The clean-up of a controversial Lara toxic waste dump could cost Victorian ratepayers $30 million after State Government took control of the site this week.
More than 320,000 cubic meters of flammable rubbish is at the Broderick Rd site, with the clean-up estimated to take years with a total bill of $100 million.
The former site operator David McAuliffe let the rubbish grow to “dangerous levels” before going into liquidation late last year, according to State Government.
Mr McAuliffe’s business C&D Recycling ignored multiple orders made by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal stemming from early 2018.
He was sentenced in Geelong Magistrates’ Court to three months in jail after pleading guilty to nine charges last February but was released on bail.
Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) stepped in last Tuesday after the site owner, TASCO and C&D Recycling failed to manage the “high-risk” location.
Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio labelled Mr McAuliffe’s “disregard” for health and safety as “disgraceful”.
“We will be pursuing the private operators involved for every cent of the clean-up cost,” she said.
They created this mess, it’s only right they pay for it to be fixed.”
Geelong councillor Anthony Aitken described the EPA’s intervention as a “victory for the community and the environment”.
“I’m confident the EPA and council will continue to work cooperatively together in the best interests of the community,” Cr Aitken said.
However environment shadow minister David Morris slammed the Andrews government’s actions as “far too late”.
“The site has been a problem almost from the day the planning permit was issued in 2016,” he said.
“Only now, almost a year since the damning VCAT report and in the absence of further support from the liquidator has the Government finally done something.
“$30 million to maintain fire prevention measures and begin the clean-up will do little to solve the problem.”
