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M5 East Tunnel Ventilation

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Speakers - Jones The Hon Richard
Business - Adjournment


    M5 EAST TUNNEL VENTILATION
Page: 4276


    The Hon. RICHARD JONES [6.02 p.m.]: Last night I attended a meeting of Residents Against Polluting Stacks at Earlwood with the Hon. John Ryan, the Hon. Ian Cohen and the Hon. Peter Breen to hear about the adverse effect on residents of exhaust fumes from the M5 East unfiltered tunnel. The pollution is well above the safety standards of the World Health Organization and it poses a risk to motorcyclists, emergency workers and maintenance workers. The tunnel is an absolute disgrace and is a monument to the inefficiency of the Roads and Traffic Authority and its disregard for the local community.

    The single stack was a political decision in the first place. Originally, the tunnel was to have three stacks, which may have provided more relief for people living around the stacks. The ventilation system in this 800-metre tunnel is clearly not working. The fans regularly break down and on some nights there has been no ventilation for eight hours. The operator now seeks to use the portals for emissions. The whole project is a disaster and I ask the Premier to involve himself with these problems. Last night a woman informed me that she had previously been a member of the Labor Party and had never voted for the Liberal Party. However, she stated that for the first time she would vote for the Liberal Party at the next State election. If the Government does not attend to these matters right across Sydney—whether it is the cross-city tunnel, the Lane Cove tunnel, the M5 East or the Woolloomooloo exhaust pipe, which has extensive fumes—it will receive a real shock in seven months time.

    People are up in arms about this issue. There is a cross-city alliance—in fact, two meetings were held last night—on air pollution. Air pollution in the city of Sydney will be a major issue at the next election and if the Government does not act now it will get a rude shock in some of its supposedly safe electorates. I ask the Treasurer to take this message to the Premier and to get involved himself. Paul Forward from the Roads and Traffic Authority has not listened to the people and there has been one disaster after another. The tunnel is not fit for human traffic.

    The Hon. Elaine Nile, who today resigned from the Legislative Council due to health problems, and Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile have travelled through the tunnel several times and have both suffered ill effects as a result. I ask the Government to address this issue urgently. Filtration and electrostatic precipitation in the Drammen tunnel in Norway work well and could be used in this tunnel. It would cost only 1 per cent of the original outlay on the tunnel to solve the problem and reduce air pollution for people across the whole of Sydney. This is a serious problem for people who travel through the tunnel and for those who live in areas near the stack. Last night we met people who suffer health problems every day as a result of this tunnel.

    [Time for debate expired.]

    Motion agreed to.
    The House adjourned at 6.05 p.m.
    _______________


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