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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4549 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Ms Horodny read a letter from the Queanbeyan branch of the EPA stating that Fairbairn Park should be treated as a single venue. Under the Government's regulations, there is a point at which to measure noise and any noise coming from that park would be measured. It is very difficult to discern between tracks unless you have a trackside measurement of 95 decibels at 30 metres, which incidentally is used at Fraser Park just across the border and at Wakefield Park and which is something that my party and I were pushing late last year but unfortunately we did not have the numbers for that. I think everyone would agree that that is considerably louder than what is proposed now, but it is something that is used at many New South Wales tracks.

In relation to Mr Moore's points, I have already tabled a document in relation to the New South Wales EPA and we intend to leave it at that. In terms of things like the FAI rally, I understand from the motor sport people that last year they were keen to have an event there but that was not possible because of noise. Let us look at what has occurred over the last few years. This noise argument has been an ongoing argument for probably more than 10 years. There are a few significant factors here. In 1990, when the Ridgeway Residents Action Group started, there was a significant proposal to upgrade Sutton Park. It was a big proposal which would have made that very much a first-class motor racing facility. I can understand the concern of a number of people then that they might have had a Le Mans track at the base of their hill. When that died, we went on to a series of exemptions in 1992.

Mr Moore talks of 20 or 30 people. I would like him to produce them. It is only Mr Murnain, who seems to be the main complainant, and his co-convenor who regularly complain. I have been advised by the motor sport people - and have also talked to a number of people on the Ridgeway - that there are a large number of people up there who have no problems. I have talked to some five who have no problems. I have been advised by two lots of motor sport people, one of whom actually competes and lives on the Ridgeway, that they doorknocked the area and, apart from Mr Murnain and his co-convenor, they really found no-one who had a significant problem at all with it. I think we are talking about very few people indeed. I think we are talking about a large number, many thousands, of people from Canberra and the region who enjoy a legitimate pastime.

Let us look at the exemptions. I do not think anyone thinks that exemptions were an ideal system. That system was initiated by Mr Wood. It was a system which enabled motor sport to continue - I certainly conceded that - but there are probably better ways of doing it. After a lot of effort, that is what we are coming up with. The exemption system gave very good latitude. A lot of events were able to be held. For example, I think you could hold at least five events at 20 decibels above ambient background noise at the nearest affected residence, a significantly greater number of events at 15 decibels above background and a large number of events at 10 decibels above background.

One must take into account, too, the work of the Canberra motor sport community in improving Fairbairn Park, which neither Ms Horodny nor Mr Moore mentioned. Whereas in the past I think they used probably anything up to 60 exemptions in the first year or so, they are now down to fewer than 20 a year. My colleague Mr Humphries can no doubt give exact figures on that. That is a result of significant improvements they themselves have initiated.

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