Mandogalup stunt

As the State Election draws closer, residents from Mandogalup have ramped up their campaign against the proposed 1.5km industrial buffer zone; unfurling a banner on the Thomas Road freeway overpass.

Protesting in front of thousands of motorists on Tuesday morning at peak hour the banner read “If Barnett goes, Mandogalup stays.”

The protest on the overpass comes just days after Mandogalup residents hosted a special community meeting with a number of local state election candidates.

18 candidates from the south metropolitan area were invited to the community meeting which was used to address residents’ concerns surrounding the buffer zone as well as traffic issues in the area.

Long term Mandogalup resident Hubert de Haer said locals wanted the wider public to know about what was being proposed by the current State Government before they casted their vote on March 11.

“We won’t give up the fight,” Mr de Haer said.

“People deserve to know who they are voting for.”

“We are so thankful for the 18 candidates who came to hear what we had to say, with many offering their full support if they were elected.”

The candidates were also taken on a bus tour of the area to see first-hand which areas would be impacted by the proposed buffer.

The proposed buffer zone around Alcoa’s residue disposal areas would see about 60 landowners in Mandogalup face the prospect of falling property prices, with residential development within the proposed zone banned.

Mandogalup residents have long fought against it, while the Kwinana Industries Council has supported the move for the buffer citing concerns surrounding the effects of dust.

The buffer zone draft legislation is currently in the hands of the Environmental Protection Authority, with the EPA reviewing the potential health and amenity impacts of dust in the area.

A decision by the EPA is not expected to be made until after the election.