Please write to the environment minister and demand filtration on the WGTP vent stacks.

As part of our campaign to get filtration on the West Gate Tunnel vent stacks we encourage you to write to the the environment minister The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos.

Letters are more powerful when you use your own words, but if you don’t have time, here’s a sample letter.

Please CC the following people  –

EPA CEO Lee Miezis – <Lee.Miezis@epa.vic.gov.au>

Minister for Roads Melissa Horne – <melissa.horne@parliament.vic.gov.au>

State MP Katie Hall – <katie.hall@parliament.vic.gov.au>

Federal MP Daniel Mulino  – <Daniel.Mulino.MP@aph.gov.au>

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson <danny.pearson@parliament.vic.gov.au>

Sample Letter –

Minister for Environment
The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos

Suite G.02, 3 Chester Street, Oakleigh VIC 3166

Email: steve.dimopoulos@parliament.vic.gov.au
cc – Lee.Miezis@epa.vic.gov.au, melissa.horne@parliament.vic.gov.au, Daniel.Mulino.MP@aph.gov.au,
katie.hall@parliament.vic.gov.au, danny.pearson@parliament.vic.gov.au

[insert date here]

Dear Minister Dimopoulos

I am writing to ask you to direct the EPA to hold a ‘Conference of Interested Persons’ to consider new evidence on why the West Gate Tunnel vent stacks must be filtered.

This is the last opportunity to protect the health of Melbourne’s inner west communities before the tunnel completes and 16,000 trucks start using the tunnel each day.

Since 2017, the body of evidence on the harmful impacts of diesel emissions has increased exponentially. So has damming local hospital admission data that wasn’t available then, which paints a very alarming picture of the health of our community.

The City of Maribyrnong has some of Australia’s highest rates of asthma, lung cancer, stroke and heart disease in Australia – diseases which all have a strong correlation to air pollution. In fact we have the highest rate of hospital admission for stroke in all of Victoria. This is despite having none of the usual risk factors such as high rates of smoking or obesity or an elderly population. In 2023 Maribyrnong Council declared a Health Emergency because of the impacts of truck related diesel exhaust pollution.

Another big change is the 2021 Environment Act which the EPA now operates under. These new laws state that the EPA must implement a prevention-based approach to environment and health protection. The decision to not filter unless harm has been caused is a clear example of old school decision making that is not considered appropriate or lawful any more.

Without filtration, these vent stacks will pump dangerous air pollution over us for decades to come. In 2024 it beggars belief that the EPA thinks the best way of dealing with pollution is to build a tall chimney and hope the wind just magically disperses it.

In Sydney, figures provided by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District show an increase in lung cancers of 44 percent in residents who lived downwind of the M5 Turrella tunnel vent stacks You have a responsibility not to let this happen here in Melbourne’s inner west communities.

The WGTP will remove trucks off off many local roads which is very welcome. However continuing to breathe cancer causing pollution for decades to come is not welcome!

Please do all that you can within your ministry to not let this happen to us. Our kids lungs deserve better and we need this social and environmental injustice to end once and for all.

Yours sincerely,

[sign here]

[Insert your name here]

[insert your address here]