[Peakoil-announce] STR Announcement: GDE Stage 1 Opening - Community Protest Rally
Alex P
alex-po at trevbus.org
Thu Dec 7 11:45:23 EST 2006
WHAT: *Community Rally to Protest the Opening of the First Stage of the
Gungahlin Drive Extension and the Negative Impact the Massive Cost
Overruns have had on the Public Transport, Education and Community Sector*
TIME AND DATE: *10am, Sunday 10 December*
WHERE: *Gungahlin Drive Extension junction with Ginninderra Drive
(parking at the GDE site office, off Masterman St, Bruce. Transport is
being provided between there and the start of a community walk) *
ASSISTANCE: *STR needs the URGENT community support to assist with
leafleting, letterboxing and postering. Please email
info at savetheridge.org.au or call Paul Oboohov on 0417 048 217 to
volunteer some time.*
OTHER HELP: *SPREAD THE WORD!*
ABOUT: The first section of the Gungahlin Drive Extension (GDE), between
Ginninderra Drive and the Barton Highway, will be officially opened by
the ACT government on Sunday 10 December. The ACT government has
scheduled a community walk / cycle at 10am on the GDE between
Ginninderra Drive and Ellenborough St to "celebrate the opening", see
http://www.gde.act.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/41409/CommunityWalkEvent.do
c
*The Save the Ridge Committee invites you to attend a peaceful protest
at this event, to make the following points: *
* The cost of* the 9km GDE, one of the most expensive non tunnelled
single lane roads in Australia's history,* is being recouped partly
through the *closure of 39 schools* in the ACT, as well as a raft of
cutbacks including *scaled back ACTION bus services*,* library
closures*, *social programs cut*, reducing *ACT Government employee
superannuation *entitlements* from 15.4% to 9%* and *significant
increases *of government *taxes and charges*;
* The* GDE* is being *built *at a time of *trend petrol price rises* not
seen since the early 1980's. With massive increases in petrol demand in
some of the world's most populous developing nations, cheap oil is a
thing of the past and nationally climate change issues are now near the
top of the community's concerns. *Like the Australian Government, the
ACT Government has taken almost no action on the issue.* An important
first step would be a significant investment in an *electrified rapid
transit system with a commitment to power it through green energy*
*purchases. With **no carbon emissions*, this would *make significant
progress on improving the Territory's per capita greenhouse gas emission
profile*;
* According to* Canberra Times reports *(Canberra Times, Dec 2), until
recently the *GDE construction has used almost 0.5 (approx. 0.41)% of
Canberra's potable water supply* at a time of unprecedented water
restrictions. *It will continue to require water, but from a new
greywater source. The cost of this* appears to be *the Government
reneging on the promise to rehabilitate 20 sportgrounds for community
use due to their being insufficient available water because of the
drought*;
* The *GDE *has come at an *incalculable environmental cost* with the
*destruction of significant linkages in Canberra's high conservation
value urban bush*. The ACT Government's rhetoric of suggesting it will
become the first capital city in the world to achieve environmental
status under UNESCO (Canberra Sunday Times, 3 December 2006) is farcical
with the wholesale vandalism of Kaleen Grasslands, Bruce/O'Connor Ridges
and Black Mountain Reserve. Numerous studies by university researchers
have found Black Mountain Reserve to be a world class area for
biodiversity, the position advocated by STR and supported by world class
members of the broader scientific community since the 1990's; *
* **Community members and experts recognise that bush regions ACT
Government have preserved are so small and fragmented, that the richness
of their ecology is not likely to be sustainable in the long term. *This
is largely due to the threat to fauna when migrating between areas and
from domestic animals. *The Government's proposal for the fossil fuel
based Belconnen to Civic busway is another example of how little value
these pockets of bush have to the ACT Government *and how they are *only
perceived to have value if they can encourage further construction*
activity along the corridors;* *and*
* The ACT Arboretum site will now be the final home for almost 200,000
cubic metres of unnecessary GDE fill *that was trucked in from various
construction sites around Canberra to build the GDE.* *After it has
already arrived, it was determined that there was already a surplus of
fill on site and this fill was not necessary. In addition,* 170,000
cubic metres of soil from the site will also be sent to the Arboretum
to permit further construction of the road. Almost 400,000 cubic metres
of soil will now be relocated to the Arboretum site. This farce is
characteristic of the repeated failures throughout the entire GDE
planning, approvals and construction process.
*Placards will be available, but if you wish, please bring one of your
own. *A placard and banner making workshop will be held at 2pm on
Saturday 9 December in the Rocks meeting hall.* Please come along and
help create a range of interesting statements.
*Speakers include, but are not limited to: *
** Alex Pollard, ACT Peak Oil; *
** Meredith Hunter, ACT Greens candidate for the seat of Fraser; and *
** Allan Lohe, former Save the Ridge Chairperson *
If you can suggest any *additional speakers*, please *contact Paul
Oboohov on ph 0417 048 217*.
*More information may be found on the STR website,
http://www.savetheridge.org.au
*We hope to see you on Sunday.
The Save the Ridge Committee
-------------- next part --------------
WHAT: Community Rally to Protest the Opening of the First Stage of the
Gungahlin Drive Extension and the Negative Impact the Massive Cost
Overruns have had on the Public Transport, Education and Community
Sector
TIME AND DATE: 10am, Sunday 10 December
WHERE: Gungahlin Drive Extension junction with Ginninderra Drive
(parking at the GDE site office, off Masterman St, Bruce. Transport is
being provided between there and the start of a community walk)
ASSISTANCE: STR needs the URGENT community support to assist with
leafleting, letterboxing and postering. Please email
[1]info at savetheridge.org.au or call Paul Oboohov on 0417 048 217 to
volunteer some time.
OTHER HELP: SPREAD THE WORD!
ABOUT: The first section of the Gungahlin Drive Extension (GDE),
between Ginninderra Drive and the Barton Highway, will be officially
opened by the ACT government on Sunday 10 December. The ACT government
has scheduled a community walk / cycle at 10am on the GDE between
Ginninderra Drive and Ellenborough St to "celebrate the opening", see
[2]http://www.gde.act.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/41409/CommunityWal
kEvent.doc
The Save the Ridge Committee invites you to attend a peaceful protest
at this event, to make the following points:
* The cost of the 9km GDE, one of the most expensive non tunnelled
single lane roads in Australia's history, is being recouped partly
through the closure of 39 schools in the ACT, as well as a raft of
cutbacks including scaled back ACTION bus services, library closures,
social programs cut, reducing ACT Government employee superannuation
entitlements from 15.4% to 9% and significant increases of government
taxes and charges;
* The GDE is being built at a time of trend petrol price rises not
seen since the early 1980's. With massive increases in petrol demand
in some of the world's most populous developing nations, cheap oil is
a thing of the past and nationally climate change issues are now near
the top of the community's concerns. Like the Australian Government,
the ACT Government has taken almost no action on the issue. An
important first step would be a significant investment in an
electrified rapid transit system with a commitment to power it through
green energy purchases. With no carbon emissions, this would make
significant progress on improving the Territory's per capita
greenhouse gas emission profile;
* According to Canberra Times reports (Canberra Times, Dec 2), until
recently the GDE construction has used almost 0.5 (approx. 0.41)% of
Canberra's potable water supply at a time of unprecedented water
restrictions. It will continue to require water, but from a new
greywater source. The cost of this appears to be the Government
reneging on the promise to rehabilitate 20 sportgrounds for community
use due to their being insufficient available water because of the
drought;
* The GDE has come at an incalculable environmental cost with the
destruction of significant linkages in Canberra's high conservation
value urban bush. The ACT Government's rhetoric of suggesting it will
become the first capital city in the world to achieve environmental
status under UNESCO (Canberra Sunday Times, 3 December 2006) is
farcical with the wholesale vandalism of Kaleen Grasslands,
Bruce/O'Connor Ridges and Black Mountain Reserve. Numerous studies by
university researchers have found Black Mountain Reserve to be a world
class area for biodiversity, the position advocated by STR and
supported by world class members of the broader scientific community
since the 1990's;
* Community members and experts recognise that bush regions ACT
Government have preserved are so small and fragmented, that the
richness of their ecology is not likely to be sustainable in the long
term. This is largely due to the threat to fauna when migrating
between areas and from domestic animals. The Government's proposal for
the fossil fuel based Belconnen to Civic busway is another example of
how little value these pockets of bush have to the ACT Government and
how they are only perceived to have value if they can encourage
further construction activity along the corridors; and
* The ACT Arboretum site will now be the final home for almost 200,000
cubic metres of unnecessary GDE fill that was trucked in from various
construction sites around Canberra to build the GDE. After it has
already arrived, it was determined that there was already a surplus of
fill on site and this fill was not necessary. In addition, 170,000
cubic metres of soil from the site will also be sent to the Arboretum
to permit further construction of the road. Almost 400,000 cubic
metres of soil will now be relocated to the Arboretum site. This farce
is characteristic of the repeated failures throughout the entire GDE
planning, approvals and construction process.
Placards will be available, but if you wish, please bring one of your
own. A placard and banner making workshop will be held at 2pm on
Saturday 9 December in the Rocks meeting hall. Please come along and
help create a range of interesting statements.
Speakers include, but are not limited to:
* Alex Pollard, ACT Peak Oil;
* Meredith Hunter, ACT Greens candidate for the seat of Fraser; and
* Allan Lohe, former Save the Ridge Chairperson
If you can suggest any additional speakers, please contact Paul
Oboohov on ph 0417 048 217.
More information may be found on the STR website,
[3]http://www.savetheridge.org.au
We hope to see you on Sunday.
The Save the Ridge Committee
References
1. mailto:info at savetheridge.org.au
2. http://www.gde.act.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/41409/CommunityWalkEvent
3. http://www.savetheridge.org.au/
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