- Minister dumps on Avoca Beach
- Residents’ legal fight back
- Protest outside Belinda Neal’s Gosford office on Tuesday at noon
- National Toxics Network urge withholding dumping permit until toxins fully tested
- Greens MP calls for truth: release all reports on assessments, Ian Cohen says
The Minister for Environment Protection has let down Avoca Beach by signing the Sea Dumping Permit today.
Mr Garrett, a formerly well-respected environmentalist, has allowed the ex-HMAS Adelaide to be sunk on Saturday March 27.
But No Ship Action Group (NSAG) and the Environmental Defenders Office are fighting back.
The EDO is lodging an immediate appeal against the granting of the permit by the Minister for Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, citing new scientific evidence in affidavit format.
“The permit can only be granted if there are no adverse environmental affects,” NSAG spokesman Ben Smith said. “On the grounds there will be significant adverse impact on the local environment of Avoca Beach, we will be appealing this decision.
"We have expert independent analysis saying the shoreline will recede by 5.3 metres,” Mr Smith said.
“We have expert independent analysis saying there is a real danger of concentrated pollution within the closed beach system.
"The Government’s environmental report didn’t even recognise it was a closed beach system.’’
"We still are convinced of the effects and the existence of the toxins such as PCBs, heavy metals and toxic paints. The paint has still not been tested; the PCB testing was not comprehensive and has been discredited by international sources.”
The National Toxics Network is alarmed too. In a letter to Mr Garrett, NTN wrote:
“We are writing to you as a matter of urgency to express our deep concern over the proposed scuttling of the Ex-HMAS Adelaide off Avoca Beach…
``We urge you to withhold the authorisation certificate for the Ex HMAS Adelaide until these issues have been fully and independently addressed.’’
Greens MP Ian Cohen is urging the Federal Minister for Environment to publicly release all the independent reports on and assessment of the Ex-HMAS Adelaide before the ship is towed to Avoca Beach to be scuttled 1.7 km from Avoca beach.
In a press release issued today he said:
"The local community are rightly concerned. NSW Government ministers have got their facts wrong at every corner, from which beach the ship is to be sunk off to the removal of PCBs from the ship.
"For example Minister for Land Tony Kelly indicated on 24 February 2010 to the NSW Parliament that ‘all PCBs, lead and other toxic materials have been removed’. Considering that the ship was not tested until 6 March 2010, the Minister’s representations appear inconsistent.”
Mr Smith said Avoca Beach was taking a stand.
“We will be sending a strong message to the Federal Government and to the State Labor Government that their future at Avoca Beach is over. The electorate of Robertson is a highly marginal seat. After this environmental betrayal, I for one will never vote labor again and I daresay thousands of others will act the same way,” Mr Smith said.
“Tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon we will be passing the message on to Minister Garrett en masse: we will protest outside the office for the beleaguered Federal member Belinda Neal. Until the election she is still our ear piece for Canberra.
"We want this sinking postponed. We need more studies done. Now it is in the hands of the law. Let justice be done: this is not the 1950s, do not let this environmental travesty occur.”