Repco Rally

An amendment to the Motor Sports (WRC) Bill 2009, Section 25, specifies that a Review be conducted to determine whether future rally events should be conducted in that region.

YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED FIRST!!!
Submission to the Review of the Northern Rivers round of the WRC, 2009 by Dr Fiona McCormick

Introduction, My Background
My name is Fiona McCormick. I first made the Tweed shire my home nearly 30 years ago, at which time the population of the Tweed LGA was around 40 000, half the current population of around 80,000(1). I have seen a lot of changes in the shire in that time: particularly an increase in the coastal population and increasing housing pressure on viable farm land and wildlife habitat.

I am a GP and have worked in the emergency departments of the Lismore, Byron Bay
and Mullumbimby hospitals, often as the only doctor on duty. In the course of my work I have treated horrific injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents. I have had to counsel the family and friends of those killed or catastrophically injured, a task made so much more traumatic for all concerned by the fact the victims are often young: in fact young people aged 15-29 form around 15% of the population of this state and this LGA, yet they represent 23% of those killed and injured in all road accidents in NSW(2), meaning they have one and a half times the risk of being killed or injured in a motor vehicle accident. Even worse, young people under the age of 26 hold only 15% of driving licenses but comprise 36% of road fatalities in NSW(3): in other words they are more than twice as likely to die on our roads as other road users. I am a mother: young people are our future.

What follows is the narrative of how a health professional found herself radicalised by
the actions of the NSW Parliament and a rabble of motor sports enthusiasts known as
“Repco Rally Australia” (RRA). It is intended as a cautionary tale for legislators, for if someone who represents what is known in medicine as a “reasonable person” can become so completely disenfranchised by the political process, there can be no true democracy in our country. This submission includes details of experiences which should not occur in our society – police threatening to arrest us for intimidation when we parked a vehicle on our own driveway to prevent trespass which they appeared unwilling or unable to control, theft going uninvestigated, dangerous driving being ignored and lies spoken in public fora being reported as the truth.

In order to cover all the facts and tell the story of what happened to myself and my community this is a somewhat longwinded document and I apologise in advance for that. This submission is directed at, but not limited to, the terms of reference of the Review dealing with the environment, public safety and the impact on the local community. To make it easier to navigate for the reader, it can be read in the Document Map view.

Inequitable Loss of Amenity to Rural Residents
My partner is a second generation farmer on Cudgera Creek Road, which is one of the narrow gravel roads in the Tweed shire used during the Australian round of the World Rally Championships in September 2009. Every single car we have towed back up onto this road over the years has been driven by someone under the age of 30. Inexperience and speed caused these young people to lose control, compounded by the ineffectiveness of brakes on the loose gravel surface. 60km/hour is speeding on this road, as it is on the other gravel roads of the Tweed and Kyogle shires.

My partner and I have written to council on numerous occasions about the disgraceful state of this road. We have been told that all gravel roads in the Tweed shire are patrolled
regularly and are graded 3 times a year.

What actually happens is that on occasion (certainly less than 3 times a year) a road crew will spend some time clearing out the gutters and regrading. Only twice in the past ten years has the road been effectively resurfaced: one of those times was immediately prior to the WRC rally.

As I am also secretary for a landowning community responsible for 2km of private road elsewhere on the Tweed, and as my partner is responsible for the maintenance of all the roads on our 60Ha farm, we both have substantial practical knowledge of correct road maintenance and wish to inform the review that Tweed Shire Council (TSC) are most remiss in their maintenance programme on the gravel roads of the Tweed Shire.

We pay rates and this road is the only council service delivered to our home.

Immediately prior to the rally, however, TSC workers did such a good job that the road could easily have been tar sealed. We estimate they laid over 100 trucks full of excellent gravel on our road alone, spending no less than 3 weeks to water and roll this in. I have included photos of the state of the road surface prior to being graded for the rally, immediately after grading and prior to the rally and immediately after the rally.

When notified that a high speed rally was to be run on our road, my first concern was for the state of the road surface, as you can see that years of neglect had caused it to be little more than a goat track in places. I then realised that a contract to use this road as a stage in a gravel road rally for the next 10 – 20 years would mean that there would be no chance of having this road sealed in the foreseeable future.

I refer to Tweed Shire Council’s 2003 gravel roads rating review(4), where Cudgera Creek Road rated higher than several roads which have subsequently been sealed, and wish to point out that traffic estimates of 100-150 are far below what we are actually experiencing since the Cudgera interchange on the Yelgun - Chinderah Freeway opened in 2002 and the recent fad for GPS navigation aids in private cars took off.

Traffic has in fact increased since the 2000 estimates of 250+ movements cited in the gravel roads review, a fact substantiated in the TSC memo from July 2009(5). We are often pulled over by lost city folk scared out of their wits by finding themselves on this road, with it’s rough surface, blind corners and steep drop offs.

Public Safety Concerns
After my initial concern for the state of the road surface, I then started to research the link between motor sports and driving behaviours. I wish I hadn’t done this, as the results are quite simply alarming. There is a clear association between an interest in motor sports and an increase in speeding and risk taking, particularly amongst those under the age of 35. Crashes on the suburban roads around the Adelaide Grand Prix circuit increased by 35% after that event, and studies show this increase in road traffic accidents is repeated in other areas where a motor race has taken place.

One of the RRA employees (Operations Manager Bob Newman) asked me if I had found any research to prove that rallying was implicated in this increase in accidents: I put it to the Parliament that the burden of proof should be on organisations planning motor sports events on residential roads to prove that these events do not cause an increase in road traffic accidents, particularly as in this case the stage times are available on the internet.

Let me quote from Tranter and Warn’s 2004 study (6): “A problem with motor racing as a sport is that spectators who wish to emulate the behaviour of the motor racing drivers, can only emulate this behaviour on public roads. This then redistributes the burden of risk onto other road users who may happen to be in the vicinity…..” In another study in 2008 (7) the same authors state: “The results indicate a clear association between an interest in motor racing and the attitude that speeding is acceptable.”

I for one am not prepared to accept any increase in risk for myself, my family or our farm workers. I would also like to ask the NSW Parliament why are you funding the 'Speeding, no-one thinks big of you' campaign and at the same time funding motor car races and thereby encouraging speeding? This is not a rational use of taxpayer money.

I have attached the disclaimer that Repco Rally Australia asked spectators and participants to sign (8), and I ask the review chair and our elected representatives to read
this document carefully, with particular attention to the statement that: “Motor sport is
dangerous and accidents causing harm can and do happen and may happen to you”. You may also notice that the disclaimer asks them to acknowledge that the “risks associated with attending and participating in the event include the risk that you may suffer harm as a result of: motor vehicles (or parts of them) colliding with other motor vehicles, persons or property; acts of violence or other harmful acts committed by persons attending or participating in the event; and the failure or unsuitability of facilities (including grand-stands, fences and guard rails) to ensure the safety of persons or property at the event”.

This is in contradiction to what we were told at the public meeting in Murwillumbah on 7th February 2009, where RRA organisers assured us that spectator and driver safety was paramount. No wonder I was wary of this event, as by my reading the disclaimer shows that RRA actually expected violence amongst spectators and injury to persons and property. No wonder the residents of Kingscliff were angry at having the rally “service centre” placed in their midst. No wonder extra police personnel were seconded to the region.

Inappropriate Event for the Region
No Development Application eventuated, which is just as well for the rally organisers as it would have contravened many areas of the TSC charter, specifically council’s charter to “properly manage, develop, protect, restore, enhance and conserve the environment of the area for which it is responsible in a manner that is consistent with and promotes the principles of ecologically sustainable development; to bear in mind that it is the custodian and trustee of public assets and to effectively account for and manage the assets for which it is responsible and to have regard to the long term and cumulative effects of its decisions”.

Many local residents who are, like us, living the low carbon lifestyle of the future simply could not believe that anyone would be stupid enough to think that a high speed car rally is an appropriate event for a region recognised as biodiversity hotspot, with a burgeoning eco-tourism industry.

Regarding managing the assets of which the council is custodian, I am not convinced that the rally will have no effect on roads that would otherwise be sealed in the next 10-20
years(9). Who paid for the cost of road rehabilitation and in fact who paid for the hundreds of tonnes of excellent gravel used on the roads to make them safer for the rally drivers prior to this event? Ratepayers? And when will our gravel roads be sealed?

Public liability
At the Resident Safety Briefing only 6 days before our road was used for the rally, the Clerk of the Course still could not answer a simple question regarding who would be liable for injury or damage to property by spectators. RRA had $100 million public liability insurance, which to me seems woefully inadequate for such a dangerous event given that our own Farmers Market stall has to carry public liability insurance of $10 million and we only sell fresh fruit and vegetables picked by us the day before, a far less risky business than sponsoring high speed car races!

Tweed Shire Council officers were still trying to clarify this issue only weeks before the event(5) and it is highly likely that it will take a test case before we actually discover whether RRA has adequate insurance to cover all likely eventualities. Who is liable for deaths and injuries occurring during and particularly after this event, given that Repco Rally Australia asked participants and spectators to sign this extreme disclaimer? In particular, will TSC public liability cover the increase in road traffic accidents that research has shown we can expect after the event?

Infringement of Personal and Property Rights
As well as the issue of public safety the Review’s terms of reference include the impact of this event on the local community. As a community member I ask the Review to bear with me while I recount my experience of the WRC event.

It started in December 2008 when we returned from a holiday in SE Asia to discover a letter from Tweed Shire Council General Manager Mike Rayner on TSC letterhead inviting us to a meeting of residents who lived on roads which might (might) be used for the running of the 2009 WRC rally. The letter antedated the meeting by 2 weeks but both dates were in November and we had been out of the country all that month. I asked my neighbours if they knew what it was about and they had not received one of these letters. This seemed curious to me, as TSC has the record of rateable properties along the gravel roads proposed for the event hence Mr Rayner could easily have written to all affected landholders.

We are busy people so thought no more about it until (quite by chance) I noticed there was to be a public meeting about the RRA proposal in Murwillumbah on 7th February 2009. I went along to find out what exactly was being proposed. Garry Connelly from RRA spoke at that meeting. The point at which I became radicalised was when he stated that residents along the rally route had been surveyed and were “overwhelmingly in favour of the event”.

As we and our neighbours had not been surveyed and we alone have 1.5km of gravel road frontage to Cudgera Creek Road (and as Mr Rayner obviously had our address) I sat stunned by his willingness to lie in a public forum, then asked if I could please have a survey form to fill in. Many in the audience were shaking their heads at that particular
statement of his and after the meeting I talked with several people who, like ourselves,
lived along the route but had not been surveyed.

After the meeting I accompanied Bob Newman to the RRA office below the Council chambers and procured a survey form (attachment 4)(10). Bob told me that someone had surveyed residents on the western (Burringbar) end of our road but had not yet completed the survey on the eastern (Pottsville) end: I could see this was another lie as I noted a form in his folder with Bonomini’s name on it and they live to our east. Bob asked me if I wanted to fill the form in right then, but as we have a share farmer and a banana lessee (who employs several other locals) working on our farm, I asked him if I could send it in after they had all had a chance to have their say. Bob told me he’d come out to our place within the week to pick it up and that I did not have to send it in. He wrote down our contact details in his book.

After weeks of telephone calls, emails and so forth initiated by myself he finally came out to our place on 24th April, nearly 11 weeks after that public meeting. I had of course posted in the completed form prior to that.

My partner and I are valued members of the local community: him for his farming expertise and local knowledge, and myself for my professional ability as a GP. When I became involved in the No Rally Group I was approached by many people living along our road asking for details about road closures, details which they should have received from RRA. Naturally I gave them the contact details for RRA so they could direct their enquiries more appropriately. However the fact that many seemed not to have been contacted by the organisation led me to administer my own questionnaire to Cudgera Creek residents in July 200911. I started at Burringbar in the West and finished at Allambie Circuit in the East. 9 out of the 11 households visited on the gravel section were opposed to having the rally on our road and only 2 were in favour: this is a far cry from “overwhelmingly in favour”. 7 of these 11 had still not received a “Residents survey form” from RRA, only 2 months before the rally.

While my questionnaire was a flawed tool by research criteria, it is obvious from the results that the truth is far removed from Gary Connelly’s statements to the media and to the public meeting in February. I was not able to contact residents of 5 households on the
gravel section.

I apologise once again for the length and style of this submission, but believe it is only
by recounting the facts in all their detail that the Parliament can understand how a health professional like myself has become radicalised by the process which has occurred here. As an ethical person I abhor lies.

Funding Before Consent Given
At that public meeting in February 2009 we were told that a Development Application was to be submitted to council and that there would be the usual process of having it on exhibition for public comment. At that time I was not aware that Events NSW had already signed a contract with RRA, nor that both Events NSW and the TSC were advertising this event on their websites. Garry Connelly told the meeting that there was no “Plan B” should the DA not be approved and that RRA thought it most unusual that a “hallmark” event such as the WRC should be subjected to the DA process. Living in the tightly regulated Tweed Shire as we do, the audience laughed at his naivety.

When the DA promised for the end of March failed to appear by May, apparently the chair of the FIA contacted our Premier to ask for assurance that the event would take place as planned in September. One criticism many of us have of RRA is that they must be extremely incompetent administrators to have received office space and funding in September 2008 and yet not been able to lodge a DA by May 2009. More of their incompetence later.

Equity Issues: One Law for Them and Another for Us
I had a prior commitment that took me out of the region from April to the end of June and was horrified when I came back to read the Motor Sports (WRC) Bill 2009, as it overturned no less than 7 environmental protection laws and 5 laws pertaining to public safety. I am not an unreasonable person, but by enacting this Bill it would appear that the NSW Parliament acted extremely unwisely and cynically: one law for friends and allies of the various Ministers and another for the rest of us. It smacks of Animal Farm, a book the Minister would do well to read.

Why have planning laws if they can be overturned at the drop of a hat? What is to stop the general public fromdriving at high speed through our National Parks at the height of the breeding season? It makes a mockery of planning laws and indeed makes a mockery of the rule of law which keeps us all safe.

Environmental concerns specific to Cudgera Creek Road
I believe the No Rally Group submission (among others) will go into detail about environmental concerns about the staging of the WRC rally event in our region. However, I would like to make one additional point in this submission: while he was preparing the Biolink report I informed Dr Steve Phillips that we have twice sighted a Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail on Cudgera Creek Road – once in the 1980s and once in 2008. Both times were in September. Little is known about this animal other than that it has the highest conservation status of all: listed as critically endangered on the National Register of Threatened Species. It looks like a large snail, i.e: like yet another stone on our road to anyone driving at any speed.

We also informed Steve of koala sightings, there being a colony immediately above one of the hairpins about 300m along from our main farm entrance. His botanist, Kris Kupsch is aware of the presence of eleocarpus williamsianus ('Hairy Quandong') on our farm ~80m below the road, as he was the first to use GPS to locate it. There are 11 stands of this critically endangered tree in the entire world, all within a 20km radius of our farm.

It is extremely remiss of Dr Phillips to fail to include this extremely rare plant and
critically endangered invertebrate in his report, especially given that he knew of their
existence. The Giant Fern is also present less than 1km from Cudgera Creek Road on
a neighbours farm.

On those grounds alone I contacted the Federal Minister for the Environment, as my understanding was that he had the power to set conditions for the event if it might threaten endangered populations (as he did with the Homebush V8 development, for instance, which impacted on the Green and Golden Bell Frog – whose endangered status is in a lower conservation category than both the snail and the hairy quandong).

Experiences of a Resident on a Gravel Road: Dangerous Driving, Theft, Trespass and Intimidation
I have already mentioned years of inadequate gravel road maintenance. What I am now going to submit is details of what happened at our place on recce day 2nd September 2009 and rally day 4th September 2009. We are ratepayers, we vote and pay taxes like everyone else and the four families who earn a living from our farm surely have a right to earn their livelihood.

On the evening of 1st September, aware the recce was speed limited to 60km/h and would have its first pass at 0830 the next morning, I placed some rally protest signs at the top of our driveway. They were painted on corrugated iron sheets roughly 2.4m in length (see photo below of one of them).

Early Wednesday we tied a banner to our bottom gate. Rally recce started at 0830, with 3 batches of around 15 cars driving at reasonably slow speeds for the first pass. As Wednesday is also picking and packing day for the Byron Farmers Market and as we had been having dry weather, we needed to constantly drive down to the veggie patch to refuel and check on our irrigation pump. This meant that my partner and I could not avoid making several trips along the 1.1km stretch of Cudgera Creek Road between our top driveway and the bottom gate by which we access the market garden at the bottom of our farm.

I understand it would have been frustrating for the rally car drivers to get stuck behind our lumbering 4WD tractor on our narrow road, but we had made the Operations Manager aware we would be doing this (as we do every Monday and Wednesday) and had been told it was OK to do go about our usual premarket business that day. My son had borrowed my car the day before so when he returned it I had to drive him home - this was around 1230. I'd waited until then as I thought most of the recce cars would have made their second pass, and we had to catch the P.O before it closed at 1300, as the mail is collected before it re-opens at 1330 and I had no stamps.

At the top of the driveway I realised someone had stolen our signs between when I checked at 1030 and when we drove out at1230. I decided to drive down and check that the banner on the bottom gate had not been stolen too. Just as I was getting back in my car my partner came back up the hill for lunch, closely followed by a water tanker which had no doubt been delivering water to neighbours (as the road showed no signs of having been watered).

I was standing on the hairpin corner at our top drive and I could see a rally car approaching at speed down the hill towards me. Out of his vision around the corner was my partner driving the tractor up towards our driveway. I was extremely concerned that the rally car was going to smash into my partner as there was nowhere for the tractor to get off the road, so I flagged the car down. Initially I didn't think he was going to stop but luckily he realised I was serious so he did – he came to a halt behind my car facing the
outside of the hairpin at right angles to the road, with his tail halfway across it (it’s about 2.5 cars wide just on the corner). My partner drove past him to turn into our drive, I was in front of him facing down the road towards the bottom gate. The water
tank driver continued past heading towards Burringbar.

As we were running late for the post office and I did not want to risk a broken windscreen from the rally driver (car number 4, Jarri Latvala) speeding past us, and as he was making heavy weather of getting back on track due to the loose gravel on the outside edge of that corner, my son and I headed off down to our bottom gate to see if the banner there had also been stolen - it had.

On the way down the hill towards our bottom gate Jarri caught up with us and was obviously keen to overtake, however it is not possible for the first 400m or so as the road is so twisty and narrow. As the road opened out I was about to indicate to pull over to the left when he overtook me on the INSIDE (left). Fortunately I swerved back onto the road to allow him to do this or he would have collected the left side of my car.

After checking the bottom gate I headed back towards Burringbar to catch the P.O. and report the theft and the dangerous driving to the marshals at the bottom of the road - they were stationed at the Burringbar quarry, about 3km back towards Burringbar. I met my partner heading back down the road on the tractor as he’d left something back down on the flat and stopped to discuss what we were doing – the usual sight on a rural road of a person in a car talking with a person on a tractor. I also warned him to watch out in case one of the 4 or so rally recce cars behind him decided to do something dangerous like overtake on the left, then headed off to report the stolen signs and dangerous driving to the marshals. They told me the only vehicle capable of carrying 2m corrugated iron they'd seen that day was a white truck with yellow sides – which sounded to me like a TSC truck we’d seen on the road earlier that day.

When I got back home about an hour later after taking my son home I discovered that the car which was the second car after Jarri had also overtaken my partner on the left at the point where the road widened enough to enable him to pull over out of its way. As suggested by the marshals, I rang and reported both these episodes to a volunteer at the Rally Hotline. I also rang the police to report the stolen signs – they suggested I ring council to see if they had been removed by a council officer and would not take my report until I had done this. After being put on hold at TSC for a lengthy period I hung up and did not pursue the matter of the stolen signs any further.

Later that day as I walked around our road boundary to ensure no other harm had been done, I noticed that the smooth surface council had spent nearly 3 weeks providing us with only the previous month was now in tatters - marble sized jagged gravel and powdered dust. It looked like photo 5, worse in some places.

SUMMARY OF RECCE DAY 2ND SEPTEMBER
2 cars illegally overtook on the left, three 2.4m lengths of corrugated iron and one handpainted banner stolen. Thefts reported to police who failed to record them and illegal driving reported to “Rally Central”. No action taken on illegal driving as those drivers continued in the competition. Road surface ruined, and partner, self and son placed at risk by dangerous and illegal driving.

On rally day, Friday September 4th, we got up early to check the goats would be fine
herded into their shed for the day to keep them safe. We also watered in a bit of blood and bone and dynamic lifter around our driveways to discourage spectators from trying to set up camp on our place. We did this as by now we had little trust in the organisational ability of RRA and doubted their ability to keep spectators off our property.

Our 2 main driveways on the farm are situated on the outside edge of hairpin bends, below the road and directly facing the oncoming vehicles, so according to the Clerk of the Course instructions given at the public meeting the previous Saturday we knew no-one should stand there as they would be a) directly in front of the cars as they raced down the hill and b) at risk of injury if a car came off the road or sprayed gravel and rocks over them. We had decided that smell might discourage trespassing spectators, and the plants at both driveways could probably do with being fertilised anyway.

When I drove down to Burringbar to pick up a few groceries at about 0830 I noticed a few young men camped out on the spur above our top driveway, sitting on eskies with beer in hands. They had parked their car in our neighbour's bananas so when I got home and saw 4 'crowd control' police and a highway patrol car at the top of our drive I reported the fact that the young men were trespassing on that spur of land, as it is owned by a couple who don't live there and we don't have their contact number. I also informed them that our neighbour up the hill probably didn't know she had a car parked on her place. Guests of our banana farmers, who had organised to have a BBQ in the bananas to watch the race, had already started arriving before 9am.

My son and a carload of his friends had followed me up the hill from Burringbar and all in all by the time the road was closed to the general public we had about 15 guests on our place. I explained the importance of not standing below the road, on the outside of hairpin bends and in front of oncoming vehicles to each one of our visitors. Several of them elected to watch the rally from the spur above our driveway and I informed them this would be trespassing. At that stage we had 7 police officers at the top of our driveway and I explained the safety issues to them as well as they were standing in the 'danger zone'.

Around 1015 we drove down to the bottom gate to check no-one was trespassing on our land down there. There was no-one there so we came home, where we found a council truck shovelling the manure behind the two large rocks which delineate our top boundary. There were also three people bearing official WRC media tags who wanted to park their car on our place. We politely informed them that we had no intention to allow anyone we didn't know onto our place and that Rally Australia could have and should have asked us first. They tried to barter the fact they'd give the protest international internet cover if we let them park there but as an official NRG spokesperson with plenty of air time I didn't feel we needed it so asked them to leave.

I also explained that at the public meeting the previous week I had made it very clear to the Clerk of the Course that no-one other than our guests and the police would be allowed onto our place and that, in my opinion, Rally Australia was extremely disorganised not to have organised a parking place for them and that I felt they (RRA) couldn't organise a piss-up at a barbie: this brought a smile to their faces and the faces of our (by now resident) police officers. The police officers escorted them away to park elsewhere.

We then went home to cook a big breakfast as it felt it had already been a long day even though the rally had not even started. My partner walked up to the top of the drive to check on the situation while I was making the coffee but when he got there he discovered a race marshal trying to park his car at the banana packing shed.

As previously stated, I had made it quite clear to the Clerk of the Course at the safety briefing that the only people allowed onto our farm on that day were to be our guests and the police. She had not sought permission for marshals to park their vehicles on our place and I had assumed the marshals would be bussed in by the organisation.

By this stage it was quite evident that the police were not going to assist us to maintain
order, so my partner came back to the house and drove the tractor to the top of the drive in order to block it so no-one else could trespass onto our place. By then the road had been closed to everyone except people on rally business.

It was around 1040 and the race was expected to come through shortly after 1100. When my partner returned from parking the tractor I had just finished brewing the coffee when the 15 y.o. son of the banana farmer came down to the house and told us that the police wanted him to move his tractor. I asked him to let them know we'd be up when we'd had breakfast - thinking it rather rude and extremely unprofessional of the police to
send a minor with that request.

About 10 minutes later 3 policemen walked down to the house (which is about 250m from the top of the drive) and the first thing that one of them said was: "I am going to have to arrest you and charge you with intimidation" to my partner. We had assumed they'd be asking us to move the tractor so were naturally quite taken aback by this. It turned out that the marshal had taken offence to him parking the tractor close to where he'd set up his seat (on our land).

Fortunately one of the policemen was a Kingscliff local and defused the situation by telling us he just wanted to find out what had happened when my partner parked the tractor. Apparently his foot had slipped off the clutch pedal as he switched the engine off and the marshal wrongly assumed he'd intentionally made the tractor lurch towards him (even though the driveway is about 5m west of the place the marshal was sitting). We settled the issue by the police parking their vehicles to block our drive from further trespass. They told us they would be staying for the rally as they were obviously concerned about the increasing numbers of people crowding onto the narrow spur above our driveway – as you can see from the photo below it had become an unofficial spectator point, something we had been repeatedly assured would not be allowed to happen.

As the police were leaving to sort this new parking arrangement out, the one who spoke first told me: “What are we supposed to expect, you have protest signs at the top of the driveway, potential missiles (which turned out to be the fertiliser which I certainly had no intention of touching, let alone throwing) and you’re wearing a Tshirt with protest slogans".

I politely informed him that I was involved in police liaison and that NRG had a written agreement to be co-operative with reasonable police requests and that our farm was not a registered protest site. He said no more after he heard I'd personally met Michael Kenny, however it raised doubts in my mind about whether the imported crowd control police had had any briefing whatsoever about our peaceful protest protocol.

The two rally marshals who had set up near the top of the driveway had set their seats
as shown in the photo below: on the outside of a corner, below the road and directly facing oncoming rally cars.

I did not want to argue with the marshals as I was not sure I could retain my composure as I was feeling extremely stressed about how we were going to deal with all these people on our land and on the spur opposite who might be at risk of injury.

To understand how I feel you must appreciate that as a medical practitioner I am obliged to render assistance should anyone be injured and having seen WRC footage in which spectators were skittled by rally cars I had a sense of foreboding at what could possibly happen on our land if people persisted in disobeying the safety instructions of the Clerk of the Course.

In order not to assume negligence on their part, I would hope that the marshals had not received as comprehensive a safety briefing as was given to the general public, and that they had not heard Garry Connelly's claims about public safety at the public meeting in February.

I had contacted Harold Carter from CASA 2 weeks before the rally to establish a 'no go'
zone over our farm. One of our objections to this event is the unreasonable burden it places on rural residents to safeguard the welfare of their livestock and their livelihood. We had been intending to breed our small flock of goats last year, but when we realised they would be kidding at the same time as the rally came through we decided not to risk spontaneous abortion and failure of bonding due to stress caused by the noise of the rally cars and low-flying helicopters.

When he visited the farm in April, Bob Newman had informed us that the official FIA media helicopters had gyroscope cameras which could zoom in from above the regulation 500’ and that they would have no need to fly lower than that. He also informed us (when pressed for an answer) that there would be no compensation for lost productivity. So after contacting Mr Carter to ensure that the RRA pilots knew where we were and that we had asked for the usual 500’ minimum height of flight in a rural area I was very upset to see how low the helicopters actually flew. As a result I spent most of the rally day in the goat shed calming them down to ensure they did not escape and put themselves and the rally drivers at risk.

Some of the photographs included in this submission were taken by a friend who visited us on rally day expressly to bear witness to the event. His name is Andy Yeomans and he has made a separate submission containing more photographs, including shots of children crossing the road between rally cars. You will notice that some shots are taken from a position where he has put himself in the “danger zone”. I would like to assure the review chair and the NSW Parliament that he did this fully informed of the risks and in full view of the marshals and police who made no attempt to stop him.

As the only NRG spokesperson available to speak that day (the others being situated in places with no mobile phone coverage), during the course of the afternoon of 4th September I was kept busy fielding calls about an incident at Byrrill Creek where that stage was cancelled due to a concern for driver safety. Various reports I had from DS Sheehan, NRG members and the media itself (ABC local radio, NBN News and the Tweed Daily News amongst others) were that there had been a report of a rock or rocks thrown at a rally car or cars, that a fence had been cut and cows let out onto the road and that rocks and sticks had been placed on the road.

As it now transpires, none of this happened and no charges have been laid. I had extreme difficulty fielding these calls from the goat shed with the backfiring of rally cars and chopping of helicopter rotors in the background adding to the already crackly mobile phone reception we have up on the farm. I was widely quoted from my ABC radio interview as saying that: “It is highly regrettable that anybody would stoop to violence, however I can understand where it comes from. It comes from that sense of people being disempowered: what are they to do?”

This statement, which in no way condones violence, later backfired on the group as it was considered too mild mannered a response to the claims that ‘drivers were pelted with stones’ (Reuters). Online prorally fora threatened rocks thrown at protestors.

What is highly regrettable is that Superintendent Michael Kenny is quoted in the New York Times of 4th September as saying: “The protesters involved in this rock-throwing incident have shown total disregard for the safety of competitors and officials involved in today’s stage of the event.” No reference to the fact it was at best a rumour hence should have been reported as “alleged”. Ultimately the most regrettable thing of all is that this event ever came to our peaceful region.

SUMMARY OF RALLY DAY 4TH SEPTEMBER
Unofficial spectator point established without permission of owner of property. Police notified of this and no action taken. Intimidation by police of farmer protecting property from invasion by unknown people. Marshals disobeying instructions of Clerk of the Course. Children crossing road between rally cars. Landowners the only ones attempting to maintain public safety. WRC media helicopters flying below agreed 500’ limit. High ranking police lied to the media.

Police Bias and Dangerous Driving
As then secretary of the No Rally Group and as one of their police and media liaison people, at around 0930 on Saturday 5th September I joined the planned protest by the
Murwillumbah – Kyogle Road at Barkers Vale Primary School. I stood behind the fog line as previously arranged with the police and crooked my little finger at rally car drivers and through traffic alike. On one occasion I noticed a protestor (not anyone I had previously met through NRG) using the wrong finger. I explained which finger we were to use in order to highlight the low opinion we have of speeding and he complied.

At one stage bare bottoms were exposed to lighten the mood: I wore boxer shorts with the slogan “NO RALLY” painted on them.

I continued to receive numerous calls from the media about the alleged rock throwing incident at Byrrill Creek the previous day and asked DS Sheehan if he could clarify what had happened. He told us that the matter was under investigation and it was his understanding that a marshal had reported the incident and that there was video evidence.

I witnessed several incidents in which vehicles travelling the Murwillumbah – Kyogle road swerved at protestors. On one occasions a vehicle span its wheels as it took off towards Kyogle. I rang DS Sheehan to inform him of one incident which occurred before he arrived from Murwillumbah, asking him to send police to locate a maroon 4WD heading towards Murwillumbah which had swerved at a protestor on the northern side of the road. This 4WD had QLD plates and had children in it. When I asked him if he could get the police to locate it, DS Sheehan assured me that he was the police so it was in his power to apprehend the driver: when he later arrived at the school he told us that he had not seen the vehicle.

We heard that the hall we had planned to use as a marshalling point for our protest at
Green Pigeon was being used for a memorial service and that some members of NRG and 7th Generation had been threatened out there, so I and several others decided to drive out there to cancel the protest at that site as we were unable to raise anyone by phone (reception is poor at best in this region and although I carry a 'farmers phone'
few of our members were as well equipped).

Carolyn Latham accompanied me as we thought it safest to travel in pairs after having
witnessed the damgerous driving of rally spectators earlier that day. We had some difficulty leaving the carpark outside the Lillifield Community Centre as the crowd control police had crossed the road and were standing in a line facing the protestors. I explained to them why I needed to get through and they let us through but apparently other cars had difficulty leaving (I believe the details are in the police report).

On the way to Green Pigeon Carolyn and I witnessed several episodes of dangerous
driving where we were overtaken on double white lines as we neared blind corners. She has further details of what happened when she tried to get these followed up by police in her own submission to the review. Because I was planning to stay at Lillifield that night I was driving our farm ute which has a canopy on the back - a comfortable place to roll out the swag. Unfortunately it has a high mileage diesel engine and is slow on hills, which may have caused some impatience in the following traffic but there were few places to pull off and the road is narrow and tortuous: I did what I could to get out of the way of following vehicles but was for the most part stymied by the road. Most corners had a recommended speed of 35 – 45 km/h.

Elizabeth and Megan Jack have made separate submissions about dangerous driving they witnessed during that trip. We were extremely frightened by being overtaken as we approached blind corners, given that if a car did appear coming the other way there was really nowhere to get off the road, as you can see from the photo below.

About 2 km from Kyogle on the road out to Green Pigeon we met protestors travelling the other way and stopped to arrange who would go out to Green Pigeon to cancel the protest there. While we were discussing this by the side of the road, a couple of police vehicles stopped to ask what we were doing. They appeared to think we were planning a roadblock so we explained the situation. I later heard that the police were pleased we had acted responsibly to ensure no clashes with the people at the memorial service at the Green Pigeon hall.

Later that evening I spent some time with NRG media spokesperson Andrea Vickers and 7th Generation media spokesperson Peter Lanyon preparing a media release. As we wished to be 100% sure of our facts and DS Sheehan and Superintendent Michael Kenny were unavailable we contacted another of the officers we had met during prerally liaisons (I can’t remember his name – possibly Craig Newman?) to ask for clarification on the rock throwing story which had made headlines internationally. We were told a marshal had video footage of a rock or rocks being thrown at a rally car but that the footage had not been secured.

It now transpires (a stated by Acting Area Commander Loy in Murwillumbah on 3rd February 2010) that no charges were laid because no rocks were thrown: “It didn’t happen, end of story”.

In my opinion the police did a lot of harm to public safety by failing to highlight that this was an allegation. If they do not formally apologise for the harm done there should be an Inquiry. As rally spectators assumed that actual rocks had been thrown at the drivers, they reacted by driving dangerously and throwing missiles at peaceful protestors who were doing nothing other than exercising their right to creative free speech. Ultimately the police have a hard enough job without allowing rumours to spread which increase the risk to public safety.

I participated in the protest at Uki on Sunday 6th September and at one stage spoke
through the PA belonging to Graeme Dunstan of the Peacebus. Graeme is a Northern Rivers man who is not a member of NRG or 7th Generation but wished to help by providing his PA system so we could broadcast our reasons for the protest. The police behaved most professionally at this protest location, although when I first arrived there they had been unwilling to let us set up where planned. They allowed a person dressed in a kangaroo costume to lie on the pedestrian crossing and did not take offence at irrelevant and potentially antagonising statements from Mr Dunstan.

The final protest site was the side of the road opposite what we refer to as the 'Pit Stop' at the Cudgen Leagues club. When I arrived there I noted that we had been corralled behind a plastic mesh fence on the southern side of ?? road, and that crowd control police were across the road from us. The situation turned nasty after the end of the rally though, as people driving down the road slowed down to yell abuse and returned our “little pinkies” with a much more inappropriate finger. One friend was subjected to eggs being thrown at her, another fellow had sour milk thrown at him and yet others had beer cans being thrown at them. There was no evidence of an RBT presence (unlike the Byron Blues Festival or other major regional events) and police officers including DS Sheehan appeared reluctant to do anything about the missiles being thrown at us in spite of us giving them the details of the vehicles concerned.

Over the next couple of days my previously high opinion of the NSW Police Force slipped still further when I received a bizarre telephone call from Superintendent Kenny in which he asked me what colour councillor Katie Milne’s car was. Apparently a purple vehicle had been seen by council workers depositing frozen animals on Clothiers Creek Road. This was the second reference he had made to frozen roadkill, the first being during one of our pre-rally police liaison meetings. I did not know what colour councillor Milne’s car is and told him this. I asked him when we were to have the post-rally debrief with the police and was told this phone call was it. I explained that my understanding (which I double-checked with Mary Willis from 7th Generation as being correct) was that we were to meet face-to-face as we had in August. I was due to leave for a one month locum interstate that Sunday and made it clear it would be preferable to meet before then while it was all fresh in our minds.

On Tuesday 8th September the No Rally Group met as previously planned to discuss what had worked and what hadn’t during the protests. We met immediately prior to the TSC council meeting which we adjourned to at around 1715 as some of us had booked to speak there at 'Community Access'. During the NRG meeting, at about 1700, I received another telephone call from Superintendent Michael Kenny in which he told me that photographic evidence had been secured regarding the rock throwing incident at Byrrill Creek. As residents of that road were at our meeting I asked them if they had seen any such behaviour – they hadn’t. As previously stated, this was also far from the truth as subsequent events have shown that the whole rock-throwing allegation was at best a rumour and at worst an attempt to discredit our grass roots organisation and sabotage the police liaison process and cause rifts in the community.

Councillor Youngblutt lied to us at that council meeting: he said that the police had informed him that they not only had photos but also had names and arrests were being made as the meeting was in progress. This same councillor is on record as referring to the voters of the Tweed as “morons” but only just scraped in at the elections in 2008 – a fact which voters of the Tweed believe belies his own statement about us being a pack of morons. As he made the outrageous statement about arrests being made only about 20 minutes after I had spoken with Superintendent Kenny I knew it to be a lie, however Community Access etiquette prevented me from stating this.

One final point I wish to make: if the NSW Government intended to unite a community against it then it has done an excellent job. Personally, as someone who avoids conflict by choice, I am appalled at how effectively the Government has disenfranchised the community and feel obliged to point out that this was an exceptionally stupid thing to do. When the one stage which was cancelled was the one about which all sorts of rumours of illegal behaviour made headlines, it sends the message that the police liaison process does not work and actually encourages the very same unlawful behaviour we all sought to avoid.

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This event was staged in the wrong place – this is a region of high conservation values which should be recognized as such and treated accordingly. Our eco-tourism status is at risk, as are our unique and endangered flora and fauna. This event must not come back to the Northern Rivers

· Events NSW should have researched what events are appropriate to our region

· If Events NSW would have been accountable to the people of NSW we would have had an independent cost-benefit analysis. It should therefore be made accountable as it is our public money they are spending

· In order to assure voters of transparency and impartiality we need an independent cost-benefit analysis on this event done now

· This event has been extremely damaging to community cohesion and social goodwill

· People in authority (police officers and local councillors) have lost credibility
with the community as they have lied to us

· The NSW State government has radicalised and united a group of people who have the best interests of this region at heart and we intend to continue to work together

· If this event does comes back to the Northern Rivers region expect more opposition now the extent of the lies and misinformation has been exposed

· If it’s too hard to get out of the contract then simply take this event somewhere where it is wanted. See the debate about the WRC Bill (in Hansard June 2009) for ideas about suitable areas: several MPs actually asked for it to be given to their electorates

For the record: at the public meeting organised for the review in Murwillumbah on 3rd February, of roughly 110 attendees 95 were against the rally, 7 for and the others failed to tick the box. It was inequitable that Mr Cahill asked for one pro rally speaker for every no rally speaker. If this event was such an overwhelming success, where were its supporters?

Finally, I would like to quote from Barack Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope”, written during his first two years as a US senator: “In a democracy the most important office is the office of citizen”(12). We get to vote for our representatives and we plan to hold them accountable for their actions.

Dr Fiona McCormick
B.Med, DRANZCOG, FRACGP

References:
1. ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing, CAT 2068.0 Age by sex, Tweed Local Government Area
2. Road Traffic Crashes in NSW 2007. Published by the NSW Centre for Roads Safety
3. RTA leaflet on Crashes involving Young Drivers
4. Report of the 2003 Gravel Roads Review, published in the minutes of TSC meeting 7 May 2003 pp 156 – 172 (Attachment 1)
5. Tweed Shire Council memo July 2009 (Attachment 2)
6. Warn, J. R., Tranter, P. J. and Kingham, S. (2004) Fast and Furious 3: Illegal street racing, sensation seeking and risky driving behaviours in New Zealand . 27th Australasian Transport Research Forum , Adelaide , 29 September – 1 October 2004.
7. Relationships between interest in motor racing and driver attitudes and behaviour amongst mature drivers: An Australian case study Paul Tranter, JamesWarn: Accident Analysis and Prevention 40 (2008), pp 1683–1689
8. Go to the official Repco Rally Australia website, under the “Spectators” menu click on the “Official Tour” drop down box: http://rallyaustralia.com/wpcontent/ uploads/2009_rally_aus_tour_brochure.pdf and you will find this disclaimer is page 5 Accessed 15th February 2010 (Attachment 3)
9. Statement by General Manager of TSC Mike Rayner in minutes of TSC meeting 17th March 2009, p 92
10. Attachment 4 – Resident Survey form
11. Attachment 5 – questionnaire administered to Cudgera Creek residents in July 2009
12. Barack Obama: “The Audacity of Hope” Text Publishing Company 2006, p 135

National Parks & Wildlife have given two licences to Bathurst Regional Council to shoot 140 kangaroos on Mnt Panorama, home of Bathurst’s car race to be held in 2 weeks.

The Western Advocate said they were advised this was for “public safety” for the race.

The NSW Wildlife Rescue and Education Service, WIRES[1] members have to continually deal with kangaroos at Mount Panorama tangled in fences, hit by cars, dispersing into suburbs etc.

These are the last of the actual town’s kangaroos – the last of thousands of generations that have been pushed into the small pocket of Mnt Panorama and managing to survive.

Out of proportion

140 roos is certainly much more than the 15% allowed in commercial killing zones, and observers who have walked the environs over many years specifically noting the kangaroos in the area, suggest this represents most of the remaining population there. NPWS reportedly refused to answer the question of what percentage it represents.

National Parks and Wildlife have also reportedly refused to answer the following questions, which should also be asked of Bathurst Council:

· How many kangaroos are actually up on the Mount and its “nature reserves” and environs?

· What consideration has been given to the wallaroos and swamp wallabies on the Mount – are they to be shot also?

· What is happening to the young at foot – who are still fed by their mothers?

· What about the young in pouch?

· What consideration is given to the big male roos, who represent the most important genetic lines for the future?

· Has any consideration been given to creating corridors to allow roos to disperse, eg at the back of the Mount?

· Where is the kangaroo management plan that has determined this is to happen after due consideration of all other ecological factors – or is this a knee jerk reaction to terrified kangaroos on the racing track at last year’s Big Race?

Do the race sponsors condone this cruelty?

Questions of the sponsors of the race – SuperCheap Auto; Lawrence & Hanson; XXXX beer; as well as the sponsors of the driving teams

· Would you be proud to publicise that 140 kangaroos were shot as part of the preparation for the Bathurst 1000 race?

Are you prepared to allow this to happen without a whimper?

WIRES spokesperson, Helen Bergen, in Bathurst, said, "Platitudes to do with 'public safety' (the big race) [and even with] with 'sustaining the kangaroo population' [!] do not provide answers to the questions above.

"Is this how we thoughtfully care for our wildlife? This is how wildlife disappears from our landscapes – and we accept it as inevitable, so make no noise as it happens."

What you can do

Bathurst NPWS, Bathurst Regional Council, the media and the race sponsors all need to realise that some people feel extremely distressed about this situation.

Motor Racing Circuit Bathurst (official Bathurst Regional Council website):-

http://www.mount-panorama.com/contact-us
PMB 17 or 158 Russell Street
Bathurst
NSW
2795

02-6333 6158
02-6331-7211

NOTES

[1] WIRES - NSW Wildlife Rescue and Education Service is the largest wildlife rescue group in the country and has branches across NSW.
The website is www.wires.org.au

Anyone who has been in awe at the beauty of nature, its perfection of form and the delights it brings to the heart, the soothing of 21st century stress and upliftment of the soul would most likely have had the same response that I had while observing outrageously loud and wrecklessly fast racing cars shatter the silence as they ripped through the most pristine rainforests of Australia ....

See also: "After six days of anti-Rally protestor vilification, rock throwing allegations admitted to be false" of 11 Sep 09

Originally published

9 Sep 09.

On Saturday September 5, 2009 I found myself sitting on damp rainforest soil on Urliup Drive, Dulguigan, a riot policeman stationed to guard me just 3 metres away, standing on the road itself as we waited for the first of 30 race cars in the World Rally Championship for this year. It had been a total of five arduous months campaigning to stop this damn rally - all to no avail since it was ushered through by the NSW Rees government, given special treatment, all environmental laws were overridden and no development application was required. Nor would there be any liability for Repco if any deaths of drivers/spectators occurred.

I had arrived early to help my friend who lives on the road put up banners as there were very few protesters on this stage. We had been putting up the posters for hours as every time we'd put one up, the riot squad would come along and tell us why that was not a good position so we'd keep looking. In the end they were not very visible as the police themselves stood in front of some of them.

My emotions were mixed - how would I react? Would a secret love of fast cars emerge even though in my heart I knew this was the wrong place? Or would I go into meltdown worrying about what the animals who lived in this pristine rainforest might be feeling?

I had hoped to be alone as I sensed this might be an emotional experience for me, but the police were certain that we five protestors (who incidentally were mainly all over 50 years of age, grey-haired, professionals, not dirty hippies from Nimbin, as we are constantly being accused of being) would be hurling ourselves in front of the vehicles travelling 160kph on this extremely narrow, winding, precipitous road with ravines falling away to one side.

Many hours had passed as various service vehicles had passed through, all going quite fast and stirring up the dusty road which had been specially graded for the event. There were 'sweeper' vehicles that made sure no branches or rocks had been placed there by protesters, police, security, the sirens to 'scare animals away', approximately eight riot police and highway patrol.

The last and most hilarious vehicle to come through were the 'koala spotters' which consisted of two individuals standing on the back of a ute with their heads looking skyward at the tall trees above, supposedly looking for koalas. Koalas are extremely difficult to detect especially in a moving vehicle, and impossible unless you are experienced, especially in this dense rainforest. How on earth they were supposed to have time to stand at the foot of the tree and guard them or erect fences around the tree to contain them, when the first cars were coming in about 10 minutes was a mystery to me. And what about koalas who were already on the ground?

Repco had promised that creeks would have barriers to protect the pristine waters should one of the cars end up in the creek but none were erected either on this stage or other stages that I could see. They were supposed to be erected (so we were told at a Residents Meeting by Repco several days prior). They also promised wildlife carers would assist in the case of injured animals, but that was another lie - none of the wildlife carers wanted to have anything to do with this rally, on principle. It was bad enough that this was a busy time of year for them without having more animals injured by an unnecessary, disrespectful car rally foisted on them, all without financial compensation of course.

As I sat there contemplating how the animals might be feeling at the radical increase in traffic on a normally rarely used road which would by now have 100-200 rally supporters staked at various sections by the road, I tried to engage the riot policeman in normal conversation but his only comment was 'My job is to make sure that you stay there and not come onto this road. I'm here to protect you, even though you say you won't come onto the road.'

"This is so boring" I said to him. "We could right now all be walking through this amazing rainforest, in awe of the trees and the animals. Instead we are sitting here waiting interminably for the racing cars which will be gone in a blink of an eye followed by a trail of dust that will obscure this idyllic view we have right now...." He continued to chew gum and ignore my comment. It seemed very hard to penetrate the exterior of this robot-like human. What was he thinking? Did he like his job?

The owner of this property and 3 fellow protesters were further down, similarly guarded by one riot policeman each. We were the only protesters on this stage and, with the exception of one young gardener in his late 20s, were all over 50 years of age and professionals - hardly the stereotyped Nimbin hippies who didn't have a job or a life and hardly the types to hurl ourselves in front of cars or hurl boulders at the race cars. Still the riot police had told me several days before that they were brought to this area to 'stop the protesters from destroying the road' and they still had it in their mind that this is what our intention was. Furthermore, the day before two stages had been stopped by protesters at Byrrill Creek and the police were very nervous that protesters might try something at the other stages, such as hurling our bodies in front of racing cars. That would make world headlines and draw negative attention to this rally - the last thing they wanted.

Suddenly I heard the most terrifyingly loud sound from around the mountain that filled my heart with terror. The car was only seconds away now and I steeled myself for what felt like World War III. By the time it was level with where we were I found myself involuntarily screaming at the top of my lungs "NO!!!!" but the driver ignored me and flew by leaving me with my mouth agape in horror and shock barely able to enunciate the words 'You're MAD!! Completely INSANE!" I was not enjoying this to put it mildly. In fact I began to sob uncontrollably in spite of the fact that the cop was there, protecting me. As I slowly regained control I once again tried to engage the cop:

"This is SO WRONG! To have an event like this in this beautiful rainforest. What about the animals? How do they feel? Doesn't anyone even care?" The clouds of dust blanketed every square centimeter of flora and fauna for some distance, obscuring what was previously paradise. Once again I asked him to please step off the road as it was dangerous for him to be there and invited him to come higher up onto the bank closer to where I was but he refused. "No I'm staying right here and if you move I will follow wherever you go to make sure you don't go on the road."

Minutes later the second car came, in much the same way, outrageously loud and fast. Once again I began screaming and sobbing "Please forgive them they don't know what they are doing" - I felt the etheric and energetic fields of this area being shattered, fractured and it distressed me profoundly. It felt like a total violation of everything that is sacred, pure, beautiful. To put it mildly, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I was starting to sink into a bottomless pit of pain and despair when the third car came through. It was then I began to realise that I was suffering from a total emotional breakdown. I found myself barely able to move as I fell onto the nearest tree trunk and put my arms around it saying over and over "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, so sorry" trying desperately to tell this beautiful Earth that I love so much the pain I was feeling.

The policeman had no idea how to deal with anyone in trauma but I could feel that I needed to get away from here as soon as possible but was unable to help myself. Luckily my friends came by (they were bored and angry) and helped me by picking me up and letting me lean on them as I staggered through the forest back to the house, riot cop in tow. Every time another car went by I would fall to the ground, prostate, overwhelmed with grief. Eventually I made it back to the house where I collapsed.

A bit later I picked up the phone and called Garry Connelly, the Manager of Repco Rally Australia and told him about the effect his rally was having on me. He said "I'm sorry you don't like rallying, most people do". I disputed that saying no public consultation had taken place which he tried to defend saying that 400 people living on the stages had been interviewed, even though we have never seen this social study. I asked him to please take this rally somewhere else away from World Heritage areas, national parks, koala colonies and endangered species to a desert or a racetrack. He replied that there was just as much biodiversity in a desert as here and that a racetrack would not be a rally anymore. Besides there was a rally here before in this area 40 years ago. I reminded him that times have changed and people are a bit more environmentally conscious these days. He pointed to a 700+ page ecological report (which was not worth the paper it was written on as it was surveyed in autumn not breeding season and was only for 1 year not 10-20 years) and said that Repco was environmentally friendly. I told him that rallying was NOT eco-tourism and in fact was an assault on our environment - even a 2 yr old can see that! But Connelly couldn't as he suffers from extreme myopia and talking to him is an exercise in futility.

After the stage ended, the riot policeman who was guarding me came to the house to see if I was OK and get my details. He said "Are you OK?" which I thought was pretty nice of him and I could tell by the look on his face that it was a sincere question. I looked into his eyes and said "No, I'm not all right! I'll never be all right until this rally goes somewhere else! I feel like I have been violated, raped. I love this forest, and all the creatures, even the insects and it hurts me to see man at war with nature." He said "I can see that". WOW! He meant it, he really could see it! His face had softened and behind the hard exterior was a real human being. Perhaps he was just very worried that I would jump onto the road and he would lose his job and now he saw that I didn't he could relax and be real. I hoped that I had somehow opened his mind to another way of perceiving this world and that he would remember me.

My friend drove me home where I again collapsed. Meanwhile the two residents who were protesting checked the condition of their road surface. A week earlier it had been beautifully graded by council who decided, serendipitously that after 8 years it was 'due' for an upgrade. And this is what they found - rubble and pitted and gravel strewn everywhere, car tyres were within 1 cm of the ravines falling steeply away to the side.

Never again could I look at a rally video and not remember this experience of intense connectedness with the web of life and feeling the pain all over again. How I wish everyone on the planet could love and respect this wondrous earth! If they don't they don't deserve to live here. Let them go live on the moon until such time as they realise just how lucky we are because this earth is dying and soon it will be too late to turn it around.

Rallies are NO solution to the planetary crises facing us now. They only solidify the perception that our world is here for us to use in any way we want for our own pleasure and to hell with everything else!

Anthropocentrism or Biocentrism - you choose.

See also: "After six days of anti-Rally protestor vilification, rock throwing allegations admitted to be false" of 11 Sep 09

For those in the Tweed/Kyogle area, please participate in the sociological survey found at http://www.tweedecho.com.au. Community feedback will be used to try and stop further rallies in this area so it is very important to take a few minutes to fill it out. Thank you.

Media Release from Greens Tweed Shire Councillor Katie Milne

A lot of questions need to be answered in relation to cancellation of the Byrill Ck stage and the media reporting. People need to calm down about this until the truth is established and the police do their job.

The SMH now has a story entitled 'Car Rally Rock Attacks False' yet our local media are still carrying on with the story. Garry Connolly of Rally Australia has stated to the SMH that "no cars were struck by rocks on Friday". Why did Garry let the media frenzy escalate for nearly a week before he clarified this?

Why has he not deigned to apologise for withholding this information and letting the vilification of the protestors go unchecked?

Why was there no qualification by media or police that this was all only alleged, and that according to Mr Connolly "there was never any evidence that cars were hit by rocks on that day"?

With all that police presence, dogs, trail bikes and helicopters with infa red technology, why was no one caught and not even a glimpse of the protestor recorded?
Why was there not even a photo released of the supposed boulders? Surely these boulders did not elude the police also? It's all too weird.

Whilst 12 laws were nullified to force this race through, people are still innocent until proven guilty, unless we have become a totally fascist state.

I have been criticised for not condemning this incident. Of course I condemn any violent protest action but how could I do that when there was no evidence that this happened? I was at Byrill Creek protesting peacefully and the first story I heard was that there were cows on the road. Then about 8 other stories followed, including that one of the drivers said that Byrill Ck was too dusty and the closeness of the trees made it too dangerous to race. I tried to see Superintendent Michael Kenny on Sunday when the rock throwing stories persisted but until Thursday I have had no reply.

The community appreciate the police assistance over the weekend especially when rally supporters tried to attack protestors on the two incidents I witnessed. But why has this or the others incidents of which I personally witnessed of projectiles been thrown at protestors not been reported in the media?

Violent and abusive behaviour by rally supporters escalated after the inflammatory reporting of the Byrill Ck incident with the worst report I heard of a car swerving into protestors at Kyogle where children were very close. Photographic evidence of a multitude of crossing double white lines by rally drivers was presented to Councillors on Tuesday. This is extremely life threatening behaviour but there is no condemnation of this by our pro rally Councillors or Mayor.

The reporting has been very one sided, hypocrisy abounds and it has been inciting hatred.

This has to stop. I am calling on all parties involved stop adding fuel to the fire and damaging the reputation of the No Rally groups and myself.

See also "Car rally rock attack story false" in the SMH of 10 Sep 09, "Missile shatters Rally car" in the Northern Star of 7 Sep 09. "Rock throwers halt world rally event", in the Herald Sun of 4 Sep 09.

ABC Australian news reported that someone somehow placed rocks on the road where rally cars would pass at some time prior to the Repco Rally event. Apparently stones or rocks were also thrown. See Rally rock-throwing 'could have killed', ABC news, September 5, 2009 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/05/2677430.htm

First day of the rally

The picture of the car trailing dust has been included for educational purposes because it shows how much dust is being thrown up by a rally car on the unpaved roads that pass through national parks of World Heritage significance. One can imagine the noise and the speed from the picture. Unless you like noise, speed, metal and dust, this would be a very unpleasant experience. For wildlife it could be a fatal experience. Politically it could represent a fatal breech in the wall of law that has preserved Australia’s wild spaces to date.

Would Repco race cars through a cathedral?

The idea alone of racing cars through national parks is appalling to many. With the position of National Parks in Australia it is a bit like racing cars through cathedrals in Italy or France, except that the damage it is likely to do in the long term is that much more significant.

It may not result directly in the extinction of endangered species but, whether it does or not, it is like a big breech in the wall. If government can get away with doing this to our National natural cathedrals, they may soon be running the equivalent of brothels in cathedrals there. Indeed, the same NSW government which overturned local democracy (the most immediate form of democracy) to force this race on Australians, is also apparently prepared to allow the Shooters Party to shoot indigenous animals in National Parks.

The car is not exactly an endangered species

Many of us live on highways or have to drive to work and find this difficult enough. It is amazing to think that the NSW Parliament actually legislated away 12 environmental laws in order to import such a rally to this area, which, to date, was a sanctuary for animals, trees and humans. The local inhabitants have complained of the risk to life for humans and other animals in the area.

Today we received a letter to candobetter.org claiming that “Greenies” threw rocks at the rally drivers.

“Rally Australia"

On September 5th, 2009 Jack (not verified) wrote:

"You greenies who are responsible for putting boulders on the road and throwing rocks might get charged with attempted manslaughter or murder if you are not careful. It is not a joke to do these things, one could expect it in a third world country but one would have hoped that in a so called educated society things like this would not happen. If you want to protest then do it in a more effective way than risking the life of another human being!”

The writer assumes that ‘Greenies’ were responsible for putting boulders on the road and throwing rocks. In fact we do not know who was responsible. However, let us take his other assertions in this paragraph. He says that we could expect such activity in a third world country, but not in an educated society. However it has been the anti-rally protesters’ contention that an educated society would not put a rally through international heritage rainforest national parks including 16 km of koala habitat. To many people the notion that we are an ‘educated society’ does not hold up because of this. Regarding third world societies: what are the criteria that make this kind of protest likely in the third world? Perhaps the quality of not having any other means to protest?

Is the writer actually unaware that 12 environmental laws were overturned to permit the rally?

Is the writer actually unaware that 12 environmental laws were overturned to permit the rally? This event has been enabled by the NSW Motor Sports (WRC) Bill 2009, which overrode 12 different planning, environmental protection and heritage laws and removed all right of appeal.[1] Or has his enthusiasm for the rally diminished the importance of this fact in his eyes? If that is the case, I suggest that he reconsider these inconvenient facts.

What more effective ways are open to people in the Green Cauldron? They have protested peacefully in the streets, written to politicians, and invoked the law. The response from the government was extreme: The government abrogated the very environmental laws that the people had invoked to stop the race. Then, when a councilor took the matter to the courts, she felt that it was given the bum’s rush. Behind the abrogation of the 12 environmental laws was pressure from Repco, a global corporation of retailers of car parts, which apparently had far more pull with the NSW Government than the democratic wishes of members of its electorate.

Even some of the competitors sound as if they understand.

"Some people don't like us in front of their house but I didn't ask to come here," French competitor, Loeb reportedly said.
"I can understand why some people don't like the rally, but I have to do my job."

Indeed he does. But the problems are not the fault of the people defending their rights and their environment. (Source: "Rock throwers halt Rally Australia", ABC News, 4 September.)

What would have been much better is if the FIA had adhered to its stated high principles of environmental standards and good governance, saying, “No, Premier Rees, we want to be good global citizens. You must find a venue for this event which is acceptable to your citizens. We cannot stand by and let you overturn your own peoples’ laws in order to run a mere race. It will not do our reputations or yours any good. People have a right to self-government. We cannot impose things they hate on them. The French Revolution taught us that.”

So much for an educated, first world society.

“And do not bother denying it had anything to do with your movement, you ARE tarred with the brush in the same way that you like to tar motorsport with the "hooning" brush.”

Why didn't the FIA or drivers stand up for democracy against Repco and the NSW Government?

It would be reassuring if people in the rally movement had stood up for democracy. Since they have not it is hard not to see them as hoons. And since their representatives have not spoken up, they look like representatives of hoons. Those perceptions will change when rally-people stand up for democracy and justice along with the environmentalists. As long as you do not you defend the wholesale destruction of laws by a dictatorial government. Candobetter.org cannot comment on allegations about people who used rocks as weapons since we have absolutely no idea who those people were. It is even conceivable that people wishing to give the environmentally concerned a bad name threw the rocks themselves. That would seem to me more likely since, from the point of view of an environmentalist – a person who defends wild spaces – throwing rocks is rather similar, although not as bad, as driving racing cars through world heritage landscapes and biodiverse hotspots.

False argument pretends area not worth protecting

"I watched the you tube video and I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life,
Mostly it looks like farming country, overgrown with weeds, so much for the environment."

I am not a resident of the area, but, to me this is what the videos have conveyed. We saw a koala crossing the road and we have been told elsewhere that the rally passes through 16km of koala habitat. We know that koalas are endangered. That, to me, is enough to tell me that the area cannot be totally degraded.

Secondly, it would not be surprising if the area is being degraded, given the kinds of forces it is subjected to. That is not the fault of environmentalists. The area was rural with forested parts. There is obviously a tension between rural, other commercial values and the environmental values of local constituents. Environmental has to win out, however, because the area is internationally recognized for its biodiverse and landscape qualities. Car races, shops and farms already take up substantial parts of this country and if we still cannot make a go of what we have already got economically, then destroying more wildlife habitat is not likely to help.

Impact of farming

"Farming does far more harm to the environment than Rally could ever do!

After having experienced Rally Australia in Western Australia for 18 years I can assure you that there will not be hundreds of wild animals killed, in any way!
If the people who live and run businesses in the towns involved have any clues they will see the prospects for adding value to what they do or in fact even starting up new ventures all because of the Rally."

Farming is certainly problematic because it converts wild-spaces for food. However the farms are already there. The rally was not. It was an additional stressor. As for the damage it might do. I have compared it to racing through cathedrals and I stand by that. This country is absolutely covered and ringbarked with roads, for Pete’s sake – how could racing car drivers possibly justify taking roadspace in National Parks? And, I do not see how you could argue to put a koala at risk just for some ephemeral potential ‘profits’ which will not sustain any human in the long term.

Little evidence for much touted 'economic advantages' and no amount of money could make this right

The Rally will bring economic benefit to the area and to the state in general, you lot rave on about eco tourism, I can assure you that if the area does indeed have something to offer then the Rally will bring thousands of international tourists.

The insistance that this rally will bring lots of money to Tweed has been knocked down over and over. Our definitions of what constitutes 'economic benefit' must differ.

"Same Rally cost WA tax-payers $6m+ p.a.

Previous speakers who praised the rally indicated that it will bring $100 million of value to the area. They do not understand what they are talking about. For example, $100 million over what period? It is certainly not for this one race that is coming up; nor for the one in two years time or the one in 10 years time. It is the accumulated value they think they might get if everything is done and all options are accepted between now and 2027. A more true picture comes from Western Australia. The Western Australian Government no longer wanted the rally, indicating that it was costing Western Australia $6 million a year and it was not getting economic value to make up for that $6 million." Source For more on the debate read here.

Our definitions of ‘eco-tourism’ must also differ. Who want’s tourists in national parks who come to watch noisy cars go round and round and tear up the earth and vegetation, kill wildlife, and pollute the atmosphere with petroleum fumes and dead soil organisms from the dust? How could anyone consider that desirable? For someone who likes quietly walking through a forest amid a community of other species, just like someone who might enjoy praying in a cathedral and looking up through the stained-glass windows and imagining they were in God’s house, your idea that racing cars through these quiet and otherly places might add to their ‘value’ seems really strange.

And the thing is, nature preservation does not cause the extinction of car-rallies, since there are roads for rallies everywhere, but roads and rallies do destroy nature. I mean, what environmentalists do and like does not stop rally fans from doing what they do and like somewhere else. For instance, the Goldcoast Super GP Rally will be staged next month, through city streets, just across the border from this one. However, if you want to do your thing in our quiet places, you destroy what we have. Look around you: the world is absolutely full of roads and noisy cars. Your kind of ‘paradise’ is proliferating daily. Ours isn’t. It is disappearing. Have a sense of proportion.

There is a huge contingent of International Rally people who follow the WRC around the world, just like the people who follow Tennis or Cricket or Footy, Yep just the same, and they will be coming to your part of the world, generally speaking they have a few bucks in their back pocket and have great fun unloading the stuff, so do not think there is no money to be made.

Obviously money is very important to you, much more important to you than beauty, wildlife, peace and quiet and democracy. Even if money were more important than place for environmentalists, it has already been shown many times that the rally has brought a net financial loss when costs are taken into account or no benefit to other communities where it has been held.

You need to try to see that environmentalists need to protect what they love and that rally values will harm what they treasure most. The rally is invading green environmental space and trying to change it. It has also destroyed democratic space, by forcing the overturning of laws. That alone should signal "Danger! Danger!" On the other side, environmentalists are not invading road-space. The huge contingent of International Rally people have lots of places made of concrete and tar and cement where they can go and they will possibly even be welcome there.

"If you think however that you should just need to stand in line with your hand out to get your share then you have your head in the sand (or somewhere else!)"

Honestly, this stuff about making lots of money out of these rallies just sounds like pie in the sky. After the rally has been run, however, I think that residents would be justified in demanding compensation for the trauma of having their democratic self-government annihilated and their environmental laws overturned, as well as their peace disturbed and their happiness destroyed by the need to go out of their way to try to protect what they love due to the failure of their governments to enforce protections which were available at law prior to the rally and were overturned because of the rally and for no other reason. Those environmentalists would be justified in demanding ongoing compensation since the intention is to continue to stage this rally for decades.

Democracy is the big question

"An event like this will always have those who are against having it, well we live in a democracy, so if it is taking place then there must be a higher number of people who want it than don't, bad luck!"

But that is the very problem. We DON'T live in a democracy in Australia anymore, and things have got particularly desperate in Tweed Shire due to the Repco Rally. By removing legal protections from the community's right to environmental protection and self-government the NSW Government has left the community in a situation of lawlessness and injustice. Did you not realise that 12 laws were put aside to run this rally? Why would the NSW government and Repco have had to go to such extraordinary lengths to impose the rally - and overturn democracy - if so many people, as you believe, wanted this rally? Why did they not just allow democracy to prevail, instead of removing it?

"I suggest that you greenies would be better off spending your time and money trying to fix up a couple of the countries biggest environmental disasters which are on your back doorstep, like the Murray Darling disaster for one!"

At candobetter we continue to represent problems with the Murray Darling and other threatened waters. If environmentalists were not busy defending multiple cherished places under attack by developers and now democracy under this rally, they would indeed have more time to dedicate to these ongoing other threats. If the rally were withdrawn from the Green Cauldron we could all get on with the other jobs.

[1] "" Source: http://www.norallygroup.org/

BYRRILL CREEK ROAD (Friday September 4th,
After driving for 7 hours along most of the Kyogle stages today, it became very apparent to me that the most idyllic of all the Repco rally routes is indeed Byrrill Creek. According to an independent survey done by a local resident Joanna Gardner, comprising accounts of sightings of threatened species by 18 neighbours on the road, some going back 15 years, this is core koala habitat which was not picked up by Repco's ecology report. (See youtube footage of a digitally sped up drive along Byrrill Creek Road including koala and platypus footage at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sw18zvU5yU and embedded on this page below)

The most distressing thing about this setting is the proximity of extremely pure water to the road. For example, Cabbage Tree Creek flows right over the water.

The nationally endangered Giant Barred Frog and the Fleays Barred Frog live in these creeks. Repco plans to erect barriers to protect the creeks from the massive amount of dust generated by the speeding cars - but how on earth can you stop dust flying over the top of these barriers? Massive amounts of dust deposited in the water during breeding season would kill the eggs and larvae of these endangered frogs. See how clean the water is on the right?

The wildlife in this most diverse habitat was similarly amazing. I saw animals I have never seen in my life and could not even identify - beautiful birds that live and forage by the side of the road. How would these birds fare with 100 rally cars screaming by at 200+ kph? How many would abandon their nests and/or fledglings or be hit themselves as many (particularly the Albert's Lyrebird and Bush Turkey run along the road for hundreds of metres).

Then further along the road was a council-owned house in the worst possible position considering cars tear around corners at 160kph sidewise and out of control. I could just imagine them ploughing right into that house, destroying the renters' life forever. I heard that Repco had no intention of erecting any barriers in this incredibly vulnerable location.

Byrrill Creek is core koala habitat and locals have been watching and documenting the local population for decades.

(This video was made by a local who drove down the road and speeded the footage up digitally. However, this was ridiculed by an ex-rally driver who said that in reality it should have been way faster and a rally driver would have the car airborne and taken corners sideways with the foot on the brake hard.)

MOOBALL NATIONAL PARK ROUTE (Friday September 4th, 9.30am – 6pm)
From there I checked out other routes such as Mooball National Park which is 1100 ha in size. I called Parks and Wildlife ask some questions. The ranger told me that Cooradilla Rd is Ministerial Road and Minister can do whatever he wants even though there is an abundance of threatened species either side. Mooball National park is a lowland area and a rare subtropical rainforest making it a threatened ecological community. To preserve plants and animals camping is not allowed but some bushwalking is. As a Nature Conservation area it has a lower level of protection than a Nature Reserve.

I asked why on earth a rally race could go through a national park where even horses and camping is not allowed. He said Parks and Wildlife had no say as to what goes on but has the power only to make conditions such as fences and conditions (i.e. devices to scare away the animals that Repco is already using). However this would not be as good as a proper exclusion fence and overpasses and discounts the effect of stress on native animals of the scare devices.

At the entrance I noticed a sign saying "FINE; LITTERING $330". Can you imagine how much littering will be happening during a rally? I noticed this road was very rough and has not yet been graded like other rally routes.

CUDGERA CREEK RD (Friday Sept 4th, 9.30am - 6.30pm)
Next I went to Cudgera Creek Road where extensive grading has been done by Tweed Shire Council. Koalas have also been seen on this road. Some of the locals are very angry about this rally and are campaigning to try to stop it by hanging banners in their yards. A bush turkey ran into the bush by the roadside.

URLIUP RD (Saturday September 5th, 8am - 1.30pm)
Even though this road had been graded, I noticed an extreme amount of dust covering foliage in all directions, much worse than Cudgera Creek Road which made me wonder if there were hoons practising on this road illegally late at night. I stopped and spoke to a man who lived close to the beginning of the route. He was extremely aggressive and pro-rally so I was eager to exit. He asserted that the road graders were privately contracted and not council staff (even though this was not correct). He said that there were no koalas on Urliup (also wrong) and no animals would get killed and I should just get used to it because it was going to happen whether I liked it or not. There would be a lot of money coming to the area etc. blah blah. He told me that the snakes cause more damage to animals than a rally - in fact his neighbour lost 4 sheep from snake bites. They get Taipan, Tiger, Roughscale and Brown snakes.

On the way between these routes I saw horrifically mangled possum and bird on the main road.

SARGENTS RD (Saturday September 5th, 5.30am – 4.30pm)
This Road has been officially changed to 'Armor All Rd' in honour of the rally sponsor. I approached this road from the Homeleigh Rd end which is very flat, deforested and basically cattle ranches. Half way along Homeleigh Rd is the beginning of the route. Even though there is little habitat for wildlife, the cows on the road looked perilously close to the road to me. If a car went ploughing into the field out of control it would easily break the very weak fence and possibly kill the animals.

I noticed a calf had escaped from its enclosure as the mother looked on from inside. It ran right on the road in front of my car which made me worry. Will the dairy farmer be able to get all his cattle in on the rally day so none of them get struck? What an horrific experience for a young animal that would be.

At the end of Homeleigh Rd is a sharp turn which crosses a creek and the road becomes Sargents Rd. Take a look at the picture. Can you imagine a car going so fast around this bend that it loses control and smashes into the metal fence and falls into the creek below? It would destroy the creek. Or what if it ploughed into the field on the other side of the bridge on the left where a bunch of very frightened looking cows stared at me as I drove by. This road was not graded yet either.

Further along the terrain changed as the elevation rose higher into more koala tree habitat. Tried as I did I could not see any koalas. This is where Kathryn Kermode lives who documents on a daily basis her koala sightings then plots them on google maps. She has been trying to get Kyogle to take this route off the map because it is core koala habitat. Repco have approached her and asked her to help spot koalas so they don't run onto the road and get struck. The audacity of them, invading the koalas' homes then expecting the protectors to work for the enemy for free while they make millions on television rights!

Just today she found a mother and baby, which is not common. And will become even less common as stress interferes with breeding of koalas and causes local extinction. Some of her neighbours are pro-rally and have never even seen a koala. The koala-friendly neighbours who have been participating in her community-based koala project, documenting koala sightings and their movements, regard the first 5 km of Sargeants Rd as ‘koala real estate’ with certain sections regarded as ‘Sam’s territory’ and so on. To them, koalas are neighbours too, not just animals living in the bush.

Besides koalas, other species found on Sargeants Rd are Common Quail, Coucal Pheasant (cuckoo-like) (which are at risk during rally as they fly right into your car), Wallaby, Echidna, Glossy Black Cockatoo (not in the repco report), Powerful Owl, Brushdale Fascagale, Squirrel Glider and Sugar Glider.

She plans to go to the council after the rally and show them how they can make money other ways than the rally by building a lookout for tourists on the ridge with fabulous views to Mt. Lindsay, Mt Barker and Mt Warning etc. So far Kyogle Council have said they would erect koala warning signs on her road but they still don't have a Koala Management Plan which they need under SEPP 44.

Kathryn's koala video can be seen here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ot_-GUgVs or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJiUW37KLOQ&NR=1 and photo album here - http://picasaweb.google.com/k.komodo

I also saw a kid goat that was somehow tied up outside the fence and quite freaked out. Was it also being terrorised by hoon drivers on that road at night? Why were all the animals on this street looking so frightened?

LYNCHES CREEK (Saturday September 5th, 5.30am – 6.00pm)
This is a very long stretch of road, mainly pastoral, flat land, cows, houses, not a lot of habitat for wildlife. I did see a purplish snake crossing the bridge at Lynches Creek Road.

ETTRICK - OLD COB O CORN RD (no sign) (Friday September 4th, 5.30am – 12 noon)
One house near the Ettrick end had big 'No Rally' sign and big 'No Rally' banner and on the adjoining property with hummers parked in front was a sign saying 'WRC BRING IT ON.' I can imagine emotions running very high in that neighbourhood!

AFTERLEE - UPPER CLARENCE (Sunday September 6th, 6am – 3.30pm
I saw a small dead goanna + 2 wallabies + 3 quail at the entrance of this route. This is Toonumbar State Forest! Hardly a place for an international car crash rally.
Between Eden Creek Rd to Upper Clarence saw another 2 wallabies at 4pm grazing by the roadside.

TOONUMBAR (Friday 4th September, 5.30am - 11.30am and Sunday 6th September, 9am - 4.30pm)
Driving through this scenic area I saw many small birds flying low across the road into roadside lantana and bushes. Their beautiful song enchanted my ears and it made me terribly sad to think that a single bird could be killed by this rally.

On Ghinni Ghi Rd a small dog tore out of the property and tried to chase my car on this stage. I hope they keep this dog indoors on both days or he will be beserk and/or dead!
In this area a Wedgetail eaglea flew right in front of my car very low into a tree. Had I been going fast I would have hit it.

Many of these roads have been specially graded for the rally. In just one day I saw independent contractors in hired vehicles working on various sections of road either grading, making the white lines even whiter and shinier, putting new posts in. Where is all the money for roadworks coming from? Of course, Events NSW gave Repco $6 million of taxpayers' money for this rally, that we don't want, how could I forget? Just when we have over $1 million shortfall in our local hospital budget and are suffering from the global economic crisis. And Tweed Shire recently raised the rates by 9%. No I didn't forget that Tweed Shire council gave $120,000 to Repco for this rally - along with free office space, free mechanical workshop facilities and other undisclosed perks. The list goes on.

On the highway many signs had 'No Rally' spray painted on them. Rally enthusiasts quickly changed it to just 'Rally' or 'Go Rally'. The division in the community is palpable.

Then on Iron Pot Rd (part of the Toonumbar route) two kangaroos ran into bush. Another wedgetail flew low in front of car. Another two kangaroos ran into bush. This area is alive with unusual native animals. In fact, This area is the Richmond Range which is of international conservation value with the highest diversity of marsupials in the world. It also has World Heritage values and contains numerous endemic Gondwanan relict plant species listed on the EPBC Act.

The rally will generate a major impact upon ecosystem function and processes essential to the viability of these areas. This is a biodiversity hotspot and one of 17 iconic landscapes in the world.

In fact, we have close to the most biodiversity than anywhere in Australia, even more than Kakadu! In Tweed Shire 2/3rds of our plant and animal species are threatened. Is having an international car crash rally going through State Forests, National Parks, Koala colonies and core habitats, World Heritage areas, areas where over 12 nationally-listed threatened species of animals and more plants live, in breeding season for the next 10-20 years going to do anything to lessen Australia's reputation as having the world's worst record of mammal extinctions? We are in the period of the 6th Mass Extinction Event and this is how we behave? I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the human race. Either we are collectively deluded, stupid or criminally insane.

People in this town are saying 'Give it a go, let's run the race once and see how we like it' but they forget that in Western Australia they decided after 2 years they didn't like it and it took them 17 years to get rid of it. Once Repco is in, they are in for their contract. People are saying 'It will make a lot of money' and I ask how? Most of the accommodation will go to the Gold Coast. In fact on checking with the Chamber of Commerce, bookings with local hotels is about the same as this time last year. Kyogle has enough space for 6000 campers but only 6 bookings. No economic proof of how this money will be made has been forthcoming from Repco. They are also saying 'The animals will be all right, none will die' but that is another lie. Many will die from stress alone and the young will be abandoned as families are fractured as they flee in terror from the assault of 100 speeding cars and low-flying helicopters, sirens, air horns, and tens of thousands of spectators.

Why are we allowing this to happen? People, WAKE UP!!! Don't believe the fairy tale Repco has woven! Wake up from the Repco Dream and realise it is a Repco NIGHTMARE.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: CONTACT PETER GARRETT'S OFFICE AND DEMAND HE STOP THE RALLY BEFORE THEY ARE LOCKED IN FOR 10-20 YEARS. IT IS HIS DUTY AND HIS MINISTERIAL OBLIGATION TO PROTECT OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES!

Visit www.norallygroup.org to learn more. Get involved!

See also: URGENT! Contact Peter Garrett re Injunction to stop Repco Rally of 26 Aug 09.

Injunction to prevent suffering to native animals fails in Australian World Heritage National Park

Councillor Katie Milne of Tweed Shire Council, NSW, failed in her attempt to prevent the staging of a 3 day long international car rally through Tweed and Kyogle Shire national parks, state forests, World Heritage areas, nature conservation areas, major koala colonies, core koala habitats and habitat where over 12 nationally-threatened species live. In September 2008, the Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett dubbed the area as the ‘Green Cauldron’, one of 8 national iconic landscapes.

On 27th August, 2009, in Milne v. Rally Australia Pty Ltd, Federal Court Justice Stone was assigned to hear the case in Sydney for 3 hours. The Judge had only just received the last of the reports an hour before the hearing and admitted she had not had time to read all the material.

Fastest case in the history of Tweed Shire?

“It was the fastest case in the history of Tweed Shire. The Judge was able to somehow determine the case in about 10 mins flat after we began," commented Cr Milne. "We didn’t even have a chance for all the issues to be heard. The rally has assigned 600 police for 5 days including training, but they couldn’t even assign a Judge for a proper full day trial to hear all the evidence."

She said, "We knew we were gone when the Judge said, 'Times up, you’ve got one more issue you can raise’.'"

"We had barely started. We had only just got past our argument when the judge dismissed both our ecologists’ reports."

Ecological expertise wasted

Ecologist Dr Stephen Ambrose was there to present his report which challenged Repco's assertion that there would be no significant impact on any nationally-listed threatened species. Dr Ambrose had presented a 12 page resume of his qualifications, his published papers, committees he had chaired and court cases he was involved with. He had supplied a huge dossier of issues including a comparative study and a raft of arguments refuting Dr Phillip’s methodology and many assumptions made. For instance, he claimed that there is a higher probability of mortality as animals actually frequent roadside verges.

Councillor Milne said it was frustrating that he had been available as a witness but the court wouldn’t interview him.

"Dr Ambrose was the key ecologist in the V8 Homebush Supercar case. He is a bird specialist and familiar with the problems a rally is likely to cause. There is a population 35-45 Black Breasted Button Quails near the Mebbin locality Byrill Creek stage of the rally route and it is believed that the loss of one or disruption to their breeding cycle could be fatal to the viability of the entire population."

She added that another ecologist, Mr Mark Graham, who also presented a damning report "had extensive and specific local experience of the area, having coincidently carried out a 3 month ground survey of the endangered Giant Barred Frogs on the Byrill Creek route. The spray of dust can settle on their eggs and larvae and totally destroy their breeding cycle."

Arcane-seeming technicalities defeated community’s try for justice

“The Judge said we had not presented the argument in the manner required by the Courts. It was our ecologist’s case that this was not possible. She made no attempt to ascertain the validity of the arguments with Dr Ambrose. The whole crux of the ecological case was not even argued. It was absolutely appalling” said Cr Milne.

She went on to say that Repco Rally Australia had employed Dr Stephen Phillips (Biolink Pty Ltd) to conduct an ecological report on the impacts on species living on the rally route in autumn. As a result many species that were not visible at that time were visible in spring, breeding season for many species. Had Dr Phillips found any significant impacts to any of the nationally-listed threatened species, the matter would need to be referred to the Minister for the Environment for assessment as these are matters of national environmental significance.

"In the first report released by Repco in April 2009, Dr Phillips actually did recommend that the rally be referred to Minister Peter Garrett. However Repco claimed in the Court that this was a mistaken release of a draft document. Dr Phillips was not in court to confirm or deny this." Cr Milne said that regardless of whether the document was a draft or not, Dr Phillips had actually stated that the rally should be referred to Minister Garrett up until July and therefore the community had believed this would happen. While Dr Phillips may have changed his mind in his July report, it shows that the matter was in contention and that a precautionary approach should have been taken. The matter of referral to the Minister should have been debated by the ecologists but never was. "It feels like we haven't even had a proper hearing and it feels extremely unjust," said Cr Milne.

Late timing issue a non-sequitur and not our fault

Cr Milne said “The late timing of filing for this injunction was being used as if it was something we were responsible for. The fact that the community has been asking the Environment Minister Garrett to make a decision on this right from the start, and that the Minister had failed to do so, did not seem to worry the Judge at all. Nor did the fact that the community was misled up until July by the Repco report and that a Development Application was also promised up until July, seem to worry the Judge.”

"When were we supposed to take an injunction?" she wondered. "We only had between July and August after the special legislation Motor Sports Bill 2009 was brought into force. The community have done everything in their power to seek a legal outcome including commissioning not one, but two, ecological reports. Minister Garrett has joined with the State government and local Council to ignore this community and this World Heritage environment completely."

She said, "Rally Australia's claims that 'this is going to be the most environmental friendly rally in the world' is a joke. How can this rally be 'environmentally friendly' when it needed to bypass State environmental laws to be held? Many of our environmental laws have had to be extinguished to force this otherwise illegal event through. This race will set a new environmental standard but it’s an absolutely appalling one, one that allows such extreme sports races to run between World heritage corridors and through National Parks and Conservation areas."

Non-profit organization well-provided for in legal counsel

Repco Rally had five lawyers present in court at a cost of $40,000 in three days. “They won on legal technicalities, not on issues”, said Councillor Milne. She added that she was surprised that a non profit organisation could afford such representation. "They have threatened that they will vigorously pursue costs. The costs order case is going to be rushed through as well, in less than a week for this Wednesday", she concluded.

This rally is intended to become a bi-annual event until 2027.

Not a good look for the Fédération internationale de l'automobile

These political and environmental impacts must also be doing great harm to La Fédération Internationale de l'automobile and the road safety and green reputation it promotes on its pages:

"Formula for the Environment: As the governing body of motor sport and the representative of more than 100 million consumers worldwide, the FIA has been actively putting the environment on the top of its dual agendas. Formula for the environment outlines the FIA’s environmental efforts, from proposals for global emission benchmarks by policy makers to forward thinking environmentally relevant initiatives in motor sport such as the introduction of energy recovery systems in Formula One, highlighting what the FIA is doing to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment." Source: http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mobility/policy/Pages/FIAPolicyCentre.aspx

Residents of the community are reportedly devastated.

One has written to candobetter: I am so sad!! Today I drove on most of the rally routes and saw so many beautiful animals, right by the road. Many kangaroos mostly, wedgetail eagles, low-flying little birds, lots of snakes, very sad looking cows and sheep and horses all looking at me as if to say 'please save me, take me away from here' .... the grief is so deep inside me right now....I am utterly inconsolable."

The making of a new law to disempower environmental laws and local government powers in order to hold the rally means that democracy has been extinguished in Tweed Shire. Environmental damage and loss of democracy always seem to go together. This is surely a matter which should concern judges all over the land.

How to make donations to court costs

Something just as bad could easily happen to a place you love, now that it has happened in Tweed Shire. Downsizing democracy is a pernicious trend in Australia. Australians need to fight these trends as hard as they can and prevent communities from being destroyed by financial costs. Perhaps there will be an appeal. People can make donations towards the $40,000 court costs. It has been suggested that if 200 people can donate $200 each the shire will be able to pay.

Bank details are:
No Rally Group
BSB 062 580
A/C 10275161
Commonwealth Bank

See also: Repco Rally route - the calm before the storm of 26 Aug 09, URGENT! Contact Peter Garrett re Injunction to stop Repco Rally of 29 Aug 09.

Dear lovers of Planet Earth, animals, nature, peace and justice

An Injunction is being served on Repco Rally Australia tomorrow Thursday 2.15pm forcing Peter Garrett to call in their ecological survey for review. Please contact the Minister ASAP before then asking him to call in the rally.

There are 12 nationally listed threatened (endangered and vulnerable) fauna in the area and 34 migratory birds that have not been adequately assessed. These are species of national environmental significance that need to be reviewed. Factors such as the stress induced by 'mitigation measures' (low-flying helicopters, compressed air sirens and hand horns) will contribute to death of species from nest/fledgling abandonment. Stress myopathy deaths of macropods were not addressed. Barriers by creeks containing endangered Giant Barred Frogs will not contain the substantial dust and sediment generated by more than 100 rally vehicles going over 200kph along 350k of dirt roads every day for 4 days.

It is absolutely appalling that this rally has been forced on one of the most biodiverse areas in Australia in breeding season for the next 10-20 years, especially when 2/3rds of them are already endangered! Clearly the Minister for the Environment has a duty to protect our fauna. Australia has the worst reputation in the world for mammal extinctions having driven 38% of its mammals extinct since the early settlers arrived. This is just not good enough!

What you can do:Ask the minister to use his powers and protect the Green Cauldron (that he christened) to cancel this race ASAP.

Tel: (02) 6277 7640
Fax: (02) 6273 6101

Email: [email protected]
Maroubra office
[t] 02 9349 6007
[f] 02 9349 8089

Also send this alert to everyone you know, individuals, animal rights, environmental, wildlife carers groups you know. The above photo is a NASCAR test run that hit a coyote in U.S.A. recently.

Additionally, there are three other events occurring on the Fathers' Day weekend:

1. the Australian Tarmac Challenge http://www.duttonrally.com/new_south_wales_2009.php ,
which is coming up the coast to join in with the WRC special events section.
a quote from their site
" The 2009 Australian Tarmac Challenge will be huge, and kicks off with the Victorian event in May. Entries are now open for all cars, regardless of age or specification, the only requirement is that your vehicle is registered and roadworthy (includes Rally plate cars).

"No experience is necessary, the only prerequisite is that you love your car and love driving! If you’re a first-timer, you might want to read our FAQ section HERE, or email ask and ask anything you like, regardless of how silly you think your enquiry might be."

2. Then there is the Frontier Services Classic Outback trial with another 50 rally cars to run with the WRC on the dirt http://classicoutbacktrial.com.au/cot/Links.asp
quote “With the RRA organizers running Speed on Tweed that same weekend, there will be such a massive motor sport presence in the Murwillumbah and Tweed area that it will be like a mini ‘Goodwood’ and will attract enthusiasts from all over Australia.”

Many wallabies will be in the path of the rally not to mention those who will die from stress myopathy in the weeks following.

3. And then will be the 182 entries for Speed on Tweed .

4. The WRC

Plus all of above's crews and support teams and fans. If you dont like cars then its just bad luck. If you don't being locked in your house unable to get out to go to work, take kids to school, go shopping, go to appointments etc. tough. How much did our dear councils know about that lot????

Learn more at http://www.norallygroup.org - contact us for details at email [email protected], phone (0438) 357 452

#WhatUCanDo" id="WhatUCanDo">What you can do

Please attend protests against the rally

Peaceful protests against the World Rally. Each protest will be a silent vigil. Please remember to bring banners.

When?
There are 5 protest vigils planned:

Sat, 29 Aug	9:00 AM		Opening Ceremony -- Kingscliff. Bring banners!
Fri, 4 Sep	9:00 AM		Protest Gathering -- Byangum Bridge. Bring banners!
Sat, 5 Sep	3:00 PM		Protest Gathering -- Lynches Creek Phone Peter Lanyon on (02) 6689 7404 for details.
Sun, 6 Sep	2:30 PM		Protest Gathering -- Uki Main St Crossing
	4:45 PM		Ceremony -- Kingscliff Phone Kim Hollingsworth on (02) 6679 5881 for details

The Final Ceremony will have live TV coverage, so please make a special effort to bring banners for that protest.

Thanks,
Menkit

The animals thank you ...

See also: Repco Rally route - the calm before the storm of 26 Aug 09, REPCO Rally injunction raced through court up blind alley of 31 Aug 09.

Sylvia Hale, NSW Greens MP and Local Government spokesperson has slammed Tweed Council for imposing a ban on its Councillors disclosing information to the media. "Tweed Council was dismissed in 2005 because of corrupt conduct. Haven’t the Councillors who voted for this ban learnt anything from that experience?” asked Ms Hale.   “Denying the media and the public access to information creates the sort of climate in which corruption can flourish.”   The Daly report into Tweed Council that led to its dismissal in 2005 specifically criticised the then Council for adopting processes that “resulted in a low level of transparency in its operations.” (Daly report, May 2005, p. 294)   “Now this new Council is doing exactly the same thing, implementing processes designed to reduce transparency and shut down public scrutiny. It’s a very dangerous road for the Council to pursue and the Council should reverse its decision immediately.”   “If the Council wants to win back the trust of the community it should be looking at making more information available to the public, not less.”   “Given the potential negative consequences for public administration in the Tweed I am calling on the Minister for Local Government to intervene to ensure that Tweed Council adheres to the principles of freedom of information and stops its attempts to avoid public scrutiny of its processes and decisions,” Ms Hale said.    Contact: Chris Holley on 02 9230 3030 or 0437 779 546

A new video has been uploaded to You Tube as part of our continuing campaign against Repco Rally Australia.

The video shows footage from the Byrrill Creek Special (RACING) Stage of the rally.

Help fight this eco-vandalism.

Sign our online petition at www.petitiononline.com/NRG01e/petition.html and check our website at sites.google.com/site/norallygroup for the latest info.

We don't want it!!! We don't need it!!!

From the Tweed Daily News:

'Lame duck' mayor loses peer support

Peter Caton | 3rd July 2009

TWEED Mayor Joan van Lieshout's job is now in jeopardy as other councillors rally behind general manager Mike Rayner over his support for the controversial world championship car rally in September.

The moves come in the wake of revelations of a power struggle involving the mayor and Mr Rayner.

Several councillors yesterday slammed Cr van Lieshout for publicly revealing she wanted Mr Rayner to step down from his extra role on the board of Rally Australia and are furious she has tried to sideline him.

Cr van Lieshout revealed earlier this week that although she had failed to convince Mr Rayner to resign from the Rally Australia board she had reached agreement with rally organisers to hold any future negotiations with elected councillors.

Cr Phil Youngblutt said the mayor's “time is nearly up” with councillors due to hold their annual vote choosing a mayor in September.

“If that's what she has done, she's overstepped the mark,” Cr Youngblutt said.

“It's only eight to ten weeks before there's an election.

“Things will be rectified then. As far as a mayor, Joan is a dead loss.

“As far as the general manager is concerned with the Repco Rally, he hasn't done anything wrong. He has done a bloody good job.”

Cr Youngblutt said Cr van Lieshout had failed to recognise that as mayor she should be the one who “represents the councillors, not the one who leads us.”

Cr Youngblutt predicted only Greens Party councillor Katie Milne would be backing Cr van Lieshout.

Cr Milne could not be contacted yesterday.

Cr Warren Polglase said the mayor had “overstepped her authority”.

“Whatever support she had from elected councillors she has no longer,” he added. “We have a lame duck mayor.

“She is way out of line. I've never seen such a dysfunctional council in all my 28 years in local government.

“As far as I'm concerned, Mike Rayner has done everything to encourage and promote the Tweed.

“Regardless of the people who are anti the rally, a lot of people support it.”

Cr Polglase said the mayor had no authority to ask rally organisers to deal only with the elected councillors “because council has not resolved that”.

“These things are very serious matters,” he added.

“You are dealing with the principal person in the organisation.

“You don't do these things unless it's with the resolution of council”.

Cr Dot Holdom said any councillor could “put concerns to the general manager”.

But she added: “At the end of the day council must come together” for a decision.

Cr Holdom said Rally Australia would still have to go through the general manager to deal with the elected councillors because that was how the council operated.

Cr van Lieshout revealed she had asked Mr Rayner to resign from the rally board in March because she considered the position created a conflict of interest when the council had been due to consider a development application for the rally.

Article (Front Page and Page 2) from the Tweed Daily News: GM refuses to quit board Peter Caton | 2nd July 2009 Mayor Joan Lieshout wants Tweed Shire Council general manager Mike Rayner off the board for Rally Australia. TWEED mayor Joan van Lieshout has revealed she asked the Council's general manager Mike Rayner to resign from his controversial position on the board of Rally Australia because the position created a “conflict of interest”. Mr Rayner declined the request made earlier this year after taking the matter to all the councillors and receiving backing from a majority. Yesterday he issued a statement saying a Council vote would be required if the Council wished him to quit the job with the car rally group. But Cr van Lieshout has not given up - moving to sideline Mr Rayner from any future Council negotiations with rally organisers in a request for them to deal directly with “the elected body”. Cr van Lieshout revealed her call for Mr Rayner's resignation from the board in the wake of the release of an email trail showing a lengthy and close involvement between Mr Rayner and organisers of the world championship car rally which is planned for the Tweed in September. “I have asked for the resignation from the board by the general manager and that went to Council,” said Cr van Lieshout. “The general manager asked for comments from the whole of Council and Council felt it wasn't necessary.” Cr van Lieshout said following the decision by the NSW Government to approve the rally, she sought to distance Mr Rayner from any future negotiations between organisers and the Council. “I have asked the rally people that all negotiations go through the elected body in view of the past conflict and I personally believe there was a conflict of interest,” she said. “I have asked for the elected body to be conferred with. The rally people agreed.” Earlier this week the No Rally Group called on Mr Rayner to resign from his top council job, his position on the rally board or both following the release of emails they said showed a “very chatty and familiar” attitude not shown to any other developers. Cr van Lieshout said her request for Mr Rayner to quit the rally board followed concerns expressed by the community when it seemed the Council, not the NSW Government, would be the authority to approve the event. In a statement issued via email yesterday Mr Rayner said: “I accepted a position on the Repco World Rally Board following a Council resolution... “If Council wished for me to stand down from the board, this would also need to be a resolution of Council.” Mr Rayner said the “position provides an opportunity to influ- ence rally outcomes to ensure maximum overall benefit for the Tweed and the region is achieved. “In defining overall benefit I include the opportunity that the position offers to ensure any impacts - including long-term ecological/environmental sustainability - are appropriately managed, minimised or negated.” The latest revelation adds strength to speculation about fierce differences between the mayor and the general manager. Mr Rayner is just over 60 per cent of his way through a five-year contract for the top job which was awarded to him by the council administrators in May 2006. It is due for review in May 2011. The Caldera Environment Centre unearthed the emails revealing Mr Rayner's close involvement with rally organisers through a Freedom of Information request months ago, but did not publicly release them then. Executive members of the environmental group hoped instead to work privately to convince Cr van Lieshout to take action as mayor to “reign in” Mr Rayner.

An online petition has been started following the NSW state government passing 'special events' legislation to enable Repco Rally Australia to go ahead. Access the petition at www.petitiononline.com/NRG01e/petition.html The 'special events' legislation introduced by the government continues a disturbing trend in NSW that disenfranchises local communities and overrides state laws designed to protect the environment and the interests of those same local communities. The Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 overrides the provisions of numerous state laws including: - Environmental Protection and Assessment Act - National Parks and Wildlife Act - Water Management Act - Fisheries Act - Local Government Act - Roads and Traffic Act - Crown Lands Act. The legislation gives legal exemption to the organisers (and local authorities acting in support of the rally) for breaches of various state laws and immunity from civil action by aggrieved local residents. This law is appalling and must be opposed. What you can do: - Sign the petition and encourage everyone you know to sign it. - Publicise the petition (and the issues) on any social networking sites to which you belong. - Raise the issues in any groups of which you are a member.

For MPs who voted FOR this awful bill, click here

NSW Bill to override local democracy and to privilege private business and protect Ministers from legal challenge

The following is from a speech to the Legislative Council of the NSW parliament by the Reverend Dr Gordon Moyes [1]. (Headings and new punctuation have been added by a Candobetter editor):

The Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 is a bill for an Act to facilitate the conduct of the international motor sport known as the World Rally Championship. Clauses 13, 14 and 15 override the Local Government Act 1993, the Forestry Act 1916, and the Water Management Act 2000 by allowing the Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 to authorise people to take actions that are expressly not permitted by those Acts. Clause 20 protects the exercise of certain functions of the Minister, or any delegate of the Minister, or a public authority, from challenge or review before a court or administrative review body, or from being restrained, removed or otherwise affected by any proceedings.

An affront and an injury to Northern Rivers area in NSW

The Northern Rivers area of New South Wales is pristine and beautiful. It is incredibly rich in flora and fauna, with more species of fish, birds, amphibians and mammals than even the world-famous Kakadu area of the Northern Territory. The region also has many threatened fauna and plant species that need to be protected. The area is recognised as having diverse ecosystems, including different kinds of rainforest, wetlands, heath lands and important zones between the land and the water.

Area already officially consacrated as a national landscape icon

Some areas of Australia are so special and unique that they have received official recognition, and this is one of them. In 2008 the Federal Government launched the National Landscape Program, selecting only a handful of regions. Along with Kakadu and the Great Ocean Road, the Mount Warning Wollumbin Caldera was awarded special status as a national landscape icon by the Ministers for Tourism and the Environment. The green cauldron, as it is commonly called, is a designated area stretching from Byron Bay up past the State border into the Gold Coast, and was selected because of its distinctive natural features, including the world's second-largest shield volcano crater, which has shallow sloping sides, awesome environmental biodiversity and a very rich Aboriginal heritage.

Gordon Moyes MP: personal observations

I have wonderful memories of visiting this area on many occasions, particularly the area around Kyogle, which my family has visited several times. Kyogle is a town of approximately 4,000 people in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales. It was founded as a lumber camp in the 1930s, with red cedar and hoop pine being the main timber trees. It is about 750 kilometres north of Sydney, quite close to the border. The Kyogle area has cattle grazing, dairy farming and forestry as its primary industries, and is a tourist gateway to many national parks. The mad rush of the modern lifestyle has lost so much of the simplicity and beauty of the more natural pace of life and the smaller scale of living on the land. The people living in Kyogle and Tweed shires have purposely set out to recapture this preferred quality of life and are living their vision in the most committed way.

REPCO Rally assails regional community world-view

The back-to-the-land lifestyle is a homey, environmentally based world view that embraces home-grown organic food, handmade items of daily life, eating actual cooked meals rather than fast food on the run, raising poultry and cattle, birdwatching, bushwalking and a philosophy that supports the ongoing daily work of a commitment to recycling and a deep love and respect for, and the protection of, wildlife. These are the kinds of quiet pursuits that they embrace and encourage in their region. The people of Kyogle and Tweed collectively have identified the environment and its protection and enhancement as their top priorities, and the extraordinary natural environment is the reason people choose to live there. I emphasise the fact that the people as a community and as a region have purposely chosen that natural, life-affirming, low-carbon-footprint, close-to-the-land lifestyle.

As part and parcel of that worldview, they have eschewed big, noisy, air- and water-polluting, old-fashioned, high-energy-using pastimes from the manic-paced cities, such as international motorcar racing. It is true that there has been a small Speed for Tweed race of historic motorcars for the past five years on the streets of Murwillumbah, but it is very small scale, low key and charming. It is run as a non-profit event by the locals for the benefit of locals. It has raised thousands of dollars for local charities and Murwillumbah hospital. The race is tiny in comparison with the major-event motor car races of a scale threatened by the Repco Rally, which is simply not welcome there for many reasons—one of which is that it is an international business. It does not even pretend to benefit or serve the interests of local people. It is merely a commercial enterprise, a business. It does not share the ethos of the region and will offer nothing of value to the community.

An insulting imposition on the locals by external parties

Most of all, the Repco Rally simply does not belong there; it is seriously out of place. If the rally proceeds, it is an insulting imposition on the locals by external parties with truly alien values who are apparently such arrogant people that they will not take the broad hint that they are not wanted. Indeed, the local people could hardly be more expressive of their point of view on this matter, having written to their representatives and to the newspapers, marched in their localities, attended consultations, and done everything else they could think of to get someone to pay attention to their concerns—which range from indignation at being treated shoddily by the State Government to concerns about damage to the environment, and to issues with the suspect economic claims behind the decision to hold this race in their vulnerable natural environment.

Same Rally cost WA tax-payers $6m+ p.a.

Previous speakers who praised the rally indicated that it will bring $100 million of value to the area. They do not understand what they are talking about. For example, $100 million over what period? It is certainly not for this one race that is coming up; nor for the one in two years time or the one in 10 years time. It is the accumulated value they think they might get if everything is done and all options are accepted between now and 2027. A more true picture comes from Western Australia. The Western Australian Government no longer wanted the rally, indicating that it was costing Western Australia $6 million a year and it was not getting economic value to make up for that $6 million.

Sham public consultation

I have received, as I guess have many members, hundreds of emails, letters and visits from people in the area pointing out many different aspects. Obviously I will not go through all of them now. However, one concerned citizen, Dr Jules Lewin of Stokers Siding, pointed out to me that Repco Rally's socioeconomic impact assessment was so poorly put together, without being substantiated or having verifiable projections or references, that in scientific, medical and management circles it would be flatly rejected. The methodology was inappropriate, the numbers were inadequate, the data presentation was obscure and the analysis was unsound and contradictory.

In the assessment there was no consideration of the current economic crisis; nor were there any references to current social trends, such as green driving, concern for many environmental issues, the concept of sustainability or the impact of peak oil. With such a lack of insight and grasp of elemental issues, the so-called impact assessment is utterly irrelevant. No multimillion-dollar contract meant to last a minimum of 10 years, plus a 10-year extension, should be allowed to proceed on the basis of the authenticity, accuracy or recommendations of this flimsy report.

Also, in the socioeconomic impact assessment the Repco Rally organisers claim to have consulted with the community, but a letter written to a number of local newspapers stated the following:

"We the undersigned wish to advise the community that our respective community associations have been totally misrepresented in the report entitled Rally Australia Socio-economic Impact Statement, which was committed by Repco Rally Australia. We have been listed on page 29 of the report as being the representatives of our respective community associations who were supposedly part of the community consultation process. We wish to advise that no such community consultation ever took place."

The letter is signed by a significant number of leaders of community organisations from the area. Claiming that community consultation took place might look good on paper, but it has now been completely discredited as an untruth. If the Repco Rally organisers have not provided meaningful background research, presented accurate information or genuinely consulted with the community, and they have misrepresented their own activities, what is their word worth on anything else? One lady wrote to me about Sargents Road in Kyogle, where she lives, which is a core koala habitat crucial for the survival of the species. She cited the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change [DECC] November 2008 Recovery Plan for the Koala, which seeks to ensure the survival of the koala in the wild. This State report reinforces the need to recognise the value of koalas to the community in terms of their presence in the landscape and their potential to attract eco-tourism.

Chaotic policy causing wildlife calvary

How then can another State department come along and act in opposition to those interests already committed to by that department? Sargents Road is not the kind of road recommended for racing—not if we care about animals and their habitats. In fact, the busy local wildlife rescue volunteers say that already far too much wildlife is injured and killed on the roads by automobiles, and that more cars racing on those roads is the last thing the animals need. They also mention that the methods proposed to scare the animals away from the roads—I wonder how many Government members understand this—will likely lead to stress reactions and heart failure in the animals. There will be extremely loud noises, such as banging and so on, to frighten animals away.

Road carnage bad enough without Repco adding to it

Additional concerns have been reported to me in letters from people, such as problem driving and street racing. I will not comment on those. We all know that streets and roads are already deadly to innocent drivers and pedestrians. The news is always full of copycat racing in every area after it hosts such races. Do we really want to inspire more of them? The answer from the people of the North Coast is a resounding "No". The local Kyogle and Tweed Landcare teams, made up of people who give their time free cleaning up, salvaging and repairing damaged ecosystems, dread the havoc that will be wreaked by such an event in this area—one that they have tended with such devotion over the years. The members of the Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers and the Caldera Environment Centre, who have worked for decades protecting the natural environment, are sick at heart over this bill, which will force on the rally in an area where it should not be allowed.

So many reasons to scotch the Repco rally

I assure members that local residents in this area are informed and intelligent; they know their special environment is critical to the growth of tourism in the area and is, in fact, its greatest attraction. Any activities that are destructive of the environment are anathema to them. Some believe that the Government will be in contravention of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in 1992. Motor sports are an incompatible activity and irrelevant to the local agricultural industry, and can only undermine the World Heritage value of the area. Any anticipated profits from motor sport enthusiasts would be dwarfed by the year-round loss of ecotourists once the green branding of the area is tainted. In addition to the danger to wildlife at risk from the rally, there are also many companion animals and domestic stock living in this area that are very sensitive to noise and can be terrified by screeching, careening and unpredictable motor-generated noises. Even if they were able to stay safely indoors, they will be bombarded by noise, which to animals is perceived as a threat. Such noise permeates and penetrates residential walls as if they were not there. This kind of noise should be isolated away from population centres—and not allowed in an area known for its nurturing silence.

Noise pollution

The excessive noise pollution will be imposed on the human population too, of course. The standards set to protect people and animals will be overruled by this bill that we are considering passing, so that people will have no right to complain—and that is wrong. Those standards were established for a purpose, and to remove them casually in this way is a great wrong. Exposure to excess noise is known to raise the heart rate and blood pressure of many people and to contribute to anxiety; it should not be inflicted on populations as if it is of no importance. The wives, families, counsellors and companions of 4,000 war veterans living in the area have expressed their great concern over the anticipated helicopter noise—which they anticipate will cause psychological disturbance and deep anxiety as it triggers post traumatic stress episodes in the vulnerable, particularly Vietnam War veterans.

Solistalgia

Even the anticipation of one helicopter circling above them is unbearable, much less the dozens of helicopters that will be used over the three-day event. To put veterans through such stress is just unconscionable. Their absolute dread is really escalating into a serious mental health issue for them, their families and their communities. Previously I have mentioned that I was responsible for establishing a mental health facility in Taree to handle post-war traumatic syndrome. Hundreds of Vietnam veterans from the northern rivers came to the Wesley Mayo clinic at Taree for psychological services. In fact, the recently named psychological condition of "solistalgia" is now widespread in the North Coast area. Solistalgia is defined as "the deep distress induced by environmental change, which is exacerbated by the sense of powerlessness and loss of control over the changes that are occurring".

Copious chemical and atmospheric pollution

Then there is the spillage of oil, petrol and other wastes that will seep into the ground, into the atmosphere and onto roads, which is unconscionable in such a pristine area. The air pollution generated from motor racing is unhealthy for people and all other living things, including trees close to the track. The amount of dust that is raised is dangerous for asthmatics and people with respiratory conditions, not to mention dirty and distressing for the people whose homes it will fill. Advising them to go inside and turn on the air conditioning is not good enough. People have outdoor work and busy lives to live and cannot easily take refuge indoors, and many do not have the option of air conditioning. Nothing will help animals cope with the particulate matter in the air that will sicken them.

On the topic of pollution, it is reported that every member of the world rally racing team travels over 130,000 kilometres by air each year. Add that to all the carbon emitted by the activities associated with the rally and a thoughtful person cannot help but recognise that it is an unacceptable carbon footprint.

Car-racing anathema to crucial environmental concerns - Why is government encouraging them?

In fact, in this era of climate change, in response to the deadly global threat of increasing greenhouse gases, it would be far more sensible for the State Government to discourage all human activities that produce such a massive carbon footprint. Perhaps the rich race organisers think they do not have to worry about such matters, but climate change will eventually affect them too. There are also all the prudent economic arguments that many of my constituents have pointed out. Locals believe almost universally there will be far more irremediable damage than any possible benefit accruing from having full restaurants and accommodation for a few days every other year.

The proposed benefits of showcasing the northern area to an estimated 51 million people worldwide, who are supposedly going to watch the racing on television, is outweighed by the actual damage done to the whole fabric of society, the already ill-maintained roads, the environment and the people. Some things just do not bounce back that easily, and having had an event of this magnitude forced upon them is not going to sit easy with residents. Many are simply not resilient enough to cope with the magnitude of the change being thrust upon them.

It just does not make sense on any level

West Australian Government on record as saying it was deceived by rally organisers

I will say very little more. It just does not make sense on any level. The history of the rally in other States has been lacklustre, leading to large financial losses by taxpayers. The Western Australia Government expressed that by not being willing to let it continue in that State. It is on record as saying they it was deceived by rally organisers. Why have Suzuki and Subaru withdrawn their sponsorship of the rally? Why did Victoria or Queensland not want it? Why did the Welsh Assembly Government recently terminate its five-year contract after just two years? I will tell you why. Because all the promised benefits that have been presented to members of the Government and the Opposition were hyped to them were not forthcoming, after all—and if we in New South Wales are sold the same bill of goods, the same thing will happen on the North Coast.

People have asked me why are the taxpayers of New South Wales being asked to fund this rich-people's sport? Why is the State Government promising this international commercial enterprise free labour of hundreds of local volunteers, particularly, who are already overstretched by their efforts and services during two recent floods in the area? As well as the money paid to the Repco rally organisers the State intends to provide free of charge a number of bushfire brigades, 150 extra police, the services of the State Emergency Service, hospitals and all their associated staff on stand-by, on and on ad infinitum. This event will run at a loss for the State, but not for the organisers. Even though the people who thought the idea had some merit now recognise the contempt in which their region's concerns are being held by the arrogant rally organisers who act as if they have been given carte blanche to do whatever they like. The residents know full well it is not democratic, not respectful, not what they expect or deserve, and not right.

One wrote to me and said:
"Apart from being a very bad idea and unpopular with residents, this is a dangerous practice: taking control over events that the local councils should be regulating, in order to benefit outside elites."

Another wrote:
"Have our governing bodies become so anesthetised to the fact that they are elected to represent the citizens, and not given the divine rights of kings?"

Githabul Aboriginal women say attack on their sacred areas of life and death importance

There is one more group whose interests and concerns I have not yet mentioned, the Aboriginal women of the Githabul people, whose representative contacted my office when they heard that I was listening to all sides of the issue. The representative of the Githabul people explained that under the agreement reached in late 2007 the Githabul people were going to be allowed joint management of national parks and State forests with the New South Wales State Government. Regarding the Repco rally, there was consultation carried out with one sole male elder. But he, as a male, was not in a position to know anything about the areas that are sacred to the Githabul women and apparently the women are very distraught that they have had no voice in presenting their deeply honoured cultural concerns to the rally organisers and the New South Wales Government, and they call upon both to recognise that they too have a right to be heard. To them these issues are of life and death importance and they do not want the Repco rally to have access to particular areas on the race route as announced that are actually sacred territory.

Undemocratic bill to say the least

Forcing through the bill does not demonstrate respect for the opinions, needs and lives of people and their families in these areas. This is not good manners, it is not social justice, and it is not democracy. In fact it is a blatant flouting of the democratic process and does not represent the value system that Australians have gone to war to defend and protect. It is an insult to war veterans and families in that area. I am disturbed to note that this is becoming an all too familiar pattern, with bills being used by the Government to disregard other tiers of government or authorities in order to force its own way without regard for the feelings or safety of the people on the receiving end. Our political system has been built up over many years with multiple layers of power and checks and balances, and we must not give them away.

Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament

I conclude, Mr President, by reading a passage from the Code of Conduct for Members, which you signed and sent to every member of this House. I am sure that it has been quite a while since many of us read or thought about it. It states:
Members of Parliament acknowledge their responsibility to maintain the public trust placed in them by performing their duties with honesty and integrity, respecting the law and the institution of Parliament, and using their influence to advance the common good of the people of New South Wales.

Dr Gordon Moyes (MP) draws the line

I will not support any bill that allows large-scale events unwanted by the people who would have to host them.

Not all of my constituents are against motor racing per se, if it can be held in an area that will be undamaged by it and if nearby residents actively want it happening there. It is a hard ask, though. No residents that I have spoken to in the area, or anywhere near it, want motor races to be held near their children's schools, on their village streets or on rural roads. I do not approve of anything that can be construed as a misuse of power and, therefore, I will not support any bill that allows large-scale events unwanted by the people who would have to host them. I encourage any other members here today who still think they have either an environmental or a social conscience to join me in refusing to support what I believe is an ill-conceived bill. I thank you, Mr President, for extending me the privilege of being able to speak.

[1] Source: Text of Rev Hon Dr Gordon Moyes ANTI REPCO RALLY speech 23/6/09 on the Motor Sport (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009

Candobetter Ed. Record of debate, remarks and conduct below has been edited, for instance, headings have been inserted to highlight parts, and some repetitive items have been left out, as indicated by square brackets. The source of the entire document may be accessed in its original form here http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/hanstrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LC20090623:

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Tuesday 23 June 2009
[...]
__________

MOTOR SPORTS (WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP) BILL 2009
Second Reading

Debate resumed from 17 June 2009.

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN [6.15 p.m.]: The Liberal-Nationals will not oppose the bill, but at the outset I make it clear that we will seek to ensure that there is a full and independent review of the rally following the initial running of the event this year. It is anticipated that the Government will support the amendment. I clearly state that the amendment directly reflects the hard work and quite intense lobbying conducted by the member for Tweed, Geoff Provest, and the member for Lismore, Thomas George, both of whom have worked tirelessly to ensure that people who live in the Far North Coast have a voice at the table when Parliament is dealing with legislation relating to the rally. I commend both the member for Tweed and the member for Lismore for their effective advocacy on this issue.

The object of the bill is to facilitate the conduct of a major sport known as the World Rally Championship. It is worth noting that in September 2008 Events New South Wales and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport announced that the northern rivers region of New South Wales would host the Australian round of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile [FIA] World Rally Championship in 2009 and then every two years until 2027. It is worth noting that only now has the legislation been introduced after many months of relatively little action. That is one of the issues that has motivated the Far North Coast community to express concern.

Nevertheless, it is estimated that the rally will generate up to $100 million in direct economic benefits to New South Wales over the life of the agreement through the creation of up to 2,000 new jobs and an estimated 92,000 visitor nights. These are significant benefits to the local community and, self-evidently, also for the entire State of New South Wales. The first event, the Repco Rally Australia, will be held in the Tweed and Kyogle local government areas from 3 to 6 September 2009. This bill provides that the legislation will be reviewed five years after it receives assent. The Liberal-Nationals, understanding the need to give certainty to the local community, to the rally proponents and to millions of World Rally Championship fans throughout the world—and I have to admit to being one of them—will not oppose the bill but will seek to move an amendment in Committee that is aimed at producing a full and independent review of the rally following the initial 2009 event.

One of the purposes of the amendment is not only to ensure that the review takes place but also to ensure that the review includes, in a spirit of cooperation, the Kyogle Council and the Tweed Shire Council, thereby remitting some ownership of the event to the local community and ensuring a degree of transparency that presently is lacking. The Liberal-Nationals believe that the amendment will give the legislation reasonable balance between the need for the proponents to get on with the job of planning this year's event and the local community to determine what impact an event such as this will have on their region in the future.

Liberal-Nationals are advised that the Kyogle Council supports the rally, but has requested that a review mechanism be built into the legislation to enable any issues that may arise from the initial event to be examined and resolved. The Liberal-Nationals are advised that the Tweed Shire Council also wants a review mechanism built into the legislation. In a press release dated 10 September 2008, the Tweed Shire Council's general manager, Mike Rayner, welcomed the announcement, saying that the event would boost the local economy and showcase the Tweed to a worldwide television audience as a tourist destination.

Mr Rayner is quoted as saying:

This event has a massive audience—last year 50 million people in 180 countries watched each round of the World Rally. That will bring immeasurable exposure to the Tweed and northern rivers region, both nationally and internationally.

In a press release dated 3 June 2009 Tweed Shire Council's mayor, Councillor Joan van Lieshout, indicated that on 3 June representatives from Tweed and Kyogle councils met with the Minister for State Development. Councillor van Lieshout is quoted as saying:

We were advised that the decision was made by the Department in order to secure the event following commitments for the delivery of relevant equipment from overseas.

While I am obviously very disappointed that the event has been taken out of the hands of local government, I have uppermost in my mind the concerns of the community in regard to transparency and full communication with all negotiations.

It has been on the agenda for many months awaiting relevant development application and during this time community members have expressed their concerns that a 'fast car rally' is not within the vision for the "Tweed Naturally" imagine which is foremost in our strategic tourism planning for the future of the Tweed.

I am determined that the process will be fully transparent and have requested that a review of the whole event be taken prior to any further agreements for the future.

We have the opportunity now to set the forum for all future events of this nature through the democratic examples set by this event.

Members of the local community are angered by the course of action taken by this State Labor Government. There has been a lack of proper process and the community has been locked out of the decision-making process. While the Liberal-Nationals support the rally and will not oppose the bill, we condemn the State Labor Government for its heavy-handed approach when dealing with the local community. The role of the Government is to ensure that the local community is fully informed and taken through the process, rather than railroaded. Clearly, there are benefits to the local community and to the entire State. That is why the Liberal-Nationals will not oppose the bill.

However, this does not excuse the State Labor Government from locking the community out in the manner it has. All too often that is what we see from this State Labor Government. We see a lack of proper process, a lack of planning and a lack of infrastructure, and now we see tourism projects drawn up on the back of a desire to achieve positive headlines in the paper. This is not how our State should be run, and the local community is justified in its anger that once again the State Labor Government has demonstrated that it is more interested in a headline than what is right for the local community and, indeed, the State. Once again I congratulate the local member for Tweed and the local member for Lismore on their considerable advocacy on this matter.

Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE [6.22 p.m.]: The Christian Democratic Party supports the Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009, the purpose of which is to facilitate the conduct of the Australian rounds of the motor rally known as the World Rally Championship on a biennial basis in the northern rivers region of New South Wales. The Christian Democratic Party support the bill because of the advantages to the economy and to tourism—I am a bit surprised by the criticism of the tourism aspect—and in terms of jobs. The world rally championship organisation is one of the highest profile international four-wheel motor sport championships after Formula One, with approximately 51 million people viewing each round of the televised world rally championship. In September 2008 Events New South Wales and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport announced that the Australian round of the world rally championship would be staged every second year in the northern rivers region of New South Wales from 2009 until 2017, with an option to extend until 2027.

Events New South Wales estimates that the event will generate more than $100 million for the New South Wales economy over the duration of the agreement. It is also anticipated that it will boost tourism and jobs and deliver major economic benefits to regional New South Wales. The first event, Repco Rally Australia, will be held in Kyogle and Tweed local government areas from 3 to 6 September 2009. Obviously, when putting on such a large event—as was necessary for the staging of the super 8 event at Olympic Park—special legislation is necessary to streamline what has become a complicated maze of approval processes. If one were forced through the maze of approval processes, the first Repco event would probably not take place until 2027, if at all. It is important to have legislation that will allow a similar approval process to operate but still ensure that appropriate conditions can be imposed to address matters such as public safety and environmental protection.

I have received many requests to oppose the legislation. When I read those requests it became clear to me that it is easy to stir up opposition, as happened recently with mining legislation that was before the House. It is easy to create an atmosphere of fear and concern, and that has been happening with this event. Some have even said that many teenage drivers will go mad and kill each other after this event. In my view what encourages dangerous driving in teenagers are video games which are played by children—not necessarily teenagers—that encourage the smashing of cars and the ramming of police cars and so on. Many children engage in that form of entertainment day after day. I think that video games will have more effect to encourage speed and carelessness by teenage drivers, than will a Repco event that will take place between 3 and 6 September. The Christian Democratic Party supports the bill as it will facilitate this event.

[The Deputy-President (The Hon. Amanda Fazio) left the chair at 6.27 p.m. The House resumed at 8.00 p.m.]

The Hon. HENRY TSANG (Parliamentary Secretary) [8.00 p.m.], in reply: I thank members for their contributions to this debate. The Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 is designed to facilitate the conduct of the Australian round of the World Rally Championship, an internationally popular motorsport that was watched by 860 million people around the world in 2007. The bill puts in place a mechanism to consider important matters such as the environment and public safety. It provides certainty for the event and secures the estimated $100 million boost to the New South Wales economy. The boost to the economy is recognised by the Murwillumbah and District Chamber of Commerce and Tweed Tourism. Tony Zuschke, business owner and President of the Murwillumbah and District Chamber of Commerce, said:

This event has the potential to deliver massive economic benefit to the region and, recognising that, the Chamber is working with business and with the community to ensure we're geared up fully to make the most of the opportunity. Visitors to the rally can expect a fantastic experience during their stay here, and we're confident that they will take away plenty more reasons to keep coming back.

Phil Villiers, General Manager of Tweed Tourism, said that the rally would give a huge boost to tourism in the region. He said:

From a marketing and promotional perspective the rally will provide the Tweed and surrounding area with a tremendous opportunity to showcase our story to the world. With major corporate attendance expected at the event, we will also be working actively to encourage businesses to discover the Tweed for many other reasons besides the rally, for instance for conferences and events.

Mr Ian Cohen: This is the biggest shaft I've ever had. Were you shafted as well, Reverend Moyes?

[Interruption]

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: Mr President, as we will consider the bill in Committee, I am sure that Mr Ian Cohen can make his comments at that time. Is that all right?

Mr Ian Cohen: No, it is not all right.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: You were not here—

Mr Ian Cohen: You knew that I wanted to speak on this bill.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: You were not here.

Mr Ian Cohen: You knew I wanted to speak.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: You were not here.

Mr Ian Cohen: You and the Liberals wouldn't give me the opportunity to speak.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: The bell was ringing and you were not here.

Mr Ian Cohen: I thought Fred was still speaking.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: You may have thought that, but he was not speaking. The member will have the opportunity to speak in Committee.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Members will speak through the Chair.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: As I said, the House will give Mr Ian Cohen the opportunity to comment on whatever he likes. He should not get so angry; life is too short. Consultation with the community and with councils is a priority. The Minister for State Development met with Tweed and Kyogle councils, and is committed to ongoing close consultation with them. I commend the bill to the House.

Question—That this bill be now read a second time—put.

The House divided.
Ayes, 21 [i.e. those in favour of a second reading of the bill]
Mr Ajaka
Mr Catanzariti
Mr Clarke
Ms Fazio
Ms Ficarra
Mr Gallacher
Ms Griffin
Mr Khan Mr Lynn
Mr Mason-Cox
Reverend Nile
Ms Parker
Ms Robertson
Ms Sharpe
Mr Tsang
Mr Veitch Ms Voltz
Mr West
Ms Westwood

Tellers,
Mr Donnelly
Mr Harwin

Noes, 5 [Ed. i.e. those against a second reading of the bill.]
Mr Cohen
Reverend Dr Moyes
Ms Rhiannon
Tellers,
Ms Hale
Dr Kaye
Question resolved in the affirmative. [Ed. i.e. Moyes and the other five who voted against the bill lost the motion, so the bill was put to the house a second time.]

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG (Parliamentary Secretary) [8.09 p.m.]: I move:

That the President do now leave the chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider the bill in detail.

Question put.

Division called for.

[In division]

Member Gordon Moyes physically locked out of debating Chamber

The PRESIDENT: Order! An unfortunate situation has suddenly arisen. A member who intended to contribute to the second reading debate on this bill was locked out of the Chamber at a time when he, if present in the Chamber, could have sought the call. The member sought to gain entry to the Chamber through a side door but the door was locked. The member then knocked on the door but was unable to gain entry to the Chamber. Because no member at that time sought the call, I gave the call to the Parliamentary Secretary to reply to the second reading debate.

That members are not present to participate in debate when the bells have been rung and the House begins to sit is neither here nor there: that is a matter for members. If members wish to contribute to a particular debate, they should be present when that debate is called on. However, if a member is prepared to speak and intends to do so but is physically unable to enter the Chamber, a matter of privilege arises.

I propose to call off the division and to give the call as a matter of privilege to Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes, the member who was unable to enter the Chamber, to allow him to contribute to the second reading of the bill. At the conclusion of that speech I will ask the Parliamentary Secretary to move again the motion to enable the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider the bill in detail.

Division called off.

Privilege

The PRESIDENT: Order! I call on Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes to address the House, as he wished to do earlier but was unable because he could not enter the Chamber.

[Candobetter Ed. Note that the speech below is published here, with editorial headings and punctuation changes. Scroll to end of speech here for more interesting comments, conduct and debate]

Gordon Moyes' Speech against the Bill

Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES [8.17 p.m.]: I thank the House for extending this privilege. It is very rare that one gets the opportunity, in an institution as old as State Parliament, to set precedent in the regulation and conduct of the House. The Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 is a bill for an Act to facilitate the conduct of the international motor sport known as the World Rally Championship. Clauses 13, 14 and 15 override the Local Government Act 1993, the Forestry Act 1916, and the Water Management Act 2000 by allowing the Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 to authorise people to take actions that are expressly not permitted by those Acts. Clause 20 protects the exercise of certain functions of the Minister, or any delegate of the Minister, or a public authority, from challenge or review before a court or administrative review body, or from being restrained, removed or otherwise affected by any proceedings.

The Northern Rivers area of New South Wales is pristine and beautiful. It is incredibly rich in flora and fauna, with more species of fish, birds, amphibians and mammals than even the world-famous Kakadu area of the Northern Territory.

The region also has many threatened fauna and plant species that need to be protected. The area is recognised as having diverse ecosystems, including different kinds of rainforest, wetlands, heath lands and important zones between the land and the water.

Some areas of Australia are so special and unique that they have received official recognition, and this is one of them. In 2008 the Federal Government launched the National Landscape Program, selecting only a handful of regions. Along with Kakadu and the Great Ocean Road, the Mount Warning Wollumbin Caldera was awarded special status as a national landscape icon by the Ministers for tourism and the environment. The green cauldron, as it is commonly called, is a designated area stretching from Byron Bay up past the State border into the Gold Coast, and was selected because of its distinctive natural features, including the world's second-largest shield volcano crater, which has shallow sloping sides, awesome environmental biodiversity and a very rich Aboriginal heritage.

I have wonderful memories of visiting this area on many occasions, particularly the area around Kyogle, which my family has visited several times. Kyogle is a town of approximately 4,000 people in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales. It was founded as a lumber camp in the 1930s, with red cedar and hoop pine being the main timber trees. It is about 750 kilometres north of Sydney, quite close to the border. The Kyogle area has cattle grazing, dairy farming and forestry as its primary industries, and is a tourist gateway to many national parks. The mad rush of the modern lifestyle has lost so much of the simplicity and beauty of the more natural pace of life and the smaller scale of living on the land. The people living in Kyogle and Tweed shires have purposely set out to recapture this preferred quality of life and are living their vision in the most committed way.

The back-to-the-land lifestyle is a homey, environmentally based world view that embraces home-grown organic food, handmade items of daily life, eating actual cooked meals rather than fast food on the run, raising poultry and cattle, birdwatching, bushwalking and a philosophy that supports the ongoing daily work of a commitment to recycling and a deep love and respect for, and the protection of, wildlife. These are the kinds of quiet pursuits that they embrace and encourage in their region. The people of Kyogle and Tweed collectively have identified the environment and its protection and enhancement as their top priorities, and the extraordinary natural environment is the reason people choose to live there. I emphasise the fact that the people as a community and as a region have purposely chosen that natural, life-affirming, low-carbon-footprint, close-to-the-land lifestyle.

As part and parcel of that world view, they have eschewed big, noisy, air- and water-polluting, old-fashioned, high-energy-using pastimes from the manic-paced cities, such as international motor car racing. It is true that there has been a small Speed for Tweed race of historic motor cars for the past five years on the streets of Murwillumbah, but it is very small scale, low key and charming. It is run as a non-profit event by the locals for the benefit of locals. It has raised thousands of dollars for local charities and Murwillumbah hospital. The race is tiny in comparison with the major-event motor car races of a scale threatened by the Repco Rally, which is simply not welcome there for many reasons—one of which is that it is an international business. It does not even pretend to benefit or serve the interests of local people. It is merely a commercial enterprise, a business. It does not share the ethos of the region and will offer nothing of value to the community.

Most of all, the Repco Rally simply does not belong there; it is seriously out of place. If the rally proceeds, it is an insulting imposition on the locals by external parties with truly alien values who are apparently such arrogant people that they will not take the broad hint that they are not wanted. Indeed, the local people could hardly be more expressive of their point of view on this matter, having written to their representatives and to the newspapers, marched in their localities, attended consultations, and done everything else they could think of to get someone to pay attention to their concerns—which range from indignation at being treated shoddily by the State Government to concerns about damage to the environment, and to issues with the suspect economic claims behind the decision to hold this race in their vulnerable natural environment.

Previous speakers who praised the rally indicated that it will bring $100 million of value to the area. They do not understand what they are talking about. For example, $100 million over what period? It is certainly not for this one race that is coming up; nor for the one in two years time or the one in 10 years time. It is the accumulated value they think they might get if everything is done and all options are accepted between now and 2027. A more true picture comes from Western Australia. The Western Australian Government no longer wanted the rally, indicating that it was costing Western Australia $6 million a year and it was not getting economic value to make up for that $6 million.

I have received, as I guess have many members, hundreds of emails, letters and visits from people in the area pointing out many different aspects. Obviously I will not go through all of them now. However, one concerned citizen, Dr Jules Lewin of Stokers Siding, pointed out to me that Repco Rally's socioeconomic impact assessment was so poorly put together, without being substantiated or having verifiable projections or references, that in scientific, medical and management circles it would be flatly rejected. The methodology was inappropriate, the numbers were inadequate, the data presentation was obscure and the analysis was unsound and contradictory.

In the assessment there was no consideration of the current economic crisis; nor were there any references to current social trends, such as green driving, concern for many environmental issues, the concept of sustainability or the impact of peak oil. With such a lack of insight and grasp of elemental issues, the so-called impact assessment is utterly irrelevant. No multimillion-dollar contract meant to last a minimum of 10 years, plus a 10-year extension, should be allowed to proceed on the basis of the authenticity, accuracy or recommendations of this flimsy report. Also, in the socioeconomic impact assessment the Repco Rally organisers claim to have consulted with the community, but a letter written to a number of local newspapers stated the following:

We the undersigned wish to advise the community that our respective community associations have been totally misrepresented in the report entitled Rally Australia Socio-economic Impact Statement, which was committed by Repco Rally Australia. We have been listed on page 29 of the report as being the representatives of our respective community associations who were supposedly part of the community consultation process. We wish to advise that no such community consultation ever took place.

The letter is signed by a significant number of leaders of community organisations from the area. Claiming that community consultation took place might look good on paper, but it has now been completely discredited as an untruth. If the Repco Rally organisers have not provided meaningful background research, presented accurate information or genuinely consulted with the community, and they have misrepresented their own activities, what is their word worth on anything else? One lady wrote to me about Sargents Road in Kyogle, where she lives, which is a core koala habitat crucial for the survival of the species. She cited the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change [DECC] November 2008 Recovery Plan for the Koala, which seeks to ensure the survival of the koala in the wild. This State report reinforces the need to recognise the value of koalas to the community in terms of their presence in the landscape and their potential to attract eco-tourism.

How then can another State department come along and act in opposition to those interests already committed to by that department? Sargents Road is not the kind of road recommended for racing—not if we care about animals and their habitats. In fact, the busy local wildlife rescue volunteers say that already far too much wildlife is injured and killed on the roads by automobiles, and that more cars racing on those roads is the last thing the animals need. They also mention that the methods proposed to scare the animals away from the roads—I wonder how many Government members understand this—will likely lead to stress reactions and heart failure in the animals. There will be extremely loud noises, such as banging and so on, to frighten animals away.

Additional concerns have been reported to me in letters from people, such as problem driving and street racing. I will not comment on those. We all know that streets and roads are already deadly to innocent drivers and pedestrians. The news is always full of copycat racing in every area after it hosts such races. Do we really want to inspire more of them? The answer from the people of the North Coast is a resounding "No". The local Kyogle and Tweed Landcare teams, made up of people who give their time free cleaning up, salvaging and repairing damaged ecosystems, dread the havoc that will be wreaked by such an event in this area—one that they have tended with such devotion over the years. The members of the Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers and the Caldera Environment Centre, who have worked for decades protecting the natural environment, are sick at heart over this bill, which will force on the rally in an area where it should not be allowed.

I assure members that local residents in this area are informed and intelligent; they know their special environment is critical to the growth of tourism in the area and is, in fact, its greatest attraction. Any activities that are destructive of the environment are anathema to them. Some believe that the Government will be in contravention of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in 1992. Motor sports are an incompatible activity and irrelevant to the local agricultural industry, and can only undermine the World Heritage value of the area. Any anticipated profits from motor sport enthusiasts would be dwarfed by the year-round loss of ecotourists once the green branding of the area is tainted. In addition to the danger to wildlife at risk from the rally, there are also many companion animals and domestic stock living in this area that are very sensitive to noise and can be terrified by screeching, careening and unpredictable motor-generated noises. Even if they were able to stay safely indoors, they will be bombarded by noise, which to animals is perceived as a threat. Such noise permeates and penetrates residential walls as if they were not there. This kind of noise should be isolated away from population centres—and not allowed in an area known for its nurturing silence.

The excessive noise pollution will be imposed on the human population too, of course. The standards set to protect people and animals will be overruled by this bill that we are considering passing, so that people will have no right to complain—and that is wrong. Those standards were established for a purpose, and to remove them casually in this way is a great wrong. Exposure to excess noise is known to raise the heart rate and blood pressure of many people and to contribute to anxiety; it should not be inflicted on populations as if it is of no importance. The wives, families, counsellors and companions of 4,000 war veterans living in the area have expressed their great concern over the anticipated helicopter noise—which they anticipate will cause psychological disturbance and deep anxiety as it triggers post traumatic stress episodes in the vulnerable, particularly Vietnam War veterans.

Even the anticipation of one helicopter circling above them is unbearable, much less the dozens of helicopters that will be used over the three-day event. To put veterans through such stress is just unconscionable. Their absolute dread is really escalating into a serious mental health issue for them, their families and their communities. Previously I have mentioned that I was responsible for establishing a mental health facility in Taree to handle post-war traumatic syndrome. Hundreds of Vietnam veterans from the northern rivers came to the Wesley Mayo clinic at Taree for psychological services. In fact, the recently named psychological condition of "solistalgia" is now widespread in the North Coast area. Solistalgia is defined as "the deep distress induced by environmental change, which is exacerbated by the sense of powerlessness and loss of control over the changes that are occurring".

Then there is the spillage of oil, petrol and other wastes that will seep into the ground, into the atmosphere and onto roads, which is unconscionable in such a pristine area. The air pollution generated from motor racing is unhealthy for people and all other living things, including trees close to the track. The amount of dust that is raised is dangerous for asthmatics and people with respiratory conditions, not to mention dirty and distressing for the people whose homes it will fill. Advising them to go inside and turn on the air conditioning is not good enough. People have outdoor work and busy lives to live and cannot easily take refuge indoors, and many do not have the option of air conditioning. Nothing will help animals cope with the particulate matter in the air that will sicken them. On the topic of pollution, it is reported that every member of the world rally racing team travels over 130,000 kilometres by air each year. Add that to all the carbon emitted by the activities associated with the rally and a thoughtful person cannot help but recognise that it is an unacceptable carbon footprint.

In fact, in this era of climate change, in response to the deadly global threat of increasing greenhouse gases, it would be far more sensible for the State Government to discourage all human activities that produce such a massive carbon footprint. Perhaps the rich race organisers think they do not have to worry about such matters, but climate change will eventually affect them too. There are also all the prudent economic arguments that many of my constituents have pointed out. Locals believe almost universally there will be far more irremediable damage than any possible benefit accruing from having full restaurants and accommodation for a few days every other year. The proposed benefits of showcasing the northern area to an estimated 51 million people worldwide, who are supposedly going to watch the racing on television, is outweighed by the actual damage done to the whole fabric of society, the already ill-maintained roads, the environment and the people. Some things just do not bounce back that easily, and having had an event of this magnitude forced upon them is not going to sit easy with residents. Many are simply not resilient enough to cope with the magnitude of the change being thrust upon them.

I will say very little more. It just does not make sense on any level. The history of the rally in other States has been lacklustre, leading to large financial losses by taxpayers. The Western Australia Government expressed that by not being willing to let it continue in that State? It is on record as saying they it was deceived by rally organisers. Why have Suzuki and Subaru withdrawn their sponsorship of the rally? Why did Victoria or Queensland not want it? Why did the Welsh Assembly Government recently terminate its five-year contract after just two years? I will tell you why. Because all the promised benefits that have been presented to members of the Government and the Opposition were hyped to them were not forthcoming, after all—and if we in New South Wales are sold the same bill of goods, the same thing will happen on the North Coast.

People have asked me why are the taxpayers of New South Wales being asked to fund this rich-people's sport? Why is the State Government promising this international commercial enterprise free labour of hundreds of local volunteers, particularly, who are already overstretched by their efforts and services during two recent floods in the area? As well as the money paid to the Repco rally organisers the State intends to provide free of charge a number of bushfire brigades, 150 extra police, the services of the State Emergency Service, hospitals and all their associated staff on stand-by, on and on ad infinitum. This event will run at a loss for the State, but not for the organisers. Even though the people who thought the idea had some merit now recognise the contempt in which their region's concerns are being held by the arrogant rally organisers who act as if they have been given carte blanche to do whatever they like. The residents know full well it is not democratic, not respectful, not what they expect or deserve, and not right. One wrote to me and said:

Apart from being a very bad idea and unpopular with residents, this is a dangerous practice: taking control over events that the local councils should be regulating, in order to benefit outside elites.

Another wrote:

Have our governing bodies become so anesthetised to the fact that they are elected to represent the citizens, and not given the divine rights of kings?

There is one more group whose interests and concerns I have not yet mentioned, the Aboriginal women of the Githabul people, whose representative contacted my office when they heard that I was listening to all sides of the issue.

The representative of the Githabul people explained that under the agreement reached in late 2007 the Githabul people were going to be allowed joint management of national parks and State forests with the New South Wales State Government. Regarding the Repco rally, there was consultation carried out with one sole male elder. But he, as a male, was not in a position to know anything about the areas that are sacred to the Githabul women and apparently the women are very distraught that they have had no voice in presenting their deeply honoured cultural concerns to the rally organisers and the New South Wales Government, and they call upon both to recognise that they too have a right to be heard. To them these issues are of life and death importance and they do not want the Repco rally to have access to particular areas on the race route as announced that are actually sacred territory.

Forcing through the bill does not demonstrate respect for the opinions, needs and lives of people and their families in these areas. This is not good manners, it is not social justice, and it is not democracy. In fact it is a blatant flouting of the democratic process and does not represent the value system that Australians have gone to war to defend and protect. It is an insult to war veterans and families in that area. I am disturbed to note that this is becoming an all too familiar pattern, with bills being used by the Government to disregard other tiers of government or authorities in order to force its own way without regard for the feelings or safety of the people on the receiving end. Our political system has been built up over many years with multiple layers of power and checks and balances, and we must not give them away.

I conclude, Mr President, by reading a passage from the Code of Conduct for Members, which you signed and sent to every member of this House. I am sure that it has been quite a while since many of us read or thought about it. It states:

Members of Parliament acknowledge their responsibility to maintain the public trust placed in them by performing their duties with honesty and integrity, respecting the law and the institution of Parliament, and using their influence to advance the common good of the people of New South Wales.

Not all of my constituents are against motor racing per se, if it can be held in an area that will be undamaged by it and if nearby residents actively want it happening there. It is a hard ask, though. No residents that I have spoken to in the area, or anywhere near it, want motor races to be held near their children's schools, on their village streets or on rural roads. I do not approve of anything that can be construed as a misuse of power and, therefore, I will not support any bill that allows large-scale events unwanted by the people who would have to host them. I encourage any other members here today who still think they have either an environmental or a social conscience to join me in refusing to support what I believe is an ill-conceived bill. I thank you, Mr President, for extending me the privilege of being able to speak.

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: I move:

That the President now leave the chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider the bill in detail.

Question put and resolved in the affirmative.
In Committee

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): I propose to deal with the bill by parts. There being no objection, the Committee will proceed to consider part 1.

Mr IAN COHEN [8.44 p.m.]: On behalf of the Greens, I say in Committee that I strongly oppose the Motor Sports (World Rally Championships) Bill 2009, which is a burning indictment of the pervading culture of the New South Wales Labor Party. I am constantly amazed by the amount of special legislation that the New South Wales Labor Party regurgitates in this Chamber to facilitate all manner of incursion on basic rights. However, I was not at all surprised at the Government putting forward special legislation to enable this rally to go ahead. As I feared when I spoke in this Chamber in May, the rally deal was stitched up a long time ago. The rally organisers have been taking bookings and proceeding with great confidence without even lodging a development application.

The people have been robbed of their capacity to determine what happens in their area

The people of the North Coast have been waiting to see the rally be considered by their local council, which should be the determining authority. But it has been robbed of its capacity to participate in determining what happens in its area. The bill has the usual grubby and sleazy hallmarks of Labor's special legislation turning off key environment and land use planning legislation because there is one rule for the New South Wales masses and one for the international racing crowd. Taking away residents' common law rights and usurping the will of local communities is all encompassed within the bill—all hallmarks of this brave and noble Labor Government.

The bill overrides the National Parks and Wildlife Act, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, the Threatened Species Conservation Act, the Forestry Act, the Water Management Act, the Fisheries Management Act and the Local Government Act.

The special legislation will foist a car rally on the Tweed and Kyogle shires of northern New South Wales this September and a further four more rallies to be held biannually until 2017. On top of turning off the State's key environmental legislation, the bill will also allow the Minister to accommodate any requirements of the rally organisers. The legislation is not restricted to the northern rivers region. It will allow the Minister to prescribe any area in New South Wales as part of the declared rally area by regulation. This means technically that the Minister can declare the whole State one big rally course and turn off every key piece of environmental legislation, and the decision to do so would be immune from any judicial review at all. Some might say it is total insanity. Has this Minister gone mad? Is he somewhat of a modern-day Nero? There is no personal advantage, or will the Minister gain some personal advantage by building up his credit and riding off to some corporate retirement? Worst of all, Minister Macdonald has inserted a double-glazed privative clause in proposed section 20—

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! The member should be speaking to part 1 of the bill, which incorporates clauses 1, 2 and 3, and should not be making reflections on other members.

Mr IAN COHEN: I am expressing myself in Committee due to circumstances somewhat outside leave—
The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): I am aware of that. Please proceed.

Mr IAN COHEN: If that means that I have to go through every section of my speech at every point of the Committee, I will do so. I would ask the indulgence of the Committee to allow me to at least express myself, which is a right that I have as an elected member of this House—

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! Nobody is disputing the right of the member to speak to different parts of the bill, but in doing so he must not make reflections on other members.

Mr IAN COHEN: Even the improper exercise of functions by protected persons is exempt from any judicial or administrative challenge whatsoever. This is probably one of the most extreme privative clauses crafted by the hands of Minister Macdonald, who refuses to be accountable for his decisions. It is a total joke and this level of legislative extremism to secure commercial certainty should be thrown out.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: Point of order: I do not mind the member making points about the bill, but he should not use the Committee stage to say outrageously stupid things about me. He should be brought to heel. There are other forms of the House available to him if he wishes to attack, and the Committee is not one of them. It was not my fault that he missed the call.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): I remind Mr Ian Cohen that he should not make reflections on other members unless by way of a substantive motion. It is in order for him to speak about his concerns about the bill, but he must not speak about the Minister who has carriage of the bill.

Mr IAN COHEN: Thank you, and I must apologise to the Minister. I did not realise he was such a sensitive character.

The Hon. Rick Colless: Precious.

Mr IAN COHEN: It is rather precious, and I acknowledge the interjection of the Hon. Rick Colless. The Minister is good at dishing it out but cannot take a little bit of criticism. I am surprised he finds this such a sensitive issue.

I read on the Rally's website that the world controlling body for motor sport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile [FIA], was understood to have been concerned with media reports about the event and sought an assurance from the Government that it would proceed. With this legislation it will do more than just proceed.

The FIA and Rally Australia, a private company, can just sit back and let the Government do all the work. Inconvenient local planning laws? Consider it solved. This proposed legislation will sweep them under the carpet. Endangered wildlife getting underfoot or under a wheel? This legislation will override the National Parks and Wildlife Act and the Endangered Species Act, and hopefully the helicopters will scare the koalas away. Annoying local council and residents? Do not worry, just go over their heads.

I would like to commend the Hon. Gordon Moyes for his speech on this bill in which he raised a number of issues that I was not aware. He referred to the number of Vietnam War veterans living in that part of the world, and I commend him for raising that issue. It shows how in touch he is as a church representative, as well as a representative of this House, about the problems and issues in country areas. There is the clear example of the Vietnam War veterans, but many others with all sorts of problems retire to the country for a quiet life. They go there deliberately for that reason and, as the Hon. Gordon Moyes said, to get away from the rat race in the city. People go to these areas to escape the insanity that is highlighted by this type of event. There has been no development application, no council meetings and no problems. Funding from Events NSW? "No problem again. Just keep it commercial in confidence so no-one knows how much we are spending." This is said to be commercial in confidence but where are the competitors? There are none.

The Hon. Matthew Mason-Cox: Queanbeyan.

Mr IAN COHEN: I acknowledge the interjection by the honourable member. But where are the competitors who would demonstrate the commercial viability of this event? There are none. It is a sewn-up deal, so why is it commercial in confidence? Why do we not have some degree of transparency from this Government? It is certainly quick to assess the profit to be derived and to make a statement about that. It just tosses up the figure of $100 million to indicate the sort of money that will be made. Is there a proper assessment of the event? No. It is commercial in confidence even though there is no competition for the event. We are heading in the right direction if we are heading for a State built on cheap, snake oil salesman-style entrepreneurialism. The Minister is looking like some sort of corporate Rambo. He has gone way beyond the principles that the Labor Party once stood for so that not even the hard Left can reel him in.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: Ms Lee Rhiannon has certainly stirred you right up.

Mr IAN COHEN: I acknowledge the interjection by the honourable Minister claiming that my reaction is somehow caused by my fellow Green Lee Rhiannon. I have to say that everything that has occurred recently has had no input into my feeling of revulsion at what this Government is doing and the way it is acting. Talks about the rally are reported to have been going on for two years yet Repco Rally Australia [RRA] could not manage to prepare a development application that could possibly justify this event. The FIA, headed by Max Mosley, applied a bit of pressure and the caped crusader, Minister Macdonald, stepped in to save the day. As I pointed out in the question to the Minister—

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: Point of order: The member should stop the gratuitous slights he is making in this contribution. He is absolutely abusing the forms of this Chamber. If I had the right to reply to his comments, as I would in a second reading debate, I would certainly make a few comments about the nonsense he is talking. After all, the first I learnt about all of this was on 17 May.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! As I ruled earlier, the member should not make comments about the Minister who has carriage of the bill. He should confine his remarks to the bill.

Mr IAN COHEN: I withdraw the comment. The Minister is no caped crusader. As I pointed out in a question I asked Minister Macdonald last week, I find it curious that a New South Wales Government that has become obsessed about marketing and branding our iconic natural tourist attractions, such as the Green Cauldron, could then turn around and hold a rally car race through the same areas. It is totally illogical. There are no criteria put forward by the Government to indicate that this rally is a good idea. It is simply a case of the Minister trying to circumvent our environmental planning laws for a corporate patron's convenience. The event will not be a boost to the economy. A bit of research would have shown the Minister that Western Australia withdrew its support for the rally in that State because as the Western Australian tourism Minister said—and I would suggest he would be pretty much in favour of a profit-making event:

$6 million for one single event that returns $1.60 for every dollar invested by the state, when the average return is about $8 for every dollar invested by the state, is not a good return on investment.

The Minister for State Development, Ian Macdonald, says it will boost the economy by $100 million. It is a dubious figure and I would like to know how it was arrived at and how much the taxpayers of New South Wales are expected to shell out to get this return. As I said earlier, it is commercial in confidence; despite the fact there is no competition the details are protected. The same amount is quoted as the return that we can expect from the V8 Supercars event. I wonder if this is just a shelf figure that is trotted out for such events. It seems to have the consistency of an Iranian election result.

Elsewhere throughout the world such rallies are increasingly on the nose. Rally Finland is reducing the organising budget for this year's event by as much as 40 per cent after the loss of 1,000 pre-booked VIP guests. The Welsh Assembly Government served notice of termination of its agreement with the FIA World Rally Championship organisers, and the British Motor Sport Association has had to jump in with £2.2 million to ensure the events go ahead. In referring to the 2006 Wales Rally, Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport in the Welsh Assembly said:

… the event has only had a marginal impact on the development of the Welsh motorsport/advanced engineering sector, and in terms of repeat visitation generates a modest tourism spend of circa £1 million per annum. The report confirmed that the 2006 Rally generated £3.3 million of gross value added, which represents a return on investment of less than 2:1. In comparison, even Event Scotland, the national events agency in Scotland aim for a return on investment of 8:1 across their portfolio of supported events.

So-called motor sports increasingly irrelevant in energy constrained world: Restoring a rail link would help people become more mobile and travel to work and between towns

If New South Wales is to have five of these events over the next 10 years, how reliable is the supposed revenue likely to be? The so-called motor sports—and I do wonder about this being a sport at all—are increasingly unpopular and irrelevant in an increasingly energy constrained world. If this Government were really serious about boosting the local economy of northern New South Wales, it would restore the Casino to Murwillumbah rail link. An event that occurs for a few days every two years is not going to sustain the local economy. The return of the rail link would help people to become more mobile and allow them to travel to work and between towns for commercial purposes.

With good transport links so many opportunities would arise and businesses would be facilitated. The whole community and the local economy would flourish. The funds this Government is committing to a brief and intermittent so-called sporting event would be better diverted to restoring that rail link. The people of the Tweed and Kyogle shires are really angry about this legislation. Mr Rick Wagner, a resident who lives along the proposed route writes:

Since this event was brought to the Public attention I have been in contact with RRA [Repco Rally Australia], Kyogle Council and Councillors on a regular basis to try and find out how this event will affect my life. I live on the route, in fact my property is on both sides of Sargent Rd which is on one of the special stages of the event.

All along RRA have said trust me and wait for the Development Application to be lodged with Council. Council has said I have to wait for the DA to be lodged before I can make any submission in regard to how it will adversely affect my life.

It now appears that any rights I may have had in this regard are being taken away by this legislation which will just about allow Repco Rally Australia to do anything they wish. The proposed legislation certainly appears to waive many other existing legislations that have been put in place to protect ordinary people and their civil rights. Noise, Dust Intrusion in the use of my property, environment, ecological even my own access to my property are all things that will be over-ruled by this legislation.

RRA is going to make millions of dollars from this event but for them to do this I, and many other residents along the route, will be severely inconvenienced and impacted not only financially but in the quality of our right to enjoy the environment in which we live. Many are already sick with worry about the impact of this event. Communities have become divided over the event and this in itself is unhealthy.

Denise Ewin from Tweed shire wrote:

I am a retired teacher with over 30 years as a practising pastor and teacher and 15 years during that time as an assistant principal. I was also the accredited manager in New South Wales and Queensland of our family-owned business operating tours, which encompassed many areas of the Tweed Valley, the granite belt and the outback town of Lightning Ridge. All our tours went to the world heritage listed Border Ranges National Park in the Kyogle Shire.

Whilst I am not in favour of this type of rally in any environment I am particularly opposed to it being held in this unique area of physical beauty which should not be intruded upon by speeding cars, helicopters and all that goes with this type of event causing havoc to the environment and to the people who live there.

Most people come to this area because of the special beauty and serenity, which is not only in this very scenic area but which also has some of the most diverse wildlife in New South Wales. This is indeed a blow to the people of the shires involved and might I say a very big mistake by our Government. The Government would do well to remember who elected it and to care for all the people of the State regardless of political affiliations.

The people who are writing to me are not the hysterical ferals that the Minister would like to dismiss; they are ordinary people with a genuine grievance.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: Point of order: The member is straying outside the legitimate issues to which he should be confining himself. He just made another gratuitous insult and he should withdraw it.

Mr IAN COHEN: To the point of order—

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: I have never accused anyone of being a feral in relation to this bill or in relation to any other area.

Mr IAN COHEN: To the point of order: It is reasonable to say that on a number of occasions the Minister has insulted people that I represent. I would have to go through the Hansard to verify it, but on a number of occasions the Minister has spoken disparagingly about them. It is reasonable to raise issues that have occurred in the past in this House.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: I ask him to withdraw it.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! The Minister has advised the Chamber that he has not referred to anyone in relation to this matter in the terms referred to by Mr Ian Cohen. The Minister has asked Mr Ian Cohen to withdraw that comment and I suggest that he does so.

Mr IAN COHEN: I withdraw the comment. These are ordinary people with genuine grievances. John and Janet Townsend of Murwillumbah—a community-minded couple in their late sixties—wrote to me and to the Minister. They are disgusted about what they call the most breathtaking subversion of the democratic process that they have ever seen in Australia. They also said in a letter to the Minister, of which I received a copy:

You know perfectly well that this would not have been necessary if our Shire warmly welcomed the destructive event in the middle of one of the two most important areas in the east coast of Australia ...

The opposition to the event is NOT a rabble of 50 ratbags ...

We hope you have not been taken in by Garry Connolly of Repco Rally Australia telling you that the rally organisers have been collaborating on a carbon offsetting plan with Tweed LandCare Inc. ... or that esteemed consultant ecologist Dr Stephen Phillips has given the rally the go-ahead after completing his environmental assessment of the impact of the event.

Both these claims are made by Repco Rally Australia and seriously backfired on them. Angry Landcarers phoned them (we know, as we were two of them) and wrote letters to local newspapers refuting the implied association of Tweed LandCare Inc. ...

Doctor Philips for Kyogle Shire ... his brief has been limited to assessing "which particular threatened species may be at risk along a given stage, and why", and really all he has been able to conclude is that the rally will not kill enough rare or threatened species this year as to jeopardise the viability of the local species.

This Government has shown scant regard for indigenous cultural heritage and the rally shows a continuation of that pattern, with indigenous people shabbily treated in consideration of the rally. One person was selected to represent all Aboriginal interests. The draft Cultural Heritage Assessment [CHS], which should consider the possible impacts on significant Aboriginal sites, has been considered for only three of the rally's 15 competitive stages. The Cultural Heritage Assessment for the rally has not yet been finalised but decisions have already been made. This Government is prepared to trash Aboriginal cultural heritage and ignore Aboriginal people's concerns just to make a quick buck, if indeed there is a buck to be made.

I commend Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes for elucidating that issue in his earlier speech. This Government proposes to override State planning laws to allow this rally to carve through an area designated under the National Landscapes scheme and named Australia's Green Cauldron—an internationally renowned biodiversity hotspot. This very spot was recognised by the New South Wales Government's task force on tourism and national parks. The task force made 20 recommendations that were all adopted by the Government and reinforced the importance of branding and marketing iconic sustainable nature tourism experiences in our national parks. I doubt whether anyone would come to the conclusion that this rally was an iconic sustainable nature tourism experience.

The Government's failure to heed the recommendation of its own task force and instead foist this utterly unsuitable event on the area shows an incredible lack of understanding of what north-east New South Wales is about. Tourists go to that part of New South Wales because of its natural beauty. They go to see the beauty of the rainforests, the beaches, the rivers and the wildlife; they do not go to see cars carving through these beautiful places. The Green Cauldron is so named by government agencies because people who live in that area have fought long and hard to protect it from logging, mining and now car rally racing. Those who live in the area have long known the incredible value of this place now recognised under the National Landscapes scheme.

This car rally is not only completely dissonant with the spirit of this landscape; it is also a blunt instrument carving through a masterpiece. Local people are genuinely concerned about the rally going through habitats of threatened or protected species. One hundred vulnerable species of wildlife and 23 endangered species in the Tweed area will be placed at greater risk as a result of this rally that will occur in September, coinciding with the breeding season of many animal species. The death of animals is a terrible thing, but the death of young people is a tragedy. I have seen horrific accidents involving young people on the roads where I live. I quote from the Roads and Traffic Authority website which states:

... the aim of the "Speeding—no-one thinks big of you" campaign is to make speeding socially unacceptable. In NSW speeding is a factor in about 40 per cent of road deaths each year. This means more than 200 people die each year in NSW because of speeding. In addition to those killed, more than 4,000 people are injured in speed-related crashes each year. The estimated cost to the community of speed-related crashes is about $780 million a year.

That is more than seven times the expected revenue from the rally, but we cannot put a price on the suffering caused by motor vehicle accidents.

There is a proven correlation between the interest in motor racing and risky driving behaviours of young male drivers. "Life in the Fast Lane: Environmental, Economic and Public Health Outcomes of Motorsport Spectacles in Australia" is a study co-authored by Paul Tranter of the Australian Defence Force Academy [ADFA].

The study, which was published last month in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, shows the negative social effects of motor racing as well as citing a number of studies that directly link motor racing to dangerous copycat driving behaviour in Adelaide and Melbourne after the Grand Prix. I cite another study by Paul Tranter and James Warn from the Australian Defence Force Academy entitled "Relationships between interest in motor racing and driver attitudes and behaviours amongst mature drivers." The study states:

As well as the obvious dangers to drivers and spectators from crashes during motor racing events, there is evidence that motor racing events are linked to an increase in road accidents off the racetrack ... Accident rates can also be higher in localities that have been associated with motor racing events. Road accidents in South Australia around the time of the Adelaide first Grand Prix increased significantly. This increase, which could not be explained by variables such as traffic volumes and weather conditions, was believed to be due to the glorification of speed and daring associated with the motor racing event. In another instance, casualty accident rates on public roads more than doubled after the roads around Melbourne's Albert Park more than doubled after the roads were used as a Formula One race circuit. A New Zealand study found that young males who were interested in legal motor sport events were more likely to engage in risky driving behaviours (as measured by a violations scale) as well as more likely to be involved in illegal street racing.

The Minister for State Development has chosen to ignore the experts and his Government's own anti-speeding message.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: I haven't chosen to do anything.

Mr IAN COHEN: Well, you certainly have not taken any notice of it.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: This is Government legislation.

Mr IAN COHEN: You still have not taken any notice of it. This is something I have raised in this House before.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! Members should not interject, and members with the call should not respond to interjections.

Mr IAN COHEN: I have raised in this House a number of times issues about speed driving and impressionable young people who are vulnerable to that sort of behaviour. The fact is that we do not measure the resultant cost of hospital and medical bills. It seems as though there is an inability of government to say, "Look, we've got issues here" that spin off from a particular project. I shall refer to that in more detail shortly. I received an email from a person named Wayne Smith who said simply:

Drivers are already practicing the rally course on Byril Creek road. There are many people living along this road who report that they are practicing late at night with their number plates covered or removed. This has been reported to the police on several occations who ignor the reports.

The proposed rally already is having an impact. I guess young people will do what young people do: they are practising at night along this bush rally route, not taking into account any road kill along the way. I hope a serious accident does not occur on those very narrow and dangerous roads. I can stand being abused in this House for all manner of things, including being irrelevant, but I do question priorities in this House when compelling evidence against a proposal is ignored. I ask the Minister for Police to at least investigate the situation. I understand that police have a huge task patrolling the Murwillumbah area and they are understaffed. The rally route is a fair distance from the town and the chances of catching these young people may be remote, but they are covering up their registration plates and are revving along the road at night with no controls. This is happening months before the rally is even scheduled to start. One can only imagine what will happen after the event. I hope no serious accident results from this behaviour.

It is difficult for police to be patrolling that bush rally route area because they have many other activities and responsibilities. Residents beyond the route have complained to me about the current activities, yet somehow it is not the responsibility of the decisions or actions of this Government; somehow it does not count.

This is a despicable situation.

I hope the police Minister's office can at least go a small part of the way to remedy the problem. Perhaps the cost of providing a police presence to curtail this activity this can be taken from the profits the rally organisers claim will be made. Perhaps they would like also to take into account some of the other impacts of this dangerous activity, particularly hospitalisation, motor accidents and also wildlife destruction.

Many community people give selflessly of their time to protect our wildlife. Sometimes the priorities in this Parliament are quite farcical.

This bill takes away the power of the people most affected by this rally to have any say through the normal planning process. The New South Wales Government wants this event irrespective of environmental or human concerns. If this event is such a good thing, as the Minister said recently in Parliament, why does the Minister need special legislation? The people of northern New South Wales should not have to cop deals this Government has done to appease an international motor racing organisation and underwrite a private company, Rally Australia. The State should not be creating special legislation for one single corporate beneficiary—it is undemocratic. The unique environment of the North Coast cannot be rented out to whoever wants to use it. The due planning process should be allowed to proceed. I was ridiculed by the Minister a few weeks ago when I asked a question on this very matter, and the Minister invited himself to my residence. It is okay to dish it out.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: I wasn't dishing it out.

Mr IAN COHEN: The Minister assumed somehow that he was going to be welcome at my residence. There are a number of reasons why you are not welcome to my house, Minister. I do not accommodate an abject hypocrite and leader of the hard left doing the bidding of the extreme right. You are not welcome as a Minister who is engineering the most environmentally destructive action against forests in New South Wales at this point in time. Minister, you are a man who ridicules safety issues and is abusing his power.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: When?

Mr IAN COHEN: Right now with this Repco Rally.

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: Point of order: the Committee is indulging this member. Through his incompetence he missed the second reading debate. We have allowed him to speak in the Committee stage, totally outside the rules of the House. He now is personalising this debate by having a go at me all the time. I do not mind, generally. If he did it in the second reading debate, it would not worry me. However, he should not be doing it in Committee. For all his animated carry-on, he fails to grasp the point that the first I heard of this race was in May when I was asked to propose it by the Premier. The Premier is responsible for Events New South Wales. I am just carrying this legislation forward as a member of the Government. I have had nothing to do it other than that.

Mr IAN COHEN: So you are retracting what you said about me in the House?

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: I just made a joke at the end of the speech.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! Both members will sit down.

Ms Lee Rhiannon: To the point of order—

The CHAIR: Order! I will not take further argument on the point of order. When members contribute to debate they must confine their comments either to the bill or to a point of order. They should not engage in slanging matches across the table with other members. They must also direct their comments through the Chair. I ruled previously that Mr Ian Cohen should refrain from making imputations about other members in his speech. Equally, it is not appropriate for the Minister, when taking a point of order, to make imputations about Mr Ian Cohen. The member may proceed but will not make further imputations about the Minister or his carriage of the bill.

Mr IAN COHEN: Thank you, Madam Chair, for your balanced assessment of these points of order. I thank you also for allowing me in these rather unusual circumstances to at least place on record what I believe is a reasonable representation of the many people in northern New South Wales who are quite abhorred at this proposal. I agree with the Minister wholeheartedly: I have been incompetent. Yes, I missed the opportunity to contribute to the second reading debate and I feel frustrated at the resulting circumstances: my incompetence created that. At times I have been incompetent—I agree with the Minister—in that I have failed to convince my fellow Greens party members across New South Wales to desist from giving preferences to this Labor Government. I will not be so incompetent at the next election.

Dr JOHN KAYE [9.18 p.m.]: I support the remarks of my colleague Ian Cohen and Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes. I doubt whether I can match their eloquent passion on this matter, but I certainly match them unequivocally in that I and Greens members to whom I have spoken around New South Wales oppose this legislation and this rally.

I will begin by referring to the opposition from the local community. I notice that once again Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile suggested that opposition to the rally was stirred up and, once again, Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile is wrong. Just nine days ago I attended an environment fair in Murwillumbah and I have to say that opposition to the rally was palpable.

Everywhere I went, and not just at the environment fair, but especially when I walked down the street and spoke to people in the street at Murwillumbah, there was no question of overwhelming opposition to the race and overwhelming support for the work of the groups and members of Parliament who have opposed the rally as well as absolute and utter concern for the impact of the rally on the community. Northern Rivers people constitute a community that strongly values its natural environment, its peace and quiet, and personal safety—all of which will be undermined by the Repco rally and this legislation.

Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile is wrong in suggesting there is any need to stir up anger: the anger was stirred up by the Rees Government, by the proposal for the rally, and by this legislation. Moreover there is anger that the community has been ignored. One of the recurrent themes was a complaint about the complete absence of any meaningful community consultation. Many members of the community mentioned to me that a great degree of deception had been perpetrated on the community about the level of community consultation. The community is not only angry about being ignored but also angry about the consequences of the rally for their community.

One of the recurring themes was concern for the natural environment and for the values of the Green Cauldron. High speed vehicles and low speed marsupials and other fauna are an inherently bad mix. Particular concern was expressed for koalas and the way in which koalas will suffer both from the noise and the risk of impact as well as from chemical pollution. The koala population in the area has declined. The koalas are vulnerable in that area and could be savagely damaged—all for a car race. The environmental concerns relate not only to noise and animal strikes but also to air and water pollution and road run-off. These types of assaults and insults to the environment have no place in areas with high degrees of natural values and natural beauty.

There is no question that if nothing else happens, the noise that will scare the animals away will have an impact per se. There is an overriding concern that the flora and fauna of the area around the race will be damaged to the extent that some may never recover. They will be damaged by one race, by another race two years later, and they will continue to be damaged as long as the race goes on, with cumulative effects on the ecosystem. The only way that the race can be justified is if people admit they have no concern for the natural environment and for the natural values of the Green Cauldron.

Another matter of huge concern is the almost complete absence of meaningful consultation with the local Aboriginal people. The Githabul people, for whom the Green Cauldron has deep and lasting social and religious significance, have not been appropriately consulted. For many of them, a car race through the Green Cauldron will be like a car race through a cathedral. We owe a great debt to the Aboriginal people of the State, and we are exacerbating that by hosting a car race without even bothering to appropriately consult with the traditional owners of the land.

Both Mr Khan and Reverend Moyes spoke about the encouragement of copycat high-risk driving behaviour. Rally driving, however highly skilled it is, clearly encourages emulation, particularly by young and adolescent males. What we are doing with this car rally is sending an appalling message to young men and young women whom we are trying to discourage from risky driving behaviours. The Government has invested heavily in the prevention of hoon driving, but by officially sanctioning a car race and ramming through legislation that will put on display what can only be described as risky car driving behaviour, it sends an appallingly mixed message.

The poor quality of the socioeconomic and cost benefit analyses of this race are outstanding. Not only are the methodology and data dodgy, but so is the way the results have been interpreted to justify supposedly a $100 million benefit from the car rally. The figure of $100 million is highly questionable, if not entirely fictitious, but even if there were $100 million in supposedly economic benefits, the proposal ignores the social and environmental impacts, and the impacts upon the longer-term economy of the region. Western Australia had the right idea by kicking out its Repco rally because the Western Australian Government recognised that when all matters are taken into consideration, the dollars simply do not stack up.

To the extent that any money is to be made from this rally, it will be purchased at the expense of the local amenity of residents, the future of green tourism and other natural values that are derived from the green branding of the area and from the integrity of the environment. In reality, any proper analysis of this car race would result in the conclusion that it is simply not worth doing. When the damage inflicted on the environment, the community, and the individuals within the area are all taken into account, the proposal simply cannot be justified by a fistful of dollars, especially when the magnitude of the profit is questionable. Reverend Moyes and Ian Cohen have referred to the appalling process that has led to the introduction of this legislation; the way the legislation will undermine important protections for people, animals and the environment; the way it takes away a right of appeal; the way it takes away the ability of a community to stand up for the environment and the way in which it rides roughshod over the important protections that exist in other legislation.

From my point of view and for many Greens, the worst aspect of this legislation and the car rally is the absolute and complete lack of vision for the region. It is a lack of vision that could come only from a total misunderstanding of the environmental values of the region and the values of the population of the region. Surely anybody who has spent any time in the Tweed and in Kyogle would automatically start thinking about ecotourism, cycle tourism, and tourism that includes activities based on respect for the environment.

The Hon. Duncan Gay: Point of order: I have listened to the contribution being made to debate by the member. I know the amendment that is before the Committee. I have a sneaking suspicion that the member is making a second reading speech.

Dr John Kaye: You were not here. We decided we were going to do this.

CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda FAZIO): Order! Dr John Kaye will not interrupt the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Duncan Gay, when he is taking a point of order.

The Hon. Duncan Gay: I have just arrived in the Chamber and I am saying what I am seeing—a member making a second reading speech during the Committee stage. There is an amendment before the Committee and, from what I could hear, the member's remarks were not even close. I request that he be directed to confine his remarks to the amendment that is before the Committee.

CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda FAZIO): An amendment has not been moved. We are dealing with part 1 of the bill. In a very roundabout way, members are speaking against the adoption of part 1 of the bill. Dr Kaye may proceed.

Dr JOHN KAYE: I oppose part 1 of the bill, which is the long title of the legislation. The Greens oppose the legislation not only in detail but also in its substance. Our opposition to the bill includes part 1 of the bill. I appreciate the ruling of the Chair. I conclude my speech by pointing out that the Repco rally is not a sensible use of the landscape or a sensible imposition on the people of the area, and it is not a sensible imposition on the environment. I urge all members to vote against this part of the bill.

Ms LEE RHIANNON [9.28 p.m.]:

I congratulate my colleague Ian Cohen on his speech in the Chamber and his work with the community and the No Rally Group Inc., which has set out very clearly why this legislation should not be passed. The Repco rally should not be held in northern New South Wales. That would be a huge mistake and would result in a huge setback not only for the region but also for the standing of New South Wales. It will just make us look even more of a laughingstock and show that this Government is more dysfunctional than people realise.

There are many reasons the event should not go ahead, and the environmental concerns have been well set out.

More than a decade ago I did a great deal of work with the Rainforest Information Centre based at Lismore. Obviously I had an opportunity to enjoy the delights of that area. The green cauldron, as many speakers have referred to it, is wondrous. I imagine that when people stand on the lip of the crater, which is millions of years old, they are spellbound by the sheer beauty of what they see when they take in the full panorama. And the Government is pushing this madness onto the local environment and the local community. This is not the area in which to hold this rally. Again, the Greens are not saying we are against all car races, but holding street car races particularly through natural areas is a deeply flawed policy that reflects on the Minister. One must wonder how many long lunches he had to participate in—

The Hon. Ian Macdonald: Point of order: I ask Ms Lee Rhiannon to withdraw that comment. Dr John Kaye made his second reading contribution in Committee with a great deal of dignity. Ms Lee Rhiannon is straying into sleights, insults and imputations. Obviously she missed the point that my involvement with this event began in May. I do not have carriage for Events New South Wales. So I ask the member to withdraw those imputations.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio)

: Order! I ask Ms Lee Rhiannon to withdraw the comments to which the Minister objected. I advise the member that at this stage she should be speaking only to the reasons she is opposed to part 1 of the bill. She should not be making imputations against other members.

Ms LEE RHIANNON

: As requested by the Minister, I withdraw those comments. There are many reasons to oppose part 1 of the bill. Madam Chair, I appreciate that you have highlighted the need to set out those reasons. One issue that should be of concern to any responsible government is public safety. Many scientific studies have demonstrated that there is a clear association between interest in motor racing and driver attitudes. Surely the Government should recognise and respond to that, and recognise that this event should be cancelled. Paul Tranter and James Warn established this disturbing link in an article entitled "Relationships between interest in motor racing and driver attitudes and behaviour amongst mature drivers: An Australian case study", which appeared in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention 40 (2008). They stated:

Results indicate that the level of interest in motor racing is significantly related to attitudes towards speeding, controlling for age, education level and sensation seeking propensity.

I recommend that the Minister and members make themselves aware of that detailed paper. When street races are held, the impact on public safety is considerable. My colleague Ian Cohen also spoke about this in his contribution and I want to add some comments because it is one of the disturbing aspects of the legislation. On top of extreme environmental damage and damage to local communities, there is the wider issue of public safety. When people attend these events and then leave to travel home or wherever they are going, often there are terrible accidents. J. R. Warn, P. J. Tranter and S. Kingham wrote a paper entitled "Fast and Furious 3: illegal street racing, sensation seeking and risky driving behaviours in New Zealand", which was presented at a forum held in Adelaide.

The authors of the paper looked at how motorsport influences risky driving behaviour through the influence on attitude to speeding. It should trouble members that it has been clearly established that after such events have been watched and enjoyed, particularly by young men, when people get in their cars and travel on public roads the level of speeding becomes dangerous. We cannot deny that involvement in motorsport has an impact on driving behaviour. These are some of the conclusions set out by Warn, Tranter and Kingham. They detail how involvement in motorsport produces a negative effect for road safety. The effect of motor racing on attitudes to speeding can be wide ranging. Motor racing enthusiasts are more likely to believe that speed limits are too restrictive or that driving over the speed limit is acceptable if they are skilful drivers.

Others who have written in this area include P. Ulleberg and T. Rundmo, who produced a paper in 2003 for Safety Science. They reported that risky driving behaviour is influenced by attitudes to speeding. Also, research in America has found that racing car drivers are more likely to have been fined for speeding and involved in accidents than other drivers. The findings of the research undertaken by Warn, Tranter and Kingham demonstrate that it is important to counteract the pro-speeding messages such as the glorification of speed and risky driving behaviour emanating from motorsport. This has to be undertaken in order to shape attitudes about driving behaviour on public roads and to reduce risky driving.

We hear many messages and have had some good campaigns about reducing risky driving behaviour. However, those messages and campaigns are undermined by events like this. Good work to make our roads safer is periodically undertaken, with expensive campaigns run by the Roads and Traffic Authority. But these sorts of events are a setback. One problem with motor racing as a sport is that spectators who wish to emulate the behaviour of motor racing drivers can emulate this behaviour only on public roads. That is the essence of the problem. The risky behaviour ends up occurring on public roads, putting the public at risk. The burden of risk is then redistributed to other road users who may happen to be in the vicinity of any illegal racing activity.

The broader response that is put forward by these authors is the need to deglorify the car, and they argue that one way to do this is to ensure that motorsport events are never allowed to be staged in significant public spaces as this signifies that such events are an accepted part of the culture of a city or a society. That point has been taken up by P. J. Tranter and T. J. Keeffe in a paper published in 2004 in the Urban Policy and Research journal. Members can see that the extensive work on this issue is thorough and evidence based. It is time the Government took notice of the research and brought some balance to how it is managing this sport. Again, I acknowledge that many people enjoy the sport, but it does not need to take place around northern New South Wales in the Tweed and Kyogle shires.

Another aspect that is relevant to this debate is how the socioeconomic impact assessment report was drawn up. It is extremely difficult to analyse the report critically because it is much poorer than the environmental report. The socioeconomic impact assessment report is entirely unreferenced. It is unbelievable that something so central to establishing the case for this Repco Rally, the socioeconomic impact assessment report, is not referenced.

Without citations of any source material in the report, all claims and projections are unsubstantiated and unverifiable. In scientific circles at least such a report would be rejected out of hand. The terms of reference lead one to conclude very quickly that the report is inadequate.

I thank Dr Jules Lewin for providing material, which I acknowledge I have not gone through in detail, on the socioeconomic impacts. Terms of reference No. 2 refers to analysing the feasibility alternatives to carrying out the development, which did not occur. No. 3 refers to identifying likely impacts, in relation to which the underlying research was flawed and the likely impacts were not explored. Terms of reference No. 4a refers to identifying issues and affected groups. The key issues identified were unreferenced, which demonstrates the inadequacy of the report. No. 4b refers to looking at historical trends and social and economic issues. It is extraordinary that the global economic crisis was not mentioned once. Surely that trend should have come into that term of reference. Again, there is no mention of the issue of peak oil—the price of oil is increasing—and that we are facing severe oil vulnerability for which our societies need to plan.

That demonstrates the poor way in which the project has been managed at every turn. Dr Lewin said, "Last week I attended the latest public consultation gathering". As other members have said, people have become very angry not only about this outrageous event that is being imposed on them but also because of the meaningless consultation. Dr Lewin attended the so-called third public consultation—the first since the reports were released—and states:

Besides the fact that there was no-one qualified to discuss the SEIA or answer some fairly basic questions, notice of the meetings was only released on the Sunday of a long weekend, with the first meeting scheduled at 9am Wednesday.

That is just one small example of how poorly the preparations for this project have been managed. It draws one to the conclusion that the proponents knew they had this project in the bag. They went through the motions of ticking the boxes, producing a report that did not need to be referenced, and conducted consultation that did not need to be advertised because they were confident that the legislation would be passed and the project would be up and running because the Government is onside. This bill should be defeated. We understand that the Government has the numbers—the Government, the Liberals and The Nationals, and some conservative crossbenchers are backing the legislation. It is shameful that we have arrived at this point. Any part of New South Wales that is open to the public should not have this project thrust upon it, but it should never have even been proposed for the far north of New South Wales, which is so exquisite and unique.

Parts 1 to 4 agreed to.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! There are two amendments to clause 25 that are in conflict. Greens amendment No. 1, on sheet C2009-058, was lodged first so it will take precedence over The Nationals amendment No. 1, on sheet C2009-064.

Mr IAN COHEN [9.44 p.m.]: I have had a productive discussion with the Hon. Trevor Khan and he has agreed to modify The Nationals amendment. Having reconsidered the matter, I am happy to seek the leave of the Committee to withdraw the amendment.

Greens amendment No. 1, by leave, withdrawn by Mr Ian Cohen.

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN [9.45 p.m.]: I move The Nationals amendment No. 1:

No. 1 Page 12, clause 25, lines 10-17. Omit all words on those lines. Insert instead:
25 Review of Act
(1) The Minister is to conduct a review of the impact in the Northern Rivers region of the rally event to determine whether future rally events should be conducted in that region. The review is to include, but not limited to, the impact of the rally event on:

(a) the tourism industry, and

(b) the environment, and

(c) Aboriginal cultural heritage, and

(d) public safety, and

(e) the local community.
(2) The review is to be undertaken as soon as practicable after the end of the declared rally period in 2009.

(3) The Minister is to ensure that the review includes consultation with the local community of the Northern Rivers region, Kyogle Council and Tweed Shire Council.

(4) A report on the outcome of the review is to be tabled in each House of Parliament within 12 months from the end of the declared rally period in 2009.

Clause 25 of the bill provides for a review of the objects and terms of the Act some five years after the commencement of the Act. The proposed amendment seeks a more precise review, as set out in new subclause (1), to deal with the impact upon the five specified areas, although not exclusive to other issues. Equally importantly, the review is to take place within 12 months and as soon as possible. It also provides that the review must include consultation with the local community of the Northern Rivers region, Kyogle Council and Tweed Shire Council.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! Members will not engage in conversations in the Chamber.

The Hon. TREVOR KHAN: I thank Mr Ian Cohen for his input into the matter. As he verballed me in a sense, I note that he acknowledges the appropriateness of subclause (3) in particular, in that it ensures that appropriate consultation occurs with the local community. When dealing with part 1, members expressed various concerns about different matters, which I will not canvass. But the proof will be in the pudding. The running of the event in early September 2009 will be an opportunity to see how the rally goes. The oversight of it will obviously reinforce people's views as to the appropriateness or inappropriateness of the event. The review is required to be tabled within 12 months from the end of the declared rally period, which will no doubt offer a further opportunity for discussion on the matter.

The CHAIR (The Hon. Amanda Fazio): Order! I ask members to set their mobile phones to silent alert, otherwise I will be compelled to call to order members whose mobiles are heard to ring in the Chamber.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD (Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Energy, Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for State Development) [9.48 p.m.]: The Government supports amendment No. 1 moved by The Nationals. I note that the Government made a commitment to hold an informal review next year. The Government is happy to enshrine this amendment in the legislation and conduct the appropriate consultation.

The Hon. DUNCAN GAY (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [9.49 p.m.]: I pay tribute to the two members of Parliament in the area, Geoff Provest and Thomas George.

[Interruption]

I know my colleague did, but the key to the amendment—which the Minister has gracefully accepted—comes from those two men acting on behalf of their communities.

We certainly appreciate the pressure that they put on us to bring the amendment forward. At this stage I believe it is proper to recognise the role that these two great local members have playing in supporting their communities, and we thank the Minister for accepting the amendment when we approached him on their behalf.

Mr IAN COHEN [9.50 p.m.]:

As I said earlier, The Nationals amendment No. 1 is very much in the same spirit as the amendment that my office had prepared. It replaces the existing provision for review of the Act, which was a standard five-year legislative review. I am pleased that all parties are supporting the amendment. It certainly does not resolve the many problems that I and other members have raised with the project or concept. Nevertheless, I am sure that conducting a proper review within a period before any further rallies are held will unearth some worthwhile information. We can examine whether the economic benefits put forward by the Minister stand up, and whether those benefits compensate for the environmental damage. The report will be required to consider impacts on the tourism industry, the environment, Aboriginal cultural heritage, public safety and the local community. I think it is a worthwhile amendment, and the Greens support it.

Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE [9.51 p.m.]: The Christian Democratic Party supports The Nationals amendment No. 1. It is reasonable to review the Act to take into account the impact of the rally on tourism, the environment, Aboriginal cultural heritage, public safety and the local community. Will the Minister confirm that this event will be held between 3 and 6 September, and not every day of the year? I got the impression from most speakers that the rally will tear New South Wales apart.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD (Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Energy, Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for State Development) [9.52 p.m.]: The rally will be held on 3 to 6 September this year, and the next event is in 2011.

Question—That The Nationals amendment No. 1 be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

The Nationals amendment No. 1 agreed to.

Clause 25 as amended agreed to.

Title agreed to.

Bill reported from Committee with an amendment.
Adoption of Report

Motion by the Hon. Ian Macdonald agreed to:

That the report be adopted.

Report adopted.
Third Reading

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD (Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Energy, Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for State Development) [9.52 p.m.]: I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put.

The Committee divided.
Ayes, 27 [Those in favour of the bill]
Mr Ajaka
Mr Catanzariti
Mr Clarke
Mr Colless
Ms Fazio
Ms Ficarra
Miss Gardiner
Mr Gay
Ms Griffin
Mr Hatzistergos Mr Kelly
Mr Khan
Mr Lynn
Mr Macdonald
Mr Mason-Cox
Reverend Nile
Ms Parker
Mrs Pavey
Ms Robertson
Ms Sharpe Mr Tsang
Mr Veitch
Ms Voltz
Mr West
Ms Westwood

Tellers,
Mr Donnelly
Mr Harwin

Noes, 5 [Those AGAINST the bill]
Ms Hale
Dr Kaye
Ms Rhiannon
Tellers,
Mr Cohen
Reverend Dr Moyes
Question resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a third time and transmitted to the Legislative Assembly with a message seeking its concurrence in the bill.

[...]

Source dated as Last modified 24/06/2009 14:05:20

The enabling legislataion foreshadowed on 29 May by NSW State development Minister Ian Macdonald has been introduced to parliament. The legislation is even more draconian than we had feared. It gives the rally organisers the right to do whatever they want in National Parks, State Forests and Crown Land Reserves! It gives the organisers an "out" if they don't want to effect repairs to roads or property damaged during the rally. All they have to do is claim that the damage was caused by "vandals" or "protesters". Then the legislation lets them off the hook. Have a look at the proposed legislation in the attachment. It is scary. In his "second reading speech" the Minister admits it is based on recent legislation to enable the V8 Supercares in Olympic Park and World Youth Day. What you can do: Contact NSW Members of Parliament and Members of the Upper House (Legislative Council) and encourage them to vote against the legislation. Our local member for Tweed has announced he will be voting against the bill.

Local community groups in the Tweed Valley and Kyogle are outraged at their treatment by Repco Rally Australia and their consultants who prepared a crucial report supporting a planned car rally in the area in September.

In another embarrassing case of “foot in mouth disease” for the rally organisers it was revealed today that local community groups in the Tweed Valley and Kyogle are claiming that they have been misrepresented in a major report on the planned Repco Rally Australia.

Prepared by Conics Pty Ltd for Repco Rally Australia, the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment claimed to have consulted with various community organisations in preparing the report.

Representatives of community groups have expressed outrage at being misrepresented in the report and in some cases not consulted at all.

Here is the text of their letter sent to local and state media:

We, the undersigned, wish to advise the community that our respective community associations have been misrepresented in the CONICS report entitled Rally Australia Socio-Economic Impact Assessment which was commissioned by Repco Rally Australia.

We have been listed on p.29 of this report as being the representatives of our respective community associations who were supposedly part of the community consultation process.

We wish to advise that no such community consultation ever took place. We were, however, individually contacted by a CONICS representative and asked a series of questions regarding the rally, which at the time, appeared to be nothing more than a random Gallup Poll.

However, by their own admission, the CONICS representative omitted to inform us that we were being interviewed as the spokesperson for our respective associations and that our interviews were being recorded. One interviewee asked the CONICS representative during the interview, if the interview was being recorded and was only then told that it was. The interviewee was simply told that she was being interviewed as a “key stakeholder”.

Nevertheless, each of us presented our own personal views of the rally. We did not speak on behalf of our respective associations.

A second group of community groups were noted in the report as being unavailable or unwilling to participate. However, we wish to advise that not all of those listed as such were, in fact, ever contacted.

In the case of the KRATER Group from Kyogle, the representative did know she was being interviewed on behalf of KRATER, however the views of her organisation were noticeably omitted from the report.

So, given that the community consultation indicated in the report did not take place as stated, nor accurately represent the wider community, we believe that this report is therefore invalid.

Maggie Wilkins-Russell, Uki Village & District Residents’ Association
Diana Eriksen, Murwillumbah Ratepayers’ Association
Claire Masters, Tweed Landcare Inc.
Ian Anderson, North Kingscliff Dune Care Group
Mary Willis, KRATER Group Kyogle
Bob Jarman & Johanna Kempff, Kyogle Landcare Group
NB Bob Jarman & Johanna Kempff are from Richmond Landcare Services, not Kyogle
Landcare. Richmond Landcare Services were not contacted either.

In a letter to NSW Premier Nathan Rees, a Pensioner describes how the imposition of a car rally on the people of Kyogle by state Government which does nothing for the area will add to the almost crippling financial burden caused by a combination of removal of rail services and neglect of local roads, and may well endanger his life. We will post any reply from Premier Nathan Rees. This letter was originally posted as a comment to the article "State Government intervenes on behalf of Repco Rally Australia" of 31 May 09. Mr Premier, Your Government has seen fit to supercede council approval of the Repco car rally in my area - Kyogle. We pay rates here and your Govt does nothing for this area bar taking away our train and never replacing it, making us travel by car to Lismore then bus to Casino. We have to put up with no council services and a road that is not maintained bar every 2 years causing me to spend $3000 on car repairs just to able to access my home, I have recently had to take a personal loan of $7000 to buy a car more suitable for the road.On a pension this leaves me near destitute. Now a 2 day car rally event will see the road graded just for this event then destroyed by the same event and we will be left for 3 days unable to access work, medical and the freedom to leave our homes. What benefits do we get? Nothing! No discount or waiver on rates and no improvement for roads. Even less now that the 2 yearly work done will be erased by the rally! I am disabled and suffering from medical problems that may require immediate hospital treatment, I will not be able to get treatment! So could die. This is not acceptable, If the car rally goes ahead I will have no choice but to make a protest that will make national headlines, showing how democracy has no meaning and your Govt and local councils have no care for NSW residents health and rights! Those that vote and pay rates! Peter

On 21st May I wrote the following email to Mayor Joan van Lieshout: Dear Joan I read in a local paper recently that you have not yet made up your mind about the Repco Rally. Perhaps you may like to consider that the councils of Auburn, Parramatta and Ryde have all rejected a similar race in their area (see http://www.tec.org.au/images/council%20resolutions.pdf (25K) ) You can read more on this race here:- http://www.tec.org.au/index.php?Itemid=291&id=693&option=com_content&task=view It seems to me the Tweed Shire would have even more reasons to reject it as there are a) more endangered species to protect (especially as it's in breeding season) b) more of an eco-tourism reputation to protect c) more rural residents likely to be negatively impacted as the course is much longer On the subject of economic benefits, I am attaching a 35 page document which is a literary review titled Do Economists Reach a Conclusion on Subsidies for Sports Franchises, Stadiums, and Mega-Events? by Dennis Coates and Brad R. Humphreys It analyses benefits of subsidising sport franchises in terms of economic benefits (jobs, income, tax revenue). In case you would prefer to read an abbreviated version I have also attached that (3 pages) - titled 'Survey Sports Benefits.' The proponents, V8 Supercars Australia, also want a $30 million subsidy from taxpayers funds. Economic assessment of similar races in the ACT has shown significant negative economic results. I think it's important to note that the benefits claimed by RRA are most likely to be hyperinflated. Their claim that it will 'showcase the Tweed' are also likely not to be true. I see only one picture of the Tweed Shire on the Repco website. Repco claims to be working with Landcare yet this is emphatically denied by Adam Heggie of Pumpenbil Landcare who has spoken to key members of landcare. Repco claims to have interviewed local residents and that 85% support the rally. Where is the independent social survey? The vast majority of people I speak to are opposed to it. People have been flocking to sign petitions against this rally. Please I encourage you to look more deeply into this. Things are not as rosy as they seem. Thanking you, Ten days later I wrote another letter:- Dear Mayor Lieshout To follow on from my speech on Biodiversity at community access last Thursday night, I thought you might like to see the following video (of a Western Australian program to preserver the Black Cockatoo). Since two thirds of fauna in the Tweed Shire are threatened/endangered, why isn't a program like this one in West Australia happening here for all our at risk species? Are we so far behind the times that we can't even see the importance of species protection? How else are we to remain on the iconic landscapes program if we lose our fauna? Council has money to throw at an independent car rally, so why not something of far greater importance such as this? Sincerely, So far no replies have been received to my emails from the Mayor. Perhaps biodiversity is not important enough a topic for her to be bothered paying attention to? Or maybe it's easier to stick her head in the sand or put this in the 'too hard' basket. Some weeks ago in the Mayor's column of the Daily News, Mayor van Lieshout wrote in support of the opportunities for eco tourism in the region. Does she think she can have her cake and eat it too? Apparently .... or maybe she just still hasn't made up her mind about the rally. Since that time it looks like special legislation may soon be enacted taking the DA out of council's hands. Nevertheless, Tweed Council could still vehemently oppose the Repco rally as do Parramatta, Auburn and Ryde oppose the V8 rally. Or could it? With Mike Raynor, General Manager, on the board of Directors of Repco Rally Australia? I have heard that Mayor Lieshout and Cr Katie Milne asked Raynor to step down from his position on the board but that unless the majority of Councillors agree, it won't happen. Perhaps it's time to contact them? Joan van Lieshout (Mayor) (p) (02)66702402 (e) jvanlieshout[AT]tweed.nsw.gov.au Barry Longland (Dep. Mayor) (p) 0458 525 372 (e) blongland[AT]tweed.nsw.gov.au Dot Holdom (p) 0437 037 069 (e) dholdom[AT]tweed.nsw.gov.au Katie Milne (p) (07) 55909622 (e) kmilne[AT]tweed.nsw.gov.au Warren Polglase (p) 0428 961 30 (e) wpolglase[AT]tweed.nsw.gov.au Phil Youngblutt (p) (02) 6677 9323 (e) pyoungblutt[AT]tweed.nsw.gov.au Kevin Skinner (p) (02) 6674 1660 (e) KSkinner[A]tweed.nsw.gov.au. LATEST UPDATE On 13th August I contacted Mayor van Lieshout with a summary of the Ambrose Ecological report which was very damning of the Repco rally. It was deleted without being read on 9th September, 2009. This mayor accused Cr Milne of My understanding is that in the Code of Conduct councillors must reply to all mail. So far Cr Katie Milne and Cr Dot Holdom are the only ones who have ever replied to my mail.

Dr Gordon Moyes, a member of the NSW Legislative Council describes the environmental, social and economic harm that will result if the NSW Government proceeds with its plan to convert the Sydney Olympic Park into a V8 Racing area against the wishes of local residents. Nathan Rees, the Premier of NSW, who has a personal fetish for the ecologically destructive sport of motor racing, is also threatening to impose the World Rally motor race on the Kyogle and Tweed Shires, also against the wishes of local residents.

See also: "Repco Rally... driven by Rees' selfish 'Red Hot Go!'" of 18 May 09.

The Sydney Olympic Park is a wonderful development of which the citizens of Sydney and the whole state are justly proud. It is a jewel in the New South Wales crown, and it took a lot of time and tax dollars, very careful design for the creation of a green and sustainable site, and effective implementation to bring to life the dream of so many.

Now it is thoroughly established and thriving, a masterpiece of excellent planning, enjoyed by over 8 ½ million users annually, as a place to take one's family for picnics, for jogging and walking, exploring the historical sites, attending various cultural events, an excellent facility for bird watching, riding bicycles, and other healthy activities – the kind of activities we have health promotion campaigns to convince people to participate in – and they have responded whole heartedly and taken up these activities at the Sydney Olympic Park. The people of Sydney and New South Wales love their Sydney Olympic Park, and make excellent use of it.

Changing the essential character of the Sydney Olympic Park by converting it into a V8 Racing area is not just a local issue; it is an international one, which may surprise you. Let me explain: Australia has trade treaties with many nations in Asia who are in danger of over-developing every single metre of natural space within their borders, even those wetland areas that have been used for millennia for annual migratory purposes by the species of migratory birds that live in all our nations.

Most bird species are seasonal in their habits, and spend the winter in the warmer climes and the summers in the cooler ones. They are trans-national citizens, seeing the stretch from Australia up the flyway to Korea and Japan as their home. They deserve acknowledgement from us, and access to their habitats. If not they will die – because this land is where they rest, feed, raise their young, and prepare to return north when it is time. If this parkland is destroyed or made uninhabitable by pollution or noise, they have nowhere else to go to perform the basic activities of life. In Asia it is reported that many birds simply drop dead from the sky, starved and exhausted while trying to fly farther in the search for appropriate sites when theirs have been built over.

To prevent this terrible scenario from coming about here, Australia has entered into Trade Agreements with these Asian nations, with all signatories agreeing to protect the environments of the migratory birds that use their areas. Such agreements include provisions that expressly state that the Government shall "seek means to prevent damage to such birds and their environment". Well these are those birds, and this is their environment here at the Sydney Olympic Park.

We owe it to the nations to which we pledged this, to the people who live there, and to the birds themselves, not to destroy this place for any reason. To breach those agreements would be very bad form, internationally, and would give the other nations carte blanche to, in turn, do the same. We have to do the right thing, not only because it is right but because of our responsibility to meet and model the highest standards of international citizenship regarding such treaties. So, you see, it is an international environmental issue. Pointing out that fact should be enough to change the nature of this debate, but it may not, so I shall point out several other drawbacks of the plan to convert the Sydney Olympic Park into a raceway.

There are so many other environmental reasons, in addition to the migratory bird treaties, that on the environmental basis alone it should never even have been considered. The removal of hundreds of beloved and beautiful trees is a terrible thing – every tree in the urban environment is a blessing, and each one works hard to filter our pollution-filled city air of car exhaust and industrial fumes, making the air breathable, making the city liveable. The preliminary estimate of trees destined to be destroyed to make way for concrete barriers and racing roadways is in the many hundreds. Let us think about this for a moment: trees are the precious home and habitat for birds and creatures, and a soothing, welcoming, lovely landscape for the people who live in and visit the area.

With so many absolutely barren places in this brown land why would we even consider the destruction of a beautifully treed area that is called a Green Precinct? Race organisers' promises to replace the trees later mean nothing. A living tree now is worth more than all those promises of future activity that may or may not be honoured. The air filtering which provides a healthy atmosphere, the shade, habitat, beauty and pleasure they provide now is needed and desired by the affected animals and humans alike, on an ongoing basis, more than ever. Trees are not to be treated so lightly, they should not be so easily expendable. This is genuinely a significant quality-of-life issue for the surrounding population.

Besides the 140 species of birds living in the Sydney Olympic Park area, many of which are considered threatened or endangered, there are endangered frogs and plant species. Worldwide the health of frogs is used as an ecological indicator of environmental health, and these creatures are already under threat from human activities. That they have found some refuge and are able to live in this area attests to its success as a green and sustainable environment. Destruction of their habitat, the Sydney Olympic Park, will only be exponentially worse for them. All of them are under further threat from this proposed Bill.

The State and Federal Governments have a plan in effect until the year 2010 to protect the habitat of the Green and Golden Bellfrog. The Frog is listed as a vulnerable species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; also listed as endangered under Schedule 1 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act. These frogs breed mostly in the brickpit, but the runoff from the proposed racecar pit area – which is slated to be located next to the brickpit – will potentially damage this environment with ethanol, oil and gasoline waste. No technology exists which can prevent that entirely, despite assurances from organisers that environmental socks will be placed to soak up these wastes.

Speaking of animals, there are also many hundreds of companion cats, dogs and birds living in the homes in this area. Such creatures are exquisitely sensitive to noise and many are terrified by loud screeching, careening and unpredictable noises. It will be very harmful for them to be bombarded with the high decibels expected. Reacting in alarm to it the pets may try to escape, injure themselves in the process, be hit by cars or lost, or even just fly into the walls in terror. But even if they stay safely indoors they will still be at the mercy of the noise, which will be perceived as threatening. Such noise permeates and penetrates residential walls as if they were not there. This kind of noise should be isolated – away from population centres.

The inevitable spillage of oil, petrol and other wastes that will seep into the ground or down the gutters will make its way into the Recycled Water Plant causing problems that may potentially cost the taxpayers millions of dollars to fix. This pollution of water is unconscionable in our drought-affected state!

The air pollution generated from the use of ethanol is unhealthy for people living in close proximity to the track. In this era of climate change, in response to the deadly global threat of increasing greenhouse gases, it would be far more sensible to discourage all human activities that produce massive amounts of pollution. Motor racing should go the way of the Roman gladiatorial games, as belonging to another age, one that we look back upon and shake our heads in wonder and dismay.

Excessive noise pollution will be imposed on the population – upwards of 95 decibels from 300 cars for 3 days as well as the 1200 odd semi-trailer movements in and out of the park to set up and dismantle the track. Exposure to excess noise is known to raise the heart rate and blood pressure and contribute to anxiety; it should not be inflicted on populations as if it is of no importance. Earplugs from the chemist are of no use in such situations.

There are additional concerns reported to me in letters from other people, such as the issue of problem driving and street racing. Our city and suburban streets are already deadly to the innocent drivers killed regularly by uncontrolled and apparently uncontrollable car racers. But instead of discouraging racing we turn around and set up an activity that will lionise racers – do we really want to inspire more of them? The answer from the public is a resounding "NO".

There are also aesthetic reasons when you consider that seven kilometres of concrete barriers and fencing are to be erected every year (and then dismantled, as they are to be there temporarily). However in other states that were promised the same thing the concrete barriers were eventually made into permanent fixtures since it was too expensive and too much trouble for race organisers to bring them in and remove them every year. Those guarantees had been in writing stating that this would never occur – but it did. The same empty promises could be entered into here.

There are also all the prudent economic arguments that many of my constituents have pointed out. The expenditure of up to $30 million on any activity with no guaranteed economic return at an unprecedented time of international monetary meltdown, when the state hospitals are desperate for money – women in labour being turned away from understaffed hospitals, education suffering, the Sydney transport infrastructure creaking under the weight of an expanding population, unemployment on the rise and public servants (police, fire fighters, nurses, teachers and ambulance officers) refused real wage increases – this is not good stewardship of the taxpayers' resources entrusted into our hands.

It doesn't make sense on any level, particularly the economic. The history of the V8 Supercar Race in other states has been abysmal, leading to large losses by taxpayers over the years – just ask the people in Victoria about their experience with Albert Park.

Assurances that there would be a "cap" of government contributions at $30 million do not take into consideration the other costs, and there are many – such as provision of security services, the major advertising campaigns attracting people to the event, infrastructure upheaval such as re-siting over 100 light poles and the electrical cables for street lighting and domestic supply, as well as the removal and re-placement of bus shelters.

The people who write to me are appalled at the way their concerns are being ignored and belittled by both the Premier and the Minister for State Development, Ian MacDonald. Their quiet neighbourhoods are being threatened with an inundation of unbearable motor noise, road chaos, crowds and the usual antisocial behaviours that accompany such spectacles especially when there is alcohol.

Up to 10 weeks of the year there will be limited or no use of the park by the citizenry who have incorporated it into their daily lives – six weeks before the event to set it up and four weeks afterwards to pull it all back down.

Residents are also concerned that they will not be able to park outside their homes when the crowds pour in, and that the Olympic Park Station will not be able to cater for the influx of estimated 100,000 people at the race – the station is too small and not enough trains run in and out of there. If buses are to be provided they will be yet another cost to the taxpayers. There has also been no indication from the government whether buses will provide regular commuters a vital link to Parramatta and Strathfield/Burwood Stations during the event.

Others are very concerned that property values will decline sharply in surrounding suburbs if this goes ahead because most people do not want to live next to a racetrack. Residents want to know if they will be compensated for this fall in value?

And it was actually suggested to them by the Minister that if they didn't like it they could just rent their place out during that time and leave the area like many people in Queensland apparently do! At least he was admitting that people do want to get away from these events, if they can manage it. But that ease of mobility is just not how most people's lives work. This is not an attitude respectful of the lives of people and their families in these areas. This is not social justice. There has been no public consultation and the residents have a right to know all the details, and the right to be heard when they say they don't want it.

The Sydney Olympic Park Authority Act has strong environmental protection measures that will require special legislation to be enacted to bypass it and allow the race to proceed. The Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) has already voted on the issue, and rejected unanimously the idea for this race happening there, but their stance has been ignored. How can this happen? They are the authority responsible for managing and maintaining the Park as a lasting legacy for the people of New South Wales, and this decision that will devastate the Park is being completely taken out of their hands.

The Local Councils around the Sydney Olympic Park, those of Parramatta, Strathfield, Auburn and Ryde have also whole-heartedly opposed the plan.

My understanding of the very basic, foundational premise of the concept of democracy is that the people get a voice both directly and through their elected representatives, in what happens to them, to their tax dollars, and to their environment, as well as the actions taken by their leaders. Is that what we are observing here? To me what we are seeing sounds more like this definition of bullying: "To force one's own way aggressively or by intimidation without regard to the feelings of the person or people on the receiving end."

My constituents are NOT against V8 Racing nor am I, although I must admit that I have never seen the appeal – my constituents are just against holding it at Sydney Olympic Park especially when there is a purpose built track for this at Eastern Creek International Raceway, where the population density is much less.

I believe that the Eastern Creek site is far preferable for this event for a number of reasons. It is an excellent facility that is already owned by the Government, so that any monies spent will be an investment – improving a facility already owned by the people. It is a specialised motor racing area already booked throughout the year by commercial organisations, trade shows, driver training, etc. It operates at a profit, and the accumulated surpluses are enough to contribute to the funding for the desired re-surfacing of the track. There is easy vehicle access from both the M4 freeway straight into the car park, and from Wallgrove Road. Having this site will enable a variety of motor races in different configurations without any set up or dismantling costs involved, and lastly it inconveniences a much smaller number of residents.

I will not support any plan or Bill that allows V8 Supercar Racing at Sydney Olympic Park and I will encourage all other MPs who have a social conscience to also refuse to support it.

Rev Hon Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC
Research Officer: Leslie McCawley BS MPH

The NSW state government has taken the decision about planning approval for the proposed Repco Rally Australia leg of the World Rally Championships away from local councils by announcing that it would prepare special events legislation to ensure the rally goes ahead despite growing local opposition.

In a sign of growing desperation the Minister for State Development, Ian MacDonald, made the announcement on Friday.

Local residents are outraged and appalled! The fact that the announcement was made the day after a well supported protest rally was held in Murwillumbah to oppose the rally was a real slap in the face for locals residents.

It demonstrates yet again that this government is not interested in listening to the views of locals, preferring instead to listen to the assurances of "flim flam men".

At the same time that the state government is ripping the guts out of local health and transport infrastucture it can find up to $8 million to support a bash and crash rally though National Parks and rural gravel roads.

The Minister calims that “The legislation will permit the Government to impose environmental protection measures to manage any temporary impacts on affected local areas.” This begs the question ... Upon what evidence will the imposed conditions be based? Will the government undertake its own environmental studies? Because the studies undertaken on behalf of the organisers are seriously lacking!!!

All the studies acknowledge that they are walking on untested ground and thy don't know whether their suggested strategies will work! In other words, the Tweed and Kyogle areas are to be used as a laboratory to test untried strategies. Is it any wonder that local residents are not impressed???

The noise (acoustic) study acknowledges that the organisers are unable to meet the recommended standards.

The dust report recommends that residents on the route either "go out for the day" or " close their windows and doors and turn on their air conditioners".

The waste report recommends the use of split waste bins (recyclables at the rear), that even the council is replacing, rather than separate bins for recyclables.

The Carbon Offset Plan consists of one page on their website plus Q&As.

And they wonder why we don't want the bloody thing here!!!!!

We will continue to fight on!

Join us ...
- write / email / phone the NSW government
- write / email / phone your local MP if you live in NSW and encourage them to vote against the special legislation being introduced to allow the rally
- if you have contacts in Greenpeace, WWF, GetUp or other similar organisations urge them to get involved.

Our contact details are:
No Rally Group
Tel: 0438 357 452 (Australia)
Web: sites.google.com/site/norallygroup
Email: no.rally[AT]yahoo.com

A slightly pythonesque moment occurred when I rang the Premiers Department to speak with someone from the "Office of Protocol and Special Events" (who are the organisers of government support for the rally) and found out that they had been renamed as "Community Engagement and Events". George Orwell lives !!!

FEARS that the NSW Government is about to override council planning powers to approve the world championship car rally heightened yesterday as hundreds of protesters marched against the event.

At the same time concerns were raised that if the rally was approved, future
protest actions could disrupt it as objectors took matters into their own
hands.

Police escorted about 300 protesters, some in cardboard mock-ups of rally cars and some dressed as koalas, wallabies or other animals which they said would be put at risk by rally cars on rural roads, through Murwillumbah.

...

Outside the Tweed Shire Council chambers anti-rally speakers addressed the
crowd on environmental and other concerns.

Byron-based NSW Greens Party Upper House member Ian Cohen said he was worried the government could override council planning powers to approve the event which it has promised the help fund.

...

   - from "Protestors ready for long fight" in the Tweed Daily News of 28 May 09.

See also: sites.google.com/site/norallygroup, Direct link to YouTube broadcast.

Concerned Tweed Valley residents will express their opposition on Thursday to the proposal to hold a leg of the World Rally Championships in the Tweed and Kyogle areas.

No Rally Group, set up by locals in February to fight plans to hold the rally, has organized a protest at Knox Park commencing at 2pm which will then proceed to the Council Chambers.

“We will be staging our own rally” President of No Rally Group Michael McNamara said today “one that will not have the negative impacts of the real thing. We will have rally cars and animals and police”

The rally is proposed to run in September 2009 and every second year for up to 20 years.

“Many in the community can’t understand how this proposal ever got serious consideration” Mr McNamara said.

“We have the highest concentration of National Parks in the state, we are one of only three biodiversity hotspots in Australia, we are up there with Uluru and Kakadu in terms of ecological values and we have a strong and growing nature tourism market focused on eco-tourism” he said ”and yet somebody in the Premier’s Department had the bright idea that rally cars hurtling through the bush, including National Parks, at speeds in excess of 160km/h was somehow good for the area.”

Mr McNamara said that community outrage was palpable “We have been circulating a petition against the rally and at Kingscliff recently we had over 350 signatures in 3 hours”

“We have concerns about the Environmental, Economic, and Social impacts of the rally” he said.

“The way in which the proposal was developed, through secret back room deals in Sydney without any community consultation, and imposed on us is appalling” Mr McNamara said.

“The real financial costs of this proposed event have been conveniently ignored in predicting the supposed economic benefits to the area” he said “for instance the cost of the 150 police who will be brought in for the event runs to between $370,000 and $400,000 for salaries only. This does not include the cost of their travel and accommodation” he said.

“Because the event has been declared a Hallmark Event by the state government support from all government departments and agencies is provided free of charge, which means paid for by taxpayers” Mr McNamara said.

“This support is in addition to the several million dollars given to rally organizers by the state government through Events NSW and financial and other support provided by Tweed Shire Council” he continued.

“I am appalled that Nathan Rees, the NSW Premier, should once again impose his love for motor sports on the community generally and make the community pay for the privilege” he said.

Mr McNamara expressed concern about the environmental impact of the rally. “The studies that have been done are far from supportive of the event” he said.

“The environmental consultant contracted by Rally Australia to undertake the ecological assessment has refused to publicly endorse the rally, challenging quotes attributed to him by the organizers” Mr McNamara continued “and some of the strategies proposed in the various reports to address the risks would be laughable if it was not so serious”.

“To tell people affected by excessive noise and dust to go out for the day or to close their windows and doors and switch on their air conditioners is insulting” he said.

“The acoustic (noise) report actually acknowledges that the rally will be unable to meet acceptable noise levels” he continued.

“To only consider the impact on threatened animals and plants of being hit by rally cars, while ignoring the impact of rally associated activities by volunteers, rally staff and spectators is far from satisfactory.” Mr McNamara said “The organizers anticipate 6,000 visitors per day at the service park on the foreshore at Kingscliff, yet this activity was not covered in the ecological report.”

“The so-called ‘Carbon Offset Plan’ by the organizers did not even rate a separate document, being relegated to just one page on their website” he said.

Mr McNamara also expressed disappointment that after Garry Connelly from Repco Rally Australia promised to release the reports concerning the rally many of the downloaded reports were still marked as drafts. “This is just another example of the organizers saying one thing and doing another” he said.

“Rally Australia marched into New South Wales and the Tweed, after they got the boot from Western Australia, like the pied piper into Hamelin, and just like then all the rats are captivated by the music” he said.

Mr McNamara invited all concerned local residents to join the protest to be held in Murwillumbah on Thursday 28 May at 2pm, starting at Knox Park and proceeding to the Council Chambers.

Authorised by Michael McNamara, President, No Rally Group Inc.
TEL: 0438 357 452 EMAIL: no.rally[AT]yahoo.com
WEB: sites.google.com/site/norallygroup

What you can do:

1. Attend our protest
2. Send the media release to your local media outlets.
3. Publicise our message through your social networks (on the web and in the "real" world)

Repco Rally Australia spin merchants have outdone themselves in the last few days. Not only have they spun their web of deceit around the NSW state government and the Tweed Shire Council they have now caught themselves in their own web by posting comments from their "independent" ecological consultant that he did not say. They were caught out very publicly on ABC local radio yesterday.

Repco Rally Australia sent a media release out that quoted Dr Steven Phillips (who prepared their ecological report) as saying "There is no reason on ecological grounds that the rally should not proceed". This quote was printed prominently in the pro-rally Tweed Daily News on 18/5/08. It was their front page story, with follow up on Page 2.

The problem was that Dr Phillips did not say it!!! And he said so very publicly when interviewed by Tony Johnston on ABC North Coast radio the next day.

Tony was so taken aback he had to ask Dr Phillips the question a second time .. and he got the same answer: "The words were attributed to me, but I did not say them".

What else have the organisers got wrong???

What you can do:

Write letters to the editor at the Tweed Daily News letters[AT]tweednews.com.au complaining about their lack of checking source material and also attacking the rally organisers for their repeated peddling of misinformation.

See also: "Environment expert clears rally" by Peter Caton in the Tweed Daily News of 18 May 09 in which Dr Phillips is misquoted by REPCO Australia Rally organising chairman Garry Connelly, "Come in spinner" of 21 May 09, "Repco Rally Australia releases reports 'in stages'" of 15 May 09.

Media Magic

Repco Rally Australia organisers claim that the majority of local residents support (or will support) the rally. The latest edition of the Tweed Shire Echo (the only reliable media outlet around here) gives the lie to that bit of spin.

Read a copy online (or download a pdf copy) at www.tweedecho.com.au.

It makes compelling reading!

Freshly sworn in NSW Premier Nathan Rees MP back on 5th September 2008, recognising people are annoyed and frustrated with the State Government and proclaiming to have a 'red hot go' at fixing NSW. Rees says he recognises people are annoyed and frustrated with the State Government. (SOURCE: ABC 5-Sep-08, Photo: AAP, Sergio Dionisio)

Why do we tolerate it?

Why do politicians, as soon as they taste power, think they have rights akin to the kings of old, to splurge on personal fettishes and pet hobbies using taxpayers' money and abuse the rights of local citizens?

Take Nathan Rees, who came to power as New South Wales Premier by default on Friday 5th September 2008. Less than four weeks later on Monday 29th September 2008, Rees' personal passion for V8 racing saw him personally approve the unprecedented introduction of V8 Supercar racing at Sydney Olympic Park (Homebush) for five years despite strong local community opposition. Hardly a decision to address the people's annoyance and frustration with the NSW Government.

Accompanied by a howl of boos from a small group of protesters, Rees overruled Homebush locals concerns about the required removal of 700 trees, significant noise and air pollution impacts, contamination of parklands waterways & habitat (including Green & Golden Bell Frog habitat) from fuel & oil spills, disturbance to native fauna from noise impacts & crowd movements and the unfair impost on local urban amenity & public open space. Our naive Nathan has been sold on hollow promises of "attracting 15,000 visitors and attracting $100 million to a desperate NSW economy. So desperate and naiive Nathan has grabbed the hype to get quick political wins. It is these 'quick political wins' that have shaped his tenure and that will shape his legacy. Long term State investment, that is investment beyond the next election cycle is not a mandate the NSW Labor Party has granted him.
SOURCE: http://www.tec.org.au/index.php?Itemid=291&id=693&option=com_content&task=view

The motor racing event is being promoted by Events NSW (an arm of the Rees NSW Government) and is set to be an annual event every December. The main sponsor is Telstra, which at the same time hypocritically declares on its corporate website that its "concern for the community and resolve to address environmental issues will only serve to improve Telstra's future."

Then we see another motor racing event for NSW, the Repco Rally, relocated from where is has been staged for two decades outside Perth to the NSW in the Tweed and Kyogle shires in September. It is set to be staged every two years at least until 2017. Of course Rees has given it his red hot support and again his Events NSW is plugging it hard.
svc104.wic466d.server-web.com/images/tweed/CAMS_MediaAnnouncement.pdf

Again, NSW taxpayers are paying up to $8 million to the rally organizers and the Tweed Shire Council has promised to fund the rally organisers an extra $120,000 every two years out of local rates revenue. This funding comes at a time when the Rees government says it can't afford to provide adequate local policing or health services to the people of the Tweed Shire.

Layla Gain-Hill with residents of Barkers Vale and Wadevale who are concerned the Repco Rally with endanger Hanging Rock Creek. Photo courtesy of Mel McMillan and Northern Star newspaper 21st January 2009.

Many locals at both events have strongly and unanimously voiced their objections to these events respectively, but 'king' Rees likes his car racing and has proclaimed it's all going ahead. It's not too dissimilar to the English aristocracy of old pursuing fox hunts through farmers properties, thumbing their noses at the locals. Auburn, Parramatta and Ryde Councils all unanimously passed resolutions opposing the proposed V8 Supercar race at Homebush.

Both races will mean senseless environmental vandalism and are a blatant denial of local communities of their Common Law rights to quiet enjoyment and amenity. If the history of both races is any guide, Rees' red hot go at promoting his car racing fetish is set to cost NSW more than the exaggerated hype of making money for NSW.

At a time when peak oil has been and gone and the motor car industry is in decline, Rees' petrol head fetish can only be a selfish desire and an abuse of privilege and power to doggedly pursue an unsustainable 20th century motor racing culture. This is set to be Rees' legacy of his red hot term in power.

Rees fetish for V8s should be tempered. The V8 race could more suitably staged at the existing dedicated motor racing circuit just down the road at Eastern Creek. Rees' fetish for rally driving could be fed by him flying over to Perth where it used to be staged.

Mr IAN COHEN [5.13 p.m.]: Rally Australia is promoting a car rally to be held in northern New South Wales this September and every other year until 2017. The rally will run through the Tweed and Kyogle shires of northern New South Wales. This event is yet to have its development application approved by Tweed Shire Council and Kyogle Council. The councils are awaiting the environmental assessment. This does not seem to deter the organisers, who are promoting it regardless. Repco Rally Australia General Manager, Gary Upson, told the media that organisers were continuing with planning "on the assumption that approval would be given". Given the area through which the rally is planned to travel and the negative environmental impact it may have, I am surprised at his assumption. The confidence with which this rally is being promoted by its organisers as a done deal should ring alarm bells.

The General Manager of Tweed Shire Council, Mike Rayner, is a member of the board of Rally Australia, yet Tweed council does not seem to see this as a conflict of interest, even when the development application for the rally is still to be approved, despite ratepayers' disapproval. Mike Rayner's role with the Repco Rally appears to be a significant non-pecuniary interest and Tweed Shire Council's own code of conduct should preclude his involvement in the rally. Tweed Shire Council has only recently been through the Daly inquiry, resulting in the sacking of its councillors who were seen to be acting in the interests of property developers. In the wake of the Daly inquiry, the people of the Tweed shire are trying to rebuild confidence in their local council, and the role of Mike Rayner is seriously undermining this. In the interests of transparency and propriety, Mike Rayner should be asked to step down from his position on the rally board.

The proposed rally track route has been recognised as an official designated area under the National Landscapes Scheme and named Australia's Green Cauldron. It is an internationally renowned biodiversity hot spot­one of only three in Australia and one of 17 in the world. It is a totally inappropriate place for a high-speed car race. How could anyone believe it is a good idea to hold a car rally through heavily forested tracks and dirt roads, including a national park where horse riding is not even permitted? I am receiving a lot of information from local people about the rally going through the habitats of threatened or protected species. Some 100 vulnerable species of wildlife and 23 endangered species in the Tweed area will be placed at greater risk as a result of the rally, which would coincide with the breeding season of many species.

The level of disruption this event is likely to cause is not acceptable. Jack Bayliss Park on the foreshore at Marine Parade, Kingscliff, is due to be upgraded to become a service pit for the competing rally cars. Sections of the park will be fenced off and the grass removed to allow installation of a temporary gravel surface. This upgrade, due to cost approximately $265,000, is being funded by money provided by a Federal Government grant for community infrastructure. This is hardly a venture for the community, given the real infrastructure needs of regional New South Wales. What will happen to this park after the event? Will it be despoiled every two years for the rally?

We are not allowed to know how much money Events New South Wales is contributing to this event­it is held to be commercial in confidence­but the destruction of Jack Bayliss Park is being done using Federal funds. Rally Australia Pty Ltd is a public company with shareholders. Why does it require taxpayers' money to bolster its activities, especially when they involve despoiling the beautiful Far North Coast? If this event is going to make money for the area, as its organisers keep trumpeting, why does it need public funding? I doubt the claims by organisers that the rally will boost the local economy. Mark McGowan, the former Western Australia Minister for Tourism, withdrew Western Australia's support for the Repco rally. In Parliament he said: $6 million for one single event that returns $1.60 for every dollar invested by the State, when the average return is about $8 for every dollar invested by the State, is not a good return on investment.

When this man was interviewed on ABC television he clearly indicated that there were better ways to invest taxpayers' money. He felt that the returns were insufficient. At the time he also commented on the environmental degradation that such a rally would cause in Western Australia. In this case the environment is much more sensitive. The Green Cauldron, as this Government has called it, is a significant area. Environmentally, the rally will be a potential disaster. Another significant issue that arises with this event is copycat driving. There is a proven correlation between interest in motor racing and the risky driving behaviours of young male drivers. I would be interested to know how much the New South Wales Government's "Speeding. No one thinks big of you" campaign is costing. Surely it is counterproductive to have Events New South Wales funding an event that so glaringly contradicts the messages of the anti-speeding campaign.

A horde of cars careering through native habitats and quiet residential areas for the profit of Repco Rally is out of keeping with these times of austerity. New South Wales is making a mistake in supporting the Repco Rally. The people of the North Coast do not want it, and it should not go ahead. I am reminded that a terrible car accident involving young people occurred just around the corner from where I live at Broken Head, not that far from the proposed rally route. The roads in far northern New South Wales could perhaps cope with professional drivers participating in a rally but not with copycat driving by young people. Such an event would result in deaths on these roads. I ask the Government to reconsider any support for this event.

See also: No Rally group web site, Kyogle KRATER "No Rally, thank you!" group web site.