00:00 Stoney Creek is a special place for many in Melbourne's west.
00:06 From dogs enjoying a splash, to families picnicking next to its tranquil waters.
00:13 But five years ago an industrial fire spewed toxic waste into the creek, turning it into
00:20 an oil-slicked swamp.
00:22 I could see the smoke, I knew where it was and it was stomach churning.
00:28 Victoria's memories are singed into the mind of local resident and former Greens MP, Colleen
00:34 Hartland.
00:35 I know more than three fire engines going past my house, it means that something bad
00:39 is about to happen.
00:41 The psychological impact is something Victoria's Environment Protection Authority now wants
00:47 to measure.
00:48 It's collaborating with University of Adelaide researchers to develop a tool called the Environmental
00:54 Distress Index, which asks a series of questions about people's mental health after a disaster.
01:02 It generates a score that's measured against a general community baseline.
01:07 The EPA aims to use the data as evidence in holding polluters accountable.
01:13 We'll then be able to say not only did you pollute the environment, you actually harmed
01:17 the people.
01:18 We'll be the first regulator in the world to have a definitive tool like this.
01:22 It's impossible to say beforehand how the court will treat that evidence.
01:26 The EPA will also use the tool to measure psychological distress after natural disasters.
01:32 Residents here in Maribyrnong affected by the 2022 floods say they've been left with
01:37 lingering anxiety and were the first group to try the tool.
01:42 The sound of rain on the roof is generally considered one of the great joys.
01:46 It terrifies people now.
01:48 Madeline Searle hopes the tool will mean future victims can get the mental health assistance
01:54 they need.
01:55 I think we need to think of disasters in a broader sense than just weather and economic.
02:02 The EPA will roll out the tool in the second half of this year.
02:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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