By Andrew Hall and Margaret Perrott
WOLLONGONG — Some 500 Port Kembla residents rallied on July 14 in anger over plans to reopen the Southern Copper smelter, chanting "stop the stack — we don't want it back!".
Dan Meehan, spokesperson for the recently formed Residents Against The Smelter (RATS), said that residents would not allow the plant to reopen without a fight. RATS was formed because the $250 million project was approved without community consultation. If the smelter is to reopen, residents are demanding zero emissions and stringent air pollution monitoring.
A RATS meeting on July 18 discussed further demands and how to build the campaign. A major focus will be exposing the "hype" generated by local consultants, the city council and the state Labor government about the economic advantages of the smelter.
RATS intends to give NSW Premier Bob Carr several weeks to set up a new environmental impact statement before residents launch a campaign, starting with a rally outside Parliament House. South Coast Labour Council secretary Paul Matters called on workers to pressure their unions into placing green bans on the site.