TOXIC material must be removed from the ex-HMAS Adelaide if it is to be dumped at Avoca Beach, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal said in a decision yesterday.

“Today we stand vindicated: our community’s concerns were well founded,” No Ship Action Group NSAG spokesman Ben Smith said.

“We had iron-clad assurances from the Keneally State Government that the ship was clean. It wasn’t. The decision today showed that.

 “We still firmly believe this warship does not belong in our bay and should be recycled.”

The AAT’s decision released at 2pm yesterday stated the warship must be cleaned of all remaining wiring which might be associated with PCBs, and cleared of all canvas and insulation, and cleaned of all exfoliating red-lead paint if it is to be dumped.

“The ship still contained large amounts of toxic materials on March 27 when the State and Federal Government claimed it was ready to sink,” Mr Smith said.

“It is outrageous that we, as ordinary residents, have had to raise $70,000 simply to protect our local environment, to get these contaminated materials off the warship,” NSAG spokesman Ben Smith said.

 “Otherwise that ship would right now be sitting on the bottom of the ocean, polluting our bay for generations to come.”

NSAG has been advised that if the ship was to be placed 1.4 km off the beach it could cause serious beach erosion because of its effects on wave direction.

NSAG hopes that one outcome of this case is that the Federal Government will in future responsibly recycle all obsolete naval vessels instead of dumping them in our oceans as “artificial reefs”.

Media Contacts:

Ben Smith 0409 693 205

Michelle Meares 0439 645 372