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Mr Moore also mentioned that under the current system, which was introduced by the previous Government back in early 1993, some 70 exemptions per year were given for motor sport. I am not too sure what applied in 1993, Mr Moore, but certainly the number has been getting smaller and smaller as measures have been taken to improve facilities. This year some 17 exemptions have been given. I understand from the Motor Sports Council that they are asking for only a further 15 for the rest of the year, which would make a total of 32 - considerably fewer than 70. In my dealings with the Motor Sports Council and the people involved in motor sports since my return to the Assembly in August last year, I have found them to be a very reasonable bunch of people who are doing their very best to enjoy their sport within proper limitations and with due consideration for others.

The history of this matter, I suppose, Mr Speaker, goes back to the early 1970s, when the Fairbairn Park complex was established. At about the same time - and I do not think Mr Moore is accurate in saying that the Ridgeway was there first - houses went up in the estate known now as the Ridgeway in New South Wales. To my knowledge, there appear to have been very few complaints or problems with noise until about 1990. There had been ample opportunity for problems, because up until about then there had not been terribly many controls on noise from motor sport in Australia.

In 1990 the Ridgeway Residents Action Group was formed, largely because Ridgeway residents were worried about a proposal for a major international speedway on the old police driver training track. That did not go ahead during the term of the Alliance Government, largely because of financial considerations. It is reasonable to expect that a group living nearby might be concerned about a major complex, which they probably thought was similar to the venue for the Indianapolis 500, being close to their doorstep. It is interesting to note that people in our own Oaks Estate were also concerned at that proposal. I think that was a quite natural concern. The proposal did not go ahead, however; and in late 1992-93 the previous Government - having, it seemed, rejected the points made by the Challis report - introduced the current regime of exemptions. The head of the EPA at the time was, in fact, a resident of the Ridgeway. Members can make of that what they wish. It certainly was not a completely desirable situation.

Mr Speaker, since then the people who were involved in complaining about the possible international track seem to have lost a lot of momentum. In the budget review process last year I asked whether there had been any complaints from Oaks Estate in the 1993-94 financial year. There had been none. However, there had been complaints from two people on the Ridgeway - a Mr Murnain and a colleague of his whose name I forget. They made 36 per cent of all noise complaints that year - 216 complaints. I am aware that complaints were made even when there was no motor sport activity whatsoever at either Fairbairn Park or Sutton Park. It could well be that those two people were a tad overzealous.

That brings me to my next point - and it applies not only to noise from motor sport but to noise generally - and that is reasonableness. I think it is terribly important for this Assembly to be reasonable - reasonable in all things it does but also reasonable in considering such problems as Mr Moore raises. There are always two sides to any issue, and it is important that we be reasonable. Some people tend to be more zealous and more concerned, perhaps sometimes unreasonably so, when they get too wound up in things. We have to be objective in what we do, and I would commend that to people.

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