Government won’t say when it learned of Lara incinerator CCP links

The Allan government has refused to answer when it became aware of reported links between the Chinese government and the company in charge of the Lara incinerator project.

Lara MP Ella George said the Lara incinerator had no “social license”. Picture: Alan Barber

The Allan government has refused to answer when it became aware of reported links between the Chinese government and the company in charge of the Lara incinerator project.

An ABC report revealed earlier this week that Prospect Hill International, the company behind the proposed incinerator, had direct links to two major Chinese state-owned enterprises.

When asked when the Premier’s office became aware of the links, the government provided stock lines.

“Any proposal will be considered on its merits,” a Victorian Government spokesman said.

“Proposals for waste to energy facilities are assessed by multiple authorities and the views of the local community will always be considered as part of that assessment process.”

The facility, planned by Prospect Hill International, aims to process 400,000 tonnes of waste annually, generating 35 megawatts of electricity.

A slew of local MPs, councillors, business leaders and community members have all opposed the proposal.

Proposed Lara Incinerator. Source: Prospect Hill International

Concerns include its proximity to homes – just 350m away – potential health risks, environmental impact, and the towering 80m-tall chimney altering the region’s skyline.

The Environment Protection Authority granted a development licence in December 2023, but this decision is under appeal.

The ABC investigation traced the project’s backers to an address in suburban Melbourne, with a spokesman for the project saying it was a joint venture with the Jian Power Design Institute, a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation, a multi-billion dollar company under direct supervision of the Chinese Communist Party.

Lara MP Ella George said the project has “no social licence”.

“One of the most important parts of my role as a local MP is to listen to issues raised by the community and ensure that those voices are heard in Spring St,” Ms George said.

“I have raised the community’s concerns with the relevant ministers – and it is my expectation that these concerns are taken very seriously as part of the assessment of this proposal.”

Ms George wouldn’t say if she was confident her advocacy would amount to the proposal being dumped.

Lara developer and anti-incinerator campaigner Richard Bisinella said the project was “extraordinary”.

“The Premier, the Minister for Planning and the Minister for the Environment are abrogating their responsibility under the Environment Protection Act, which explicitly says the priority is the protection of the community,” Mr Bisinella said.

Mr Bisinella‘s company Bisinella Developments launched VCAT action in 2023 in an attempt to overturn the Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) approval of the project.

[e-mail]

Originally published as Government won’t say when it learned of Lara incinerator CCP links