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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1417 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Madam Deputy Speaker, consistent with practice elsewhere in Australia and overseas, operating parameters are monitored continuously during operation of the incinerator, to ensure that it operates according to its design specifications. The parameters monitored include temperature, oxygen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels, particulate emissions and scrubber water acidity. In February last year, the scrubber water was analysed by ACTEW. I quote from the analysis report:

Absence of other common toxic combustion by-products such as Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH's) and extremely toxic substances such as Dioxins or any chlorinated compounds in the sample also indicate that the combustion process is well under control.

In addition, the incinerator is inspected at least once a week by government inspectors.

Madam Deputy Speaker, the future of this facility needs to be cleared up and resolved. When we came to power, the Government recognised that existing environmental legislation was inadequate. In fact, it is inadequate, because it is still on the books. We have speeded up the process of developing new integrated environment protection legislation, which was begun by the former Labor Government. I am pleased to say that tomorrow I will be able to present in this place the Environment Protection Bill, which will revolutionise the way in which we go about protecting our environment in this Territory. (Extension of time granted)

One of the requirements of the new legislation will be that incinerators obtain an authorisation. A weakness of the existing legislation is that there are no formal licensing powers. While Totalcare has voluntarily complied with environmental controls, such as the manifest system, it is important that incinerators and other activities that it undertakes there operate under legally binding authorisations. Totalcare and the Government's environmental regulators commenced negotiations some time ago - well before the recent histrionics started - on authorisation requirements. These requirements will cover types of wastes which can be incinerated, emission standards and reporting requirements. Totalcare has agreed to operate under a voluntary code of practice prior to the new legislation coming into force, and this will commence as soon as negotiations on the code are complete.

As to what substances Totalcare will be authorised to incinerate, it will be up to Totalcare, in these arrangements, to demonstrate that destruction of the substances will comply with emission standards and that appropriate monitoring is in place to demonstrate this. In developing this list, Totalcare will, of course, make commercial decisions about whether or not it wants a particular substance to be considered for inclusion in the authorisation - subject, of course, to what the Assembly resolves today. There is absolutely no intention on the part of Totalcare to dispose of scheduled wastes in the incinerator. They are the most dangerous sorts of wastes. The Government is committed to a national process to deal with these substances. I should emphasise this point, as it seems to me that the next step in the campaign of disinformation will be that we are about to start incinerating these scheduled wastes. I want to make it very clear that we do not intend to do that. No scheduled wastes - no PCBs, no hexachlorobenzine, no organochlorine pesticides - have been or will be permitted to be incinerated in the Totalcare incinerator.

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