LOCAL opposition to a proposed tip near Tomerong is being taken to Parliament today in a rally organised by community group Shoalhaven’s Unwanted Tip (ShUT).

A large contingent of Shoalhaven residents is expected to board buses this morning on its way to Parliament House this afternoon in an effort to stop the tip going ahead.

On the way to Sydney the group will stop in Wollongong to meet NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell.

“It was essential that the Tomerong community has an opportunity to voice their concerns directly with Barry O’Farrell, therefore I arranged Barry to meet with ShUT members in Wollongong on our way up to Sydney,” said South Coast MP Shelley Hancock, who was planning to be on the bus this morning.

She called on all concerned residents to rally against the tip, proposed to take up to 100,000 tonnes of non-putrescible waste each year.

“Residents will be travelling up to Parliament House in Sydney to show the state Labor government that this development is simply not on,” Mrs Hancock said.

ShUT spokesperson John Levett said the group had wide-ranging concerns about the tip proposal, particularly about the impact on the local road network.

“Because over 95 per cent of the waste delivered to the site will be from outside the Shoalhaven area, heavy vehicle movements will increase on an already dangerous and inadequate Princes Highway,” Mr Levett said.

“There is no transport infrastructure in place to safely deliver waste to the site from distant locations and it is environmentally unsustainable.”

He said the possibility of toxic leachate being stored in the catchment of Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin was also a major concern because it had the potential to impact on the environment and the Shoalhaven’s tourism industry, worth over $600 million a year.

“The tourism industry is a big employer and the most significant industry in this region,” said Jervis Bay Tourism president Dave Reynolds.

“A massive landfill in the catchment of Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin will have a huge effect on the industry.”

Tourism operator Kate Broadhurst agreed all residents had a responsibility to maintain the region’s natural assets.

“A visit to the Shoalhaven, and particularly the Jervis Bay area, offers one of the world’s great natural experiences: pure water, white sand, protected marine life and world famous National Parks,” she said.

“Why you would risk jeopardising our reputation as a unique environmental destination by approving a massive waste dump I have no idea.”