Costerfield Has Not Been Forgotten

Costerfield Has Not Been Forgotten

True to her word, the Minister for Resources and Energy, Ms Lily D'Ambrosio, visited Costerfield last week with the Member for Northern Victoria, Ms Jaclyn Symes, to announce that the Andrews Labor government had appointed an independent facilitator to work through the concerns of the local community with the community itself.

Ms D'Ambrosio introduced concerned residents who attended the Costerfield Community Hall to Mr Nigel McGuckian who works with Bendigo-based consultancy firm RMCG. Mr McGuckian's background is appropriately diverse and experienced and he has already displayed a laudable desire to engage with the community in a meaningful way.

According to the Premier's website, Mr McGuckian "will be an independent point of contact to help government understand and respond to the significant community concerns about the levels of antimony in the soil, water and air. He will also identify the roles and responsibilities of industry and the Labor Government".

This is a positive development for Costerfield and costerfieldantimonyissues welcomes Mr McGuckian's presence and expertise.

The opportunity for Costerfield residents to have their say and be listened to seems to have arrived and we would encourage all and any locals to take the time to speak to Mr McGuckian so that he and the government may gain a fuller picture of the situation in Costerfield, and, most importantly, of the community's expectations for their town. 

***

(Note: Ms D'Ambrosio arrived in Costerfield without a police or security entourage. She obviously felt no threat from any members of the local community.

Herein lies a lesson for Councillor Helen Leach, Chair of the Costerfield ERC - who, by the way, continually interrupted and on occasion addressed the meeting as if she were chairing the Minister's visit: "We just do what the experts tell us..." - that while some people in Costerfield are far from happy, they are not requiring of overbearing supervision and policing...)