Opp'n members should apologise for misinformation about Northbridge Tunnel

19/2/96

State and Federal Members for Perth Diana Warnock and Stephen Smith should check the facts before alarming their own constituents with maliciously wrong information about pollution effects from the Northbridge Tunnel, Transport Minister Eric Charlton said today.

Mr Charlton said the two Labor members had distributed a leaflet using information supplied by Murdoch University researchers William Ross and Peter Newman, which had since been admitted by Mr Ross as being wrong.

"I hope they will have the decency to distribute a new leaflet which points out that the initial information was wrong," theMinister said.

"Mr Ross was a member of the Cities for People Campaign which opposes the tunnel project and professor Newman is a lifelong critic of everything the Government does in the transportation field.

"Quite clearly, they are hiding behind the aura of academic credibility while using only those figures which suit their anti-tunnel stance."

Mr Charlton said the two researchers had released information to the media which suggested that pollution from the tunnel could be harmful to residents within a five-kilometre radius. The same information was simultaneously released to residents in the area in the leaflet sent out by Ms Warnock and Mr Smith.

"The research was apparently conducted without any attempt to find out the real facts from Main Roads or their consultants," the Minister said.

"A few days after the first media reports, Mr Ross was telling the same media that he was wrong."

"I now challenge Ms Warnock and Mr Smith to do the same."

Mr Charlton said his office and Main Roads offices were handling calls from worried residents who had received these leaflets through their letter box and if Ms Warnock and Mr Smith had any propriety they would apologise immediately.

Media contact: Ian Hasleby 3217333