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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 3298 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

I hark back to the early 1990s. If the then Follett Labor government had been re-elected, we would not have even seen Fairbairn Park. There were noise complaints from only one or two selfish individuals on the Ridgeway. That would have completely destroyed motor sport at Fairbairn Park.

I can remember, in 1994, tabling a document from the then head of environment saying that we might as well support one group because we are not going to get too much out of this, or something like that-we might as well make one lot happy. That was a handful of people on the Ridgeway. Had that gone ahead-had the government not changed-there would be no motor sport at Fairbairn Park because of repressive, unrealistic noise restrictions. Thank God we got a different government!

Our motor sport idea policy in 1995 probably helped us. It probably helped us also in 1998, when we ended up with a much more reasonable noise regime. It was not perfect, I must say now, with regard to Fairbairn Park. I give the government some credit there. From 1998 onwards, the government learnt a lot more about the need to support motor sport.

The fact is that there were many voters in the territory who were very keen on motor sport and this government has milked it for all it is worth-certainly in opposition. At least now-Mr Quinlan is right-there are some excellent facilities at Fairbairn Park, so we are about 70 per cent of the way there.

Mr Quinlan, I note that noise credits were not restricted further. There were some things like half-credits, but we are only about 70 per cent of the way there. I would urge you not to pander to one or two people on the Ridgeway, if your government is doing that-and there are further improvements that can be made there.

We talk about our support, when we were in government, for motor sport. We took a policy to the electorate to increase the noise credits for Fairbairn Park. That has not happened, but at least the levels have not been decreased. In talking about that, there is a $60,000 pledge to resurface the hill climb track. I have spoken in this place about that before. I note that this government did not continue with that, and that it simply dropped off the program. Hence, do not talk to me about who is supporting motor sport and who is not.

Then we have this amazing thing that happened on the original dragway site in 1998. There was little Mr Smyth or anyone in this government could do. I looked at the lease, and it was one of the most convoluted things I have ever seen.

There were some cases brought by the dragway people against the Commonwealth and the ACT government. I wish they had succeeded-I was barracking for them to succeed. I did not care less that it was against my own government or the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, in both the Supreme Court and the Federal Court, they were not successful.

Quite clearly, in respect of the airport, the Commonwealth had its way there and the site was closed, despite-I might say to Mr Corbell and Mr Quinlan-some significant lobbying on my behalf in January 1999 to the relevant federal authorities in relation to

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