Roxane Manley

Parkes Shire Councillors met and voted to oppose the proposed Energy-from-Waste facility.

Parkes Shire Council has unanimously sup­ported a motion by Mayor Neil Westcott to formally object to the proposed Energyfrom-Waste (EfW) facility within the Parkes Special Activation Precinct.

“This means that Parkes Council, in total­ity, is against the EfW project, we are op­posed to it, we will not be supporting it. We are not the determining body, but whatever influence we can bring to bear it will be in the form of absolute rejection,” Mayor Neil Westcott said.

Mayor Westcott said the decision reflects the strong community sentiment. Critically, Council’s objection will require the NSW Government to refer the planning assess­ment to the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC).“Our first duty is to protect the health and wellbeing of our residents, the integrity of our environment, and the reputation of our agricultural sector. When government pro­vides no credible information to demon­strate safety, the community can only con­clude that these risks may exist, and that is a failure of leadership,” the Mayor said.

The motion was amended during the meeting and passed unanimously. Each Councillor present had the opportunity to speak about the project during the consid­eration of the motion. Watch in full on Coun­cil’s website https://parkes.infocouncil.biz/

State Member Phil Donato has previously issued a statement on the proposal; “I will not be supporting this project, and I will con­tinue to stand with the people of Parkes to ensure their voices are heard by the govern­ment.”

Council’s resolution will be communicat­ed to the NSW Premier, the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the NSW Minister for Environment, the Independent Planning Commission, the Local Member and the Parliamentary Inquiry into Energyfrom-Waste Facilities.

Chair of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Energy-from-Waste facilities Nichole Over­all MLC confirmed subsequent public hear­ings will be held in Parkes and Goulburn in April and May 2026.

Member for Parkes Jamie Chaffey has shared Parkes Shire Council’s concerns over an Energy-from-Waste project pro­posed for Parkes. Parkes Shire Council voted unanimously to formally object to the proposed Energy-from-Waste facility within the Parkes Special Activation Precinct.

Mr Chaffey said despite very clear con­cerns from the Parkes community, Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation (RGDC) had entered into a project devel­opment agreement with Parkes Energy Re­covery Pty Ltd to establish the facility.

“Although the approval process is a mat­ter for local and state governments, I made the commitment during the election cam­paign that one of my first tasks if I was elect­ed, would be to get more details on the pro­ject and to meet with the proponent, Parkes Shire Council and concerned members of the community.

“There is tremendous opposition to this project in Parkes, largely due to the lack of information about the technology and its implications,” Mr Chaffey said. “The first hearing of the Parliamentary inquiry into proposed Energy-from-Waste facilities has already heard information that shows some concerning contradictions and information gaps. There have been concerns about the regional locations approved to host these facilities. Why should regional areas be dealing with Sydney’s waste?

“Health concerns including emissions and potential health impacts, along with ques­tions about the government’s ability to ad­equately monitor and assess these types of facilities remain. In addition, many of the recommendations of a 2017 inquiry appear to have been ignored.

“As Mayor Neil Westcott has stated in his letter to NSW Premier Chris Minns, the development has fractured the Parkes com­munity and left them without answers to sig­nificant questions about health and safety.

The Parkes Shire Council is the level of government closest to the community, and I trust it to have a finger on the pulse of the level of concern about this development.

“I support Parkes Shire Council and the Parkes community in calling for a referral of the project to the Independent Planning Commission and for the proposal to be called-in as a State Significant Develop­ment.

“This plan could mean 700,000 tonnes of Sydney rubbish is imported to Parkes every year – that’s an astonishing amount to be transported to a Shire with a population of about 15,000. It’s time for the NSW Govern­ment to listen to the people of Parkes.”