Numurkah Residents vs GrainCorp: Noise & Odor Battle

0:00It's April 1st. Welcome in. This is Sydney News Today, where local news meets AI. In the small northern Victorian town of New Merca, 18 residents from 14 homes have launched a class action against AgriVisness Powerhouse. Grand Corp. They're claiming the company's canola crushing factory pumps out offensive noise and odors that invade nearby neighborhoods. Leading the charge is local Kevin Green, who's been lodging complaints for over nine years, with production at the plant more than doubling since 2017. Lawyers for the residents kicked off the Supreme Court trial by highlighting Grand Corp's project force expansion, which cranked up output to over 1,150 tons daily. They say the company chase grow first, and scramble with fixes later, by tweaking alarms after Green's family got woken by blaring sounds. Videos shown in court capture the racket as a roaring jet at night, but dead quiet during shutdowns for maintenance. Folks living within one kilometer report real disruptions to daily life, from sleepless nights to constant smells wafting over.

1:06They've shared footage and emails with the Environment Protection Authority alleging Grand Corp breach noise licenses and planning rules despite some mitigation efforts. Grand Corp's defense points to the site's industrial routes, going back to the 1930s, with oil production there since 1989. They argue they rolled out solid plans, like noise management protocols, and incident reporting, and stressed that only a handful join the class. Action, since it went official in 2023, if the issues were that bad, more would have signed up. The trial before Justice Stephen O'Meara rolls on, with experts and witnesses of next, so stay tuned as we track whether the court size with the town, or the giant.