da Costa. “The Central Coast Greens particularly support an investigation into Gosford Council’s actions. “For several years, members of the Central Coast Greens have supported the calls by Mangrove Mountain residents, who have been concerned about allegations of improper dumping, water contamination and overdevelopment.
Continued page 3 EPA referral to ICAC : page 4 More on page 6, 12, 13
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