This comment by CEM Chairperson Chris Nash is about our latest St Peters Interchange report prepared by CEM research coordinator Charlie Pierce, a scientist with four decades experience in the United States and Australia in the monitoring and analysis of pollution in water, waste and landfill sites. His current report confirms the analysis and evaluation of his two previous reports on the monitoring of the methane and leachate pollution at the St Peters’ Interchange of the Westconnex motorway system.
Impossible data
In short, his analysis shows the supposed outcomes of TfNSW monitoring have produced data that is physically and chemically impossible to achieve. The publication of this data suggests, at the least, profound incompetence on the part of the laboratories conducting the monitoring, and at the most, a deliberate attempt to disguise the true state of pollution at the St Peters Interchange by producing nonsensical data that is impossible to analyse because it defies physical possibility.
The EPA has a statutory obligation to monitor and evaluate the results reported by TfNSW. There is no evidence that the EPA is aware of the physical impossibility of the data produced by TfNSW. This suggests that the EPA is either ignorant of the invalidity of the TfNSW data and monitoring failures, or is choosing not to make publicly available, as required in the legislation, their own evaluation of the TfNSW reporting.
CEM has made repeated attempts to communicate with both TfNSW and EPA about the inadequacy of the monitoring and reporting about the St Peters Interchange site. Beyond a pro forma acknowledgment of receipt of CEM communications, there was no substantive response by either body. There have been two unsatisfactory Zoom meetings between CEM and EPA staff, who did not appear to have knowledge of the outcomes of the TfNSW and EPA reports and/or the scientific capacity to understand the significance of the results.
Public relies on effective monitoring
The public relies on effective monitoring of sites that contain health and safety risks. A system of independent auditors and accredited laboratories is supposed to provide quality guarantees. This report questions the effectiveness of the current system.
The report is not just relevant to communities living near or working around the St Peters Interchange. It also raises general questions about NSW’s environmental monitoring and quality assurance systems.
Chris Nash is the Chairperson of CEM. A journalist and academic, he was previously the Director of The Australian Centre for Independent Journalism at UTS and the Professor of Journalism at Monash University
Image of St Peters Interchange in April 2024