MOST people would think it imperative to allow full public scrutiny of a strategy to minimise potential harm from industrial contamination in residential suburbs.
But in the case of the former Pasminco lead and zinc smelter at Boolaroo in Lake Macquarie, it appears the NSW Government and Lake Macquarie City Council have chosen to allow an important lead abatement strategy to remain under wraps on the grounds that it is "commercial in confidence".
What is known is that the Government has struck a deal with the administrator of the failed Pasminco group over the strategy and that the result has been criticised as short of ideal standards.
The Mayor of Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper, has described the strategy as a compromise that takes into account the limited financial capacity of Pasminco's administrator.
It is known that the strategy relies heavily on "capping and covering" contaminated soil. Relatively few properties are having soil removed, and it appears that even where removal is taking place only a thin layer of topsoil is being replaced with clean soil.
No doubt many circumstances exist where those strategies would attract no comment. Examples would be where properties were to be largely paved or otherwise covered to prevent access to deeper layers of soil.
Some argue that such a strategy is less than ideal in a typical suburban setting where property owners - now and in the future - may want to make gardens, keep chickens or disturb the ground in a way that might expose contaminants.
It appears that Lake Macquarie City Council staff have been concerned about the adequacy of the strategy for three years but, regrettably, their concerns have only recently been put on the public record. Worse, those concerns seem to have gone unaddressed by the Government until a fortnight ago when council debate on the topic was reported in this newspaper.
The behind-closed-doors approach to policy-making on an issue of vital public health interest and the continued failure to publish the formal result of that less-than-transparent process are extremely disappointing.
Power plays
IT is neither surprising nor outrageous that the Government has approved concept plans for a new power station at Bayswater, near Muswellbrook. The Government would have been negligent if it continued to ignore the impending need for new baseload generating capacity.
Many may have wished, however, that the Government had committed to gas as the preferred fuel for a new Hunter station.
The Upper Hunter is already heavily burdened with air pollution and a commitment to gas would have given welcome impetus to the proposed new gas pipeline between Queensland and the Hunter.
Approving a new power plant will make Bayswater a more attractive proposition for private investors. The Government should make it clear that gas is the preferred option.
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