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Environmental Justice in Australia: Measuring the Relationship Between Industrial Odour Exposure and Community Disadvantage

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Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Cases VII

Part of the book series: Community Quality-of-Life and Well-Being ((CQLWB))

Abstract

Community impact and environmental justice issues are examined across metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, using 2008–2011 self-reported odour complaint data as a direct measure of odour pollution exposure. Differences in pollution exposure and indicators of socio-economic disadvantage were compared across areas using spatial clustering and statistical analyses. Results found that odour affected areas have greater socio-economic disadvantage supporting the existence of environmental justice issues in metropolitan Melbourne. Commonly used buffers of 1 km surrounding polluting facilities under-represent odour affected areas. Findings have implications for urban planning and policy in establishing separation distances between residential and industrial zones in new and existing developments where guidelines are lacking.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by Community Indicators Victoria at The University of Melbourne. B. Greenham is supported by The University of Melbourne 2013 Vice-Chancellor’s Engagement Award. M. Bannister provided in-kind support via The University of Melbourne-Environment Protection Authority Victoria Partnership. Special thanks to Rebecca Roberts for GIS mapping assistance.

The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. McCaughey VicHealth Community Wellbeing Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Lucy Dubrelle Gunn, Billy Greenham, Melanie Davern & Suzanne Mavoa

  2. Centre for Urban Research, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Elizabeth Jean Taylor

  3. Environment Protection Authority Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Mark Bannister

Authors
  1. Lucy Dubrelle Gunn
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  2. Billy Greenham
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  3. Melanie Davern
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  4. Suzanne Mavoa
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  5. Elizabeth Jean Taylor
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  6. Mark Bannister
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucy Dubrelle Gunn .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Urban Studies Program, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Meg Holden

  2. Honors College, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

    Rhonda Phillips

  3. King County Auditor’s Office, Seattle, USA

    Chantal Stevens

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Gunn, L.D., Greenham, B., Davern, M., Mavoa, S., Taylor, E.J., Bannister, M. (2017). Environmental Justice in Australia: Measuring the Relationship Between Industrial Odour Exposure and Community Disadvantage. In: Holden, M., Phillips, R., Stevens, C. (eds) Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Cases VII. Community Quality-of-Life and Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54618-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54618-6_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-54617-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-54618-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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