Freo's View
PREMIER BARNETT ON THE PERTH FAILED LINK
The North Fremantle Community had invited WA Premier Colin Barnett and CUSP Professor Peter Newman for a Q&A on the proposed PERTH FREIGHT LINK and the community came out en-masse and there was standing room only. Former Premier Carmen Lawrence was there, as were author and comedian Ben Elton and Member for Fremantle Simone McGurk. Freo Mayor Brad Pettitt was there, and it is election time, four Councillors also attended.
It was a surprisingly civil event with not much aggression. Colin Barnett was relaxed and matter of fact about how difficult Stage 2 of the project will be, reassuring the crowd that nothing had yet been decided because it was near impossible to find what he called an elegant solution to get trucks from Roe 8 to Fremantle Port. He stressed the route had not been finalised yet and engineers had not designed the road and/or tunnel, and the environmental work also had not been done yet. “No one will be making a decision tomorrow.” the Premier said, pointing out his cabinet and not the departments would make the final decision.
But he was adamant, and said it several times, that Roe 8 will be built. “No road has been studied as much as the Roe 8 and it will be built so it has minimal impact on the Beeliar wetlands.” Barnett assured the crowd. It will take 2,500 trucks per day off Leach Highway, he claimed.
The Premier also said it was impossible to get all containers to the port by rail and that the 14% we have in WA was the highest freight on rail of any port in Australia, but it was desirable to increase that. At least 70% of freight would be going by truck, and we are talking about 1,2 million containers that need to be moved around the city.
Barnett pointed out that WA accounts for 50% of international trade in Australia and that trade is going up because people buy more washing machines from China, etc. He also pointed out that even when an outer harbour is built at Cockburn Sound, that would take ten years, Fremantle Port will continue as a port and the outer harbour would initially be an overflow port only, but there would be severe environmental impacts on an outer harbour in that location and it “Will be contentious.”
Professor Peter Newman agreed on quite a few points with Colin Barnett but said there was a significant shift in the world to drive less and that urban rail is growing around the word. The Perth Freight Link is not good planning when the end is not clear, he said and “No one questions that the process is flawed.” “We need more intermodal hubs like the one in Kewdale.”
Newman said the economy will grow but there would be more growth in the non-resources-based industries.
Questions were asked about diesel fume pollution and health impact on the North Fremantle community and if health studies had been and would be done, and why pervious and the present governments had not made a start on the outer harbour when it would take so long to be built. The Premier assured the Perth Freight Link was not being built to support the sale of Fremantle Port.
Building an outer harbour would be the biggest infrastructure project ever done in this state Colin Barnett said, and that it would cost $ 4 billion. “It is a daunting project with enormous issues!”
Peter Newman said the PFL “Was the biggest threat I have seen to the future of Fremantle.” and former Councillor Anna Forma said it would be the end of North Fremantle and the area won’t survive this.
Barnett said he had no argument with building more public transport but what will we do with a million plus containers, and that he did not believe in doing nothing for ten years until an outer harbour might be built.
One of the last and most powerful words came from Kate Kelly of the Save Beeliar Wetlands who said there were significant defects in the environmental assessments of Roe 8 and they would take up a legal fight. “See you in court!”
I believe community information session like this one are very good and should happen more often, but I wonder why neither Barnett nor Newman went into details on the impact an outer harbour would have on Cockburn Sound.
Roel Loopers
ROEL FPOR FREO! TRULY INDEPENDENT
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