Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL - Tuesday, 5 November 2002] p2473b-2478a Hon Graham Giffard SELECT COMMITTEE INTO THE FREMANTLE EASTERN BYPASS Amendment to Motion Resumed from 24 October on the following motion moved by Hon Simon O’Brien - (1) That a select committee of five members is appointed, any three of whom constitute a quorum, to inquire and report on the history of that part of the metropolitan region scheme known as the Fremantle eastern bypass and related road infrastructure including - (a) initial inclusion of the bypass in the metropolitan region scheme; (b) subsequent modifications to the metropolitan region scheme in respect of the bypass; (c) the decision making process and advice given to Government by relevant government agencies including agencies responsible for main roads, planning, transport and environment; (d) directions given by Government to agencies with responsibility for decision making; and (e) other matters pertaining to the history and possible future of the Fremantle eastern bypass that the committee may consider useful to bring to the attention of the House. (2) The committee have power to send for persons, papers and records and to travel from place to place. (3) Standing Orders Nos 322, 323, 330 and 331 apply to the proceedings of the committee and any contrary or inconsistent provision of chapter XXIII is modified accordingly. (4) The committee may present interim reports without a requirement for leave and is to report finally not later than 30 November 2002. to which the following amendment was moved by Hon Norman Moore (Leader of the House) - That the words “That a select committee of five members is appointed, any three of whom constitute a quorum,” be deleted and the following words be substituted - That the Standing Committee on Public Administration and Finance be required HON GRAHAM GIFFARD (North Metropolitan - Parliamentary Secretary) [4.25 pm]: When I last spoke on this matter, I referred to a quote from a Fremantle News article, which typified the basis upon which the Fremantle eastern bypass came into being. The article was based on an interview with engineer, Peter Woodward, who stated that - “You know, I’ll tell you a funny thing. It turned out that the road went right through Sir Charles Court’s house, and he got to thinking that the road was not such a good idea . Hon Simon O’Brien: Is that the case? Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: There is contention from the other side of the Chamber about whether the road went through his house or his front or back garden. I am not exactly sure, because I never went to his house for tea. Given that I lived in his street, one would have thought that he would have invited me over. Sir Charles Court did not want the road to go through his suburb - he might have regarded his suburb as his backyard - so it was moved, and the proposed Fremantle eastern bypass came into being. Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: Some people may hold that view, but it does not appear to have motivated Mr Woodward at the time. In the article Mr Woodward also stated that - We didn’t think of the environment much in those days. I shouldn’t tell you this, but if you look at all the freeway systems, most of them were planned through wetlands, because that was the way to go. You never worried about open space. That was the basis upon which the Fremantle eastern bypass came into being. It was first included in the metropolitan region scheme in 1973 as a controlled access highway. At that time it received the highest classification - it still does - for a regional road, although it is now designated as a primary regional road. Such roads have controlled access, they do not allow direct access from properties abutting the road and intersections are often grade separated with ramps and the like. As I understand the situation, the formal objections to the Fremantle eastern bypass date back to at least 1980 when the Fremantle City Council made its first objections, which were put forward because of social and environmental factors and planning consequences. In those days, [1] Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL - Tuesday, 5 November 2002] p2473b-2478a Hon Graham Giffard the council objected to an MRS amendment that resulted in the Fremantle eastern bypass heading south. During the 1990s I lived in Hampton Road, Fremantle, and I can assure members that the objections raised in the 1980s continued throughout most of the 1990s. Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: I did not say that. I lived on Hampton Road and I was aware of the continuing unrest about the Fremantle eastern bypass. It is true that some people in Hampton Road took the opposite view - Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: I am not sure how the member concludes that it was the majority of the people. However, when I was living there - Hon Simon O’Brien: Are you going to share the views that you held at that time? Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: I did not think that the Fremantle eastern bypass was a good idea. Hon Barbara Scott: You obviously didn’t own a home on Hampton Road. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: Yes, I did. However, I thought the bypass was a poor solution that would carve the community in half. I did not think it was a good idea. Hon Simon O’Brien: The things we do for pre-selection! Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: No, that was notwithstanding the fact that had I listened to the supporters of Hampton Road, my property would appreciate. However, I did not think the bypass was a good idea, because it was poorly planned. I listened carefully to the debate at the time because the issue directly affected me. Hon Barbara Scott: Where would you have liked the traffic to have been directed? Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: I do not want to keep rehashing this matter every time I make a contribution to the debate. Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: Yes, I did. The last time I spoke I dealt with the Government’s approach to the deletion of the Fremantle eastern bypass. I do not propose to go over that debate. Hon Derrick Tomlinson: Did you deal with that last time? Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: Yes, I did. Hon Derrick Tomlinson: What did you say last time? Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: That is a trick question. Hon Simon O’Brien: He is trying to get his story straight. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: Now the member is just being unkind. In October 1992 the Government delivered on its promise to delete the Fremantle eastern bypass. The new Government took a different view from that of its predecessor and it reinstated the Fremantle eastern bypass by virtue of legislation that passed through this place. As I recall, there was minimal or no community consultation at that time. Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: We have taken a different view from that of our predecessors, as did the previous Government. It is not a new policy. It is a policy that was held by the Labor Party when it was last in government. It is a policy to which we have been faithful throughout that time. As I indicated when I last spoke, it is a policy to which the local member, Hon Jim McGinty, has been faithful throughout that time. Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: Our decision to proceed with the deletion of the Fremantle eastern bypass is sound. Its construction would cause significant disruption within the Fremantle community. It would be a four-lane, controlled-access highway through the middle of the established residential areas of White Gum Valley and Beaconsfield. It would result in substantial community severance and traffic noise and vibrations. Obviously, local air quality issues would then arise. The Fremantle eastern bypass route encroaches on the edge of the White Gum Valley Primary School site, compounding the issues of community severance and traffic noise. To that we can add the serious concerns about the safety of schoolchildren. Deleting the Fremantle eastern bypass will create an opportunity to reinvest the land in that area to build a greater urban place and a stronger community. It will not be a green village, but it will be a good, strong community. As I said, I lived in that area [2] Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL - Tuesday, 5 November 2002] p2473b-2478a Hon Graham Giffard for some time. I lived in Hope Street in White Gum Valley and there is a great sense of community throughout that area. The bypass would carve that area in half. This presents an opportunity for the people who live in that area to continue to build a strong community. Along the bypass route is Clontarf Road and Clontarf Hill. The Fremantle eastern bypass would involve an open excavation, or a cut and cover tunnel, through the hill. Clontarf Hill is a significant landmark in the Fremantle area and has environmental, recreational and educational importance. The damage to this site would be seen in a number of ways, including damage to vegetation in the human movement corridor, the limestone ridge, habitat values, and the social amenity of and views from the hill. These would be diminished by the construction of the Fremantle eastern bypass through that area. Hon Barbara Scott interjected. Hon GRAHAM GIFFARD: A tunnel over a four-lane highway. The Fremantle eastern bypass was planned as part of the proposed north-south coastal route for regional traffic within the metropolitan region. It has links to Fremantle Road and Rockingham Road in the south and Stirling Highway and West Coast Highway to the north.