Fed up residents of Salisbury and Moorooka, who have lived with a noxious industrial odour for 9 months, are calling for the relocation of industrial surface coating on plastic away from the Salisbury Industrial Estate.
After months of neglect from local and state governments, the Salisbury Moorooka Noxious Odour Action Group (SM-NOAG) has now launched a petition at http://chn.ge/1r1sclI to urge Mr Andrew Powell, Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection and Mr Graham Quirk, Lord Mayor of Brisbane to take notice.
SM-NOAG spokesperson Cec Fox said despite local residents living with noxious industrial odour coming from this industry for 9 months, Council has approved an extension to EGR, delaying a directive to conduct an Environmental Investigation.
“Action to stop this odour is likely to be stalled until 2015. This is unacceptable,” said Mr Fox.
“Brisbane City Council and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection have failed to protect a basic human right for residents.
“There is either a lack of legislation, resources, or motivation within Local and State Government to effectively regulate a high emission industry sited less than 0.5 km from a residential area, and less than 1 km from Toohey Forest Escarpment and Mayne Estate Bushland Heritage Area.
“The shifting of responsibility between the Department and Council, has significantly damaged our trust in our elected representatives who are meant to put residents first.
“We want our government to take action and restore this loss of confidence,” he said.
Mr Fox said local residents are baffled that it has been left to the offending company to regulate themselves and advise Council whether their activity is environmentally relevant.
“If Road Safety was administered the same way it would be up to drivers to let Council know when they had exceeded the speed limit.
“We’re asking that both the Council and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, work collaboratively to relocate industrial surface coating on plastic away from the Salisbury Industrial Estate.
“These activities are located less than 0.5 km from residences, and less than 1 km from Toohey Forest Escarpment and Mayne Estate Bush Heritage Area.
“The powerful and overwhelming odours released have extended over a 2 km radius from the industrial site itself.
“Within this radius are residential areas in 3 suburbs and at least 2 State schools.
“We have lived at home with this noxious odour now for 9 months. The time has come for this to stop,” said Mr Fox.
Residents can sign the petition at http://chn.ge/1r1sclI and join the Salisbury Moorooka Noxious Odour Action Group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/odouraction.
SM-NOAG encourages all residents to report the odour when they smell it to Brisbane City Council on 3403 8888.
• It is unacceptable that because the Development Authority for this activity was granted under City Plan 2000, this site is exempt from the relevant regulatory Schedule in the current City Plan 2014 – especially given EGR is registered Nationally as a high emitter of ozone depleting gases.
• Further, in 2012-2013, EGR’s reported emissions were 88 tonnes. Using technical information on the National Register website, it is unclear to us how the total usage of surface coating materials can remain under the 100 tonnes threshold for an Environmentally Relevant Activity.