Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The suburb of Minchinbury in my electorate is a wonderful place to live. It is well-known and should be well known as one of Australia's first-ever vineyards. It's got the original crashing jet, which has been there for decades and which is a landmark for the entrance to Minchinbury. But, unfortunately, it is increasingly known as a place of smell. The good people of Minchinbury have been subjected to an odour which is utterly unacceptable. The good people of Minchinbury have been let down by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority. The good people of Minchinbury have been let down by Bingo, the waste services provider, which has lost, in my view, public confidence, my confidence and the confidence of the state member for Mount Druitt, Edmond Atalla.

For months now the people of Minchinbury have been subjected to a smell which has worsened asthma for children and for others, which has seen the cancellation of social events because they simply can't function with this terrible smell, which has caused sleepless nights and which has exacerbated sickness. It is not good enough. What has happened? The Environment Protection Authority has investigated. They've identified Bingo as the source of the odour, and this week it was revealed that Bingo has been fined $577. They fined it behind the couch. Then it was clarified: 'It's not a fine; it's an administration fee,' like that's somehow some sort of defence. I've corresponded with the chief executive of Bingo and told him that Bingo has lost my confidence, has completely lost any social licence to operate and needs to do better.

The state member Edmond Atalla and I have taken the—I concede—unusual step of calling for the EPA to close Bingo down until this matter is fixed. This site should not be operating. To show Bingo how seriously this should be taken, this site should be shut down until and unless they fix it. They've now agreed, on threat of being shut down, to put soil on top of the landfill. They blame the rain. Well, if their processes are such that a rain event in March leads to this smell for weeks and weeks, then their processes are not good enough.

I do want to acknowledge the New South Wales Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean. I've rung him, texted him and spoken to him about it, and he has responded. This is not about Labor and Liberal. The EPA has been appalling. For the chief executive of the EPA to turn up at a self-congratulatory ribbon cutting at Bingo while my residents are being subjected to this smell was utterly unacceptable and offensive. It is not good enough. The EPA are meant to be the guardian of the environment in New South Wales on behalf of its residents, and they have let the people of Minchinbury down. We will continue to pressure, cajole and call for the EPA to take more action and for Bingo to lift their game.