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Western Sydney should not shoulder all of NSW's addiction to imports 16 August 2010 - For immediate use Greens MP Sylvia Hale has called on the State Government to hold an inquiry into the state-wide freight needs of NSW following yesterday's meeting of residents at Hammondville in Sydney's South West in opposition to the proposed Moorebank intermodal. Contact: Colin Hesse on 02 9230 3030 or 0401 719 124

"It's simply not good enough to dump the whole of NSW's containerised freight imports into Moorebank" said Ms Hale, The Greens spokesperson for Planning.

"The State Government must urgently develop a plan that shares the noise and pollution that arises from our addiction to imported consumer goods, and not leave western Sydney alone to share the burden.

"Surely it is not too difficult to off-load containers for Newcastle, northern Sydney and Northern NSW at Newcastle, or to offload containers for Wollongong, South Western Sydney and southern NSW at Port Kembla.

"There is no doubt that the inner areas of Sydney should bear their fair share too, and take their containerised freight through Port Botany with an intermodal at Enfield.

"The current plan of State and Federal Labor and Liberal parties will essentially see all the containerised freight imports for NSW come through Port Botany and then to Moorebank, with a small amount going to Enfield.

"Much as Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese may claim that up to 40% of freight will be railed from Port Botany to Moorebank, there is not the capacity in the current rail system to take 40% of containerised freight from Port Botany, and even if there was it would mean that life for residents of his own electorate living near the Bankstown rail corridor will become nearly intolerable.

"The majority of the freight will instead go down an expanded M5, and there will be a near unbroken line of trucks from Port Botany to Moorebank 24 seven as result.

"For people living nearby the M5 noise and air pollution will increase, and even an expanded M5 will once again reach gridlock in a very short period of time.

"As with the construction of the third runway nearly twenty years ago, Labor in Government has gone with the quick fix, and disregarded the interests of residents around Botany Bay, and this time of south western Sydney as well.

"Labor should complete the Maldon-Dombarton rail line from Port Kembla to south western Sydney and upgrade freight and passenger rail links from Newcastle to northern Sydney, which would reduce road traffic, reduce air pollution, reduce long term costs and share the downside of freight imports into NSW.

"Increasing containerised freight through both Port Kembla and Newcastle would diversify the freight handling at both ports, reduce their reliance on coal exports and create regional employment opportunities. A state-wide inquiry into NSW freight transport needs would allow us to take a big picture response to this major issue," said Ms Hale.

NSW PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDS OF PALESTINE TO TRAVEL TO WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP: Co-convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine – Labor MP Lynda Voltz and Greens MP Sylvia Hale – will depart on 17 July to travel to the Palestinian Occupied Territories and Refugee Camps in Beirut to look at overseas aid projects run by APHEDA, the ACTU’s overseas aid organisation. They will return to Sydney on 3 August. READ Sylvia's Gaza blog - click on 'Sylvia's blog' on the top tab menu.
Greens call for Minister to stop demolition of Mortdale's heritage listed Masonic lodge: Greens MP and spokesperson for Heritage, Sylvia Hale, has written to the NSW Minister for Planning calling on him to place an interim heritage protection order on the heritage-listed former Woronora Masonic Temple at Mortdale.
Middle East forum to promote peace: Following the attack by Israeli armed forces on the 'Gaza Freedom Flotilla' Greens NSW MP Sylvia Hale is heading to the Middle East to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
Emergency information may be compromised by radio encryption: Greens spokesperson for Police, Sylvia Hale MP, has expressed concern at the mooted encryption of ambulance and fire brigade radios.
Tasers: Scipione and Kelly should explain or resign: Greens spokesperson for Police, Sylvia Hale MP, has called upon the former Minister for Police, Tony Kelly, and the Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, either to resign or to explain their serious misrepresentation of the Taser trial.
Mid-Western Council: State Government knows nothing and sees nothing: NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale has expressed surprise at the State Government’s apparent lack of interest in allegations about the conduct of Mid-Western Regional Council. Ms Hale had asked the Ministers for Planning and Local Government a series of questions on behalf of members of the local community regarding the actions and operations of Mid-Western Council.
Liberals call for local government elections late but welcome say Greens: Reports that the Liberal Party has committed to bringing forward local government elections for Wollongong and Shellharbour have been welcomed by The Greens spokesperson for local government, Sylvia Hale MP.
ALP and Shooters stifle debate on Minister’s misleading of Parliament: The Labor Party, Shooters and Fred Nile today combined to gag debate on a motion censuring the Minister for Planning for misleading Parliament in relation to his attempts to remove Cessnock Council’s planning powers.
Barangaroo: Lend Lease not listening, but looking to own interests: The Greens have criticised Lend Lease’s new plans for Barangaroo as an unacceptable alienation of public space in the interests of private profit.
Home-based detention will only work if properly supported: The scrapping of weekend detention and its replacement with home-based detention has met with limited support from The Greens

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