Residents invoke Churchill spirit in cruise terminal fight

RESIDENTS have invoked the spirit of wartime leader Winston Churchill in the fight against the Botany cruise terminal plan, vowing to fight on the beaches and never surrender.

Maroubra MP Michael Daley MP has collected more than 4,000 signatures against the Botany Bay cruise plan. Pictured from left, Councillor Danny Said, Leanne Ooi, from the Save the Coalition, Mr Daley, and Bill Burst from the Save the Bay Coalition. Picture: Ben James

• Man 'assaulted female police officer' at Liberal Party brawl
• MKR star Manu Feildel moves into Botany warehouse

RESIDENTS against the Botany cruise proposal have invoked the spirit of wartime leader Winston Churchill vowing to fight on the beaches and never surrender.

Since the announcement Botany is the only option left on the table for a new terminal, residents have been organising a fightback.

A group, called Save the Bay Coalition, has been created and met for the first time on Sunday.

Cruise ships could be arriving in Botany Bay by 2024.

At least four different petitions are also being circulated. One physical petition, from Maroubra state Labor MP Michael Daley, has more than 4000 signatures while a change.org page had accumulated 1500.

“We’re not going to take this lying down,” Maria Poulos Conklin, from Save the Bay Coalition said.

“This is a David and Goliath battle and we’re not going to stand down. We’ll be on the beach standing in the way of the bulldozers if it comes to it. We won’t give in.”

PODCAST SERIES

The 40-year mystery of Stephen and Michelle

Mr Daley, who is in the process of setting up a community forum on the issue, said he had never seen a community so outraged about an issue.

“The Liberals’ proposal for a massive cruise ship terminal in Yarra Bay is totally unacceptable,” he said.

“The concreting of a beach, thousands of passenger and supply truck movements and increased development on and around the site will radically transform the character of our local area forever. No thank you.

“Just because Turnbull might not want cruise ships sailing past his mansion at Point Piper to share an existing site with Defence is no justification to destroy our Yarra Bay … Enough is enough.”

Heffron state Labor MP Ron Hoenig has also lambasted the proposal while Kingsford Smith federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite said he would fight the proposal to the hilt.

“I have seen some crazy proposals in my time but this takes the cake. This will do massive environmental damage to the bay and result in more congestion on local streets. It will completely change Yarra Bay and our community. I will fight this to the hilt.

“We have started an online petition on my website and I encourage locals to sign it and share it so we send a strong message to the Liberal government that this is not on in our community.

“We will be organising a public meeting and seeking meetings with the government and the proponents to let them know the anger in our area about their proposal.”

Last week Peter Collins, who was head of the committee which put forward the shortlist of terminal options, said Botany Bay could be accepting ships by 2024.

IN OTHER NEWS

The proposal has attracted support including from Marcus Dwyer, from Bayside Business Enterprise Centre, who has said it would benefit the area.

“It will create huge employment opportunities and another source of cash flow to improve the roads and public transport,” he said.

He called on those spearheading the plans to be bold.

“We need to brighten up these grey cement eye sores of wharves and creating an asset we are proud to show our international guests,” he said. “Let’s aim to lead the world in mixing business with pleasure.”

Patricia Forsythe, the executive director of the Sydney Business Chamber, has also spoken in support of the plan.

“This has finally provided some certainty which can only be a good thing.

“It is clear Garden Island is now out the mix and we can start to focus on what could be the solution for Sydney.”

She warned that if people did not get behind the plan we could lose millions of dollars in cruise ship revenue to other Australian cities.