Mood:
don't askTopic: election nsw 2007
As the three major dailies today editorialise to remove the ALP government in NSW in the vote tomorrow, and Ch9 prime time news ruin Opposition Leader Debnam's last pitch due to technical problems with a live cross, a tragic tunnel crash involving container trucks in Melbourne today (Road catastrophe: Tunnel crash kills three) underline everything wrong with the Inner West Motorway tunnel exposed by the press during this election for Sydney: $5b secret road under Sydney | The Daily Telegraph
Container truck numbers from the Port are set to skyrocket under the ALP (Task force to oversee Port Botany expansion. 25/11/2006. ABC News ...) to 3 million per year at least (Port Botany - NSW Department of Planning) but likely even more than that (NSW Ports Growth Plan - Summary Sheet) with massive impacts on the Inner City congestion and suburban amenity from the Port Botany Expansion - 10/11/2005 - ADJ
The ALP over ruled an independent planning Commission of Inquiry (Port Botany expansion plan unwarranted: inquiry. 14/10/2005. ABC ...) and tried to stall the release of that report for 3 months (Port Botany Report - 15/09/2005 - QWN REP) making a new motorway tunnel an inevitability under the Iemma ALP Govt. One can assume fatal truck accidents like this today will also be an inevitability as above.
On Sunday another insecure road tunnel will open as the result of the election is finalised: Children at Lane Cove Tunnel protest - The Australian - 21 Mar 2007
Noxious road tunnels are indeed a powerful symbol of this ALP government as we go to the vote tomorrow as per The Greens last PR event for the day:
MEDIA RELEASE - 23 March 2007
Greens 'De Grout' Lane Cove Tunnel opening
The Greens MP and roads spokesperson Lee Rhiannon today staged a mock
opening of the Lane Cove Tunnel, with 'Premier Iemma' and the 'Tunnel
CEO' cutting a ribbon and exchanging cash besides a filthy, smoking,
unfiltered stack.
"The Greens have been forced to do a 'De Grout' and cut the ribbon
before the official opening. The difference here is that former Labor
Premier Jack Lang was proud of his harbour bridge and put the people
before banks," Ms Rhiannon said.
"Delaying the tunnel opening until the day after the election is a
'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' arrangement between the NSW
government and tunnel operators designed to keep a potential Lane Cove
Tunnel stink away from the polling booth.
"Premier Iemma might want to sleep in on Sunday and leave the tunnel
opening to the workers, but Sydneysiders will wake up to all the sins
of another motorway.
"Motorway tunnels are a potent symbol of Labor in office.
"Sydney's tunnels represent the abandonment of opportunities to build
a more sustainable Sydney and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"The government's promise that tunnels will be accompanied by world
class bus, bike and pedestrian facilities are out-and-out lies, with
the Lane Cove Tunnel being a fine example.
"Lest we forget the Cross City Tunnel that stands as a hollow monument
to Labor's incompetence. It's here that profits came before the public
interest by closing local streets, funnelling traffic and obliterating
bus and bike lanes.
"Secret tunnel deals have resulted in millions of dollars worth of
compensation handed to private sector tunnel operators that could have
been spent on schools and hospitals.
"Public confidence in impartial government has been shaken by the free
flow of donations from tunnel builders, financers and operators to
both Labor and the Opposition. On the off-chance the Coalition is
elected tomorrow these donations suggest it will be tunnel business as
usual.
"Lane Cove Tunnel consortium members donated more than $2.2 million to
the major parties during the last seven years, of which almost $1.1
million went to Labor.
"Across Sydney public health is being affected by Labor's stubborn
refusal to filter what experts call the 'new asbestos' from the Lane
Cove, Cross City and M5 East tunnels.
"After the election the Greens will continue to campaign with the
community to reform political donations, promote open government,
invest in public transport, filter motorway tunnels and say no to new
motorways," Ms Rhiannon said.
