Deputy Premier Steven Miles to intervene with council rejected Wanless waste facility

The Deputy Premier may use ministerial powers to intervene with the Ipswich City Council’s decision to reject a controversial waste development.

After a thorough independent investigation and robust community consultation led to the rejection of a 550,000 ton Ipswich landfill facility the state government has since intervened.

Dean Wanless who proposes a $50mil waste disposal and recycling plant at Ipswich on the site of an abandoned open-cut mine. Picture: Des Houghton

Wanless hoped to turn an old coal mine into landfill and build a recycling centre, although environmental risks were raised during the application phase.

The site is alleged to have the capacity to process 1,000,000 tonnes of waste although 550,000 tonnes would be stored in the earth at Ebenezer.

In September the Ipswich City Council rejected Wanless’ development to use an old coal mine as landfill although approved the private companies recycling facility.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Nev Madsen.

The State Government approved the $50m project before the council partly rejected the facility, and now Deputy Premier Steven Miles said he may use ministerial powers to push the development forward.

Minister for planning Steven Miles said calling in the project allowed the government to assess if the facility would help reach Queensland’s waste reduction and recycling targets.

“The call in process will require Wanless to demonstrate its facility will support the state’s goal of reducing waste to landfill and increasing reuse and recycling and that the project can only be economically viable if all elements of the facility are approved,” Mr Miles said.

The Australian reported the Deputy Premier intervened after lobbying from Anacta Strategies days after the ICC rejected the project.

At the head of the specialist strategy and government relations is Evan Moorhead who was a former Labor state secretary.

Another ALP heavyweight interested in the project going ahead is former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Jim Soorley and project manager of the Wanless development.

A council spokesman said the council stands by its decision as, “the part refusal of the application… will ensure that our residents and the environment in Ipswich are protected”.

“Council’s waste policy… was implemented to address many factors including the most significant issue impacting Ipswich residents which relates to ongoing systemic noncompliance on odour, dust and environmental issues by privately owned and operated landfills located in Ipswich,” he said.
“In the event the call-in proceeds, any decision that has been made by Council is void.”

Before the state government intervened, Mayor Teresa Harding said the council was moving away from a dependency on landfill and the application didn’t align with the council’s current planning and policy framework.

“(The project) raises environmental risks which have not been adequately addressed in this application. The base of the proposed landfill will ultimately sit below the groundwater table which leaves the potential of harmful substances seeping through the baseline,” she said.

“My view is that approving a new landfill in Ipswich is not in the interest of council, the community or our environment.”