Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to speak about the contamination which has occurred in Clovelly Park, a suburb in my electorate of Boothby. Residents here have been affected by a harmful airborne contaminants known as trichloroethylene. The state government and EPA were aware of this problem and yet they have been slow to inform residents. Residents were told only two weeks ago that they would have to move out after high levels of this potentially dangerous chemical were discovered in the air and soil. Another 14 houses further south, as well as homes in the neighbouring suburb of Mitchell Park, also face testing to see if chemicals from surrounding industrial sites seeping into groundwater are entering their homes as cancer-causing vapours.

The state Labor government has stated it has been tracking the risk in Clovelly Park for years and was aware of elevated concentrations for several weeks before telling residents. This begs the question: why did they wait? The EPA was also aware and they are reviewing tests from last December, more than six months ago, and may decide that more testing is necessary.

A lot of issues have been raised here. I recently doorknocked these residents. I met with constituents who are concerned about their health, why they were not informed sooner and the prospect of being moved out of the community they have been part of for many years. Many of them have lived here for 25 or 26 years and are in their mid-80s. (Time expired)