Rochelle Porteous Secret plans for an inner
Greens for Balmain west motorway revealed
Continued from front page
was shelved indefinitely by the State
Government due to strong com-
munity opposition. The document
recommends shelving the M4 East
extension for 18 months in order to
complete a ‘strategic study for an
extended inner west motorway to
include M4 East, Extension to Port
and Airport and F6.’
The RTA document was tabled in
Parliament after the Greens made a
call in the Upper House last year for
papers relating to the proposed M4
East extension. Greens upper house
MP Lee Rhiannon said that they
received a range of documents, in-
“I will bring the voice of our community cluding the M4 East - Ways Forward
to the NSW Parliament. summary.
Some of the other documents
I will work for a sustainable future, for included emails between RTA staff
from May and December 2005 dis-
properly funded public education and cussing planning for the options
healthcare, and a government that outlined in the Ways Forward docu-
ment.
listens to this community” - Rochelle Porteous “This is an example of planning
behind people’s back,” Ms Rhiannon
Tackle Climate Change said.
The document includes a cash
Only the Greens will take on the fossil fuel lobby and flow model including projected
push the changes we need to tackle climate change. toll revenues for the M4 East and
expanded Inner West Motorway
Improve Public Transport (IWM). It also contains a ‘pros and
Safe, affordable, clean public transport. Extend the cons’ table of four options for the
motorway: the M4 East, the IWM
light rail, not the M4 East motorway. and two other options referred to as
‘PRLT’ and ‘MM’.
Better Development The document states that the
IWM would create ‘a wider range
Return development control to the community.
of impacts’ and ‘a major issue at
One Masterplan for the whole Inner West Harbour. Camperdown’. The PRLT option ‘re-
Ban developer donations. quires a large, complex underground
exchange at Annandale’ and creates
Build Our Community ‘a major issue at Camperdown’. The
MM option has ‘inferior benefits
Save Rozelle Psychiatric Hospital. More child care for traffic to the Anzac Bridge and
places. Fix the school maintenance backlog now. Annandale’ and a ‘major issue at
Haberfield and Marrickville’. For all
Read about the Greens’ Balmain Campaign four options to be viable, the docu-
www.portjackson.nsw.greens.org.au ment states that a toll would contin-
ue to be charged on the M4, with a
Contact Rochelle on 0404 487 247 possibility of tolls for trucks on the
rochelle.porteous@balmain.nsw.greens.org.au M5 East.
A spokesman for Roads Minister
Eric Roozendaal said that there
Vote 1 The Greens were no proposals before the NSW
government to build the M4 East.
Authorised by Chris Holley 19 Eve St Erskineville
8 Village Voice Balmain March
Cr Porteous said she was disgust-
ed that this information had been
kept from the community, and was
concerned that it would be harder to
fight a new M4 East proposal due to
changes in planning laws.
“If underground works are
happening it can be quite dev-
astating for people to have their
homes and gardens treated like
construction sites,” she said.
“The planning laws supported by
Labor and Liberals actually rule
out the right of the community to
be properly consulted on this, be-
cause it would be counted as criti-
cal infrastructure, and hence any
Environmental Impact Study can be
overruled by Frank Sartor.”
Labor candidate Verity Firth said
she was completely opposed to any
extension of the M4 East.
“I would be particularly con-
cerned about the impacts on the
incredibly valuable heritage sub-
urb of Haberfield, and I also have
issues about the constant contruc-
tion of motorways. I believe public
transport should be the priority,” Ms
Firth said.
“The local community made a
clear indication before that they did
not want the M4 East, and the gov-
ernment listened to that,” she said.
Liberal candidate for Balmain,
Peter Shmigel, said that building
the M4 East was not on his party’s
agenda.
“It’s not on our list of priorities for
NSW. Sydney’s growth is no longer
due west, so we would be looking at
transport solutions for the south and
south west,” Mr Shmigel said.
Independent candidate Jane
Ward said she also opposed any M4
East extension.
The Greens are calling for fur-
ther documents referred to in the
Ways Forward paper to be released
to the public. Cr Porteous said that
the Greens had complained to the
Parliamentary clerk about docu-
ments being withheld but had not
received any response as the clerk
was dismissed and Parliament was
prorogued and would not resume
until after the state election.