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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4548 ..

MS HORODNY (continuing):

The background is apparently to be determined by taking the average of background levels over a week period. This differs significantly from the NSW approach in two key aspects.

Firstly, determination of a background level based on a weekly average does not take into account the change in amenity most residences experience during a 24 hour period or on weekends and public holidays ... Motor sports at Fairbairn Park occur almost exclusively on weekends and predominantly on Sundays. The averaging approach is understood to give a background level of 40 dB(A) which, under the proposed Regulation, may give an acceptable noise emission level from the facilities of 50 dB(A) at the receiving residence. Actual background noise levels have been measured on a weekly basis as 38-40 dB(A) and on Sundays as 36-40 dB(A) (based on environment ACT and NSW EPA data). This indicates that the intrusive noise level from Fairbairn Park could be as much as 14 dB(A) above the background level.

Secondly, the NSW approach to motor sport facilities provides for a noise exposure approach with a sliding scale of number of events and allowable noise emission levels ... Under this approach the Fairbairn Park facility would be treated as a single venue and the overall impact on noise amenity would be significantly lower than that under the ACT proposal.

I do not see why the Government should be propping up motor sport activities at Fairbairn Park that are not environmentally responsible and cannot comply with the existing noise limits that apply to all other citizens of the ACT. What it boils down to is that this is a bunch of big boys who like playing with noisy toys and perhaps they need to act a bit more responsibly.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (11.25): Mr Speaker, Mr Moore and Ms Horodny do not seem to appreciate that we are dealing with a question of fairness to everyone. Ms Horodny made a number of points. I think she will find that only four of the current tracks are actually in use. I know there are, in fact, five tracks there. She seems to think that under Mr Moore's proposal mini-bikes and the go-karts would actually operate. I am advised by the motor sport people - and they have had a lot of experience at Fairbairn Park over many years - that, if this move by Mr Moore is successful, only some mini-bike and some go-kart club events would occur. It would be impossible for a lot of others to occur. Even Ms Horodny concedes that those other events simply could not occur and many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Canberra residents and residents in the region would miss out on their legitimate entertainment and activity.

Ms Horodny is also wrong in saying that no-one is going to be affected commercially; that no businesses will be affected. There was a meeting with about 35 or so people involved with motor sport, including a number of small businesses who were greatly concerned by the effect Mr Moore's proposal would have on their small businesses. They do a lot of business in supporting the people who use Fairbairn Park and the various motor sport facilities there.

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