❓ Hon Robin Chapple questions the Minister for Environment regarding dust pollution in Port Hedland, specifically concerning the reliability of air quality monitoring data provided by the Port Hedland Industries Council (PHIC) and its impact on BHP's operations. The Minister responds by outlining DWER's assessment methods and ongoing efforts to manage dust emissions.
AnsweredQoN 902Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DUST MANAGEMENT —
AIR QUALITY MONITORING — PORT HEDLAND
902. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the issue of the dust
pollution at West End, Port Hedland, the Port Hedland Industries Council and
specifically the data that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
has received from PHIC in 2020.
(1) Given that
the Taplin Street monitor was shown to be defective and that now the Taplin
Street monitor results have been wholly expunged for 2018–19, does the
minister understand stakeholders' concerns that this monitor is
referenced in BHP's licence conditions?
(2) How regularly
has the PHIC delivered data to the department, whether voluntarily or
requested?
(3) Given that the Taplin Street monitor results have
been wholly expunged for 2018–19, how is the department assessing BHP's latest 40 million tonnes per annum increase amendment
approval?
(4) Is the
minister still confident in the ability of PHIC to monitor and collect data;
and, if so, why?
(5) Can the
minister confirm that DWER does not plan to return the residential areas of
Port Hedland to under DWER's and DOH's adopted HRA 70 level?
AIR QUALITY MONITORING — PORT HEDLAND
902. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the issue of the dust
pollution at West End, Port Hedland, the Port Hedland Industries Council and
specifically the data that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
has received from PHIC in 2020.
(1) Given that
the Taplin Street monitor was shown to be defective and that now the Taplin
Street monitor results have been wholly expunged for 2018–19, does the
minister understand stakeholders' concerns that this monitor is
referenced in BHP's licence conditions?
(2) How regularly
has the PHIC delivered data to the department, whether voluntarily or
requested?
(3) Given that the Taplin Street monitor results have
been wholly expunged for 2018–19, how is the department assessing BHP's latest 40 million tonnes per annum increase amendment
approval?
(4) Is the
minister still confident in the ability of PHIC to monitor and collect data;
and, if so, why?
(5) Can the
minister confirm that DWER does not plan to return the residential areas of
Port Hedland to under DWER's and DOH's adopted HRA 70 level?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has advised me that the Taplin
Street monitoring data is not the only source of information available to
analyse the level of impact on the community and potential dust sources. The BHP licence includes a range of conditions
relating to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of dust. This
includes the requirement for BHP to monitor dust levels at the boundary and
undertake specific management actions in the event of criteria being exceeded.
(2) There is no
statutory requirement for the Port Hedland Industries Council to provide data
to DWER on a regular basis. DWER does from time to time request data from PHIC
for a range of reasons. These have included to inform assessment of
applications, review of annual reports and for the investigation into the
faulty Taplin Street monitor.
(3) The
department is undertaking its assessment of BHP's licence amendment
applications in accordance with the
Environmental Protection Act 1986 and its regulatory guidelines. DWER's
assessment is informed by a wide range of information such as air
quality modelling from emission sources, results of boundary monitoring and ambient dust level from the entire
air quality monitoring network, not just the Taplin Street monitor.
(4) I am advised
that PHIC replaced the faulty monitor on 15 January 2020 and has advised the
department that the new monitor is delivering consistent datasets. DWER will
progress the transfer of the air quality monitoring network from PHIC as soon
as possible.
(5) The government is implementing the endorsed
recommendations from the Port Hedland Dust Management Taskforce. In
order to address the DWER-related recommendations, the department is
establishing a regulatory strategy with medium and long-term objectives. In the
short term, DWER is ensuring dust emissions from major sources are not
increased. In the longer term, the objective is to ensure that dust impacts are
reduced to the lowest practicable level across the whole Port Hedland
peninsula.
some notice of the question.
(1) The
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has advised me that the Taplin
Street monitoring data is not the only source of information available to
analyse the level of impact on the community and potential dust sources. The BHP licence includes a range of conditions
relating to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of dust. This
includes the requirement for BHP to monitor dust levels at the boundary and
undertake specific management actions in the event of criteria being exceeded.
(2) There is no
statutory requirement for the Port Hedland Industries Council to provide data
to DWER on a regular basis. DWER does from time to time request data from PHIC
for a range of reasons. These have included to inform assessment of
applications, review of annual reports and for the investigation into the
faulty Taplin Street monitor.
(3) The
department is undertaking its assessment of BHP's licence amendment
applications in accordance with the
Environmental Protection Act 1986 and its regulatory guidelines. DWER's
assessment is informed by a wide range of information such as air
quality modelling from emission sources, results of boundary monitoring and ambient dust level from the entire
air quality monitoring network, not just the Taplin Street monitor.
(4) I am advised
that PHIC replaced the faulty monitor on 15 January 2020 and has advised the
department that the new monitor is delivering consistent datasets. DWER will
progress the transfer of the air quality monitoring network from PHIC as soon
as possible.
(5) The government is implementing the endorsed
recommendations from the Port Hedland Dust Management Taskforce. In
order to address the DWER-related recommendations, the department is
establishing a regulatory strategy with medium and long-term objectives. In the
short term, DWER is ensuring dust emissions from major sources are not
increased. In the longer term, the objective is to ensure that dust impacts are
reduced to the lowest practicable level across the whole Port Hedland
peninsula.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.