By Ewen McRae
People power was on full display in Bacchus Marsh last night, with more than 1000 people voicing their anger and concerns over plans to bring contaminated soil to the town.
The Village Green on Main Street was a sea of people and placards, with organisers saying up to 1500 people were in attendance.
The protests stem from a proposal from nearby Maddingley Brown Coal to store and process contaminated soil from the West Gate Tunnel Project. The proposal is with Transurban, who will decide on a preferred site for the soil before taking the decision to the planning minister.
The rally follows a town meeting two weeks ago with more than 400 residents in attendance. While that meeting was largely civil, there was a definite tinge of anger amongst the crowd last night.
Community spokesperson Kat Barlow said their message was clear.
“We shouldn’t be here tonight,” Ms Barlow said.
“We should be at home with our friends and our families, secure in the knowledge that our town is safe.
“But here we are to express our anger, our frustration, and our utter disbelief that this could possibly be the proposal for this place. This community is responding to a threat to our future, and to the future of our whole town.
“Our community is not a toxic waste dump.”
Much of the vitriol from the crowd was directed at Premier Daniel Andrews, with signs stating “Not happy, Dan” and “Dump Labor, not soil” a prominent sight throughout the crowd.
Other signs pointed to the health of children attending the nearby Bacchus Marsh Grammar, and potential effects on local farming.
Chants of “No toxic soil” rang out throughout the rally.
Colleen Hartland, from the National Toxics Network, said she would continue to work with the community to prevent the soil coming to MBC.
Liberal upper house MP Bev McArthur said she would continue to raise the matter in Parliament.
Maddingley Brown Coal and Transurban began holding information sessions in Bacchus Marsh last week, however residents and council say they have still not disclosed technical information about how the soil will be stored and processed.
Resident, Jane Stone said the secrecy of the proposal was one of the biggest concerns of the community.
“The Bacchus Marsh community have a right to know about the risks and potential risk should the tender for dumping of toxic soil be awarded to MBC,” she said.
“The community and the council have requested disclosure of a number of documents. Failure to disclose those documents causes fear in a community.”
Thexton Lawyers principal lawyer Glenn Thexton told the crowd that his firm was prepared to work with the Bacchus Marsh community to achieve their goals.
“You can take action and your action will make a difference,” Mr Thexton said.
“You are not powerless, and you can be supported in a formal manner, and that’s what I’m prepared to do.”
Mr Thexton said the community could look at taking out an injunction to stop toxic soil coming to Bacchus Marsh.
A petition signed by more than 4400 residents protesting the soil dumping was delivered to Parliament last week.An online petition has now been launched to lobby federal politicians.
Ms Barlow said a GoFundMe page would be set up to assist with any future legal fees.
