In the dark about toxic sites

The huge plume of black, billowing smoke could be seen rising above Melbourne’s west from many kilometres away.

More than 50 fire trucks raced to the large chemical explosion in Derrimut, as drum barrels shot into the air from the explosion and flames engulfed the building.

Lacking the correct piece of equipment, firefighters had to move closer to the flames and were exposed to toxic chemicals, the United Firefighters Union said the following day.

Residents stayed indoors with windows closed, and the Environmental Protection Agency warned locals and their pets to stay away from affected waterways – including Laverton Creek and Cherry Creek.

This chemical explosion in Derrimut, and other recent industrial fires in Melbourne’s west have prompted residents and community groups to make an urgent legal intervention to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and accuse it of ‘institutional failure’.  

The Anti-Toxic Waste Alliance, a coalition of about 40 community groups and organisations from across Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs, has written to the EPA and State Environment Minister Stephen Dimopoulos with the support of lawyers at Environmental Justice Australia.

Anti-Toxic Waste Alliance spokesperson Colleen Hartland says she would like to see the laws properly enforced and greater transparency about the dangerous sites in local neighbourhoods.

“Residents never know what’s at the end of the street until it blows up. We’re not told where sites are and we’re not told about the dangers,” Hartland says.  

The Alliance says western suburbs residents are in the dark about activities at toxic sites, and what actions – if any – are being taken to minimise the risk to humans and the environment. 

They also say the community is not adequately informed of the risks of harm to human health or the environment from the firewater runoff. For example, the only face-to-face community engagement arising from the Derrimut chemical explosion – via a ‘pop up’ – occurred nine days after the incident.

“It is scandalous that large-scale and catastrophic fires and pollution events continue to occur periodically, if not routinely, across Melbourne’s western suburbs,” the alliance’s legal letter says. 

In recent weeks there have been multiple fires in the west, including a fire at a plastics warehouse facility in the neighbouring suburb of Deer Park.

The letter to the EPA points out that the laws designed to prevent pollution harm to human health and the environment (the Environment Protection Act 2017) are supposed to work through proactive measures before an incident takes place, rather than acting to clean up after a pollution incident has occurred.

EJA senior lawyer Virginia Trescowthick says communities in Melbourne’s west are exposed to high levels of air pollution, well in excess of safe and acceptable levels.

“The so-called environmental watchdog needs to lift its game.

When it comes to industrial fires, it is clear that Victoria’s pollution and waste laws are not working as intended.”

– EJA senior lawyer, Virginia Trescowthick

The Anti-toxic Waste Alliance was established in 2019 in response to major chemical and waste fires in Tottenham, Campbellfield, and Coolaroo.