“Overhaul brow-beaten EPA” say Greens

16/03/10 10:00 am

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has called for an independent review into the Environment Protection Authority, South Australia’s pollution watch-dog.

“The trouble with the EPA is that on paper, it looks to be independent and powerful, but in reality it is a brow-beaten and nervous agency that lacks the resources and the political will to do its job properly”, said Mark Parnell, Greens MLC and former environmental lawyer.

“The EPA knows from bitter experience that if it comes down too hard on polluters, it will have its authority taken away. This is what happened in 2005 when the EPA was side-lined by the State Government after taking action against dust pollution from the Whyalla Steelworks.”

“More recent incidents of groundwater pollution at Point Lowly (near Whyalla) and alleged illegal waste dumping by government contractors building the Northern Expressway raise serious questions about the level of scrutiny given to major projects, especially government-supported projects.”

“The community expects the EPA to be fearless in its role of detecting and preventing pollution. It has the legal powers, but lacks the resources and the courage to take on senior government ministers who champion major projects with little regard for the environment.”

“An independent inquiry should be given the job of identifying what needs to be done to make sure the EPA is proactive and effective in all pollution cases, including the government’s own favourite projects. A good start would be a review of the culture of the agency to make sure that they regard protecting the interests of the public and the environment ahead of State Government interests”, concluded Mark Parnell.
 

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