Page 185 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
(c) communicate openly with Tuggeranong residents about the smell, and what the ACT government is doing to determine its cause;
(d) address and stop the smell;
(e) take the appropriate action to ensure that the smell does not recur; and
(f) report back to the Assembly in March 2016 on progress.
Over the past few months I have had a significant number of residents in the Tuggeranong area report a foul smell in their suburb. It started in December, continued through January, and again this month. As recently as this morning, I have received more emails about the smell. I forwarded to the Environment Protection Authority the locations of the smell as constituents have reported them to me, because it is important that we are able to identify the source of the odour. The Environment Protection Agency to my knowledge has been investigating the smell, and as far as I know, has not been able to determine its cause.
This foul smell is impacting on Tuggeranong residents, in particular when they are trying to enjoy outdoor spaces. Some examples have been provided to me: having a barbecue in their backyard, having people over for dinner and sitting out on the deck or doing the gardening. Some people have said that they are unable to have their windows open. Of course, over the summer period, that is quite problematic for people.
Back in December, I created an interactive map using Google Maps to show the location of where the smells have been identified to try to track where the odour can be identified. Constituents have been pleased to see this map. They can see from that that it is mostly over the hill from the tip in the Fadden and Macarthur area.
But it can go more widely than that. It can be Gowrie, Wanniassa and Gilmore. It is often near the Wanniassa Hills Nature Reserve, near Long Gully Road and towards the Mugga Lane tip. Many constituents have specifically said that they believe the smell is coming from the tip. I have had many emails from people talking about their experiences and why they believe the smell is coming from the tip. They have said it is often worse in the early mornings and then later in the evenings.
The residents of Tuggeranong want answers. They want to know exactly where the smell is coming from. Is it something that is going to happen over and over again? Is it a temporary odour related to works at the tip? People in this place may recall that a year ago in December 2014 and January 2015, we had a similar outbreak of reports of a smell from the tip. In that instance, we were advised it was due to work occurring at the tip.
Residents are very happy to accept that there can be work of a one-off or intermittent nature. Most residents understood the tip would close. People who bought homes 20 years ago understood that the tip was slated to close in 2015 or 2016. Instead, it has now tripled in size. Residents want to know if this is something that is going to happen to them on an ongoing basis.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video