Ewen McRae
By Ewen McRae
Moorabool council says it is being blocked from consulting with the community over plans to bring contaminated soil to the region.
The state government recently gave council access to technical documents in relation to a proposal from Maddingley Brown Coal to store and process spoil from the Westgate Tunnel Project.
But MBC lawyers and the state government have refused a council request to publish the papers on its website for the community to respond.
Council chief executive Derek Madden said the restrictions made it impossible for the community to be properly informed about the proposal.
“Can it be considered consultation if council has not been provided with all of the key documents or provided with an adequate timeframe to respond?” Mr Madden said.
“The role of a council under the Local Government Act is to provide good governance in its municipal district for the benefit and wellbeing of the municipal community. Council has to engage with its community in a transparent way.”
“In this situation, we have been hindered so badly, that we cannot do our job properly.”
The proposal, which would mean thousands of tonnes of contaminated soil being processed at Maddingley, has been opposed by the community because of concerns over what contaminants may be in the soil.
The council has repeatedly asked for access to technical reports from MBC.
It was given access to the documents on May 20 and given 21 days to respond.
A statement from council said it would require more time and asked the government to reconsider making the documents publicly available.
“Council is calling on the government and the proponent to make the technical reports public or allow council to do so,” the statement said.
“Council also needs more time to respond to government after meaningful and informed consultation.”
