A DATE has been set for Barwon Heads locals to tell their story as the inquiry into a possible cancer cluster progresses.<\/p>\n
The Senate Community Affairs References Committee will hold a public hearing on February 10 as a part of the on-going investigations.<\/p>\n
Senator Sarah Henderson has today called on residents wanting to give evidence to register their interest now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an opportunity for people effected and those with local knowledge to tell their story,\u201d Ms Henderson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have heard from a range of experts who have assisted the committee and it is now time to hear from more locals to better understand their personal account.\u201d<\/p>\n
In early 2020 a judicial inquiry was opened to investigate an alarming number of cancer and auto-immune cases occurring amongst residents of Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove.<\/p>\n
A local investigative team, Discovery 3227, say the cause is a mosquito spraying program ran by the City of South Barwon and the City of Greater Geelong from the mid-1980s to 2012, that utilised a chemical called malathion.<\/p>\n
Malathion has been linked to cancers such as Leukemia, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, brain and breast cancer as well as autoimmune disease such as Crohn\u2019s disease and Lupus.<\/p>\n
Discovery 3227 said those living near the 54-acre park commonly referred to as \u201cThe Muddies\u201d as well as children of Barwon Heads Primary School have experienced abnormally high rates of cancer and autoimmune diseases as a result of the regular spraying of pesticides during that time.<\/p>\n
The location of the hearing is yet to be confirmed however public access will be allowed as well audio and video access to be provided online.<\/p>\n
Requests to speak to the committee will be processed in the order they are received until all the available times are filled.<\/p>\n
Those interested in registering to give evidence can email the committee for further details at community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A DATE has been set for Barwon Heads locals to tell their story as the inquiry into a possible cancer cluster progresses. The Senate Community Affairs References Committee will hold a public hearing on February 10 as a part of the on-going investigations. Senator Sarah Henderson has today called on residents wanting to give evidence […]<\/p>\n