Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to speak behalf of the people of Kemps Creek and Western Sydney more generally about the Liberal Party's plans to dump radioactive waste in Western Sydney from Hunters Hill on Sydney's North Shore. By way of background, in the early part of this century there was an operation at Hunters Hill which meant radioactive waste was left there. This has been a controversial issue for some time. Before the state election, the Liberal Party made a clear and unequivocal commitment not to dump this waste in Western Sydney. Now the New South Wales Liberal government is planning to dump it at two places: Lidcombe and Kemps Creek in Western Sydney. Lidcombe is in the electorate of the honourable member for Reid and Kemps Creek is in my electorate. This is a clear breach of a commitment.

The way through this is for Mr O'Farrell to claim that this is not radioactive waste. He said on the weekend that this is just soil. This raises a couple of issues. Firstly, if it is just soil, just leave it there. There is no need to bring it to Western Sydney. Secondly, if it is just soil and they want to move it to Kemps Creek, there should be a dump somewhere closer to where it is being taken from where it could be left, not transported all the way through Western Sydney and dumped at Kemps Creek and also at Lidcombe. If it is just soil, it could be dumped at any one of the number of tips that exist on Sydney's North Shore, but it is not just soil. If it is just soil, why does it need to be monitored at Kemps Creek for 300 years? It is some soil!

The Premier is clearly in breach of his election commitment not to dump this waste at Kemps Creek and clearly treating Western Sydney like the North Shore's dumping ground. I heard the shadow Treasurer, the member for North Sydney, say at Lidcombe that Western Sydney was the Liberal's new heartland. Lidcombe, one of the places where they are going to dump radioactive waste, is very close to his electorate. It is not a heartland, it is a dumping ground. There is an opportunity for Mr O'Farrell to front the people of Kemps Creek and explain why he is doing this. We are holding a rally on 18 February at Kemps Creek sports club. Mr O'Farrell has been invited by me, the member for Lindsay, David Bradbury, and the member for Fowler, Chris Hayes, all of whose electorates are affected by this. We have invited him to front the people of Kemps Creek and the people of Western Sydney more broadly and explain his position.

Other people who have come are the state Liberal members: the member for Mulgoa, Tanya Davies, who also promised not to do this, and the member for Smithfield, Andy Rohan, both of whom have been struck dumb on this issue. I am sure they did not lodge a submission. Three thousand people lodged a submission. I lodged a submission. Fairfield City Council and Penrith City Council are lodging submissions. But there has not been a word from either of the state Liberal members, who campaigned against this strongly before the election—particularly Tanya Davies—but have not said one word to stand up for their electorates against their own government, to their shame.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.