"Resident groups from throughout Sydney, health experts, environmentalists, local councillors and community group representatives and a range of MP’s have called for the NSW Government to put filtration on motorway and sewage tunnels being built in Sydney," said Peter Siapos of the Residents Against Polluting Stacks, today.

"The fully attended Forum passed a number of unanimous motions, including one calling on the Government to support the M5 motorway Bill, which would require filtration for the motorway tunnel, and for Bob Carr to take responsibility for that project." Representatives from communities affected by the Eastern Distributor, Cross City, Lane Cove road tunnels attended the forum, as well as those affected by the North Side Sewage vent, whose Parliamentary Inquiry Report is due to be released soon.

The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Kerry Chikarovski, gave her strong support for this issue, which she said has now become personal, as it affects her electorate of Lane Cove "The Government should do it right now to protect the community. It is not a big ask, it is a sensible ask."

Professor Ray Kearney of Sydney University’s Department of Infectious Diseases said "There is overwhelming support of the fact that there are quantifiable, demonstrable health risks associated with levels of pollution. With the toxic emissions from this stack, there is no threshold for no effect. By its own admission, the Health Department has not taken into account the real cumulative health risks of this stack. Likewise the inevitable costs of shortened lives, of ill-health, of over the counter medication, people being sick off work or school that will occur because of this stack have not been taken into account "

Professor Chris Winder, Head of the University of NSW’s School of Safety Sciences said "Studies in the US and Scandinavia have linked vehicle emissions to childhood leukemia and adult asthma. The M5 stack emissions are WILL BE a soup of contaminants. The Government pollutes up to a standard, not down, when we should be trying to reduce the level of risk. This is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. We must not let this, or other stacks like it be built."

The Hon Dr Peter Wong MP, of the Unity Party, and an ongoing supporter of local residents, said "After banning smoking in public, and the release of helium balloons, the Labor Government would be hypocritical not to pass the M5 Bill, and OR its credibility on environmental issues would be totally destroyed."

Kathy Ridge, Executive Officer from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW said "The Carr government must accept that clean air is a basic right, especially when we have 400 people dying from air pollution in Sydney every year. More tunnels are being built, and their emissions must be filtered to protect people living around them. The answer is very simple."

The Hon. Peter Breen, Reform the Legal System Party warned of the likelihood of a class action if the problem was not addressed immediately. "Compared to the Homefund case I have been involved in which is being successfully settled this week, where there was a clear breach of duty by the Government, this case would be a walk in the park. I urge the Government to solve this problem now, not years down the track in the courts".

Lee Rhiannon, the Greens, congratulated the resident action groups for their persistent, responsible approach to achieving a fair and reasonable solution, not just for the local community, but to bring about a change in the way the RTA and the Government made their decisions.

Leigh Martin, from the Total Environment Centre, who had co-sponsored the forum urged the Government to support the Bill. "This is above party politics. Earlier this year, the Labor State Conference passed a motion to filter the M5 East and future road tunnels, and only yesterday, the Local Government and Shires Association’s Annual Conference at Terrigal GOSFORD yesterday passed a similar motion.". Likewise Jennifer Barker, from the NSW Parents and Citizens Association endorsed the need for this sensible Bill, to protect the community’s greatest resource, its children, so they could live, learn and grow in a healthy atmosphere.

The Bill is due to be introduced into the Lower House on 16th November.

MOTIONS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

1. This forum calls upon all parties to ensure that emissions from all existing and future road and sewage tunnels are filtered or redirected so that Sydney people in the 21st Century will benefit from cleaner air.

2. This forum calls on the Government to allow the Roads Amendment (M5 East Road Tunnel) Bill calling for filtration of the emissions from the M5 East Stack to be fully debated in the Lower House as a matter of priority and urgency and on all members of political parties to support this Bill so that people affected by the M5 East unfiltered stack will not suffer a degradation of their quality of life. It also calls on the Premier, Bob Carr to take personal responsibility for the project and to deliver an economically and environmentally sustainable infrastructure that reflects world’s best practice and has community acceptance as promised.

3. Community members of this meeting call on Members of Parliament and Local Government members whose electorates are affected by emissions from road and sewage tunnels to support the Bill and lobby vigorously to ensure that effective ventilation and filtration systems are installed to protect the health of residents and that Sydney’s infrastructure develops in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner

4. Given the strong community opposition, the damning findings of the Parliamentary Inquiry and the international tunnel ventilation workshop we call upon members of the unions associated with the M5 East, the AWU, CFMEU, ETU, AMWU and the plumbers division of the CEPU to place a ban on all works associated with the problematic ventilation system at Turrella until the implements the best filtration and ventilation system available.

5. This forum calls on Mr Scully to explain to the people of NSW why the RTA fails to acknowledge current technology, has continually overestimated the cost of putting filtration into the tunnel, and why he has accepted a design for a tunnel that will contribute 25 000 tonnes of green house gases per year for the life of the tunnel, will cost $3 million to run every year and which no overseas expert would use.

6. This forum demands the extension of property value guarantees to all properties impacted by the M5East stack and other unfiltered stacks.

To view photos of the Forum, please click here.

Media contacts: Charles Briers 9559 1278 Giselle Mawer 9558 3943