The smell is back.

I’ve lived in the area for 9 years and am more than happy to live next to the industrial area. All sorts of smells and noises come out of it and, as residents, we’re fine with it.

But no business has a right to increase their production to such an extent that it impacts those that live near it. EGR have absolutely no concern at all for local residents. Their level of corporate social responsibility and community consultation is repugnant and insulting.

This smell is a stringent chemical odour (I don’t describe it as cat pee, but smells are often hard to describe). Last year we would be watching TV or sleeping in bed and we could smell it inside our house. That’s where I drew the line and started trying to find out what it was and where it was coming from.

My biggest problem is that no-one is able to tell us what it is. What if it’s toxic? I want to know the health impacts. I want someone to tell me why this new smell exists and what it is, so I can make an informed decision about my health.

A pregnant woman moved out of the area because no-one could tell her this, while other children and adults are living with it. I believe local council and state government need to investigate this aspect, but they’re not.

The fact the smell has come back is extremely frustrating. I went to primary school next to a sewerage plant. It was awful at times (when the wind changed!), but we coped. This is not a simple smell complaint. This is a health issue. It smells toxic. When the smell is really strong, it makes you feel sick. Why does it make me feel sick? What’s the chemical that’s causing that? Is it bad for my health?

Not everyone who lives nearby can smell it – it all depends on the wind I think. Before the state election, Mark Bailey wanted to smell the smell for himself so he came out at midnight one night to take a whiff so he could understand where residents were coming on. Total respect.

Now that Mark’s elected and he’s in a Ministerial position, I’m really hoping he can convince the Queensland Department of Environment to start taking action on behalf of residents and force EGR to clean up its act.