The management of asbestos and contaminated materials on the former Amcor site is governed by strict guidelines set by WorkSafe and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Specifically, Worksafe (the lead State Government agency in enforcing workplace health and safety) is working with the developers to ensure asbestos materials are handled safely and at no risk to public health.

Is the site contaminated?

Yes. Environmental assessments conducted by Amcor and the developers have confirmed there is contamination on the site.Contamination is expected, due to the site’s age and long industrial history.

Asbestos has been identified in some buildings. Soil contamination has also been identified, caused by industrial processes and by fill material being brought into the site overtime.

Is there asbestos in the concrete chimney?

In October 2014, the developers discovered small sections of asbestos in the concrete chimney located at the south-west section of the site.

The asbestos is present in 900mm bands appearing in down the chimney at nine metre intervals.

The presence of asbestos was identified during (non-explosive) demolition of the chimney. External inspections and core sampling had not previously detected asbestos in the structure.

The asbestos was undisturbed and therefore posed no risk to workers or the community.

Work on the chimney stopped immediately once asbestos was sighted. An asbestos hygienist, structural engineers and WorkSafe have been involved in providing advice on how the demolition works could resume safely. A new demolition process has now been trialled and approved.

Works on the chimney were expected to resume during the week commencing 20 April 2015 under the supervision of an asbestos hygienist who monitors the quality of the air.

Environmental controls

The Amcor site is covered by an Environmental Audit Overlay under the Yarra Planning Scheme. This requires the remediation of the site and preparation of an environmental audit before the site can be used for residential development.

The environmental audit is prepared by an EPA-appointed independent auditor.

Additionally, a Remediation Action Plan has been prepared by the developers and sets out environmental assessment findings and the methods that will be used to remediate the site. Work to remediate the site is currently underway.

The Remediation Action Plan is available at the Alphington Paper Mill website (document 6 under ‘external reports’).

Once the remediation is complete the environmental auditor can issue an environmental audit.

Who do I call if I’m concerned about asbestos or other hazardous material?

If you are concerned about asbestos or other hazardous materials on the site, please contact WorkSafe on 1800 136 089.

You may also contact us about any concerns on 9205 5555.

Community information session

Council held a community information session during the public exhibition period on Thursday, 12 March at Fitzroy Town Hall.

The developers and representatives from Council spoke at the session and answered questions from the community.

The document captures the questions raised by community members at the information session.

This document is a copy of Council’s presentation at the session.