City of Rockingham councillors storm out of meeting after Millar Road Landfill site debate

Two City of Rockingham councillors stormed out of a meeting last week after debate over hazardous waste and chemicals in groundwater at the Millar Road landfill became heated. A proposal from Cr Robert Schmidt for independent consultants to investigate contamination at the Millar Road landfill site was rejected by the council. Instead, the council supported mayor Deb Hamblin’s proposal for the city to call on the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to hold an immediate site audit and for WorkSafe to notify them of concerns raised at the landfill. The current testing regime at the site will continue. The vote triggered emotional speeches from councillors campaigning for an independent review into the site. Concerns about the Millar Road facility first came to the fore when per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a chemical linked to cancer, kidney disease, birth defects, decreased immunity, liver problems and other serious diseases, were found in groundwater beneath the site. PFAS are found in common household products including non-stick cookware, surface treatments for fabrics, furniture and carpet stain protection applications, and food packaging, and are also used for a range of industrial activities. The Millar Road facility is licensed to accept hazardous waste, including PFAS, which is deposited in a lined landfill and buried. At the April 23 meeting, Cr Schmidt said Mayor Hamblin’s motion “was akin to kicking the can down the road” and “weak as water”. In a wide-ranging impassioned speech, Cr Schmidt claimed the City was failing the people they were voted to represent. Cr Craig Buchanan echoed these claims saying the vote should not be about achieving a good outcome for the city “but a good outcome for the community”. “Not a confidential briefing behind closed doors, which appears what (Ms Hamblin’s) motion would deliver,” he said. Cr Kelly Middlecoat also questioned Ms Hamblin’s motion, saying: “Since the city administration is potentially liable for penalties … their objectivity is severely compromised … and is no more qualified to judge itself than the fox guarding the henhouse”. Cr Lorna Buchan said per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances levels at the Millar Road facility had never been made public and she had concerns for the community. “Should we be running a class three landfill in a densely populated area?” she asked. Cr Middlecoat, Cr Schmidt, Cr Buchan, Cr Dawn Jecks, Cr Mark Jones and Cr Buchanan voted for the failed motion to engage an independent investigator. Cr Mike Crichton, Cr Brett Wormall, Cr Leigh Liley, Cr Peter Hudson and Cr Caroline Hume voted for Ms Hamblin’s alternate motion, with the mayor casting the deciding vote. Cr Schmidt and Cr Middlecoat then told Ms Hamblin they would be removing themselves in “the best interest of council”, slamming the door as they left.