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Mick Bourke, EPA chair and Head of the Office of Environmental Monitor (OEM) has apparently conducted all the investigation he thinks necessary into the recent breach by the PoMC in its failure to adequately clean up rock fall over 9000 sq. metres at the Heads.

The OEM yesterday released a statement reporting that Mr. Bourke is satisfied with the explanation of the PoMC and Boskalis about the failure of procedure which led to a significant volume of rock left uncleared from the seabed for up to 10 days. The statement now says that Environmental monitor Mick Bourke has accepted the Port's explanation and amendments. “I think the community should be confident that the response by the Port of Melbourne Corporation and our environmental overview of the project is ensuring that the project is being conducted in accordance with the rule book," he said. See: http://www.oem.vic.gov.au/Mediareleases

Ah….the good old RULE BOOK! What Mr. Bourke has NOT told us is on what basis he is happy now. Why does he think the community should be confident? On what grounds? 

What happened on the site, due to the unrestrained rock fall? How did those unique sponges at The Entrance fare during the incident…….…those ones that occur nowhere else on earth? Can we see some footage of the area – before and after? Why can’t we see that on OEM’s website?

Isn’t it amazing that one statement issued by the OEM manages to get air space and media space in half a dozen outlets, whilst other matters about the project raised by concerned citizens get nowhere?

By the way we are still waiting for a reply from the EPA on why PoMC did not test for radionuclides in the Yarra – in spite of a well documented and long history of uranium processing and contamination on an adjacent site. Why doesn’t the EPA chair, the same Mr. Bourke, have something to say about that?