In hearings today before the Public Accounts and Estimate Committee, Labor’s Department of Environment confirmed it had spent over $9 million in taxpayers’ dollars trying to get Victoria’s waste management crisis under control.

The budget had originally allocated $6.6 million to the recycling sector to combat the waste management crisis. Yet, it was revealed today that the Andrews Labor Government had to give a further $2.3 million to try and stop the waste crisis from spiralling out of control.

Reports have estimated that more than 180,000 tonnes of recyclable material had been sent to landfill under the watch of the Andrews Labor Government. This has resulted in Victorians being forced to pay tens of millions of dollars extra in landfill taxes, to pay for dumping recyclable waste.

Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs have had to suffer repeated industrial waste fires as result of illegal waste stockpiling. Residents in West Footscray, Coolaroo, Epping and Campbellfield were subjected to toxic smoke and chemical filled air for weeks in their suburbs. Schools were closed and residents were evacuated from their homes.

It’s clear that neither Daniel Andrews or Labor are up to the job of protecting our environment.