“Ian Macdonald’s Special Legislation to allow the Repco Rally to go ahead is to be pushed through the Parliament with complete disregard for the democratic process and at the bidding of Repco Rally Australia,” says Ian Cohen, Greens MLC.
“Democracy is being dumped on with this legislation - the Minister is overriding all planning and environmental laws to force this Rally to go ahead through an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot, Australia’s Green Cauldron.”
“Repco Rally Australia’s (RRA) organisers have been taking bookings for months and proceeding with confidence without even lodging a development application. Rally organisers assured the people of the North Coast to wait to see the rally considered by their local councils - which should be the determining authority on such events. They held “community” meetings when it is clear that the whole thing was a done deal.”
“The international motor sports body, the FIA – headed by the UK’s former ultra-conservative politico Max Mosely – was recently understood to have been “concerned” with media reports about the event and sought reassurance from the NSW Government that it would proceed. This is no doubt because the Rally organisers held community consultations and found that the community were mostly opposed to it. Ian Macdonald is rushing to reassure the FIA that it’s all go down under.”
“This legislation will rid the FIA and RRA of the nagging problems of disgruntled local councils, indigenous cultural heritage, endangered species, environmental concerns and worried residents by overriding the lot of them. Add to that some funding from Events NSW – how much funding is ‘commercial in confidence’ – and it’s a stitched up deal.”
“Indigenous people have not been well treated by the Rally and the Cultural Heritage Assessment has even not even been finalised. One person was selected to represent all aboriginal interests. The draft CHS, which should consider the possible impact on significant Aboriginal sites, has been considered for only three of the rally’s 15 competitive stages.”
“The special legislation will foist 5 car rallies on the Tweed and Kyogle shires of northern NSW beginning this September and then every other year, until 2019. The people of the north coast are understandably angry about this event – very reasonable people have been writing to me, people who are not normally activists. They are enraged that their right to determine what happens in their area is being denied in so arrogant a fashion.”
“Western Australia withdrew its support for the rally in that state because their Tourism Minister said it is not a good return on investment. The NSW Government’s own Tourism Task Force recommends the branding and marketing of ‘iconic sustainable nature tourism experiences’ in our national parks. This Rally is hardly an iconic sustainable nature tourism experience.”
“If this rally must go ahead, there are other areas of NSW where the impact would be less and where it would be welcomed. Foisting this loud, utterly unsuitable event on this area shows an incredible lack of understanding by the Minister of what the Northeast NSW is about. Tourists go to that part of NSW is for its natural beauty. They go to see the beauty of the rainforests, the beaches, the rivers, the wildlife. They don’t go to see cars carving through these beautiful places. “
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