HOBSONS Bay City Council could not endorse at its last meeting a report from its own officers on Port Phillip Bay channel deepening.
The report was submitted before a 7 May deadline to Planning Panels Victoria for its review of a supplementary environment effects statement.
But councillors could not agree during a heated debate whether to endorse the officers’ position.
They voted to defer the matter until their 22 May meeting.
The officers’ report said the council had concerns that channel deepening could affect the local environment, especially the proposed disposal of contaminated sediments in spoil grounds off Altona.
Cr Peter Hemphill said the council should indicate a preference that the dredged spoil be disposed on land.
Cr Mary Ann Lindsay labelled a report commissioned by the Association of Bayside Municipalities from CSIRO fellow Dr Graham Harris – that was used as a basis for the Hobsons Bay submission – as “verging on the hysterical.”
Dr Harris’ report raises a number of concerns about the channel deepening project.
It recommends the project proceed only if an independent panel and experts confidently conclude there will be no irreversible adverse affects to the health of Port Phillip Bay and its ecosystems.
