Tackling poor air quality

Published on 06 May 2022

Council is looking at ways to address the environmental and health concerns brought about by poor air quality in the municipality.

Maribyrnong has the worst cardiorespiratory outcomes across all metrics, even though it has the youngest demographic and lowest smoking and adult obesity rates in the inner west.

The draft Air Quality Improvement Plan points to air pollution as an important contributory factor.

The issue is linked both to the City’s industrial past and continued reliance on manufacturing and processing plants, coupled with tonnes of diesel and petrol pollutants from cars, trucks and trains. This includes the estimated 34,000 trucks passing through our municipality daily, exacerbated by our proximity to the Port of Melbourne and Westgate Bridge.

The draft Air Quality Improvement Plan identifies a number of potential actions Council can take including:

• Introducing a comprehensive air quality monitoring network across the municipality
• Actively discouraging vehicles from idling outside places like schools and hospitals
• Developing an air quality map of the City to identify pollution hotspots
• Implementing strategies to actively discourage vehicles from idling outside schools and hospitals
• Limiting the installation of wood heaters in new developments; and
• Fast tracking the transition of Council’s own vehicle fleet, plant and machinery and contracted waste collection to electric vehicles.

The community can provide comments on these proposed actions at www.yourcityyourvoice.com.au/AirQuality before Sunday 29 May.

Council will also continue to advocate with State and Federal Government to secure:

• A ban on all diesel trucks (except delivery vehicles) from residential streets including Williamston Road
• A ban on all diesel and petrol vehicle sales by 2030 Legislation to reduce emissions from diesel trains by replacing them with electro-diesel trains; and
• Fast tracking the introduction of an electric vehicle bus fleet for the inner west.

Council has also developed a suite of information resources for the community to better understand polluted air and its impacts, with actions residents can also take to help play their part in improving air quality, which can be found at www.yourcityyourvoice.com.au/AirQuality/understanding-air-quality

Message from the Mayor, Cr Anthony Tran

Our residents are exposed to consistently poor air quality levels compared to other suburban areas of Melbourne, and that’s not okay. Our community should reasonably expect the air they breathe will not adversely affect their wellbeing.

While there are things residents, businesses and industry can do individually to help improve air quality, we want to also do what we can to ensure the kinds of environmental changes that will make a real difference – both in terms of what we can influence Government to do and what we can implement ourselves.

I encourage you to make your views known.

Maribyrnong News

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