Vol IV - Chapter XI

XI  THE APPOINTMENT OF THE INQUIRY

The chronology of events relating to the Inquiry
was as follows:

27th September, 1978	A Commission was given to David Kirby, Barrister-at-Law, to conduct the Inquiry.
29th September, 1978	The Inquiry and the Terms of Reference were announced publicly by the Minister for Transport. Mr. K.W. Hardy of the Department of Motor Transport was appointed as Secretary to the Inquiry.
October, 1978	The decision was taken to use a Report which was then being pre- pared by the Department of Main Roads and the Planning and Environment Commission as a source document for the Inquiry. The Report was to form part of the public participation programme. It was to be made available to the public to assist in the making of submissions. The document became known as the Joint Study Report.
February, 1979	The Inquiry was delayed through the unavailability of the Joint Study Report. It became available in June, 1979 and the Inquiry began at once.
7th June, 1979	The Inquiry commenced. The public was allowed six weeks within which to lodge submissions. This period was subsequently extended. The public participation programme included: ·         advertisements which were lodged in Metropolitan Daily Newspapers and Local Newspapers. We reproduce these advertisements in Appendix 4. ·         a display at the Inquiry premises. ·         a display at the Rockdale office of the Planning and Environment Commission ·         displays at the Council Chambers of each Local Council affected by the various Options. ·         the distribution of pamphlets within the visual catchment of each option. ·         interpreting facilities and clerical assistance were provided to the public.
June, 1979	Mr. J.M. Middleton, Solicitor with the State Crown Solicitor's Office appointed as Counsel to assist the Inquiry.
9th September, 1979	Advertisements were lodged in Metropolitan Daily Newspapers and Local Newspapers advertising the public hearings and inviting participation. The advertisement is reproduced in Appendix 5.
23rd September, 1979	The public hearings commenced.
29th November, 1979	The Minister for Transport asked the Inquiry to provide a compre- hensive Report on containers and their transportation.
21st May 1980	The public hearings concluded.
29th August, 1980	An Interim Report on the Container issue was furnished to the Government.
28th October, 1980	Volume I, entitled ‘Containers’ was forwarded to the Government.
30th January, 1981	The Final Report was completed and forwarded to the Government. It included a further three volumes: ·         Volume II Criteria for Evaluation containing Transport Planning and Economic Criteria ·         Vo1ume III Criteria for Evaluation relating to Social and Environmental Criteria ·         Volume IV Evaluation of Options.

2. SUBMISSIONS MADE TO THE INQUIRY

The public response to the Inquiry was extraordinary.
Much of that response has been preserved in this
Report. The following are the bare statistics:

 

• A total of 1429 written submissions
  were received (see Appendix 6)

• Apart from this, a total of approximately
  3,000 signatures were appended to various
  petitions which were submitted to the
  Inquiry.

• The public hearings extended from September,
  1979 to late May, 1980. Appendix 7 records
  the names of those who participated.

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3. CONSULTANTS TO THE INQUIRY

During the public hearing phase of the Inquiry a
number of discussions were held with the following
consultants:

• Professor M.E. Beesley of the United
  Kingdom (visiting fellow at the
  Macquarie University)

• Professor W.R. Blunden of the University
  of New South Wales.

• Associate Professor D.A. Hensher of
  the Macquarie University.

• Mr. Martin Payne of the University of
  Sydney.

• Mr. Ross Symons of Pak-Poy and Associates.

• Associate professor J Toon of the
  University of Sydney.

Professors Beesley and Blunden provided valuable
papers which we have reproduced as annexures to
Volume II.

Go to Appendix 1 of Volume IV -->