Parliament of Victoria | Legislative Council | Constituency Questions
12 May 2026
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan Region):
My constituency question is for the Minister for Environment. My constituent is a parent who read about the Breathe Melbourne project, which was published in the Australian Journal of General Practice last week.
Researchers from Deakin University found children in Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay and Brimbank experience 26 to 53 per cent higher asthma-related emergency visits than the state average.
These concerns have been echoed by another Australian multiresearch facility report released just today that again directly links air pollution to a range of respiratory and cardiac conditions.
The issue is clearly much bigger than just truck transport and the potentially ameliorative impact of the West Gate Tunnel. Further, air quality monitoring since the tunnel opened shows repeated exceedence of major pollutants.
So my constituents ask: what concrete steps will the minister take to improve air quality in the inner west to reduce the burden of disease?
Written Answer
Received: 14 September 2026
Hon. Jaclyn Symes
(Minister for Environment)
Thank you for your question to the former Minister for Environment.
Several programs of work have been undertaken by government agencies in the inner west. Safer Care Victoria leads the Improving Childhood Asthma Management program which focuses on improving childhood asthma management in Melbourne’s north and west through a partnership with consumers and healthcare providers.
https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/improvement/projects/improving-childhood-asthma-management
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is focusing its regulatory efforts in the west on high-risk areas like the Brooklyn Industrial Precinct, using planned and unplanned inspections, stricter enforcement, and follow-ups to ensure compliance with the Environment Protection Act 2017. As part of EPA’s Inner west air quality preventative inspections in 2025/2026, EPA officers conducted 20 inspections, issued 5 remedial notices and provided 18 pieces of compliance advice.
In addition to regulatory activities, EPA undertakes research and projects to better understand the environmental condition and source contribution in the inner west. This includes:
- a study into air pollution sources in inner west Melbourne. This study identified a range of sources including diesel trucks, bushfire impacts, woodfire heaters in winter, industry and natural sources such as sea salt. https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/air-pollution-sources-inner-west-melbourne
- an air sensor monitoring program around the West Gate Tunnel ventilation stack to assess local impacts https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/west-gate-tunnel-project
- analysis of West Gate Tunnel Project air monitoring data
- support for the Community Led Air Quality Network Victoria
- provision of industry air emissions estimates for the Air Quality Improvements Project.
- an environmental overburden index is also currently under development.
In 2024, EPA approved a Better Environment Plan (BEP) with the Brooklyn Recycling Group which focusses on reducing airborne particulate matter. A BEP is a voluntary EPA-approved plan that enables organisations to collaboratively address environmental risks through flexible, innovative approaches that meet or exceed their legal duties under the Environmental Protection Act 2017. https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/better-environment-plan
The West Gate Tunnel Project is estimated to take over 9000 trucks off local roads and truck bans will prevent an additional 5000 trucks from using local roads to avoid the West Gate Freeway.
Regarding air quality monitoring data, since the opening of the West Gate Tunnel the monitoring data has reported the following:
- EPA’s air sensor monitoring in the inner west area and around the tunnel stacks has reported results that comply with air quality standards. The highest levels of air pollutants measured by EPA sensors were just below the air quality standard, recorded on 25 January 2026 were due to bushfire smoke. https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/check-air-and-water-quality
- Transurban roadside monitoring at 6 sites has reported 4 days exceeding the 24-hour air quality criteria at two sites directly alongside the freeway and major arterial road most likely related to localised road emissions:
- 2 days for PM10, at both Millers Road and Primula Avenue (11 January 2026 and 2 May 2026)
- one day for PM10 at Primula Avenue (29 January 2026)
- one day for PM2.5 at Millers Road (27 December 2025).
https://www.linkt.com.au/using-toll-roads/about-toll-roads/west-gate-tunnel/air-quality/melbourne
EPA, as part of its Annual Delivery Plan 26/27, is taking action to improve environmental amenity and reduce pollution impacts on communities in Melbourne’s west, including through its targeted inspection program, which focuses on areas most affected by pollution.
https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/annual-plans-and-reports
[ENDS]
