Tara Murray
The Barro Group is calling for a stay on the decision to cancel its licence to operate to the Sunshine landfill.
The group and the Environmental Protection Authority faced the tribunal on March 14 after the Barro Group decided to take action after the EPA cancelled its licence.
The license was cancelled with underground fires at the Kealba site burning for more than three years.
The two parties will be back before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on March 30 in regards to the matter.
The EPA also issued an environmental action notice to manage ongoing risks at the site.
This notice included capping and rehabilitation plans, which the EPA continues to enforce along with previous notices.
The EPA provided an update to community members on the current situation.
“Barro Group have asked to review our decision to revoke their licence,” EPA regional manager western metropolitan region Steve Lansdell said.
“A VCAT administrative hearing is on 30 March 2023 to determine next steps.
“Barro Group have applied for a stay. A stay is a permanent or temporary discontinuation of a legal action, by an order of the court.
“This means there may be a temporary hold on our ability to revoke their licence until VCAT holds a full hearing.
“We attended VCAT on 14 March 2023 to consider this stay application. We expect a decision from VCAT in [the] coming weeks.”
A court date has also been set for March 31 after the EPA charged the Barro Group and three of its directors in relation to breaches of general environmental duty.
The EPA has also reviewed the final report that the Barro Group has provided.
“The report provided information on recent hotspot temperature and drilling,” Mr Lansdell said.
“We issued a draft notice to investigate. This means further monitoring at the landfill boundary and batter walls.
Barro Group have until 17 March 2023 to provide any comments.
“In the coming weeks we expect to determine further actions. This action focuses on the hotspot remediation strategy going forward.”
The EPA was set to hold a community meeting last week.
