Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Sunday I was very pleased to hold a community listening post in Anglesea, thanks to Angair. It was an important opportunity for local residents to discuss the importance of a strong, operative renewable energy target and other environmental concerns. In Anglesea, one of the biggest issues is Alcoa's coal fired power station, which is now up for sale. Last year it emitted 39 million kilograms of the respiratory irritant sulfur dioxide, an amount three times that emitted by Hazelwood, a power station ten times the size. This is simply unacceptable in light of mounting evidence about the health risks associated with SO2. People with asthma and other existing respiratory disease, the elderly and children are particularly at risk. The World Health Organization and the United States Environmental Protection Agency say there is no safe level of exposure to SO2 for these groups. In a coastal town where there are homes just 500 metres from a coal fired power station, it is a very poor reflection on Alcoa that it has refused to install sulfur dioxide scrubbers.

If this power station is sold, I will campaign up hill and down dale to ensure that the new owners take their clean air responsibilities more seriously than Alcoa has to date. Today I have today written to the environment minister, Greg Hunt, urging him to include SO2 levels in the upcoming review of the National Environment Protection Measure, in addition to particulate levels. The people of Anglesea—and Corangamite—must have clean air, and the evidence suggests better regulation of SO2 levels must be high on the agenda. (Time expired)