The West Gate Tunnel Project (WGTP) vent stacks are being built without filtration. The stacks are nothing more than tall chimneys that will pump dangerous air pollution over Melbourne’s inner west for decades to come. It’s like putting a longer exhaust pipe on a car and expecting the pollution to magically disappear. 

Read the Age story here.

This petition calls on the Minister for Environment, Mr Steve Dimopoulos, to direct the EPA to set up a ‘Conference of Interested Persons’ to allow residents and air pollution/health experts to present new evidence on why the WGTP's vent stacks should be filtered. We demand this happens before the EPA issues an operating licence to tunnel operator Transurban.

In 2017 an Inquiry and Advisory Committee (EES) was set by the Vic government to look at the impacts of the WGTP. This committee heard evidence from some of Australia’s’ top respiratory health experts who argued for filtration. After weighing up the evidence, the Committee recommended filtration to be installed, ready for day one of operations.

Unfortunately the then Planning Minister Richard Wynne was swayed by the EPA’s submission -  to build the stacks so that filtration could be installed in the future, if needed! However with no set “trigger” level of pollution at which authorities will act, we believe there is no plan in place for it to ever happen.  

Since 2017, the body of evidence on the harmful impacts of diesel emissions has increased exponentially. So has damming local hospital admission data that wasn’t available then, which paints a very alarming picture of the health of our community.  The City of Maribyrnong has some of the highest rates of asthma, lung cancer, stroke and heart disease in Australia –  diseases which all have a strong correlation to air pollution. In 2023 Maribyrnong Council declared a Health Emergency because of the impacts of truck related diesel exhaust pollution.

Another big change is the 2021 Environment Act which the EPA now operates under. These new laws state that the EPA must implement a prevention-based approach to environment and health protection.  The decision to not filter unless harm has been caused is a clear example of old school decision making that is not considered appropriate or lawful any more.

Up to 16,000 dirty diesel polluting trucks will use the tunnel daily. That’s millions of trucks every year. These unfiltered vent stacks will pump that pollution over Melbourne's inner west suburbs for decades to come.

Minister  Dimopoulos, please don't let this be a missed opportunity to actually remove harmful air pollution in Melbourne’s inner west. 

We demand that you direct the EPA to revisit this issue. We expect you to actually protect us from pollution, not endorse it!

Our children's health is on the line, protect them now!