ENTERTAINMENT
SPORT
Gender agenda
section starts PAGE 14
JETS BACK IN ACTION
STORY ON PAGE 8
jOIN THE TEA pARTY
THE FOOTY IS BACK IN 2013
FIlm ExplORES lOCAl wOmEN
March 8 2013 ISSUE 127
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT PH: 9549 1190 FAX: 9549 1122
West Dis-Connex
kids’ festival Children from Marrickville West Primary School’s student representative council (SRC) took part in a committee meeting on Wednesday to organise the Marrickville Childrens’ Festival later this month. Led by nine-year-old Hailie Brown, who will MC at the March 23 event, the SRC has planned the festival.
Politicians divided over controversial M4 extension
GlBtiQ forum Residents asked for their ideas PaGe 3
health winner Centre provides community benefits PaGe 13
Premier Barry O’Farrell addresses the media on Monday. Photo: Melinda Jane.
WEDNESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
Free entry and great prizes game starts from 7.00pm. Come early and enjoy a meal from Regatta’s Café.
$2,500*
ENTERTAINMENT Free and Live Every Sunday from 4.00pm to 7.00pm
Sunday 17/3 ANTOINE Sunday 24/3 HIP SYRUP
Members Cash Draw
www.stgeorgerowing.com.au St George Rowing Club 1 Levey Street, Wolli Creek 02 9599 1932
PaGe 4
Terrace Entertainment
ulia Gillard’s promise of funding for the WestConnex project, subject to a number of construction conditions, has prompted Grayndler’s Liberal and Greens candidates to hit back at the Prime Minister’s pledge. On Monday, Ms Gillard said she did not want the proposed motorway to simply “move gridlock from one place to another” and was only prepared to offer the Nation Building Two package funds if the NSW Government’s WestConnex proposal included an M4 extension to the city, an M5 extension to the port and did not impose tolls on roads that are currently free. “My offer to Premier O’Farrell is the day that he produces for us a plan that meets those three conditions – people to the city, freight to the port and no tolls on current roads – we will make a funding offer,” Ms Gillard said. On Wednesday, Grayndler MP and Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said that any proposal that increases traffic problems will not have the support of the Federal Government. “The objectives of ensuring better connections to the city and taking trucks off local roads need to be addressed,” he said. But Liberal Grayndler candidate Cedric Spencer told the Weekender Ms Gillard had “no real plan” for the motorway, questioned where the extra funds would come from and whether
the Federal Government would really deliver the funds. Dr Spencer said the priority of WestConnex was to “return the roads to the local community” by reducing congestion on arterial roads that “cut through Grayndler” like Parramatta and Victoria Roads and the City West Link. “She already locked quite a few obstacles to this commitment, a bunch of strings are attached to it. She’s not sincere, she’s not genuine,” Dr Spencer said. “WestConnex is a very important project, the Federal Government from October 2008 to 2010, they didn’t do anything about it. “She is basically playing a catch up game, as you can see from her track record.” Dr Spencer also criticised Greens Grayndler candidate Hall Greenland for his outright opposition to the proposed motorway. “The majority of people want it, so the Greens are out of touch I think. I’ve not seen anyone saying they should block it except for Hall Greenland.” Mr Greenland said the motorway had become “another issue on which the Liberal and Labor parties were in broad agreement”, which he described as distressing. “The road itself appears only to be of benefit to merchant banks and the construction industry. It doesn’t appear to me to be an answer to the western suburbs’ transport problems. What they need out there is fast, efficient public transport to get them into the city,” Mr Greenland said.
Wednesday Night Trivia
J
Vanessa Watson
Every Sunday between the hours of 5.00pm-7.00pm
*Cash draw amount as at 3/3/13 127ICD2928