Goverment ignores Street ruling and withholds Metro documents

The State Government’s decision to block CBD Metro documents after a ruling that they should be released has met with a chorus of disapproval.

Last month Sir Laurence Street recommended that it was in the public interest for the documents to be made available, but the State Government used its numbers last week to stop their release.

City of Sydney Greens Councillor Chris Harris said the State Government had ignored the Street recommendation for political purposes.

“They didn’t hear what they wanted to hear, and therefore they’re going to continue to hide what went on with the Metro,” he said.

“When a government makes a decision as they did with the Metro and wastes $500 million worth of taxpayers’ money, the public are entitled to know what they did with it – simple as that. I think it’s an absolute scandal that they’re hiding this from the public.”

His State Colleague Lee Rhiannon MLC said the Government had “thumbed its nose” at Sir Laurence Street’s determination.

“The Transport Minister’s tactic appears to be to keep the real story about the CBD Metro under wraps until after the March 2011 election, denying proper scrutiny and avoiding painful revelations about this mismanaged project,” she said.

Affected CBD tenant Jason Blaicklock said he was appalled that the State Government decision.

“It is symbolic of the type of treatment we’ve been getting as claimants,” he said.

“Delays and all sorts of legal wrangling are keeping tenants from receiving their just compensation. We think it’s deplorable.”

David Hunt from Retravision in Rozelle, whose premises would have been acquired for the Metro, said “the documents should be released … so that the public has full scrutiny over them.”

“It was indicated in February that there would be a full and transparent situation following the cancellation of the CBD Metro,” he said.

“We’d like to hear more about what was actually going on behind the scenes.”

The Greens did claim a smaller victory in Parliament last Thursday by winning the release of all previously secret submissions by the NSW Government for Federal Government Infrastructure Australia funding.

These include bids to secure Metro funding, along with the extension of Sydney’s M4 and M5 Motorways.

Ms Rhiannon said voters expected value for money when their taxes went to major infrastructure projects.

“The release of the government’s bids for Infrastructure Australia funds will allow scrutiny of whether the projects put forward by NSW are in the public interest,” she said.

“It will be disappointing if the government claimed the submissions as privileged.”