The Liberal Party claims leaked documents outline plans by the State Government to turn the West Melbourne Dynon rail yard into a “mega dump for the transfer of toxic waste”.
“The Dynon rail yard, including the existing market site, will be turned into a mega dump for the transfer of toxic waste onto freight trains before being crated half-way across Victoria to another new toxic dump in Mildura,” according to a press release released by the Liberal Party.
The “leaked document” referred to is a letter from the Department of Infrastructure to the Independent Panel inquiring into the Proposed Nowingi Long Term Waste Containment Facility.
The State Government’s Major Projects Minister John Lenders said the document was a public report.
“The Panel distributed the report to all the parties represented at the panel hearings including the Mildura City Council and the Save the Food Bowl Alliance – and it will be on the Major Projects website, like all the other Panel reports.
“The report identifies Dynon rail yard as the most likely point for containerised waste to be loaded onto freight trains.
“This is not new. Dynon rail yard was identified as the likely rail loading point in a rail transport option paper publicly released in April last year.”
Mr Lenders said whether waste should travel by road or rail will be “up to the panel to recommend – not the Government”.
Hazardous waste is now collected and transported by road to be stored in Tullamarine and Lyndhurst.
The State Government intends to phase out storing hazardous waste in a landfill and has named Nowingi as a potential site for containment.
Earlier this month the State Government accused the Liberal Party of having secret plans to establish a hazardous waste dump in Epping.
The Liberal Party initially said it would build a toxic waste facility 100 kilometres from Melbourne but later said it would not build another one in Victoria.
