Media Statements
Statement - Putting an end to Labor's destructive toxic soil dumping

Statement – Putting an end to Labor’s destructive toxic soil dumping
James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change
9 November 2022.
A Liberals and Nationals Government will reverse Labor’s policy of dumping of toxic soil on the neighbourhoods of Melbourne’s west.
The Andrews Labor Government has shown reckless disregard for hundreds of thousands of people in Melbourne’s west, as it dumps contaminated soil from its disaster-ridden West Gate Tunnel project in suburban areas, next door to residential houses, schools and playgrounds.
In May 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was found to have neglected the human rights of the affected communities and has since apologised for its lack of community engagement.
A Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will treat Melbourne’s western suburbs with more respect and put to an end Labor’s policy of dumping toxic soil on residential areas of the west.
To do this, we will:
- Invest $20 million to fast-track processes for the commercial remediation and processing of toxic soil from infrastructure projects.
- Reform the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure it appropriately performs its function, instead of piling up toxic soil near homes and families across the western suburbs.
Local communities in the west shouldn’t have to live in fear of Labor trucking toxic soil onto the doorsteps of their neighbourhoods for decades to come.
Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change, James Newbury, said Daniel Andrews has failed Victorians, literally dumping tonnes of dangerous waste in their backyards.
“Residents in Melbourne’s western suburbs were not consulted with and now having to live next to waste that is impacting their quality of life and poses a real risk to their health.”
“As a priority, the Liberals and Nationals will end Labor’s destructive practices and invest in responsible measures to ensure it never happens again.”
James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change