A residents' rally in Gough Whitlam park, Earlwood thoroughly condemned the state government's plan to dump concentrated fumes from 4.5 kms of the M5 East road tunnel through a single stack. Over 1000 residents from the Marrickville, Canterbury and Rockdale area were addressed by local and state government representatives, wrote messages of protest to state ministers on a huge "death scroll" and formed a huge "NO STACK" sign with people holding white crosses.

As Graeme Penfold, a RAPS member explained, the crosses symbolised the potentially devastating health impact on residents and their children. Turned upside down, each cross became a sword symbolising the fight to protect the three greatest investments in people's lives: their health, their children and their homes.

The rally attracted support from far and wide. Lee Rhiannon , Greens MLC, and Dr Arthur Chester-Field Evans Democrat MLC urged residents to continue the fight.

"We and a number of other cross benchers-from the Niles to Allan Corbett and Richard Jones-are 100% behind the residents. We must have accountability and transparency of public contracts paid for by the tax payer. This government has over-run the consultative process in urban planning. Consultation here is just a delaying tactic to get a bit more built in the meantime. If people in the US can get access to public contracts within 24 hours of them being signed, how come we have so much secrecy here? Why is the government afraid to let the taxpayers know what is going on?" Dr Arthur Chester-Field Evans asked

"If the government had conducted an EIS on the major changes to the 1996 proposal, there is no way this single stack would have been approved. Why is the government not willing to have an independent study? Why is the contract secret? Why are they committed to such a crazy project? This campaign is not just for this local area. If we don't stop this madness here, there will be toxic stacks like this one all around Sydney." Lee Rhiannon said.

Olive Rodwell and Helen Hamilton spoke of their experiences with the copper smelter stack in Port Kembla, and how similar it was to the one facing the residents of the Wolli and Cooks river valleys. Despite assurances of "most stringent controls" and monitoring, there were over 4,000 occasions when toxic chemicals such as sulphur dioxide were above safe levels, and yet residents were never told. This led to significantly increased rates of illness among locals, the death rate from leukaemia was 13 times the state average. "Based on our experience, if this stack pollutes, it clear that the government will not close this one either."

Olive asked "Isn't it strange how ordinary residents can see what's wrong, and yet politicians with all their advisors can't? Governments must stop poisoning their constituents. Helen urged people to " protect our fragile democracy and vote in, not an elected dictatorship, but a person to represent them, and not a party, not a puppet who dances to the tune of those at the top.

Canterbury and Rockdale mayors both undertook to support the residents in negotiating a more acceptable solution to the health and property impacts of the 40 metre, unfiltered stack, but were resigned to the 'reality' of having the single stack at Turrella. Rockdale mayor Kent Johns promised to have the road closed if air quality goals are breached. Canterbury mayor Kayee Griffin told the gathering that the current stack proposal is "not on" and announced she would soon be meeting with Mr Scully to "push as hard as possible to convince him that the stack as proposed will compromise air quality and that he must take all measures to make sure it can be operated without any costs in terms of air quality and health".

Other speakers challenged councils' stand on the proposed stack, and suggested that the stack should be subject to a Royal Commission because of irregularities in the approval and implementation process.

Independent Canterbury Councillor Barbara Coorey criticised the way that ALP councillors had ignored this issue for almost two years "It is not good enough for councils to keep assuring residents that safe air quality goals will not be exceeded. They have the reports before them showing they are being exceeded already. People's health is at stake for at least 2kms from the stack. Property sales are starting to stagnate in the area".

"This is an engineering adventure with an open cheque book. The cheque book belongs to us, the tax payers. The RTA has already breached the DUAP conditions that are supposed to safeguard residents' health, and no one in government seems to be doing anything about it. The RTA is a runaway authority that has become the lobbying arm for the construction companies in this state."

Cr Koutsouras (Canterbury Council independent) asked where the state members (Scully, Refshauge, Debus, Moss and Thompson) were. " Governments and councils should look after the people, not assassinate their political rights. The politicians seem to have forgotten that you people exist. Would a council approve a building for which they do not have any design plans? Without knowing how big, how high, what the noise impact will be? How and why did such a project get approved in a democracy?.

Marrickville Independent Cr Sylvia Hale said that the M5 East was a disaster for Marrickville. It would increase air pollution for residents as well as the number of commercial vehicles carrying dangerous goods, by up to 170% in some cases. Even though the area was going to be affected by the tunnel emissions, Marrickville council was not even represented on the consultative committees. "We have the second most densely populated council, yet the smallest amount of green space in Sydney. They are the lungs of our local government area. Here we have the homes, the precious playing fields for our children, and where families and elderly people enjoy a bit of outdoor space being polluted".

Peter Siapos, RAPS representative said it was obvious that safe Labor seats were dead seats, if with Labor in power in the three local and state government seats, the electorate would have been looked after. "Surely they can find a solution that ensures the health of the people they represent. If they can't do it in Macquarie St, may be they can do it in Sussex St.

"This is madness. Having a 4.5 km tunnel with one outlet vent at the end of an 800 metre exhaust tunnel spewing unfiltered toxic fumes into a sheltered valley is both stupid and mad. The RTA must have its head office in a third world country somewhere. And it doesn't stop here, look at the Eastern Distributor, the Northside Tunnel, and many more unfiltered stacks to come!"

He ridiculed the fact that the RTA would close the $750 million road on councils' demand when levels of air toxins exceed safe standards. "Will the RTA really close the road because of a phone call from Mr Johns? Is the M5 East going to become a part-time road? If they didn't listen to Rockdale council about the stack, why would they listen then?"

People will not put up with this. We like living here, we're not going away and we'll continue the fight with our last breath until the stack goes away."

The rally concluded with the adoption of the following motions:

1 That this meeting calls upon the State government to immediately cease construction work associated with the single stack and the single ventilation shaft for the M5East motorway until rigorous independent investigation of the potential health, environmental and property value impacts has been completed and made available for expert and public scrutiny

2 That this meeting demands of the State government nothing less than the best and safest tunnel emission technology for the M5 East motorway and a Commission of Inquiry into the process that resulted in this worse than third world solution

3 That this meeting demands of the State government a property value guarantee for all properties whose values are adversely affected because of the health, visual and environmental impacts of the M5 East stack

4 That this meeting puts the government and councils on notice that we will pursue with ever-increasing vigour, every political and legal avenue to protect our health, our families and property values