Methane is still a mess

By Bridget Cook
ONE year on from the Liberal Party’s election promise of $24 million to assist Casey Council with the Brookland Greens methane gas mess and the commitment has yet to be fulfilled.
In the lead up to the election, the State Government promised to give the council $6 million every year for the next four years to help clean up the methane-riddled tip at the former Stevensons Road landfill.
A year later and no money has been forthcoming and council officers and the Liberal Party are both unwilling to explain what the hold up is.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors resolved for council officers to provide a report at the next meeting with an update on the Coalition’s contribution to the remediation works.
Councillor Bob Halsall said that residents needed to know what was going on with the money.
“It is fair to say that residents have been more than patient,” he said.
“It is now coming into 12 months and it is time we have a full report.
“It is costing rate payers one way or another. Justice delayed is justice denied.
“Resident’s have a right to know.”
Cranbourne Labor MP Jude Perera made speech in Parliament last week calling on the State Government to honour the commitment and deliver the funding.
“It was a great surprise that no funding was allocated in the Baillieu Government’s first budget to provide remediation work by the Casey city council at the Stevensons Road landfill,” he said.
“The lame excuse was that the government could not honour its commitment until the class action involving the City of Casey, the Environment Protection Authority and the Brookland Greens residents was resolved.
“This matter has now been resolved, with the City of Casey agreeing to take a hit and pay out most of the agreed settlement in damages to the Brookland Greens residents.”
The News submitted several questions to the council but City of Casey acting chief executive Greg Wood would only say in regards to the $24 million pledge that the council was continuing its discussions with the State Government.
The State Government did not respond to the News by the time we went to print.