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ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Ratepayers will likely cover PFAS contamination costs, Blayney mayor says
A New South Wales mayor says forcing councils to clean up PFAS contamination at landfill sites is "completely at odds with the 'polluter pays' principle". Last year the Belubula River, which flows through the Central West region, was found to be tainted by PFAS chemicals. Blayney Shire Council's landfill sits above a tributary to the river and studies by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) show the site is a source of PFAS contamination in the Belubula. In March the EPA told the council it would have to pay to fix the problem. "We're being charged to remove contamination for what is still a legal product here in Australia," Mayor Bruce Reynolds said. Waste facilities are known to be a significant secondary source of PFAS, which is a family of about 15,000 chemicals with heat-resistant, non-stick and waterproof properties. They can take hundreds of years to break down and are highly mobile in the environment. The cost of onsite treatment at the Blayney tip, which has been operating for 100 years, has been estimated at more than $400,000 and the cost of ongoing investigation and monitoring estimated at more than $110,000. The council has also been forced to stop using a part of the landfill that has an unlined cell. It estimates the cost of bringing the infrastructure up to EPA standards could exceed $1 million. "We may be the pioneers — others may have to follow," Cr Reynolds said. The council has flagged that it may hike garbage rates by 10 per cent and increase its waste levy by 16 per cent in 2026. In a statement the EPA said it was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring at all landfill sites in NSW. "Landfills have been recognised as a secondary source of PFAS in the environment, though modern engineered landfills minimise the risk of a range of contaminants impacting surrounding environments," a spokesperson said. The authority said it had been working closely with Blayney council since December 2023 to better manage leachate migration from the site and was assessing three grant applications. PFAS has been a concern for the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), which represents multi-nationals, small businesses and local governments. In its submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into PFAS Contamination in Waterways and Drinking Water Supplies, the peak body said the industry could be forced to deal with an issue it did not create. The WMRR described the Commonwealth's move to ban the import, export, use and manufacture of three types of PFAS from 1 July 2025 as "too little, too late". "The ban should be on all types of PFAS, otherwise the government will simply be playing catch up as companies switch to other types of PFAS," its submission reads. "The EU moved to ban PFAS years ago, with the United States introducing tougher drinking water standards and moving to eliminate it from food supply." This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics released a national baseline for PFAS levels in blood and found three types of PFAS were detected in more than 85 per cent of the population. The dataset was created to track PFAS levels over time and to support research into its potential impacts on human health. The ABS noted that there was "an association between higher PFAS levels and some abnormally high chronic disease biomarkers", but said the finding did not confirm a direct cause.
ABC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Farmers harvesting for oil and fencing say new rules ruining livelihoods
New South Wales farmers who have harvested native plants on their land for eucalyptus oil and brush fencing for decades say new restrictions are ruining livelihoods. Eucalyptus oil has been distilled from blue mallee around West Wyalong in the Central West region of New South Wales since the early 1900s, and for the last 50 years, mallee-broombush has been harvested to provide a popular alternative to timber or metal fencing. But that has come to a halt for many property owners due to laws protecting environmentally significant native vegetation. Over decades, Gaye Wheatley and her late husband Ned expanded the areas of mallee-broombush on their property to provide an alternate source of income to cropping, sheep, and cattle. "We could see how we could make it productive, encourage the bush and have the income," she said. "[Harvest involved] weaving through the bush in a mosaic way, leaving certain trees and taking dead wood to regenerate, making sure that we got the strangle vine down so that bush could replenish itself." More than 40 per cent of Ms Wheatley's property is now classified as sensitive regulated land, which means clearing is not permitted and a limited range of activities are allowed. "It's virtually stopped our industry, and my three sons were involved with it … and it has greatly affected my income too," she said. The Lynch family has been harvesting broombush in the West Wyalong district since the 1970s, manufacturing brush fencing panels that are sold across the country. Len Lynch said his family had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment, but now most of their traditional harvest areas were off limits. "The economy in the town is affected, the landowners get a royalty, and all the truck drivers — it's a big loss to the township." A group representing about 45 affected landholders and businesses called Landholders Right to Farm will meet with NSW members of parliament in Sydney on Wednesday. They claim data used in 2010 to list woodland and shrubland dominated by mallee and mallee-broombush as a critically endangered ecological community under-represented the amount of habitat remaining. The group also argues that new draft native vegetation mapping is flawed and does not recognise the continued use of the bushland for eucalyptus oil and brush fencing. Significant areas of blue mallee plantations have been established in the West Wyalong district but on some farms, stands of bush have also been harvested. Landholders Right to Farm spokesperson Annabelle Davis said to produce eucalyptus oil, the blue mallee was cut down near the base and allowed to regrow. "The trees are hedged to about 20 centimetres above the ground," she said, "The leaves and the branches are taken up to the distillery where it's boiled, steamed, distilled and the oil is extracted." Ms Davis said the restrictions on land use were "ruining livelihoods". Landholders Right to Farm said several members had been fined or accused of illegal land clearing. Ms Davis's family company disputes an accusation of illegal clearing, and Ms Wheatley has a remediation order over part of her property. The meeting at NSW Parliament was organised by Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, who said current mapping had left many people too afraid to continue a sustainable practise due to the threat of legal penalties. In a statement, a Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokesperson said the department continued to work through mapping and compliance issues. The spokesperson said landowners could seek approval from the independent Native Vegetation Panel to clear broombush in the critically endangered ecological community. The statement said NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe had met with landholders and continued to investigate alternative solutions. Landholders Right to Farm said its members had only recently become aware they could apply for approval to harvest broombush.
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Wellington Tuesday previews: Awesome foursome looms for Bob Slack-Smith's galloper Cumboogle
One of the Central West's most in-form horses can chalk up another win for one of the region's most famous and longstanding industry figures when racing comes to Wellington on Tuesday. The Brett Thompson -trained Cumboogle is aiming for his eighth career win today and what would be his fourth in a row this preparation. Cumboogle is owned by Dr Bob Slack-Smith who earned his respect and reputation as a 'studmaster' in the now by-gone era when they existed. One look at Cumboogle's own heritage is like looking back in time to when Slack-Smith's Lucernvale Stud at Dubbo was a popular location for broodmare owners eager to tap into the Stud's prolific bread and better resident sires, Vain Karioi and Pacific Prince. They, by the way, are the respective sires of Cumboogle's third and fourth dams. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Cumboogle's winning stretch is a far cry from his debut at Dubbo in May 2022, when beaten 15 lengths. Even so, Thompson knew he was better than that. 'He used to be a horse that we always knew could gallop but he used to over-do and was going too hard when you didn't want him to be and not finishing his races off fully because he wasn't breathing properly through the run,'' the Gulgong based trainer explained. 'We said from day one when he was a two-year-old, I told Bob that he had a nice horse but he just didn't want to relax and for some reason, with a five or six weeks spell, he just went out and decided to come back a different horse.'' Fast forward to the present and Cumboogle's hat-trick were emphatic in nature with a combined winning margin in excess of five-lengths and a very slick sub 57-seconds at Quirindi two weeks ago. Cumboogle dominates Race 6 at Quirindi! ðŸ'° — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 29, 2025 Cumboogle's mission on Tuesday is the Wellington Soldiers Memorial Club Benchmark 66 Handicap (1100m) with a 61kg steadier after the claim for apprentice Zoe Hunt. 'He's been really running through the line and that's why we are looking forward to getting out to the 1100m (on Tuesday),'' Thompson says. 'I am sure he will run 1200m this prep so I think the 1100m will really suit him. 'He can carry weight. You saw what he carried the other day at Quirindi, he won with 63 kilos.'' Thompson has a strong hand to play at Tuesday's Wellington meeting, notably with the lightly-raced and reliable mare The Git Up, who will have her share of admirers in the Federal Hotel Maiden Handicap (1100m). 'She was first-up the other day and it was a really, really good run,'' says Thompson. 'She just got spat out the back, there was carnage coming across from outside early in the race after the jump. 'I am not saying she would have won but she would have been very close in the finish. 'She's going really well and I expect her to run a very strong race on Tuesday.' Interestingly, all three placegetters from The Git Up's last start will be present at Wellington, namely (the winner) Pressnell and the third placed I'm Independent who also happens to be trained at Gulgong by Thompson. 'I think she'll be very hard to beat too,'' he said. 'She has really thrived since her run the other day. She's eating well and bouncing off her head.' Thompson meanwhile is forecasting a strong showing from stable pair Dupenny and Tropicana's Cube when they face off in the Grand Hotel Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap (1400m). â– â– â– â– â– Trainer Mack Griffith is prepared to play the long game with the exciting – and hulking – galloper Pressnell who is off to Wellington on Tuesday to enhance both his bank balance and reputation. While the prizemoney is always welcome, Griffith, is just as eager to add some seasoning and racecraft to Pressnell's box of tricks as his career only begins to take shape. The gelding, who is named in honour of living legend Max Presnell, resumed at Dubbo nine-days ago, running right up to his Winx-like odds to win by three lengths. 'He has got plenty of ability but he still doesn't know what it is all about so we don't want to throw him in the deep-end too quickly and lose the plot,'' Griffith said. 'We just want to take him steady for now and put him in the easiest possible races so he can learn while he is winning hopefully.' Pressnell will carry 59kg in the KFC Wellington Class 1 Handicap (1100m) on Tuesday. 'He is weighted up to his best for a horse that is coming out of maiden company but he has drawn well whereas a lot of the chances have drawn wide so that brings him right into the race,'' Griffith said. 'It's his first go past 1000m but Wellington will suit his style of racing.' Pressnell has been ridden twice by Aaron Bullock and once by Nick Heywood in his career total of three starts. He will have another of Australia's most reliable riders on board this time with Chad Lever gladly taking up Griffith's offer. 'We went for a more experienced jockey, because like I say, the horse is still very green and he'll need a bit of help and you don't lose anything with Chad on a horse that's for sure,'' the recent Wagga Town Plate -winning trainer said. Griffith, who will be at Scone on Friday with said Town Plate winner Compelling Truth, is forecasting a better effort at Wellington from the well-bred Crown Legend in the OTL Over The Line Class 1 & Maiden Plate (1700m). 'It was a really wet track the other day and he just didn't handle it at all,'' Griffith explained. 'As soon as it was time to quicken at the end, his legs went everywhere. 'On a drier surface on Tuesday, I am hoping for a much improved run.'
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
NSW launches review of doli incapax legal protection for minors
A civil liberties group has warned a fresh government review into a core legal protection for minors could soon put more kids in prison and strip away an 'ancient' community safety principle. The review, announced by NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley, will reassess 'doli incapax', or the presumption in law that children between the ages of 10 and 14 do not sufficiently understand the difference between right and wrong to be held criminally responsible for their actions. It follows months of rolling community outrage over an alarming spike in youth crime across multiple towns in regional NSW. For the Central West, Far West and Orana and New England and North West areas, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research recorded a 26 per cent jump in the number of young people proceeded against by the NSW Police from 2020 to 2024. In 2024, 3444 young people went through legal proceedings across the three jurisdictions. On Thursday Mr Daley said the review would include victims' groups, local and regional communities, Aboriginal-led organisations and legal and government stakeholders. 'Recently, concerns have been raised about the operation of doli incapax,' he said. 'I commissioned this review to ensure close consideration of any improvements that can be made and possible legislative reforms.' Doli incapax is designed to protect children from unfair prosecutions. In 2016, the High Court ruled prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a child defendant understood their actions to be 'seriously wrong' at the time of the offence. Since the 2016 decision, BOCSAR has found the proportion of 10-13-year olds with a proven outcome in the NSW Children's Court slumped from 76 per cent in 2015-16 to 16 per cent in 2022-23. Prosecutors withdrew charges in more than half of all cases in 2022-23. Though doli incapax is a common law protection established by the courts, in Australia parliament rules over the courts, meaning the state government could potentially legislate away or reduce doli incapax. NSW Council for Civil Liberties president Timothy Roberts said he was worried the review would propose legislative reform that would do just that. 'This review is completely unnecessary,' he said. 'What is wrong with the court saying that we need to be sure that children, as young as 10, facing criminal charges know that what they are accused of is wrong and we know this beyond reasonable doubt? 'Less young children in prison is a good thing. This review does nothing to achieve that goal and only risks making it worse.' State Parole Authority chair and former Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Bellew SC and former NSW Police deputy commissioner Jeffrey Loy will lead the review. Specifically, the review will consider how the presumption of doli incapax is applied in criminal proceedings, the impact of its operation on options for intervention, what improvements could be made and a framework for legislation. It will also consider how doli incapax interacts with the Young Offenders Act 1997 and the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act 2020, and other relevant matters including community safety and the interests of children.
ABC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council accused of attempts to intimidate members
The executives of a New South Wales Aboriginal land council have denied attempting to silence members who have made allegations of nepotism and financial mismanagement. Members of the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council (OLALC) in the state's Central West have made claims of a lack of transparency and conflicts of interest within the organisation. In April more than 40 people signed a petition of no confidence in executive staff and called for an investigation. OLALC has subsequently sent letters to several members, accusing them of misconduct and banning them from attending meetings. OLALC said the two matters were unrelated and that the letters were sent to a very small number of members in response to specific incidents after staff reported being bullied, threatened or abused. The no confidence petition was organised by OLALC member Jason French, who received correspondence last week accusing him of verbally abusing an employee in 2022 and barring him from attending meetings. "It was an incident regarding [mail] we kept receiving at my dad's address years after he had passed," he said. "Nearly three years later it all of a sudden pops up a couple of weeks after they received this petition? " They just want to silence people that speak up and question their actions and their motives behind what they're doing within the land council. " OLALC's chair and chief executive have not responded to the community petition. ( ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett ) In March more than 30 OLALC members walked out of the annual general meeting after representatives for the chair and chief executive refused to answer questions. The petition outlines a "lack of transparency and accountability" regarding agreements between Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS) and the land council, which share board members and executive staff. Members expressed growing concerns about "potential conflicts of interest and nepotism within the leadership structure" and called for the appointment of a forensic auditor to investigate financial activity within OLALC over the past seven years. The petition was sent to OLALC's board and the Office of the Registrar, which administers land councils. It requested the OLALC board call an extraordinary meeting to vote on the motion. Les Powell says he received a threatening letter after signing the petition. ( ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett ) 'An attack to shut us up' The ABC has seen letters sent to four members banning them from attending future meetings, though the correspondence states that access to the land council office can be restored if the members undertake appropriate training and commit to stop behaving in an aggressive way towards staff. Les Powell received a letter accusing him of being "demanding and intimidating" to two staff, which he said was "devastating". "I refute those accusations," he said. "It's obviously an attack to shut us up." Neil Ingram Sr also signed the no confidence motion. "OLALC are not in line with Wiradjuri cultural protocols or the Land Rights Act," the elder said. Neil Ingram Sr says land councils belong to the members. ( ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett ) Mr Ingram Sr received a letter accusing him of being "loud, abusive and angry" to an employee, which he denied. He said the letters followed a pattern of intimidation towards OLALC members who spoke out. "I got the letter from the [legal] officer who is exercising his power, control and authority over me," Mr Ingram Sr said. " Our members are not allowed to ask questions, which to me is very sad and very dangerous. " Before Mr Ingram Sr signed the petition he had filed formal complaints with the Office of the Registrar and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. In one complaint he alleged the OLALC chair threatened to "uppercut" him at a member's meeting. Mr Ingram said he had not received any response to his complaints. The letters state that access to the Land Council office can be restored if members undertake appropriate training and make a commitment to stop behaving aggressively to staff. Family ties 'irrelevant', chair says OLALC chair Jamie Newman said the land council had a responsibility to protect its staff and denied the letters were intended to intimidate members. "The letters were sent to a very small number of members in response to specific incidents where staff reported being bullied, threatened or abused," he said. " Everyone has the right to a safe workplace. " The staff members who alleged they were bullied were the children of the chief executive and the legal officer. Mr Newman, whose niece is on the OLALC board and whose son stepped down as vice-chair in February, denied claims of nepotism and conflicts of interest. Jamie Newman says people who have issues with the council's governance should put their hand up for election. ( ABC News: Hugh Hogan ) "The land council board is democratically elected by its members and where they work or who they are related to is irrelevant," he said. "If members are dissatisfied with the composition of the board we encourage them to nominate for election." Mr Newman is also the chief executive of the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS). He said only three board members worked at the OAMS and that "overlap" between the services was inevitable. An OLALC extraordinary meeting was called on April 26 to be held on May 15, which met the requirement of 21 days' notice under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. The public notice did not refer to the vote of no confidence and said the meeting would "solely" provide members with information about an "independent governance review", which it claimed was an initiative of the board. In a statement the Office of the Registrar's principle legal advisor told the ABC that the registrar was satisfied the OLALC board was addressing members' concerns. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council declined to comment for this story.
