‘The government is just taking away your house’

17 November 2014
Simone White

Numerous residents of the Sydney suburb of St Peters received a knock on their door in early November. The stranger at the door was from Westconnex, the largest urban road project in the country, informing them their homes were being compulsorily acquired.

Local residents have formed the Westconnex Action Group (WAG) and are campaigning to stop roads and tunnels being constructed in densely populated areas of the inner west. The overriding concerns of residents and the community are the acquisition and destruction of people’s homes, toxic pollution and rampant traffic congestion in suburban neighbourhoods – which will impact schools, childcare centres and the viability of community spaces.

Ngaire Worboys, a member of WAG whose own home is slated for acquisition, told Red Flag that Westconnex has been unable to answer questions about any aspect of the road plan. “We’ve been given bugger all information, which is the way they want it”, explained Worboys. “The residents are up in arms.”

Kids have played a prominent part so far in protesting and organising. Evie Thompson, a 12-year-old from St Peters, wrote a letter to the Inner West Courier last week: “The majority of these houses are homes to families, and growing families. These residents have had no notice about this, which is just appalling! Imagine that! The government just taking away your house with no consultation what so ever!”

Eighteen drill sites have been proposed so far, mapping what appears to be the route of a tunnel that will slice through the suburbs of Tempe, St Peters and Sydenham. Worboys says that although drilling has already begun and Westconnex has a clear plan, “there will be no environmental studies released until the end of 2015”.

Motorists will pay for this disaster in tolls. That will be music to the ears of the board of the Westconnex Delivery Authority, which is composed of a who’s who of NSW corporate fat cats, led by Tony Shepherd, head of the federal government’s Commission of Audit.

None of these rich toffs will be having their homes acquired, but that didn’t stop Shepherd from insinuating recently that those opposed to the new roads are a pack of whingers.

Criticising protesters for not wanting to embrace “much needed infrastructure” is a convenient diversion from the fact that this infrastructure benefits big business. The NSW state government is avidly spruiking the business dollars the road will bring, while avoiding demands to fix and expand Sydney’s public transport.

NSW residents have an impressive history of stopping destructive projects like Westconnex. Huge swathes of Sydney would be covered in motorways if not for the resistance of ordinary people to the will of big business.

WAG is holding regular public meetings and petition drives. It is collaborating with other residents’ groups, including the Melbourne East West Tunnel Action group. “We’re going to fight”, says Worboys.

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Protest against Westconnex: Saturday 13 December at 1pm, Simpsons Park, St Peters. Visit the Westconnex Action Group on Facebook for updates and to get involved.


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