Stop the Hale Street Bridge

Civil disobedience next in community campaign against Hale Street Bridge

Media Release, 31 May 2008

“The time for talk is past,’ said Stop the Hale Street Bridge Alliance spokesman David Bratchford, “Now it’s time for action.”

“The opposition of local communities on both sides of the river to the Lord Mayor’s ill conceived toll bridge proposal has been clearly and repeatedly expressed, most forcefully in thousands of public submissions during the now notorious project consultation process.”

“And yet Campbell Newman says he will proceed with his pet project ‘regardless of cost’, without a viable business case, without final contracts, without state government approval, and despite the overwhelming opposition of local communities on both sides of the river.”

“We’ve tried to play by the rules,” said Mr Bratchford, “but we’ve seen Newman throw the rule book out of the window.”

“It’s clear that Newman’s game is fixed, that it’s a foregone conclusion that he intends to proceed with this project despite its lack of merit, financial viability or community support.”

“So now it’s time to play a new game, by the community’s rules this time.”

Mr Bratchford’s statement signaled a new, direct action, phase in the community campaign against Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s controversial and discredited Hale Street Link toll bridge project, as Alliance volunteers with paintbrushes and spray cans descended on the south bank HSL construction site to express their continued opposition to the project. Their ‘community graffiti-in’ at the site saw them painting banners and spraying slogans on panels, covering the hoardings surrounding the construction site with messages to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and Premier and local MP Anna Bligh.

“Newman’s defiance of the state government, community wishes and basic economic and business principles demonstrates his irresponsibility and recklessness,” said Mr Bratchford.

“This irresponsibility and recklessness has created a lot of anger in the community.”

“Community members are now taking direct action because the wishes of local communities are being overridden.”

“Civil disobedience may be the only way to remind the state government and local MP and Premier Anna Bligh of their responsibility to protect the community.”

“Community members are prepared to risk arrest or prison to stop this bad project.”

For more comment and information: David Bratchford – 0403 339 777

Media Release, 24 February 2008

Members of the campaign to scrap the controversial and discredited Hale Street Link toll bridge project are unhappy about some 'misleading' ALP local government election materials which appear to claim credit for outcomes achieved by the campaign.

"Let's be quite clear about this," said Stop the Hale Street Bridge Alliance spokesman David Bratchford, "every hard won concession gained by the campaign has been due to the untiring efforts of the ordinary citizens who contribute their time to it."

"Our elected representatives only responded to the pressure we placed on them, and should not be claiming credit."

"Among our supporters are members or supporters of all political parties, but our campaign is non partisan and beholden to no political party," said Mr Bratchford.

"Nevertheless we feel it's our civic duty to highlight the differences between the political parties on the Hale Street Link toll bridge project."

"This project is highly unpopular in the inner southern suburbs and is shaping as a key election issue in the Gabba ward."

"When electors decide how they'll vote in City Council election on Saturday 15 March we ask them to compare the policies of the candidates and their parties on the HSL project."

"So far only the Greens_#hs-fn1">1 have come out against it."

"It's a pet project of Liberal Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and his backers in the engineering and construction industry."

"And despite some political game playing, the Labor majority in council has voted for it and supported it all the way, even if Councillor Abrahams was allowed to vote against it. The ALP's shameful track record in the council chamber speaks for itself. Talk is cheap; actions speak much louder."

"Before they nominated as candidates in the election both Greens candidate for Gabba ward Drew Hutton and Greens Lord Mayoral candidate Jo Bragg were very active in the campaign to stop this unpopular and discredited project."

"HSL is opposed by the overwhelming majority of locals, with over 90% of the several thousand public submissions on the project received from the inner southern suburbs saying it should not be built, " said Mr Bratchford.

"It's not too late to stop this expensive white elephant - send a clear message when you cast your vote in the 15 March election."

For more comment and information:
David Bratchford - 0403 339 777

About the Stop the Hale Street Bridge Alliance
An alliance of residents, parents, business people and community organisations to raise awareness surrounding the proposed CBD toll bridge. The Alliance's city-wide strategy challenges the spin and questions the claimed benefits of the project.

Footnotes

#hs-fn1" id="hs-fn1">1. In fact, James Sinnamon, Independent candidate for Lord Mayor, who helps administer this site, has long been an active opponent of both the Hale Street Bridge and the North South Bypass Tunnel.

Article by Darren Godwell, President, West End Community Association

This article, written on 5 February 2008 and published here on 24 February. It was submitted to the Courier Mail but not published. The Courier Mail Newspaper supported both the Hale Street Bridge and the North South Bypass Tunnel. This article can also be found as a Micro$oft Word document on www.stopthehalestreetbridge.com/media.htm.

The State government's Co-ordinator General report on the inner-city toll-bridge at Hale Street paints a picture of an auction where the price keeps on rising well after you've made the final bid.

"For the HSL to proceed would require an increased project budget above that of the $245 million approved by Council".

At the last council election candidate Newman made a $180 million promise to build a toll-bridge. Today Lord Mayor Newman says it'll cost $450 million.

The report's measured tone rings alarm bells - "it may be necessary for a new financial analysis.to ensure the project is good 'value' and is able to service the cost of project with the toll revenues collected."

The Co-ordinator General's insight tells us City Hall is having difficulty coming to grips with another major project. Sadly, if Newman persists the end result will be either a larger subsidy from the pockets of Brisbane's ratepayers through more rates increase or a top-up from the taxpayers of Queensland. So it's either the pockets of ratepayers or the pockets of taxpayers.

"Most projects of this size in recent times have been subject to significant cost-escalation pressures...It is likely that this project was also finding significant cost pressure and difficulty of remaining within the Council-approved budget."

The Lord Mayor's new alternative is to scale-back the approaches onto the bridge.

Logically, the State government finds that "a reduction in project scope is likely to result in reduced benefits [and] the project business case will need to be revisited to ensure that the 'value' of the project is acceptable"

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Here's the rub. To test for "value" and to consider its "acceptability" before the local Council election we'll need to see City Hall's "project modification report". But Council's revised report is not due until the 20th March - five days after the election.

The Co-ordinator General rightly asks are we getting 'good value' from ratepayers' monies. To figure out what's 'good value' we'll also need to know if the project works.

The independent umpire reveals that City Hall made interesting choices from the beginning: "BCC did not seek the assistance of the Coordinator-General. BCC instead undertook a voluntary assessment process. However, a 'voluntary assessment process' may not necessarily be conducted with the same robustness and rigor."

Rigor was never to bother this process. Process became a rude joke when the Mayor's staff solicited big business and interstate relatives to make submissions supporting the proposal.

The latest revelation is City Hall's obligations under the "conditional approval" by the State government. Specifically, filing an acceptable "traffic management plan" for both construction and operational stages. Including a "public transport management plan" to detail impacts on non-car commuters.

We now know City Hall has only assessed a portion of the traffic impacts. Amazingly, the Coordinator General reveals, this project is only half tested. There is no assessment of the traffic impacts on the southern end.

"BCC was not asked to and did not submit a traffic management report for the proposed southside works. I note that Main Roads do not intend to request a traffic management report for these works as, in their opinion, any impact would be on local traffic only in the immediate area."

This finding points to the Labor majority in Council who approved the project without the full information on all of the impacts.

South Brisbane Councillor Helen Abrahams is left out on a limb by not knowing the impacts on local businesses, streets, suburbs and constituents. To a lesser degree, the local State Member, Anna Bligh, is also exposed by this oversight.

The Coordinator General recommends that State government compel City Hall for a traffic management plan for the southern side. This plan is critical to making an accurate assessment. The final report may prove unpalatable reading for the people of the Gabba, Highgate Hill, South Bank, South Brisbane and West End.

Once every four years, people hold their Lord Mayor and local Councillors to account. To do this properly, in the interest of seeing public monies well spent, the people of Brisbane will need to have all the pieces, traffic and financial, on the table before the election.