Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Late last year a local constituent, Mr Paul Van Den Bos, drew to my attention a serious concern relating to air quality monitoring in south-west Sydney. The New South Wales annual compliance report for the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality reveals that the Liverpool air quality monitoring station has been noncompliant since at least 2006. This seven-year non-compliance period casts doubt over the accuracy of the air quality records which this federal government relies upon to justify subjecting the residents of Wattle Grove, Moorebank and surrounding suburbs to a giant intermodal freight terminal.

In addition to failing to keep monitoring stations compliant, the previous state Labor government actually decommissioned a further seven air quality monitoring stations in the Sydney Basin during their term in office. A New South Wales upper house inquiry in 2006 described these closures as 'unacceptable'. The residents of south-west Sydney are entitled to clean air and they are entitled to be sure that that air is being accurately monitored. This neglect of Western Sydney residents by the former state Labor government is a disgrace, especially when air pollution is a bigger killer than our roads, costing up to $6 billion in health effects in Sydney alone.

I am pleased to report to the House that, following the intervention by me and my state Liberal colleague Melanie Gibbons, within a matter of weeks the new Liberal state government had undertaken the necessary steps to ensure the Liverpool air quality monitoring station now meets the required standards.

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