21 August 2007:
In the lead-up to the federal election Australian
industry is calling for priority action to clean-up the
nation’s legacy of past industrial contamination, to enhance
the nation’s “clean green” export image.
A survey of leading executives and research
managers from the mining, manufacturing, petrochemical, energy and
engineering industries has revealed near-unanimous support for a
national effort to assess and clean up Australia’s old
contaminated sites.
The survey, carried out by Market Attitude Research
Services for CRC CARE found 42 per cent of industry executives
interviewed rated this task as important, while 56 per cent said it
was very important.
A total of 96 per cent also said clean-up was important or very
important to the future of our industries and their exports.
However many executives also emphasised the need
for sound science, proper risk assessment and cost-effective
clean-up methods. A number consider it is important to prioritise
by targeting Australia’s most polluted sites first.
Other issues raised by respondents to the survey
included:
- A need for consistent and uniform national
standards and regulation on contamination and clean-up
- Concerns about companies being made liable and
forced to shoulder the costs of cleaning up past contamination
which is not their fault
- A perception that contamination clean-up is a low
priority with most governments
- A need to better inform the Australian public
about contamination and clean-up issues, to avoid over-reactions by
parts of the community, the media and environmentalists
- A need for governments to act more firmly and
consistently in making polluters responsible for cleaning up their
contamination
- Need for great awareness in industry of the
economic gains and other benefits to be had from clean-up
- Need for greater awareness in industry of
new techniques to prevent contamination happening in the first
place.
“The overwhelming support for Australia
cleaning up its contaminated sites and preventing future
contamination shown in this survey reveals the high priority
industry now attaches to our reputation as a clean, green export
nation,” says CRC CARE managing director Professor Ravi
Naidu.
“Some companies are still apprehensive about
the costs of clean-up – but they may be unclear about the
economic gains that flow from it. For example, effective site
assessment and remediation can add tens, even hundreds of millions
of dollars in capital value to urban land, as we have seen at
Homebush Bay and other sites. In that respect alone, clean-up can
be an excellent investment.
“Second, using the new risk assessment
techniques, you don’t always have to use expensive methods to
clean up a contaminated site. If the chemicals in it do not affect
human health or the environment, then the cost may be minimal
– and the value of the site will still rise as a result of
the assessment.
“Third, at CRC CARE we are pioneering a range
of low cost and novel clean-up techniques which are far less costly
than the traditional dig-up and cart-away, which really only
shifted the problem elsewhere.
“And fourth, we are working with industries
to analyse their waste streams and identify opportunities to
divert what was once treated as contaminated waste into safe and
economically valuable end uses.”
Following the strong demand from industry for
information about new advances in all these area, CRC CARE has set
up the Australian Remediation Industry Cluster (ARIC), an industry
cluster or information network to provide advice on the latest
technologies and scientific developments, Prof. Naidu said.
Companies and organisation interested in joining
ARIC and helping to build a dynamic new export sector in
cutting-edge cleanup technology and advice are welcome to contact
CRC CARE, below.
For more information on ARIC contact Andrew
Beveridge, CRC CARE manager technology transfer: ph 08 8302 3937
or andrew.beveridge@crccare.com
