Machans Beach residents angry at inaction over rubbish near fish habitat

Residents have been fuming for years at the dumping of rubbish including car bodies, tyres, construction material and domestic waste near a Cairns fish habitat – but frustration is mounting further after a renewed plea failed to deliver government action.

The road into a section of the Barr Creek river improvement area. Picture: Deryck Thompson

FOR years Machans Beach residents have been pushing for an end to dumping a stone’s throw from declared fish habitat zone, now frustration is mounting after a renewed push failed to deliver government action on the area’s clean-up.

Car bodies, tyres, construction material and domestic waste litters an area just off Machans Beach Road at the head of Barr Creek.

Most rubbish has been dumped on land zoned as a state-controlled “river improvement area”.

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Machans Beach locals Deryck Thompson and Barry Fitzsimmons have sent “countless emails” to state government departments and Cairns Regional Council, rung the pollution hotline and contacted the office of Barron River MP Craig Crawford to advocate for a clean-up.

“(But) it’s in the too-hard basket,” he said.

“The boundaries are not fixed on the ground, there are no fences. I have no doubt (some dumping) is on private property but it’s (also) definitely inside those state government areas.”

Mr Thompson said stringent environmental hurdles imposed on the council before the State Assessment and Referral Agency would sign off on the controversial construction of the Barr Creek footbridge were not congruent with alleged inaction on the dumping problem.

“There’s definitely a two-handed approach to the environment issue of that entire catchment,” he said.

A Queensland Globe screenshot showing the boundary of the river improvement area.

“Given the high profile of the bottom end (it’s concerning) no one seems interested.”

Mr Thompson said members of the Machans Beach Community Association were aware of the issue but given the dumping was out of sight, the broader community may not know what was going on.

“I would say anyone who was aware about the dumping would be concerned about it but people are busy with their lives and may not have seen the rubbish,” he said.

Following recent heavy rain, flooding has caused severe damage to the Barr Creek fish habitat and concerns have been raised about polluted run-off impacting fish stocks.

Via email, the Barron River electorate office told Mr Thompson the Office of the Environment Minister had been contacted to request answers from the state.

A Department of Environment and Science spokesman said the agency was investigating the matter after it recently received a community report alleging dumping of rubbish near Barr Creek.

“DES has been working with the community reporter and the landholder to obtain more information,” he said.

“The department has also been liaising with Cairns Regional Council with the intention of arranging a joint inspection of the site.”

Littering and illegal dumping are offences under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011; allegations of illegal dumping are taken seriously, investigated and penalties may apply.

Originally published as Machans Beach residents angry at inaction over rubbish near fish habitat