The Dandenong Offensive Industry Zone: A case study in environmental conflict

An on-going conflict surrounding the management and operation of an offensive industry zone in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne spans the period from the mid-1970s to the present. The chronology of the conflict is presented and the actions and responses of the main players are analysed. The course of events described and the resident action groups involved share many of the Key characteristics of what is broadly described in North America as 'toxic waste activism'. This needs to be differentiated from the more mainstream middle-class environmental movement.