Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The New South Wales Liberal government is currently considering a proposal for a massive incinerator at Eastern Creek in my electorate. This proposal must be rejected. This will affect the people of St Clair, Erskine Park and Minchinbury, and not in a good way. The people of St Clair and Erskine Park have already been dealing with the massive issue of odours and smells in our community. It has been an ongoing issue. If you think that the incinerator is an answer to a pollution problem you are asking the wrong question. This will also have an impact on the people of Minchinbury, who live just one kilometre from this proposed incinerator.

This incinerator will create 45,000 tonnes per annum of so-called air pollution residues. An air pollution residue is ash. That is 45,000 tonnes per annum of ash, because it will process 1.35 million tonnes of waste per year. Some people think this is a good idea for our community. This is not even good for jobs. This proposal will create six jobs per hectare, as opposed to the recommended and desired rate of 21 jobs per hectare under the broader Western Sydney Employment Area Draft Structure Plan. This is a thoroughly bad idea, which must be opposed. It is being opposed by myself, the member for Lindsay and the member for Chifley in a submission to the New South Wales government. It is being opposed by the member for Mt Druitt, Edmond Atalla. We will continue to work with our community to stop this bad plan. Western Sydney and Minchinbury are not a dumping ground for Sydney's problems.