KERIN TO LOBBY BRACKS OVER MURRAY TOXIC DUMP
Monday, 19 September 2005

Liberal Leader Rob Kerin will make a direct appeal to Victorian Premier Steve Bracks to abandon Victorian Government plans to build a toxic waste dump in the River Murray catchment near the South Australian border.

Mr Kerin said he would write to Premier Bracks expressing strong opposition to the proposed Nowingi toxic waste dump because of the dangers it posed to the environment and SA’s water supplies.

“The River Murray is South Australia’s water lifeline,” Mr Kerin said. “We cannot afford to jeopardise it by building a massive toxic waste dump just a few kilometres from the River Murray.

“The Nowingi dump has been an issue since mid-2004 and yet Premier Rann and Murray Minister Karlene Maywald have not lifted a finger to oppose it.

“By contrast, the SA Liberal Opposition has consistently questioned the safety of the dump.

“Last year the Shadow Cabinet met with the Mayor of Mildura and a delegation from the Mildura Council. I have also met with my Victorian Liberal colleagues, who share our concerns.”

Mr Kerin said the Nowingi toxic waste dump was a danger to the River Murray environment adding that it also threatened the reputation of the entire Murray region as the ‘fruit salad bowl’ of Australia.

“People who live in the region are genuinely fearful of the potential for an environmental disaster if the Nowingi dump goes ahead,” Mr Kerin said.

“On Friday 1,000 people took to the streets of Mildura in protest at the dump and their fears are shared by communities in our own Riverland, just a few kilometres downstream from Victoria.

“They understand that the clean, green image of South Australia’s fruit, vegetables and wine is at risk from this development. And that means thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of exports are also at risk.

“This is the reason I am writing to Premier Bracks to put the strong view – on behalf of South Australia – that the River Murray is not the right place for a toxic waste dump.”

Under the Bracks Government proposal, 30,000 tonnes of toxic waste a year would be dumped at Nowingi, 14 kilometres from the River Murray and seven kilometres from the internationally-recognised Hattah Lakes wetland.

The Nowingi dump would be 200 kilometres closer to Adelaide than the now-cancelled Woomera radioactive waste repository.

“Mike Rann vigorously opposed Federal plans to store low level radioactive waste 450 kilometres north of Adelaide,” Mr Kerin said. “Today he seems unconcerned that his Victorian Labor colleagues intend dumping far more dangerous toxic waste just 250 kilometres away.

“Unlike Mr Rann, Mr Bracks knows how harmful this material is and as a result he wants to truck it 500 kilometres from Melbourne and dump it next South Australia.”