Over a hundred angry parents, senior citizens and children from Earlwood, Turrella, Bardwell Park and Marrickville staged a noisy demonstration outside the Premier Bob Carr and Mr Carl Scully,s offices in the city today to express their anger and frustration over the proposed 40 metre M5 East exhaust stack at Turrella and their lack of access to the relevant ministers.

According to Ian Cohen, M.L.C. (Greens), Mr Scully seemed unaware of the full implications of the stack, believing it to be located in an industrial area. "I told him to come and have a look, it is in a green belt area, less than 200 metres from the nearest residences!" He appears also unaware, Mr Cohen stated, of the effects of prevailing winds on dispersion of the emissions in the valley. The conditions placed on the project by the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning were not good enough he said to guarantee the health of people in the area.

Dr Arthur Chesterfield Evans, MLC (Democrats) urged residents to keep up the fight and insist on the release of information related to the impact of the single stack proposal, if such information exists, seeing an EIS was never undertaken.

Mrs Beverly Baker, NSW president of the Parents and Citizens Association said it was time the government stopped thinking that children were disposable and expendable. "This is about the health of thousands of children. It is totally unacceptable for a section of the community to be sacrificed in this way, and for communities to be pitted one against another when it is the government,s responsibility to find more intelligent alternatives."

Protesters from all different nationalities at one stage blocked the road and let off flares as an SOS to the rest of Sydney and an example of the pollution they will have to live with on a daily basis if the unfiltered emissions from 60 000 cars a day are dumped on them. Jo Sabbah an Earlwood resident spoke passionately about the children who already suffered from asthma, including his own, and how governments have the responsibility to safeguard the health of the whole population. There are many people in the area who they stood to lose their health and property values: "How much are people,s lives worth? Is the government discriminating against ethnic communities by never informing them and dumping on them?"

Glenda Moylan-Brouff called the stack an unacceptable third world solution. "If the State government can dump on residents in the Wolli Creek valley, without ever consulting them, it can happen anywhere in NSW." A hundred white crosses were held to symbolise the people who would die from the leukemia and asthma generated by the stack reactor.

For over two hours, residents attempted to deliver letters to Mr Carr and Mr Scully,s offices requesting an appointment, until finally a policeman acted as an intermediary. "What,s Mr Carr afraid of? What has Mr Scully to hide that he refuses to meet with us for over 18 months? We,ve used all the right channels and processes and been fobbed off!" Police reinforcements were brought in to forcibly move the residents from the entry to the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning offices. Mr Carr and Mr Scully preferred this heavy handed treatment to setting aside time to meet with residents. What does it take to make them listen?"asked Judi Rossi, an Earlwood resident.

The message to the government is loud and clear. Residents refuse to be ignored and will protest until there is government for all communities, including those in safe electorates.