The icy cold weather on Sunday morning matched the mood of the many people who showed up at Bundeena Reserve to Rally for Nature. Holding placards such as ‘No F6 in the Royal’, the 40-strong crowd let the NSW Government know they aren’t going to let the ‘’Royal National Park be attacked for a freeway’’. Greens NSW planning spokesman David Shoebridge told the crowd the Coalition government was in for a real shock if they believed they could attack the Royal National Park without potentially losing office. ‘’We have people from across Sydney and the Illawarra here who are absolutely committed to saving the Royal,’’ Mr Shoebridge said. ‘’For so many people in the Illawarra and Sydney, the Royal has a very deep emotional importance for them. This is our oldest national park and is something that is a key part of our identity. ‘’They can’t believe anyone is proposing to destroy up to 60 hectares of the national park to build a road. Read more: For the defenders of the Royal National Park, it’s on again ‘’Most residents in NSW think of national parks as effectively sacred and utterly protected. The thought the government would be proposing to bulldoze it for a freeway both astounds them and angers them.’’ The National Parks Association, Spring Gully Protection Group and the Sutherland Climate Action Network joined other environmental groups at the rally. Labor’s NSW environment spokesperson Penny Sharpe also attended but Heathcote MP Lee Evans was a no show. ‘’It was disappointing that the local member Mr Evans couldn’t make it. He owes the community an explanation for both the secrecy and for the government’s refusal to inform the public,’’ Mr Shoebridge said. The Greens MP and those at the rally joined Greens NSW environment spokesperson Mehreen Faruqi in calling on the state government to invest in public transport. ‘’We know they have been sitting on a public transport report for the last three years. This is a report that says actually enhancing and improving the South Coast lines will reduce travel times to one hour hour,’’ Ms Faruqi said. Mr Shoebridge added that only a fraction of the investment proposed for the freeway was needed for the rail corridor. ‘’And it would have a far greater beneficial impact on time travel between Wollongong and Sydney. But this is a government that just builds roads irrespective of the environmental costs,’’ he said. ‘’As Mehreen [Faruqi] said, it’s totally false that this is a choice between 60 hectares of the national park or 400 houses. ‘’The actual choice is between a freeway and a major improvement in our rail corridor and that’s the choice the government is refusing to put on the table.’’
A 40-strong crowd turned out at the Rally for Nature to protest a NSW Government proposal to possibly build the F6 freeway through the Royal National Park.
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The icy cold weather on Sunday morning matched the mood of the many people who showed up at Bundeena Reserve to Rally for Nature.
Holding placards such as ‘No F6 in the Royal’, the 40-strong crowd let the NSW Government know they aren’t going to let the ‘’Royal National Park be attacked for a freeway’’.
Greens NSW planning spokesman David Shoebridge told the crowd the Coalition government was in for a real shock if they believed they could attack the Royal National Park without potentially losing office.
‘No F6 in the Royal’: Rallying to save the National Park
‘’We have people from across Sydney and the Illawarra here who are absolutely committed to saving the Royal,’’ Mr Shoebridge said.
‘’For so many people in the Illawarra and Sydney, the Royal has a very deep emotional importance for them. This is our oldest national park and is something that is a key part of our identity.
‘’They can’t believe anyone is proposing to destroy up to 60 hectares of the national park to build a road.
‘’Most residents in NSW think of national parks as effectively sacred and utterly protected. The thought the government would be proposing to bulldoze it for a freeway both astounds them and angers them.’’
The National Parks Association, Spring Gully Protection Group and the Sutherland Climate Action Network joined other environmental groups at the rally.
Labor’s NSW environment spokesperson Penny Sharpe also attended but Heathcote MP Lee Evans was a no show.
‘’It was disappointing that the local member Mr Evans couldn’t make it. He owes the community an explanation for both the secrecy and for the government’s refusal to inform the public,’’ Mr Shoebridge said.
The Greens MP and those at the rally joined Greens NSW environment spokesperson Mehreen Faruqi in calling on the state government to invest in public transport.
‘’We know they have been sitting on a public transport report for the last three years. This is a report that says actually enhancing and improving the South Coast lines will reduce travel times to one hour hour,’’ Ms Faruqi said.
Mr Shoebridge added that only a fraction of the investment proposed for the freeway was needed for the rail corridor.
‘’And it would have a far greater beneficial impact on time travel between Wollongong and Sydney. But this is a government that just builds roads irrespective of the environmental costs,’’ he said.
‘’As Mehreen [Faruqi] said, it’s totally false that this is a choice between 60 hectares of the national park or 400 houses.
‘’The actual choice is between a freeway and a major improvement in our rail corridor and that’s the choice the government is refusing to put on the table.’’
