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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 2619 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

a suitable permanent venue for drag-racing in the ACT. Indeed, we have been looking for suitable permanent venues for motor sport generally in the ACT.

I have been aware since 1989 of problems in relation to Fairbairn Park, problems that have emanated from a very small bunch of elitists up in the Ridgeway. I think that it was quite reasonable for the residents of that place to be concerned about something like an Indianopolis 500 being put on at the old police driver training track at Sutton, which was proposed in about June 1990. It was not quite for an Indianopolis 500 facility, but it was certainly going to be a major facility and I was very keen to see it happen, along with Mr Arthur Hoyle from the Motorsport Council.

I can understand lots of people having concerns about that. I think that it is reasonable to have such concerns. Whilst it would have been an excellent facility, it did not go ahead. That took place in the course of the Alliance government. After that every effort was made-in fact, perhaps too much effort was made-to pander to the wishes of a very small number of people in a part of New South Wales.

I have been involved in this issue for 10 years. To my understanding, once the big proposals went by the wayside, the vast majority of the members of the Ridgeway were quite comfortable with what was at Fairbairn Park. Only a couple of people who seem to have an obsession with Fairbairn Park have been responsible for virtually all the complaints. Actually, they have cost the ACT's environment protection agency quite a lot of money over the years.

I would hope that the problems of Fairbairn Park have been resolved largely as a result of legislation passed in the dying days of the Third Assembly. Indeed, what happened then was reasonably acceptable to the motor sport people. I think they were quite comfortable with that provided it worked well. We had some argument about whether a 10-decibel limit would be better, but at the end of the day they were reasonably comfortable with what was proposed for there provided it worked well.

To date, and I see motor sport regularly, it has worked fairly well and I commend my colleague the Minister for Urban Services, who is the minister for the environment, for his efforts there. I think Mr Smyth has ensured that it works well and I trust whoever replaces him at whatever stage as minister for the environment will continue to do so because it does mean that the environment protection people have to do their job well and the system is quite reasonable if it works well. To date, it has and the motor sport people are pretty comfortable with it. I give full credit to Mr Smyth and his department for that.

I do not think Ms Tucker should talk to me about Fairbairn Park and the Ridgeway. I might say that I have not heard of any complaints from Oaks Estate in the ACT, which is actually closer, or other parts of Queanbeyan for several years. The motor sport people also have been making a very big effort to get their house in order and make improvements, and significant improvements have been made at Fairbairn Park.

Yes, it would be nice for everyone if there could be a better facility. That is certainly something we have done some work on and looked at. Yes, it would be nice for the drag-racing people if they could be part of that or some other facility. They are at the airport.

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