Following a community rally against the proposed HiQ waste incinerator on Sunday 24 May, Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank has taken the campaign’s message to State Parliament, urging the Victorian Government to intervene and stop the project.
Speaking in Parliament on Friday 5 June, Mr Ettershank said the rally organised by the Sunbury “No Incinerator” campaign demonstrated strong community opposition to the proposal. He described the event as a large gathering that attracted significant media attention and brought together speakers from across the political spectrum, including the local Labor MP Josh Bull and Liberal candidate Simmone Cottom.
Mr Ettershank said Sunbury’s politically and culturally diverse community was united in its determination to protect the area from what residents see as inappropriate development.
Opponents argue that Sunbury is already carrying a substantial environmental burden through the storage of approximately 1.5 million tonnes of spoil from the West Gate Tunnel project. They contend that the proposed waste-to-energy facility would add to those impacts by processing up to 750,000 tonnes of waste each year at the firm’s eco-hub in Sunbury Rd.
In his parliamentary statement, Mr Ettershank criticised the proposal, claiming the facility would emit toxic chemicals over nearby homes, schools, shops and kindergartens.
HiQ is expected to lodge an application with Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in the coming weeks. Mr Ettershank called on the Victorian Government to reject the proposal, warning that community opposition could have political consequences at the ballot box.
The EPA will assess the application as part of the project’s approval process before any final decision is made.
All our reports on HiQ are here.
