Parliamentary Questions

(1) Has the Alcoa red mud trial in the Peel region concluded?

(a) If yes, when; and

(b) what was the reason it ended?

(a) If yes, please provide details; and

(b) if further distribution has not occurred, why not?

I thank the honourable member for her pertinent question.

(1) Spreading of Alcoa red mud - alkaloam - in the Peel region as part of the Department of Agriculture Western Australia trials was undertaken primarily during 1993 and 1994. Since then no further applications on a trial basis have been undertaken. Monitoring of sites amended with alkaloam is continuing as part of the obligations of the Environmental Protection Authority approval for its use.

(a) As stated above, alkaloam trial spreading activities concluded in 1994. However, monitoring of trial sites continues as part of the EPA’s obligations;

(b) trials on pasture, animal health, human health - in dust - and environmental health have concluded that alkaloam is safe and effective. The project is now in the commercial phase under the direction of the EPA. This information is on record at the Department of Environment in its publications.

(a) Alkaloam has been made available to the public through the conditions of a public environmental review for use by farmers in the catchment of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary to reduce their impact on water quality in the catchment of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary. Red mud is also freely available throughout Western Australia for use in red-mud amended leach drains in houses and in commercial applications managed by Ecomax under the approval of the Department of Health. International distribution has been considered for other commercial applications. However, red mud is now being sourced from overseas refineries to meet the demand elsewhere in Australia, Europe and the United States, managed by a Queensland company, Virotec International Ltd.