Sydney City Council ignored calls to test parks for asbestos a month before the dangerous material was found in mulch in three different public places.
Councilor Linda Scott wrote to council chief executive Monica Barone on January 13 to express her concerns after the material was discovered at Rozelle Parklands in Sydney’s inner west.
The New South Wales Government has named Greenlife Resource Recovery as the alleged source of asbestos-contaminated mulch spread on public land across the city, including parks at the new Rozelle Interchange.
Ms Scott asked if the council had used mulch from Greenlife Resource Recovery and whether testing would be done in Sydney city parks.
A contractor told the council its mulch did not come from Greenlife and as a result no orders were given to test the 400 parks and thousands of green beds within the electorate.
Since then, asbestos bonded in mulch has been found in Victoria Park and Belmore Park, while friable asbestos was discovered in Harmony Park in Surry Hills.
More than a dozen other sites have been flagged as containing hazardous material, including a hospital and a school, where asbestos was detected from the CBD to Emu Plains at the foot of the Blue Mountains, and from Parramatta to Campbelltown.
Victoria Park in Sydney, where asbestos was found stuck in mulch, pictured Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
But Greenlife CEO Domenic Vitocco, the 59-year-old son of billionaire Arnold Vitocco, insists his company is not to blame.
The revelation comes after asbestos was detected in parks, hospitals and schools, forcing the cancellation of the inaugural Annual Mardi Gras Fair Day event.
“Over a month ago, I wrote to the City of Sydney CEO requesting that we test all of the city’s parks in light of the discovery of asbestos at the Rozelle crossing,” Ms Scott told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I was disappointed several days later to receive a response that ruled out testing in all city parks.
“If we had tested the parks at that time, we could have potentially avoided a month of public exposure to asbestos in at least three of our city parks and potentially been able to facilitate the celebration of Mardi Gras Fair Day.”
Ms Scott said public health must come before financial considerations.
‘When it comes to asbestos, the precautionary principle should apply. We should over-test instead of trying to save money and not test at all.
‘This is a public health and safety issue and one fiber is enough to cause asbestosis. For these reasons I asked that tests be carried out in all the city parks.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore accused Ms Scott of trying to “grab a quick headline” on the issue.
In response, the Labor councilor said it was “disappointing to see… Ms Moore attack me today by claiming I am looking for a headline about my fight for the public health and safety of city residents”.
‘I think his attack on me is political and unnecessary. What we need here is to focus on what the city did wrong and where we need an independent investigation into it.’
Ms Scott wants testing in “all parks” and “calls on the mayor to ensure he supports an independent investigation into the handling of this asbestos crisis”.
Six days after receiving Scott’s letter on January 13, Barone allegedly told colleagues that the council had not received mulch from Greenlife in the past two years.
The revelation comes after asbestos was detected in parks, hospitals and schools, forcing the cancellation of the inaugural Annual Mardi Gras Fair Day event.
But on Monday night he said the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) had advised him to try five parks – as some of the mulch could come from Greenlife after all.
Three of the five tested returned positive results for asbestos-contaminated mulch.
The NSW EPA has given Greenlife a deadline of Friday to contact everyone who has been supplied with recycled mulch to begin the clean-up operation.
But Greenlife CEO Domenic Vitocco, son of billionaire boss Arnold Vitocco, 59, insists his company is not to blame.
“We feel like we’ve been made a scapegoat,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We’re not quite sure how this happened.
‘All EPA tests have come back clean from our backyard. Our tests have come back clear and we are a little baffled as to how this is all happening.
“During the investigation, I can’t really say too much, but what I do know is that several of these sites are important remediation sites… but I can’t comment further.”
Sydney councilor Linda Scott (pictured) wrote to council chief executive Monica Barone on January 13 outlining her concerns after asbestos was discovered at Rozelle Parklands.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore (pictured) said she could not have examined all 400 parks and thousands of gardens under the council’s control “when there was no indication there was a problem”.
Most of the asbestos found so far has been bonded asbestos, which poses a lower risk, but on Monday the more dangerous friable asbestos was discovered at Harmony Park in Surry Hills.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns vowed to pursue those responsible following the latest discovery and said Greenlife was in his sights.
He insisted that the government was “not aware of any other corporation or firm that may have been responsible for the distribution.”
“It is reasonable to say that the company is fighting the suggestion that they are responsible for pollution within public facilities and parks,” he said.
‘That particular type of (friable) asbestos, not agglomerated asbestos, found in a Sydney park is deeply concerning… This is completely unacceptable.
‘(We need to) ensure that enforcement action is taken against companies that (allegedly) do the wrong thing.
‘We cannot have a situation where major public facilities like… schools and parks have asbestos. The government is ready to act.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Moore for comment.