TGCCC Adopted Minutes 5 March 2007

Terminals GCCC

(Terminals Geelong Community Consultative Committee)

Adopted Minutes of the Meeting

Held in the Meeting Room, Corio Library, Norlane

Monday 5 March 2007

Present:

Robin Saunders, Chair

Moya Richardson, Minute Taker

Geelong Community for Good Life	Sue McLean
Terminals Pty Ltd	Gary O'Sullivan Carlo Fasolino (State Manager)
Community Representative	Peter Linaker
Community Representative	Greg Postuma
Northern Community Consultative Group	Bill Aitken
Community Representative	Ralph Taylor
Northern Community Consultative Group	Paul Dakin
Friends of Port Lillias and Corio Bay	John Wilson
CFA	Ian Beswick
Geelong Grammar	Jon Apted
Maribyrnong City Council	Theo Pykoulus (Guest Speaker)

Apologies:

Geelong Community for Good Life	Gordon Alderson
EPA	Anne Marie McCarthy
Terminals Pty Ltd	Geoff Millard George Horman

ITEM 1	Welcome by Chair
Robin	Welcomed Theo Pykoulus from the Maribyrnong City Council and Moya Richardson as minute taker.
ITEM 2	Apologies, confirmation of Draft Agenda
	Apologies were received from Gordon Alderson, Anne Marie McCarthy, George Horman and Geoff Millard.
Robin	Asked for confirmation of the Draft Agenda; no one raised any objections.
ITEM 3	Confirmation of the draft minutes of the meeting on 5 February 2007
	The draft minutes were adopted without change.
ITEM 4	Business Arising from Minutes
Action Item 13/6	No progress made since previous meeting. ACTION: Gary to check progress with Karen, and then ring Robin to confirm.
Action Item 15/7	Done
Action Item 16/2	Done
Action Item 17/9	Emergency Communication- On Agenda for tonight.
Action Item 18/5	Done
Action Item 19/1	Done
Action Item 19/2	Deferred to next meeting April 2007
Action Item 19/6	Done
Action Item 19/9	Done
Action Item 20/1 Peter	Done Raised question surrounding what contact details can be publishable on the web.
Peter	Raised the options surrounding the way by which information and correspondence can be received amongst committee members, either though email or through hard copy.
ACTION	Robin to update contact details and requirements for hard copies. Sue Chatterton will send out all hard copies, and Robin will undertake the emailing.
Peter	Highlighted the importance for committee member's names and position within the committee to be clear and not left ambigious in community releases. Suggested that in receiving member's contact details, Moya is informed of the member's personal email constraints and their capacity to receive lengthy documents.
Action Item 20/2	Leak detection report to be presented at April meeting by Gary.
Action Item 20/3	Deferred.
Action Item 20/4	Done by Robin 9/3/07.
Action Item 20/5	Done 5/3/07 and report posted to web..
ITEM 5	Reports from Terminals, EPA (including contamination levels), WorkCover, CFA, City of Greater Geelong
	Terminals' Report
Robin	Gary tabled the Terminals Pty Ltd Geelong Monthly Operations Report January 2007. At the request of the Committee, rather than the report being presented verbally, questions were taken. Asked if Council has approved the biodiesel planning application.
Carlo	Council has issued the notice of intention to grant a permit and it sets the usual conditions. As there was an objection, Council waits 21 days before issuing the approval, to allow the objector to lodge an appeal with VCAT. The 21 days has elapsed, and Carlo is awaiting advice from Council.
ACTION	Carlo to inform committee whether an appeal was lodged, or whether the permit has been issued.
Robin	Asked about the findings of the annual carcinogens audit.
Gary	Stated that audit investigated the presence of carcinogens on site, checked that procedures were being carried out correctly, checked general operation systems. Stated that the audit came out all right.
Carlo	Added that the report revealed that there was over exposure by 0.5 ppm VCM (operators had not been wearing Breathing Apparatus).
Peter	Stated that in dealing with carcinogens, WorkCover requirements were that operations had checked background levels, that workers were wearing the correct protective apparatus (Breathing Apparatus), that procedural changes are implemented and that there are training and competency assessments.
Gary	Recognised that the incident of over exposure to carcinogens was the result of the failure to adequately train workers to adhere to the implemented procedures.
Robin	Asked how the levels of exposure to carcinogens is measured
Gary	Stated that workers wear passive monitors, or carbon absorber strips, on their uniform, which highlight the level of exposure when in contact with carcinogens. Acknowledged that improvements have been made in this area since the incident.
ACTION	Gary to bring the monitors worn by workers to the next committee meeting, in response to general committee interest.
Robin	Pursued further questions surrounding the use and function of the monitors
Peter	Raised concern over the influence of other variables in the measurement of carcinogens, namely other chemicals in the environment at the plant
Gary	Responded by stating that monitoring over the past 5 years by Aus Vinyls has revealed no over exposures. Australian Vinyls do spot checks (which may extend over a shift) and get results within 2-3 days.
Carlo	Stated that results from the carbon absorbers take approximately 2 to 3 weeks for analysis.
Gary	Added that Terminals conducts its own audit of the operation
John	Referring to the number of work injuries under Safety heading of report; advised that it is better to state the time from which the 12 month period refers to.
Sue	Enquired about information relating to the carcinogenic licence from WorkCover.
ACTION	Gary to contact Geoff Cooke at WorkCover to arrange a presentation on the carcinogenic licence (possibly by Neil Weare) for the April Meeting.
Bill	Raised concern surrounding recent 'finger pointing' amongst industries relating to incidents in which the origins of a problem are uncertain.
Gary	Elaborated on the recent incident in which an alarm sounded at Shell following a detection of a plume and hydrocarbon odour. They were believed to have emanated from Terminals but after investigation by EPA, Mark Reade declared that Terminals was not responsible. Within 20 minutes, an all clear was given. Gary also pointed out that the odour emanated from a south-east direction, and suggested that this would place its origins from the jetty where Shell ships The Resolve and The Helix were both berthed.
Bill	Acknowledged that in such cases where Terminals is implicated for being responsible for an incident, that the community has the right to be made aware of the issues at hand.
John	Stated that in defence of Terminals, Shell must allow the opportunity for Terminals to refute the claims made against them of responsibility for the incident.
Peter	Suggested that a communication link between Terminals and the community via the website would strengthen Terminals credibility in such cases.
Robin	Suggested further the notion of a media release following meetings, which could include the important features of TGCCC discussion and the opportunity 'to set the record straight' following community speculation over industry incidents. Robin made the suggestion of a statement such as "False Alarm at Coria", which would then be followed by information regarding the results from investigation... etc.
Peter	Agreed but suggested an ongoing record by which the community can refer to, posted online.
Robin	Confirmed the use of a media release on the TGCCC website.
Peter	Raised the issue again of addressing the blame that Terminals may receive.
Robin	Queried as to whether it could be more constructive to simply leave the matters as they are, rather than risk the possibility of further scrutiny if Terminals are publicly defended
Bill	Stated that it has been industry practice in the past to release a statement following problems that concern the community.
Peter	Expressed desirability for such releases to be posted immediately, within 2 to 3 days of the event occurring.
Robin	Asked for committee feeling for a media release.
Committee Members	Responded in favour to the media release notion.
ACTION	Sue made the suggestion that the recent "False Alarm at Coria" incident be included in a release on the website, to be undertaken by Robin and for general feed back to be reported on at next meeting.
John	Stated that community perception towards the industry can be generally cynical.
Bill	Argued that Shell spokesperson was ambiguous in their release of the incident.
Robin	Admitted that Shell was nonetheless correct in their detailing of the incident.
Carlo	Distributed copies of the brochure "Chemicals and the Community" which has been letter-dropped locally by Terminals.
Ralph	Stated that he didn't receive an email from Carlo, concerning the Hazo on bitumen meeting on Wednesday 7 March at 9:00 am at the HQ in Queensborough Street in the City, to be attended by Ralph, Gary and Sue.
Robin	CFA Report
Ian	Reported that CFA had experienced a very busy summer period with the bush fires. Ian stated that he will organise a demonstration with emergency fire equipment in a meeting in the near future (May or June).
Bill	Asked about the final report on the meeting with Emergency Services on 14 August 2006, and responses to questions from community members in the notes of the meeting.
Sue	Expressed that the community still had significant questions outstanding following the meeting. She stated that following previous incidents, the community had been unsatisfied with the level of community and industry consultation.
ACTION	Ian to follow up the final questions by the community, documented in the notes of the 14 August 2006 meeting.
Robin	Stated that the issue of community and industry consultation would be raised in Theo's presentation later in the meeting.
ITEM 6	Draft action plan responding to VCAT order (Terminals' summary distributed at Feb 07 meeting shows substantial completion) - any remaining queries?
Sue	Stated that she did not receive the draft action plan.
Carlo	Stated that he would email Sue the draft.
Robin	Asked if Sue could point out the outstanding points of the plan next meeting for discussion.
ACTION	Robin to put the VCAT order on the agenda for the April meeting.
Ralph	Queried about the confidentiality agreement relating to Committee member access to the minutes from the HAZOP meeting and the extent to which members can access commercially sensitive material.
Robin	Explained that to receive data, a member must fill out a confidentiality agreement pro-forma, which is then to be signed by Terminals.
ACTION	Ralph to discuss with George the issue of constraints on people accessing documents.
	(Meeting suspended 7:30 for short break; resumed at 7:35)
ITEM 7	Emergency communication with the public- Presentation by Theo Pykoulus for the Maribyrnong City Council.
Theo	Gave an introduction to the Integrated Community Warning & Information System, which has been progressed by the Emergency Management of the Maribyrnong City Council in consultation with the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner. (Refer to handout 'Intergrated Community Warning & Information System')
Theo	Discussed the inevitability of emergencies and that they require a pragmatic, realistic approach by emergency services. This includes identifying risk and implementing certain preventative strategies. Factors that the Maribyrnong City Council take into consideration include high unemployment in the area, high migrant population with non-English speakers etc.
Sue	Pointed out that in the Northern suburbs there is a large non-English speaking demographic which are not provided with funding for translating services.
Theo	Stated that integration programs are functioning at different levels within the council. Theo emphasised the importance of awareness of the emergency services across the community. Other areas of ongoing consideration include an ageing population, a high population of people with disabilities, close proximity to a detention centre.
Sue	Asked Theo about council's involvement in evacuation/ coordination plan involving areas that are between council boundaries
Theo	Stated that Council attends regular meetings with the police, who share arrangements for such matters. Theo admitted that some council are less involved. Went on to mention the challenges associated with emergency management and advised strategies to prepare Council and the community to respond in the event of an emergency. Theo emphasised the importance of providing the community with adequate information so that they are able to make their own informed decision concerning a situation, and can make the important distinction between a real threat from a perceived threat etc.
Peter	Asked about an integrated response.
Theo	Stated that a questionnaire had been conducted at Footscray and Yarraville to evaluate the level of access in the community to emergency information. He Stated that the logistical difficulties involved with informing methods, such as via letter drops became apparent. In presenting the Warning & Information System Design, Theo also highlighted not only the need for access to suitable technology but the need for adequate user education involving their use etc. Theo made distinction between flood and chemical emergencies and the requirement for different strategies.
Robin	Explained that Council presently funds a telephone warning system covering 400 homes that are subject to flooding by the Maribyrnong River.
Theo	(Played a recorded message by local radio personality which informs emergency service options, then the approved statement for action in case of emergency (!) which is accessible online) Theo Stated that in terms of a communication link, an 1800 number didn't work as it wasn't supported some local groups. He Stated that currently there is no technology to ring people at will in the case of a chemical emergency. He addressed questions with regards to privacy issues, by saying that the 400 people involved in the flood warning system volunteered their participation.
Robin	Asked how the community can know how to react in the case of a chemical emergency when unknown quantities are involved, unlike that in the case of a flood emergency.
Theo	Acknowledged the vast difference in identifying and managing chemical versus flood threats but maintained the importance for following of basic protocols and the immediate notification of the community.
Sue	Mentioned the effectiveness of the opting system, as adopted in London, which allows the public to receive emergency messages.
Theo	Stated that the privacy regulations within Australia prevent complete access to details (referring to Telstra's SMS alerting system). Theo described again the program 'voice reach' by Premier Global Systems, currently adopted by the Maribyrnong City Council.
John	Raised the question as to whose responsibility it is in the case of an emergency; does council have the legal authority for all available resources in an emergency?
Robin	Stated that council is in the business of coordination and community communication, in addition to Theo's response that the emergency services (police) have the power to procure resources in such circumstances.
Greg	Stated that having had work experience with Telstra, he queried Telstra's interest and involvement in the warning system, which is a free service.
Theo	Mentioned the potential corporate interest for Telstra to raise its profile amongst community with such a system.
John	Asked about the problems that exist between communication services.
Theo	Confirmed that all communication services allow access to all data.
Robin	Thanked Theo for his presentation and the TGCCC showed its appreciation.
	Items nominated for discussion
	1. At what stages would the community be advised, and get involved?
Ian	Referring to the first question on the list of items nominated for dicussion (refer to the agenda) Ian stated that the State Government's SEWS system, activated on ABC radio 774, is initiated when the public is to be advised through the police. Ian stated that the majority of incidents are under control under one hour. He stated that no residents are close enough to Terminals to be immediately affected in the case of an emergency. Shell has a siren, which is alarmed to make the public aware of an emergency situation.
Robin	Moving onto the second question; "What sort of information do the community want to receive."
Peter	Suggested that they received information concerning who is providing the information, where they can receive more information, where can they receive advice, what actions to take next, how to obtain the information... etc.
Ralph	Expressed agreement on what was suggested and the current information given.
Robin	Addressing the way in which the community can obtain information, Robin stated that a telecommunication system for community notification would be of value in Corio.
Ian	Agreed and stated the effectiveness of the use of 'phone trees' in local, non-urban areas like in Aneke. Raised issues for consideration regarding cost, protocols, constraints of mobile phone towers, other considerations of technology such as the risk of hacking etc.
Ralph	Expressed that in the majority of emergency situations, the response from the community is to instinctively stay put, which increases the difficulty for emergency services to effectively lead evacuations.
Ian	Admitted that in terms of logistical process, it is easier and safer to stay home, most of the time.
Jon Apted	Stated that Geelong Grammar has two simple signals, which indicate when students are to remain inside, or when they are outside and required to come in. Jon expressed some concern over the latter signal and its implications for the students.
Robin	Proposed for the committee to move on to final point "The role of the CoGG"
Ian	Stated that the role of the City of Greater Geelong in terms of emergency management is to provide a support agency for the evacuation process, to nominate places for evacuation centres, to supply specialist emergency equipment etc. Ian underlined the importance of establishing good liaisons between the community and the council. He acknowledged the limited extend of authority by council.
Robin	On the question of responsibility, stated that the council works under the incident controller as the principal authority in an emergency situation.
Jon Apted	Stated that the council has significant role also in community education, as previously discussed.
Ralph	Stated that councils also have the resources for communication procedures.
Jon Apted	Added another critical feature of the CoGG's role in these terms is for council to enlist confidence in the community in the emergency service.
Greg	Suggested that a simple leaflet or fridge magnet could be distributed to provide a constant reminder to households to listen to 774 in the event of an emergency.
Robin	Declared the meeting closed at 9:20 pm.
	The next meeting will take place on Monday 2 April in the Meeting Room of Corio Library, Cox Road, Norlane at 6.00 for 6.30pm.