Page 5069 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 12 December 1990
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For a preview of this year's event I went to the magazines that promote it. I have an official program of the street machine Summernats and a magazine, Street Machine, that heavily promotes it. It is true that they acknowledge problems from last year. They point out:
At one stage there was some problem with the undesirable element last year, but Chick and his team have put a lot of work into that, including discussions with the local authorities. Indications are that there will not be cause for local complaint this year.
I hope that is the case. I am not sure, however, that it is the case. The Australian Federal Police reported that there were something like 80,000 participants last year. I would think that that was in total over the three or four days. I do not think it attracted that number on any one day.
It has been claimed that there is some considerable financial benefit to the ACT as a result of the Summernats. I am one who says, "Look, let us have it here. It is desirable if it can be conducted properly". But I dispute that there is a great deal of money to the ACT as a result of it. Certainly, a lot of alcohol is sold. There is not much spent on accommodation. They tend to camp on the roads, maybe this year in the exhibition centre itself; but there is not a great deal of money for the ACT. Natex benefits. Spectators spend a lot of money; but that money is spent internally in the showgrounds, with the various stalls that bring specialist gear to the ACT. I do not think that very much of that feeds out to traders in the ACT. So, I would not want to say at any time that this is of such enormous benefit to the ACT that we simply have to have it.
The problems that arise relate to abuse of alcohol - and how often do we say that? They relate to the behaviour of people resulting from the abuse of alcohol, and to the cruising that seems to be an essential part of any program. I would believe that, again this year, even the well-behaved people who bring their hotted up machines to this event will be breaking laws. Did Mr Duby say or will Mr Collaery say that if oil is poured on the road in the town area of Canberra people will be charged? I am not sure that that will happen.
Even by driving their machines down the street I suspect that every car owner will be breaking laws relating to noise. By their nature laws will be broken, and I do not know how much tolerance the community should have. Certainly, we will be showing some tolerance by allowing the cars to drive down. I do not know whether Mr Duby is going to have health inspectors or other inspectors to check noise pollution and check every car. I do not expect that is going to happen; but it is a problem, of course, for those people in north Canberra.
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