Do you want to support the expansion of Sydney Airport with more traffic capacity through Marrickville so they can increase the passenger and freight flights into Sydney?

Use the options on your left to find out more about the tunnel and where it will go; stacks; the Council's position; what the alternatives are; and what you can do to help stop the Tunnel.

NEW: see About the Tunnel for maps of the areas to be worst effected by toxic pollution.

1. WIN for residents at Marrickville Council meeting last night
2. Saturday's Public Meeting a success
3. Next steps

1. Residents triumphed at the Marrickville Council meeting last night.  Hooray!
Eight MTAG members were present at 9:30pm when the Independents and Greens voted for a Mayoral Minute opposing the Marrickville Tunnel (full text below).  The Mayor and other two Independents spoke well in favour of the motion, telling of the representations they had had from the community, despite attacks and bad language from the ALP Councillors who voted against the motion.  The Greens support was strong and well put.  Please call or email Independents: Mayor Morris Hanna, Clr Dimitrios Thanos (who seconded the motion) and Clr Victor Macri for their commitment to the will of the people - it will be really valuable for them to hear your thanks and approval. 

2. Saturday's Public Meeting was a great success, with attendance by 130-150, including print, radio and TV media and very informative and inspiring speakers.  Everyone found it very worthwhile and, now we know, successful in its aim of achieving a change of heart at Council.  Huge thanks to our wonderful speakers and MC.

3. Next steps
This is only the first round.  We now have Marrickville Council's support against the tunnel.  We will have a planning meeting in mid-January some time to plan strategies for the future.  As the Sydney Morning Herald revealed on Monday, despite the RTA's official line, there are indeed plans to have a tunnel to link the M4 East to the airport/Port Botany area.  We need to work to get alternatives progressed instead.

Thanks to all of you who contacted your Councillors.  Please remember to thank them (the non-ALP ones) now.  Check out the great motion, below.

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Mayoral Minute MM8 - Marrickville Tunnel  (as resolved, 14th December 2004)
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Background

Since the adoption of Council's existing position of support for the Marrickville Tunnel there has been extensive feedback and expressions of opposition from a variety of interest groups in the Marrickville Local Government Area (LGA).

Many of the local residents have also contacted me personally expressing to me their wishes that Council alter its position in relation to the Marrickville Tunnel.

As I have always made the commitment to represent the residents who elected me, in the true spirit of representation of their wihes and because it has been made clear by the residents of Marrickville that they overwhelmingly oppose any tunnel under the Marrickville LGA, I propose the following Motion:

MOTION:

THAT Council resolves to:

1. alter its position to that of opposition of any proposal to create a tunnel under the Marrickville LGA.

2. write to the Minister for Roads and the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning as a matter of urgency expressing:
  a) its opposition to any tunnel under the Marrickville LGA citing the community's concerns regarding health, pollution, and noise impacts as well as the potential for any such proposal to have a negative impact on property value in the vicinity of any exhaust stacks;
  b) Council's request that the government plan ahead for the improvement of public transport and create facilities, infrastructure and policy to transfer containers and other forms of freight to rail, as opposed to road transport; and

3. issue a press release as a matter of urgency stating Council's revised position to all of the media outlets.

We oppose building a motorway or road tunnel through the Marrickville Council area.

Instead, we call for:
* better public transport
* more freight on railways
* proper sound buffering of railways
* better planning of freight movements
* better access for bicycles and pedestrians
* no expansion of Sydney Airport or Port Botany.