MEDIA RELEASE FROM NO SHIP ACTION GROUP 15/03/2010
MINISTER FOR SPINNING PLANS EPIC FAIL
Tony Kelly Sinks on Stateline
NSW Minister for Planning and Lands Tony Kelly made a mess of the facts when he appeared on ABC Television’s Stateline on Friday March 12.
Mr Kelly is in the spotlight following the bungled planning of the scuttling of the ex-HMAS Adelaide at Avoca Beach, set down for March 27.
He continued the incompetence on Stateline when he said the former warship was an “environmental ship”, testing showed there were “no PCBs anywhere"and the community had "ample opportunity” to respond “over two years.’”
Wrong on PCBS:
After stating there were no PCBS on the ship, the Government then tested for PCBs on 1st March 2010. McMahons Services (the contractor cleaning the ship) took five samples from “soft” sites and gave them to Airsafe for testing.
(so-called “soft” because it was unlikely the sites would have PCBs, they included a sample from a wall of the junior sailors’ dining area www.hmasadelaide.com/enviromental_information)
Areas which would be likely to contain PCBS, such as the engine room, the weapons area and the communications room, were not tested.
Secondly, the report stated that PCB concentrations for the samples were below detection limits for all PCB congeners. There are 209 PCB congeners.
However, the laboratory only tested for six congeners. The amount that need to be tested can be broken down to a lot less than 209, but certainly not to as few as six.
Thirdly, McMahons cleaned the ship – there was a conflict of interests in them providing the samples which were found to be ‘clean’ – why was there not an independent party collecting the samples?
Lastly, testing five soft sites does not equate to: “we have had tests done to conclude there were no PCBs anywhere else.”
Mr Kelly on Stateline: http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/03/12/2844703.htm
Time: 5:20 minutes:seconds: “The Adelaide is the first, as the Navy put it, their first Environmental Ship. It was painted with different paints and no lead. The only PCBs that could have been there were in switchboards etc. That’s all been removed and in addition to that we have had tests done to conclude there were no PCBs anywhere else.”
Wrong on Environmental Ship
The “different” paint is an anti-fouling paint called 365 ecoloflex. A summary of its toxicity is here http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Product.jsp?REG_NR=00269300188&DIST_NR=002693#Ingredients
An extract from the ex-HMAS Adelaide’s Review of Environmental Factors:
The ship contained items/ substances, (or items containing these) including:
• polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs used for example in transformers and capacitors)…
• asbestos …
• heavy metals: chromate, lead, mercury, copper and zinc.
Environmental Ship? What would it take for the Minister for Planning and Lands to recognise toxicity? If this is his perspective, this could be dangerous for the rest of NSW.
Wrong on consultation:
Tony Kelly on Stateline: “The community has been consulted and they have had ample opportunity as I have said. Public meetings, an enormous amount of information put out there. They have had the opportunity to respond for over two years now. The Worley Parson report responds to a lot of those concerns that were put forward.”
Mr Neil Robinson, a resident of Avoca Beach for 37 years, was at the first public meeting at North Avoca Surf Club on January 29 this year.
Mr Robinson said: “A Leonie Baldwin from NSW Premier and Cabinet Dept introduced herself, stating she would be chairing the meeting and after introductions of herself, Natalie Heist, Project Manager from NSW Lands Dept and Mr. Dan Messitter from Worley Parsons P/L (a Government contracted agency). She then stated "the vessel is going down on 27/03/2010 – regardless!” “The meeting then became hostile. This was first consultation.”
“If there was such comprehensive consultation, why didn’t we know it was off Avoca Beach until early January?,” No Ship Action Group’s (NSAG) Quentin Riley said.
“The truth is, the Government advertised the scuttling at Terrigal, not Avoca, and even the February newsletter from Federal Member for Robertson Belinda Neal, stated the ship would be sunk off Terrigal.”
“We did not have time to respond. The environmental report, the REF (Review of Environmental Factors), was only uploaded on their website on Friday February 5.”
“The Sea Dumping Certificate is illegal if there is no community consultation,” he said. “An extract from the Sea Dumping Permit’s criteria says that all stakeholders must be consulted.”
“Well, we weren’t consulted.”
Mr Kelly was wrong all round.
This wouldn’t happen in Bondi or Maroubra. Why should it happen at Avoca Beach?