Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about the development of a brickworks on Perth airport land. It is interesting because this is probably an issue on which I and the former Liberal member for Hasluck, Stuart Henry, had many views in common. A decision was made by the former Howard government in August 2006 to approve the development of a brickworks on Perth airport land. At the outset I want to indicate and reiterate my complete opposition to the establishment of the brickworks on Perth airport land adjacent, as it is, to substantial residential areas in my electorate. I believe that the decision to approve the development by the coalition government was wrong and, more, that the conditions the coalition government placed on the approval were inadequate. It was an example, if you like, of just how out of touch with the electors of Hasluck the Howard government actually were.

The brickworks were strenuously opposed by the state government, by local government authorities near and surrounding the Perth airport and, more particularly, by local residents. Indeed, other than the proponents of the airport and Westralia Airports Corporation, the proponents being BGC, it was difficult to find anybody in the state of Western Australia who supported the establishment of such an industry on Perth airport land.

I rise here today because I have had the opportunity since the election to meet with the Hon. Anthony Albanese, the now Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, regarding development issues at Perth airport and I look forward to working closely with him in the future. But I will say for the purposes of today’s grievance that I do support a further investigation of the process leading to the former coalition government’s approval of this particular development, especially as the brickworks were so obviously contrary to the public interest.

Since the election, I have had the opportunity to consult with a number of stakeholders, including community groups who were opposed to the original proposal for the brickworks, the relevant local government authorities, Westralia Airports Corporation and BGC. This consultation was about the brickworks development at Perth airport generally, reflecting many of the concerns raised with me as the local member and including, amongst those issues, the role of the BGC consultative committee. I can say that I have met with the chairperson and an ordinary member of the committee on occasions prior to the 2007 federal election and the chairperson has broadly explained the role of the committee to me and the constraints under which they work. And of course I have been able to assist that committee previously or prior to the election to arrange meetings with the state government on a number of issues of concern—two in particular: the increased heavy vehicle traffic associated with the brickworks development on Kalamunda Road and the adequacy of ambient air quality monitoring proposals for the brickworks emissions.

I might say there are a number of road issues, not least of which is the question of safety for other users of the road and for local residents. It is clear that inadequate thought and planning was put into the question of how vehicles would exit and enter the brickworks off such a heavily used road as Kalamunda Road. Whilst I am concerned that we have to constantly try to retrospectively fix issues that, frankly, if a proper planning process had been observed when the brickworks development was first proposed would not have become issues, we do now need to look at ways of retrospectively fixing the problems of the damage and the lack of safety on Kalamunda Road. However, I want to make it clear that I do not think it is appropriate to use, and I would oppose any use of, Western Australian taxpayers’ money in having to find a solution to the problem. It seems to me that that is an issue for the proponents of the brickworks and for the Westralia Airports Corporation itself.

It is also very sad to me that just down the road from the brickworks entry is a new lifestyle village which is the chosen retirement home for many local residents in High Wycombe. I am very much concerned about the impact that the brickworks is having on their lives and the amenity of their retirement village.

The issue of ambient air quality is critical. The toxic emissions associated with brickworks are well known, and in the Swan Valley we have four or five brickworks which are now the subject of a fairly strenuous monitoring process by the Western Australian government and attempts to ensure that that industry cleans itself up. I particularly congratulate Midland Brick, one of my local brick manufacturers, for the steps they have taken in recent months and years to better consult and involve the community in the monitoring of their brickworks. Indeed, I raised this issue with BGC when I met with them, and I am pleased that they have now reached an agreement with the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation to deal with ambient air quality monitoring around the new brickworks on Perth airport land. What I am yet to discover and what I look forward to is being able to reassure local parents that they can be confident that their children are safe. I want to be able to reassure my constituents with respiratory ailments that they are also safe.

I referred to the BGC Brickworks Community Consultative Committee. It was established in December 2006 following the decision of the Howard government to approve the establishment of the brickworks and largely as a result of the attempt by the former member for Hasluck to salvage something for a bitterly disappointed constituency of Hasluck out of this appalling decision. It has no legal standing or authority, and it was not part of the conditions of approval laid down by the former Howard government. Whilst I support an ongoing role for the BGC Brickworks Community Consultative Committee, there are some aspects of its operations that I believe could be improved to assist it to do a more appropriate job in keeping the community informed and advised of developments associated with the brickworks, as well as many of the local authorities and other community associations directly concerned and interested in the outcomes of the development.

I have to say that there remains considerable community disquiet about the lack of regular ongoing information on the development and the progress, if any, towards resolving some of the community’s outstanding concerns for their safety and for their environment arising from the development. I have raised this issue with the minister as well as with the brickworks proponents. I reiterate that I do not believe these concerns were adequately addressed in the conditions of approval for the brickworks—for example, the loss of vegetation and the impact on local flora and fauna. I have only recently received correspondence from the Nature Reserves Preservation Group of Kalamunda, concerned about the potential for the spread of dieback as a result of some of the traffic movements in and out of the brickworks site, a site that was completely free of dieback disease prior to the commencement of construction.

It is one of the reasons why, as a candidate, I called upon the then government to look at ways in which we could better ensure that residents had a genuine, strong voice in the issue of airport development and why, in particular, I campaigned on the need not only to improve the community consultation requirements under the Airports Act but also to ensure that the community had an avenue to voice their concerns when they believed that something was amiss—that they had an independent authority with whom they could lodge those complaints. I reiterate my call today for the creation of an airport development ombudsman with the power to investigate residents’ concerns fairly and impartially, because I want the residents of Hasluck to have a genuinely strong voice in developments in their area.

I will say in closing that I am pleased at the recent efforts of the Westralian Airports Corporation to begin to address a number of concerns with Perth airport and its development—long overdue, as any of you who have recently visited Perth would know. I also share the concerns with the BGC consultative committee about the expertise and ability of the department in monitoring compliance with the conditions of approval, inadequate as they are, and regulating the brickworks into the future. It is not good enough for us to trust that everything is being looked after. As I indicated to the minister, these issues are important to my constituents and I will continue to pursue them in my capacity as their local member.