Jennifer Alden, the Greens Agriculture spokesperson and Upper House candidate for Northern Victoria, says the state government needs to acknowledge the strength of country Victoria’s opposition to the toxic waste dump and find another solution for the state’s hazardous waste.

Speaking in Mildura, Jennifer Alden reaffirmed the Greens total opposition to the state government's plan for the toxic waste facility.

"The future of agriculture in this region lies with innovation, job creation and building our clean, green image," said Ms Alden. "This will benefit producers and build consumer confidence. So we don't need a toxic waste dump to torpedo this formula for a sustainable future."

"The plan for a toxic waste facility at Nowingi is just another example of the Melbourne mind-set of the state government," said Jennifer Alden." It’s an 'out of sight and out of mind' solution in a non-Labor electorate, a long way from the city."

"However, the success of last week’s 'Rock the Tox' concert in Melbourne has brought new support for the enormous community opposition to the toxic waste facility," said Jennifer Alden. "The eyes of metropolitan Melbourne are now focused on this part of the state".

"Victoria's waste disposal problem needs to be tackled at source," said Jennifer Alden. "The Greens in parliament after November 25 will work to ensure industry takes a 'cradle to grave' responsibility for waste. In the meantime, we will work to convince the state government it must respect community opinion and cancel its plans for the toxic waste dump at Nowingi ."

The Greens Victorian agriculture policy will be released in a few weeks.

For more information and comment, please contact:
Jennifer Alden on (mob) 0427 430 233
email: jenniferalden@vic.greens.org.au
or
Dave Lane on (mob) 0419 156 213