Written by Aurecon’s Matthew Tendam and Kiu Yeung.
On 3 September, Aurecon hosted the ALGA Sydney Branch event exploring how collaboration can unlock solutions to cross-jurisdictional challenges in contaminated land management.
Insights from Asela Atapattu, the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Director of Circular Economy Policy, and Scott Burrows, Contaminated Lands Advisor with Property NSW, resonated with the audience, sparking thoughtful questions and discussion.
The conversation reinforced a shift underway, from a purely waste-focused approach to one that links contaminated land management remediation with circularity, resource recovery, and supporting broader environmental and social objectives around land use.
The dialogue in Aurecon’s office reinforced that cross-agency cooperation is key to turning challenges into workable solutions.
Scott shared examples of inter-agency collaboration that are helping to acquire, re-use, and re-purpose land, such as the Pasminco Cockle Creek smelter site, where nearly two million cubic metres of contaminated material was contained on site. Plans are also underway to reopen a number of ecologically sensitive sites for public use.
Asela shared that continual improvement of approval and planning systems will encourage investment in infrastructure development that is sensitive to the environment and needs of communities. He also emphasised the need to embed circular economic principles in environmental assessment and remediation projects and our day-to-day lives.
What became clear is that collaboration between councils, State and Commonwealth government agencies, and industry, will be critical to building capacity, setting consistent standards, and embedding sustainability into every stage of contaminated land management.
The Q&A session highlighted that practical challenges remain, including shortages of suitable fill material while VENM is still often sent to landfill. The complexity of managing asbestos waste within precinct planning requires shared ownership of long-term sustainable management solutions. There was also discussion around ideas such as creating holding yards for reusable materials or auditing government-owned land for redevelopment potential—gaining traction as ways to better align remediation with urban renewal.
The dialogue reinforced that cross-agency cooperation is key to turning challenges into workable solutions, from designing smarter infrastructure to simplifying investment processes and embedding sustainability into every stage of land remediation.
The Q&A session conducted by Aurecon’s Matthew Tendam drew out the challenges facing cross-jurisdictional contaminated land management, including shortages of fill material and complexity in managing fill within a precinct context.
| About Aurecon Aurecon solves complex challenges with its contaminated land remediation, and environment and planning specialists working across Asia-Pacific. Its environmental assessment and remediation expertise is supported by digital modelling and analytics tools to scan areas of contaminated land in order to optimise remediation and restoration. www.aurecongroup.com |
This article was submitted by our Corporate Partner.
