Communities Against The Tarago Incinerator (CATTI) Inc
NSW Election 25 March 2023
Vote for candidates who've committed to STOP a giant toxic waste incinerator in your community.
The NSW election upon us and it is time to let those who seek our votes know how important stopping the Tarago incinerator is to our community.
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The Fight to stop Veolia's toxic incinerator waste continues.
The fight against Veolia’s proposal to burn Sydney’s waste in the Southern Tablelands is a long way from over. We are currently waiting for Veolia’s response to the resounding 619 objections (98.8% of all submissions) against the proposal during the public exhibition period late last year. While we in the community were given only 6 weeks to wade through and respond to the 3,000 of page complicated and technical Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Veolia and their consultants appear to have as much time as they like to respond to our submissions in order to progress their application with the NSW Department of Planning.
The NSW Government could easily fix the situation.
With the NSW election just a week away, it is important to highlight that whoever forms the next NSW Government could easily recognise the complete lack of social license for this proposal and the damage it would do to the health, environment and economy of the region. A quick and easy amendment to existing regulations could see them ban incinerators in the Southern Tablelands in the same way they have been banned in Sydney and across most of the state.
Time to make your voice (and vote) heard now in Goulburn and Monaro
Communities Against The Tarago Incinerator (CATTI) has formally written to all election candidates in the two NSW electorates surrounding the incinerator proposal (Goulburn and Monaro) seeking their position on the incinerator, what their party’s policy is on the incinerator and what they would do if elected to support the community in the fight against this proposal. A summary of responses are provided further below.
Personal opposition is not enough!
Most candidates who responded stated they are personally opposed to the incinerator proposal and that they would represent the community’s concerns. While this is positive, personal opposition doesn’t do anything to stop Veolia moving ahead with their proposal, given the planning process will continue regardless. It is easy for a candidate to state they are personally opposed or that they would vote against it in Parliament (noting it will never come to a vote there), but that doesn’t make a big difference if the party they represent is pro-incineration.
What we need is a commitment that their party will ban incineration in Tarago and the Southern Tablelands – something completely achievable and within the remit of the government as noted above.
ONLY the Shooters Fishers & Farmers (SFF) and Greens Parties have a policy to do so, and we applaud them for that.
Most concerning is that the Liberal, National and Labor parties refuse to stop this proposal. This means a government formed by any of them will continue to support the existing NSW policy which says incinerators can be built in 4 locations across the state, one of which is Tarago (Southern Goulburn Mulwaree).
If you’re thinking of voting for Liberal, National or Labor – it is time to tell them they need their party to commit to banning the Tarago incinerator if they want your vote. Otherwise, consider voting for a party that will!
Contact those most likely to form a government and put the pressure on!
Send them emails or Facebook messages and if you see them out and about raise it with them in person – push them for more than just a statement of their personal opposition.
Goulburn Electorate:
Wendy Tuckerman (Liberal) - ElectorateOffice.Goulburn@parliament.nsw.gov.au / goulburn@nswliberal.org.au
Michael Pilbrow (Labor) - michael.pilbrow@nswlabor.org.au
Monaro Electorate:
Nichole Overall (National) – monaro@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Steve Whan (Labor) - steve.whan@nswlabor.org.au
Summary of Goulburn and Monaro candidate's position
Below are the written responses from Goulburn and Monaro candidates on their (and their party’s) position on the Tarago incinerator
Goulburn
Liberal – Wendy Tuckerman
Personally opposed
“I will standby Tarago and Goulburn Mulwaree Council who oppose Waste to Energy projects in our community”.
No response to our query on the Liberal Party’s policy.
Labor – Michael Pilbrow
Personally opposed
"Every aspect must be examined before further action is taken”.
Advised that the Labor Party’s policy is to have the NSW Chief Scientist review the technology and standards around waste to energy. CATTI Comment – It is important to note the NSW Chief Scientist has twice approved incineration for NSW to the Liberal/National Government in the last five years.
SFF – Andy Wood
Personally opposed
“I have opposed incinerators from the moment they were proposed in the region”.
Advised the Shooters Fishers & Farmers Party completely opposes the building of the Veolia incinerator in Tarago.
Greens – Gregory John Olsen
Personally opposed
Advised the Greens only support environmentally friendly energy generation and this proposal does not meet their standards.
Sustainable Australia - Margaret Logan
Neutral
“We are concerned about the lack of transparency and community consultation and therefore do not support such a project until a proper process has been implemented”.
Sustainable Australia’s policy on waste includes 'Ban the process of burning plastic waste into energy.'
Monaro
National – Nichole Overall
No response
There was no response to the CATTI letter and email. However, she has stated verbally at some campaign events that she is opposed and would cross the floor to vote against it. It is important to note that this proposal will never result in a vote in Parliament. No response to query on the National Party’s policy.
Labor – Steve Whan
Personally opposed
“I would join other candidates in opposing the proposal…If I am elected, I will explore avenues open to prevent the project (if it is recommended for approval).”
Advised that the Labor Party’s policy is to have the NSW Chief Scientist review the technology and standards around waste to energy. CATTI Comment – It is important to note the NSW Chief Scientist has twice approved incineration for NSW to the Liberal/National Government in the last five years.
Greens – Jenny Goldie
Opposed
“Incineration is not an ecologically sustainable means of waste management and is not needed to generate renewable energy”.
The Greens are opposed to incineration and attempted to ban it across NSW in 2020 via legislation which was voted against by Liberal, National and Labor members.
SFF – Chris Pryor
Unable to contact
There were no contact details available online or via NSW Electoral Commission.
Lealise Cannabis NSW – Josie Tanson
Opposed
“[I am opposed] without question”.
Advised the proposed waste incinerator is completely at odds with the party’s ethos.
Sustainable Australia – James Holgate
Neutral
"We are concerned about the lack of transparency and community consultation and therefore do not support such a project until a proper process has been implemented”.
Sustainable Australia’s policy on waste includes “Ban the process of burning plastic waste into energy”
Independent – Andrew Thaler
No response
There was no response to the CATTI letter and email.
CATTI is a community-led organisation opposing Veolia's proposal to build a waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator near Tarago, in the NSW Southern Tablelands.
CATTI stands for preserving the clean environment of Tarago and the Southern Tablelands and managing waste in a more sustainable manner through reuse, genuine recycling and transition to a truly circular economy.
We would like to show our respects and acknowledge the Ngunnawal, Gundungurra Pejar, and Ngambri people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land which will be impacted by this project, and to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Submission to object to a toxic waste incinerator near Lake George closed on 13/12/22
Read our Communities Against The Tarago Incinerator (CATTI) EIS formal objection
What is Veolia proposing?
Veolia proposes to build a waste-to-energy incinerator at their existing Woodlawn Bioreactor landfill site in the Goulburn Mulwaree NSW council region near Tarago.
The incinerator would:
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Burn 380,000 tonnes per year of municipal, commercial, industrial, construction and demolition waste from Sydney containing plastic, metals and types;
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Dispose of toxic residual fly ash leftover from the incineration process at the site;
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Operate 24 hours a day, 365 days per year for a lifespan of 30 years;
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Produce 30MW of power (a coal-fired power plant with equivalent emissions produces 876,000MW of power.
Read and share our easy-to-understand factsheets
The predicted range of the incinerator's toxic plume
For more information on the predicted plume go to our Plume plotter page.
Why are CATTI opposing Veolia's WTE incinerator?
Because scientific research shows waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators:
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pollute the surrounding air, waterways and land with dangerous toxins such as mercury, lead and persistent environmental pollutants such as dioxins (See source 1);
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pose serious health risks for nearby residents and anyone drinking water from the surrounding water catchment or food produced nearby (See source 2);
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put dangerous toxins into the human food chain (See source 3). Tarago and the surrounding region is a big agricultural producer of lamb, beef, chicken, wine, and other human food and livestock feed;
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contribute to global warming and climate change (See source 4);
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do not form part of a sustainable waste management plan for the future - they are more climate polluting per unit of energy than coal, oil and gas (See source 4) ;
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discourage the 3R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) of best-practice, sustainable waste management (See source 5);
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poses a commercial risk to local industry, businesses and livelihoods (especially agriculture) (See source 6);
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in rural areas encourages an "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" approach to the management of Sydney's waste problems (See source 7);
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are inefficient and ineffective energy producers and are not recognised as a sustainable energy resource (See source 8);
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do not form part of the circular economy model that Australia is shifting to (See source 12);
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create highly toxic fly ash that then needs to be transported and stored in containment cells for generations to come (See source 9);
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require a highly sorted and consistent waste stream to manage filtration of particulate emissions (See source 11);
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will increase the already dangerous numbers of trucks on Tarago's narrow and poorly maintained rural roads (See source 11);
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will increase the amount of garbage arriving in Tarago, and intensify odour problems the town experiences from the current Veolia operations (See source 11);
Veolia has misled the Goulburn Mulwaree community about previous developments, cannot manage the odour and emissions from its current operations, and has demonstrated a lack of concern for community wellbeing (See source 10);
NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) fines and interventions have not effectively improved odour and emissions for Tarago and surrounding residents and EPA oversight of a WTE incinerator is likely to be similarly ineffective (See source 10);
We want to provide our much-loved future generations with a healthy life using safe, sustainable and best-practice waste management.
For a more in-depth look at the research on the health, safety and environmental risks of WTE incineration, take a look at our Research page.
For more information on the risks and health impacts of waste-to-energy incineration explore our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Our Aim
What is CATTI aiming to achieve?
We want Veolia to halt plans for an incinerator and focus on improving its current operations so that they no longer adversely affect the town. While residents still need to make regular reports to the EPA about issues with the Woodlawn Precinct operations, Veolia has no social licence to propose further development (See source 10). We want to see a sustainable and future-focussed waste management plan and a community-friendly alternative to a WTE incinerator.
We also want the EPA and NSW Government to deny Veolia's proposal for a waste incinerator at Tarago and thereby acknowledge that the health, homes and livelihoods of rural residents and their children matter just as much the health, homes and livelihoods of people living in Sydney's urban areas.
What is CATTI doing to stop the incinerator project?
We're working with other community organisations, councils and other local areas impacted by the government's WTE Infrastructure Plan to coordinate a community response to Veolia's proposal.
We are:
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providing the community with an open dialogue about the issue;
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providing the community with research, information and the resources to see and understand the risks associated with Veolia's proposed incinerator;
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providing a supportive place for people to ask questions about the development;
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encouraging the community to make their concerns known;
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helping the community formulate an effective and coordinated opposition to the development;
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providing resources and advice to help the community take action to oppose the development;
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supporting other communities also opposing WTE incinerator proposals and planning.
Join the fight
Does CATTI need your help?
Yes.
The more people who register their opposition to the development, the better chance we have that our community will be taken seriously and our concerns actioned. We need you to register your opposition to Veolia's proposal.
How can I help?
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Contact the upcoming NSW election candidates most likely to form a government and put the pressure on!
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Contribute money by visiting our Go Fund Me page to help us meet our operational costs and get the word out. All money goes towards fighting the incinerator.
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Fill out our contact form to join our email list to stay updated on the campaign and be notified of important deadlines and timeframes.
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Go to and join our Facebook group. Ask questions and support your community to fight the development.
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Email or write to your local and federal MP letting them know you are opposed to the incinerator development. Feel free to include some of the information and references available on this site. It's very important to ask that your correspondence also be forwarded to the Minister for an answer to your questions.
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Encourage your neighbours, friends and family to take action.
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Display a sign in your front yard or on your fenceline opposing the proposed incinerator
Got any questions or ideas? Go to and fill out our contact form. Let's work together to stop this thing!
Read our newsletter!
Go to our newsletter page to see 'The Tarago Toxic Burner' - the best way to stay up to date with what's happening in our fight to save our community from Veolia's Toxic 'Waste-to-Energy' incinerator.