A’Becketts Creek, Granville asbestos ‘crisis’: Residents call for royal commission

Granville residents have been waiting for two decades to get a James Hardie asbestos site cleaned up and properly remediated. In a detailed complaint to the NSW Ombudsman, they are calling for a major investigation into alleged “gross mismanagement” of the site by local and state authorities.

Deeply frustrated Granville residents Kerrie Poyner and Sam Mitry on the banks of A’Becketts Creek, where a stockpile of asbestos is still waiting to be removed and the site properly remediated. Picture: AAP IMAGE/ Angelo Velardo

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Two Granville residents are calling for a royal commission into nearly two decades of alleged negligence by Parramatta Council and State Government agencies in their handling of the James Hardie asbestos legacy.

Kerrie Poyner and Sam Mitry say they have been stuck in a “never-ending asbestos nightmare” as numerous pleas for authorities to clean up a section of A’Becketts Creek, near their homes, go unanswered.

The pair has now put in a detailed complaint to the NSW Ombudsman, claiming lives have been put at risk by council and state agencies’ “gross mismanagement” of a stockpile of asbestos on the banks of A’Becketts Creek, which is part of the Parramatta River catchment.

Asbestos pieces and contaminated dirt/dust spilling down the A'Becketts canal in Granville.

Their 28-page report includes photos of untreated sheets of asbestos, on the brink of collapse into the creek, dating back to 1999.

Asbestos at A’Becketts Creek in 1999...

… and at the same spot in 2001.

Among their many grievances, they allege the arrival of WestConnex since 2016 has only created “bigger headaches” for Granville residents as they have been exposed to more asbestos in the works.

“The Granville community, between Granville station and the M4 Motorway, is in crisis,” Mr Mitry claimed.

“We need help. Someone has to listen to us before the situation gets worse.”

The asbestos stockpile on the edge of A’Becketts creek in Granville. Picture: AAP IMAGE/ Angelo Velardo

Both Parramatta Council and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) deny any mismanagement and say asbestos has not been detected during air monitoring in the area.

Last week, in a desperate bid to be heard, Ms Poyner even wrote to Premier Gladys Berejiklian, imploring her to intervene in the matter.

Ms Poyner and Mr Mitry have since had a minor breakthrough, with the Advertiser yesterday witnessing a letter from the NSW Ombudsman’s office confirming it will investigate their complaint.

“This matter has a significant history which our office has considered as part of our April 2017 report to Parliament,” it says. “I can see that you have written to the Premier and highlighted the issue that part of the difficulty in resolving the contamination at A’Becketts Creek relates to the availability of funds.

“While we are aware of your concerns, we will now need to make inquiries with the relevant agencies to determine what, if any, further action we can take.”

Asbestos loosely covered by a sheet along A’Becketts creek in Granville last month.

Ms Poyner and Mr Mitry have also called on authorities to put residents living on the southern side of the creek on an asbestos register. Additionally, they want the State Government to pay for a medical assessment of all residents in their neighbourhood.

The government has been responsible for the major environmental problem since 2005, when it passed legislation effectively clearing James Hardie of any responsibility to pay for clean-up costs and compensation to landowners.

At their wit’s end: Granville residents Kerrie Poyner and Sam Mitry at A’Becketts Creek. Picture: AAP IMAGE/Angelo Velardo

And as the residents of Granville fear for their lives, James Hardie Industries is still in hiding at its new base in Ireland.

It did not respond to the Advertiser’s questions about whether it would compensate landowners for its mass polluting of western Sydney.

A ‘COMPLEX’ SITE

Parramatta Council says the A’Becketts Creek site in Granville is “complex”.

“It is made up of nine separate land parcels, with five different landowners — and council is not one of these landowners,” a council spokeswoman said.

“State owners are the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and Sydney Water. Council has no regulatory authority over the land parcels owned by the State Government.”

Asbestos breaking down into the A’Becketts canal in March 2016.

The spokeswoman said council took the James Hardie asbestos legacy issue “very seriously”.

“In the past two years, council designed a land-cap to contain asbestos at the site on the A’Becketts Creek embankment,” she said. “Council also offered to project manage the installation of this cap. However, the capping work did not go ahead because agreement could not be obtained from all the State Government landowners.

“Council has managed the site to the best of its ability, given it does not own it.”

Over the past 18 months, the council has spent more than $3 million of ratepayers’ money testing and remediating James Hardie legacy sites across the Parramatta local government area.

The Environmental Protection Authority says it is also “taking all steps to ensure that the health and safety of residents living on or near legacy James Hardie disposal sites is protected”.

Asbestos below the M4 Motorway in 2016.

“The EPA has met with Ms Poyner and Mr Mitry to discuss their circumstances and answer questions and is happy to continue to do so,” an EPA spokesman said.

“The embankment area of A’Becketts Creek, where a storm event exposed asbestos by removing the vegetation covering it, has been made safe by the landowner.

“This area is secured in a restricted area with no public access. Asbestos has not been detected during air monitoring in the area.

“The EPA is working with other agencies including SafeWork NSW, NSW Health, RMS and Sydney Water as landowners, as well as council, to ensure the safe management of the asbestos.”