[Greens-Media] Costa steers Newcastle back to its polluted past

[Hans VanLeeuwen]

Costa steers Newcastle back to its polluted past
Media release - December 15, 2004

Transport Minister Michael Costa's decision to axe the Newcastle rail
line was based on dodgy figures and would return Newcastle to its bad
old days as a highly polluted city, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said today.
 
"Dodgy figures, conflicts of interest and farcical consultation have not
stopped Michael Costa from taking the wrong decision on Newcastle rail,"
Ms Rhiannon said.
 
"The axeing of the rail link will put thousands more cars and buses onto
Newcastle's roads every day, causing pollution and congestion while
reducing quality of life.
 
"Mr Costa is sacrificing an important and valuable transport service
because he wants to hand over prime real estate to developers.
 
"The independent consultants say that residential and commercial
development will boost Newcastle's city centre. But experience in Sydney
has shown that this kind of development works best when underpinned by a
rail line.
 
"RailCorp's own figures show that cutting the line could cost $50 to
$100 million more than keeping it.
 
"Mr Costa has made a shortsighted, unimaginative decision to cut the
line when he could have invested time and money into improving services
and thus boosting patronage.
 
"The whole two-year process was marked by skewed figures, biased
reports, conflicts of interest for Honeysuckle board members who wrote
the reports and a lack of genuine consultation. Mr Costa has simply been
biding his time.
 
"In the years to come, December 15th will be noted as a dark day in
Newcastle's history," Ms Rhiannon said.



Hans van Leeuwen
Media Adviser, Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon
Tel: (61 2) 9230 3551
Fax: (61 2) 9230 3550
Mob: 0425 310 562
hans.vanleeuwen at parliament.nsw.gov.au