![An artist's impression of Veolia's waste to energy plant at the Woodlawn eco-precinct upon completion. Image supplied. An artist's impression of Veolia's waste to energy plant at the Woodlawn eco-precinct upon completion. Image supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/cc4f817d-c23a-4740-982b-4413e823a3ff.jpg/r0_287_5620_3647_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman has vented her fury over a planning breakdown that meant people couldn't lodge submissions on a controversial waste to energy proposal.
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She has also called for a deadline extension beyond December 6 for public submissions on Veolia's plan to build the $600 million plant at the Tarago district Woodlawn bioreactor.
Residents were outraged when the NSW Department of Industry, Planning and Environment's (DPIE) portal through which they were asked to lodge responses, went down on Tuesday.
Communities Against the Tarago Incinerator member, Paige Davis, said people were so frustrated they had given up trying.
"It is simply not good enough," she said.
"It is another example of the Department making this as hard as possible for the community and making it as easy as possible for Veolia."
Ms Davis said it was especially frustrating as the department had insisted that people use the portal rather than email submissions. The community had requested the latter, given what Tarago residents said were internet connectivity problems.
The department advised on Friday at 3pm that the problem had been fixed.
Hours earlier, Mrs Tuckerman said she was "furious to hear of the outage."
"(This is) exactly what we warned the Department of Planning would happen," she said
"This is not the city and forcing us to rely on shonky websites, on satellite or public internet connections, or slow postal services over Christmas is not acceptable in the slightest.
"I contacted the department, yet again, this morning to say 'we told you so' and reiterate the need for an email address as an option to make submissions. I am pleased that they have listened to us finally."
The department supplied the following email address: industry.assessments@planning.nsw.gov.au for people to lodge submissions. Mrs Tuckerman said the submissions should include:
- The name of the project and the application number;
- A statement on whether you 'support' or 'object' to the application or if you are simply providing comment;
- The reasons why you support or object to the application;
- A declaration of any reportable political donations you have made in the last two years (visit www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Assess-and-Regulate/Development-Assessment/Planning-ApprovalPathways/Donations-and-Gift-Disclosure or phone 1300 305 695 to find out more); and
- A statement indicating you acknowledge and accept the Department's disclaimer and declaration.
"I want every submission to count so if these issues continue with the planning portal please ensure that when making a submission via the email address the instructions are followed," she said.
Ms Davis and fellow objector, Fiona Jeffery said they spent several hours trying to help people "with a planning portal that didn't work."
People could not create accounts to lodge submissions and when they tried to remedy the problem, the portal asked people for details such as eye colour, marital status, ethnicity and body weight.
![The NSW Planning department's portal could not be used to lodge submissions for much of this week. Picture supplied. The NSW Planning department's portal could not be used to lodge submissions for much of this week. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/20904fc9-861c-45d0-aa2c-259a6abc1be5.jpg/r0_38_1439_1010_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"People have expressed to us their extreme discomfort with being asked to submit those details in order to make a personal objection to the project," Ms Jeffery said.
"It is likely that many people will now believe answering (this) is necessary in order to object to the process, and will be deterred from making an objection."
A departmental spokesperson said this should not have happened and personal accounts had been restored.
Ms Jeffery said she was extremely disappointed with the process.
"It is completely unacceptable that having insisted on the use of the portal for submissions despite representations from the community about problems with regional internet connectivity and lack of internet access, that the DPIE fail to keep the portal system functioning for the full submission period," she wrote in an email to the department.
The community asked for a minimum one week extension on the EIS and want "accountability" on how "missing submissions" will be considered in the final assessment.
A departmental spokeswoman said the exhibition period would be extended to December 13.
"We experienced a technical difficulty with the planning portal over the past 24 hours. This has been resolved and the portal is operational again," she said on Friday.
However Ms Jeffery said although people could log into the portal over the weekend, submission attachments were 'disappearing' before the point of lodgment. She asked for this to be fixed and reiterated the need for the email address.
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