Belco Party candidate Alan Tutt is putting pressure on the ACT Government in the lead up to the 2020 ACT Election and calling for action on the closure of the West Belconnen Waste Facility.
The ACT Government first mentioned closing the green waste facility in 2018, detailing plans to close the site by 2021.
Mr Tutt presented a petition with over 1,000 signatures on the issue to the Legislative Assembly this week.
“Our green waste tip will close, and the Government has not found us another site. It is a disgrace. Just another slap on the face for long-suffering Belconnen ratepayers,” he said.
“What I am hearing from the community is they expect a community service they have paid their rates for, and they get nothing in return.
“Belconnen residents are just sick and tired of being treated as second class citizens in their own city. It’s another case of one rule for the inner-city elites and one rule for the rest of us.”
The closure date of 2021 was set to coincide with the end of the ACT Government’s lease with Canberra Sand and Gravel on the site and to allow for stage 2 of the Ginninderry estate development.
Mr Tutt said he was concerned the closure of the site was being used as a “land grab” that would impact local residents financially if they had to start using the Mugga facility.
“Underneath this green waste there is asbestos and chemicals that have been there for very many years and I believe a proper enquiry needs to go into that,” he said.
“Why they think they can build on a green waste section is beyond me. If I get elected, I will put an enquiry into it – it is a land grab.
“It just hits residents in the back pocket to go to Mugga.”
Mr Tutt also expressed concern about the Ginninderry estate development turning into a “concrete jungle.”
“I am standing as a candidate because I grew up here and I love Canberra and I want to keep it green instead of turning it into a concrete jungle,” he said.
“People have had enough, and Belconnen residents are sick of being treated like second class citizens.”
