A CONFIDENTIAL session about a Mindarie Regional Council waste-to-energy tender is on the City of Wanneroo’s agenda this evening.
This follows Wanneroo councillors going behind closed in May to discuss a motion on notice about Tamala Park landfill, which is run by the Mindarie Regional Council (MRC).
This morning the minutes for the May 26 ordinary meeting were still to go online so the even brief information available after a confidential session is not available yet.
The City of Wanneroo agenda said the MRC waste-to-energy tender report will be dealt with in a confidential session, under the terms of the Local Government Act 1995, Section 5.23(4).
Reasons for a confidential session include that the information is a tendered price, a tendered methodology for calculating a price, discloses any technology, or any manufacturing, industrial or trade process, that the tenderer proposes to use in performing the contract, information that has not previously been made public or information that would be likely to have an adverse effect on the tenderer’s business interests.
At the city’s May 26 meeting councillors voted against a petition submitted by residents requesting the halt or delay of all approval, funding and progression of the Neerabup resource recovery precinct (NRRP) until full environmental, health and financial due diligence had been completed by independent experts and released publicly for community review.
Councillors for the recommendation were Mayor Linda Aitken, deputy mayor Paul Miles, councillors Glynis Parker, Sonet Coetzee, Alex Figg, Bronwyn Smith, Jacqui Huntley and Hugh Nguyen.
Voting against the item were councillors Helen Berry, Vinh Nguyen, Phil Bedworth and Eman Seif.
Cr Miles said the petition called for the halting of all the approvals and that was what they could not agree with.
Cr Bedworth and Cr Jordan Wright represent the City of Wanneroo at the MRC.
Meanwhile, the petition tabled in the Legislative Council about the proposed Neerabup resource recovery precinct is open until July 3.
The petitioners said the proposed NRRP raised significant concerns for nearby residents, the environment and public accountability.
“In particular, we are concerned about potential impacts on surrounding suburbs, Carnaby’s black cockatoo habitat, Gnangara groundwater system, a critical source of Perth’s drinking water and the prospect of a future waste-to-energy incinerator forming part of the precinct at a later stage,’’ the petitioners said.
“We are also concerned that this area is experiencing substantial residential growth, with many new families moving into nearby suburbs without any reasonable expectation that a major waste facility may proceed near their homes.
“This growth increases the significance of potential impacts on community amenity, health, traffic and local infrastructure.
“Further concerns that additional waste-to-energy development may proceed in WA before sufficient operational data is publicly available to properly assess the performance, risks and community impacts of existing projects, including the Kwinana waste precinct and Rockingham facility.
“Your petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the WA Government to halt any further approvals, clearing, construction and related works for the Neerabup resource recovery precinct, including any waste transfer station and any future waste-to-energy incinerator component, until all relevant environmental, groundwater, health, traffic and planning assessments have been completed and independently reviewed; require full public disclosure of all business cases, risk assessments, emissions information, waste stream data, buffer analysis and consultation records relating to the project; and refer the proposal to the appropriate parliamentary committee for inquiry and report.
