MP: Libs plan to dump on us

Peter Farago
STATE Opposition has a secret plan to build a toxic waste dump near Geelong, according to Member for Geelong Province John Eren.
Mr Eren, who will stand for Labor in the lower-house Lara electorate at November’s state election, said comments from Liberal opponent Angelo Kakouros had revealed the opposition’s plan.
Mr Eren said the Liberal party was still secretly planning to build a toxic waste facility within a 100-kilometre radius of Melbourne.
“The secret was exposed with a backlash by the Liberal candidate for Lara who on Geelong radio last Wednesday said he would lobby very hard for his party not to build a hazardous waste facility in Geelong or Werribee,” Mr Eren said.
“I call on the Liberals to come clean immediately and rule in or out such a facility in Geelong.
“The people of Geelong have a right to know if the opposition will build a facility in our area.”
Mr Eren said the Bracks Government had made a “tough political decision” to nominate Nowingi, in far north-west Victoria, as a potential site for a harzardous waste facility.
The Government was midway through an independent environmental effects statement to assess whether it was a safe site.
But Mr Kakouros said state opposition leader Ted Baillieu had told a meet-the-candidate meeting on Monday that the Liberals would not build a waste dump near Geelong.
“Ted Baillieu came down to North Shore Sports Club on Monday and made it very clear there would be no waste dump in our region,” he said.
“Quite a few people came along to the meeting to hear that.”
Mr Kakouros labelled Mr Eren’s claims as “scaremongering”.
“The Liberal policy is there will definitely not be a dumping ground,” Mr Kakouros said.