Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ian Campbell, Minister for the Environment and Heritage and Minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Can the minister confirm his support for the minister for transport’s decision to approve the development of the proposed BGC brickworks at Perth Airport? Hasn’t the minister supported this project despite serious concerns being raised with him by his department, including: the department cannot be confident that the proposal will not result in adverse health impacts; the proposal should not be approved until the long-term monitoring of five existing neighbourhood brickworks, which might take several years, is completed; and the company had not conducted any surveys on the site to evaluate its use by threatened species? Isn’t there also significant community opposition to the project going ahead? Given the minister’s constant assertions about the importance of community opposition, and the health and environmental issues raised by his department, can he explain why he was happy to rush ahead and give the environmental tick to this project?