Victorian Liberal MP Tim Smith has accused Premier Daniel Andrews of doing a “sweetheart deal” with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the state intervened to approve a rejected lead battery recycling plant proposed by a Chinese state-owned corporation in the state’s east. The proposed Hazelwood North facility in Gippsland has been protested by locals who are afraid of its health and environmental impacts in the local area, which include a primary school within two kilometres, and the pristine farmlands that surround it. Hazelwood North Community Action Group spokeswoman Jenny Chessum told The Australian the community’s health and well-being had not been prioritised by the state. “Lead is toxic, persistent (it does not degrade), bio-accumulative and is internationally recognised as a carcinogen,” Chessum, whose house is 1.7 kilometres from the site, said. “Toxic emissions from the proposed technology will be unavoidable … Super-fine lead dusts can affect workers, their family and …