By Laura Wakely
BRIMBANK City Council has signed a two-year agreement with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria, pledging to work together to stamp out pollution.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organisations acknowledges the joint responsibility they have to identify, investigate and enforce action against industry for breaches of the Environment Protection Act of Brimbank Planning Scheme.
Brimbank General Manager of City Development Stephen Sully said the council had initiated the MOU from their council plan to exchange information with the EPA.
“Council is committed to managing Brimbank land to its best and highest use, and this groundbreaking agreement that was initiated by council will facilitate our goal,” Mr Sully said.
“Council is committed to rehabilitating and redeveloping former industrial sites and addressing the environmental impacts of industry.”
Brimbank CEO Nick Foa said the MOU would allow the organisations to use their “collective knowledge and expertise” to address issues such as the allegations of contamination at the Cairnlea Estate and the possibility of a landfill being built at the former quarry in Kealba.
EPA CEO John Merritt said the MOU meant officers would work “side-by-side” to cut red tape.
“Too often in the past we have seen local government and EPA trying to achieve similar outcomes – be it reductions in air, noise or water pollution – without enough consultation or co-operation with each other,” Mr Merritt said.
“We believe we have the checks and balances right in the agreement to ensure it delivers better environmental outcomes for local residents while properly preserving the independence of the EPA as regulator.”
Both bodies will continue to undertake independent investigations of issues in order to provide evidence for compliance action and satisfy community expectations.
