Compensation call as highway upgrade preferred route announced
The RTA has announced the preferred route for the Pacific Highway upgrade from Tintenbar to Ewingsdale, prompting Member for Ballina Don Page to say that residents affected by the upgrade need to be properly compensated and looked after by the NSW Government.
With today’s announcement of the preferred route for the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale section of the highway upgrade, Mr Page said it was essential affected residents were not forced to wait years for compensation.
“The State Government needs to be proactive in compensating people who want to get on with their lives,” Mr Page said.
“Under the current legislation, there is no obligation on the part of the State Government to compensate people affected by the preferred route until the Minister for Planning gives final approval.
“This Ministerial Approval can take several years because an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has to be done on the preferred route, submissions made on that EIS, a Representations Report has to be prepared on the submissions received on the EIS, which can include comments from other Government agencies.
“All of this takes time and has to be considered by the Department of Planning before Ministerial Approval (development consent) can be given.
“The ‘Just Terms’ legislation needs to be amended to allow compensation to be delivered within a reasonable timeframe so affected residents aren’t entombed in their properties awaiting compensation.
“Moreover, residents whose properties are not acquired but affected by the preferred route are generally not currently eligible for compensation.
“This needs to be addressed as the indirect effects of the highway upgrade such as noise and emissions must be taken into account and compensation duly allocated.”
