Have your say about the WHT and WFU projects

Cammeray and neighbouring suburbs are dealing with significant disruptions as a result of the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade Projects. While we recognize and appreciate the necessity of progress, many of the protective measures promised by the NSW Government to mitigate the disruptions caused by such projects seem conspicuously absent .

OUR MISSION: Ensure your voice is heard

Established to amplify the concerns of 100s of local residents' voices, this website echos the tangible impacts these projects are having on the safety and well-being of the Cammeray and neighbouring communities.

OUR GOAL: The Project Team comply with the rules

We fully support this essential project and aren't asking for special treatment. All we want is for the Project Team to stick to the Ministerial Conditions and their own documented guidelines. If any other construction project strayed from mandated terms and conditions, it would face serious repercussions, with the government ensuring compliance. Why should this project be any different?

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

Share your experiences on this site. Doing this transforms solitary frustrations into a collective demand for government accountability. Monthly, we'll champion these issues directly to those responsible. Together, we can ensure that your voice is impossible to ignore. Our spotlight is currently on On-Street Parking. But we are adding extra sections to the site. Add your voice and strengthen our shared narrative.

September Update: Breaches Confirmed. Action needed.

It's been one year since we launched Cammeray Voices, and we're so grateful to all the local residents who have stepped up and gotten involved. While it’s been slow getting answers out of the WHT and WFU Project Teams on the issues we've raised, we’re making progress — and we’re not stopping now!

SIGNIFICANT BREACHES IDENTIFIED
After CammerayVoices' difficulties in getting answers to issues lodged last September were raised with Minister John Graham during the March Budget Estimates (see below), TfNSW was finally forced to reply to the outstanding issues. In May we received a response to around 80% of the outstanding issues raised with them last September.

Unfortunately their replies confirmed what we suspected: multiple significant breaches of the Ministerial Conditions of Approval for the Project - and, more importantly, to commitments made to us, the local community.

WHY THIS MATTERS?

Serious Breaches: These are not minor issues. The governing legislation says each breach could result in fines of $1 million (plus $10,000 a day until fixed).
Official Enquiry Requested: We’ve asked Minister Graham to instruct DPHI to undertake an official enquiry into these breaches to get them resolved.
Still Unresolved: Over 80% of the issues we’ve raised remain unresolved. We’re pushing for real action, not just talk.
We've got another five years of this - the Project isn't scheduled to finish until 2029, and we’ve got another five years living with the problems outlined on this website as the construction ramps up to its peak phase..

WHO'S IN OUR CORNER ON THIS?

Our local member, Tim James, will be making representations to the Minister on our behalf. In addition, the Hon. Cate Faehrmann and the Hon. Natalie Ward are also committed to keeping this on the agenda.. We’re also collaborating with other residents' groups impacted by the project, along with North Sydney Council and local Precincts.

Cammeray Voices issues raised in
NSW Parliament on 5 March 2024

"Are you aware of the unacceptable performance by Transport for NSW [in relation to the WHT and WFU projects]. You know how distressing it's been - the loss of huge numbers of trees, complaints about parking in side streets that's not supposed to happen, dust, noise complaints being unanswered....Have you instructed Transport for NSW to up their game? We're talking Mininsterial Conditions for the project to go ahead. And Transport for NSW are performing so appallingly.....These complaints are serious. What are you as Minister instructing your department to do - and by when?"

Ms Cate Faehrmann, Member of NSW Legislative Council

A few months back, after having received little or no response from the Project Teams, Cammeray Voices officially upped the ante, taking the issues raised on this site up a notch. In a David-versus-Goliath moment, we've armed ourselves with pen, paper - OK, it was really keyboard and mouse - and the power of collective frustration to demand action in lieu of empty processes and placating gestures by:

Growing Concern about lack of accountability and true oversight

This escalation occured following increasing concerns over lack of accountability and true oversight of the WHT and WFU project. These issuesappear to be more than just a bump in the road - they're a major roadblock. In fact, Cammeray Voices statistics indicate that only 69% of complaints/enquiries sent into the Project Team receive an acknowledgement or response. Discussions with other community groups seem to indicate that this is an endemic issue that raises legitimate concerns about overall project management of this critical infrastructure project. As we put the spotlight on these systemic issues, we invite you to share your stories.

Ms Cate Faehrmann and Ms Natalie Ward raise Cammeray Voices issues in Parliament

In a Budget Estimates hearing on 5 March, 2024 - Ms Faehrmann and Ms Ward separately raised the problems the local community has been having in getting issues resolved by Transport for NSW with Minister Graham. Minister Graham committed to ensuring Transport for NSW comply with all Ministerial Conditions. Here's a video of the exchange:

HAVE YOUR SAY

Spotlight: On-Street Parking

They told us they'd provide workers with parking. Instead they're using our streets as a parking lot.

"In the mornings our streets are flooded with orange-shirted construction workers, their cars and shuttle busses picking them up from their cars. - presumably to take them to other sites. Our streets are now part of the construction zone."

Kathy

On-Street Parking Chaos

Parking rules aren't arbitrary; they're designed for purpose. They prevent road obstructions, ensure traffic flow, safeguard community welfare, and equitable access to limited space. The very essence of these regulations is to strike a balance, preventing chaos and fostering community harmony.

So when the WHTP and WFU Project Teams don't follow the strict rules that were set for them - and that they agreed to - it causes real hardship to the community.

UPDATE

September 5, 2024: Letter sent to Minister Graham requesting an official enquiry.

How did we get here?

On January 21, 2021, the NSW Government granted approval for the WHTP and WFU projects, contingent upon a detailed set of conditions. Among these, strict rules related to parking and traffic management were emphasised including the requirement to provide off-street parking for construction worrkers in areas like Cammeray and to keep our streets as truck-free as possible. Despite providing detailed plans on how they would do this, Cammeray's backstreets have been transformed into unofficial parking lots, as trucks idle and construction workers park here to then be shuttled to other project sites.

Here's how we got to the current state of chaos in Cammeray in three not-so-easy steps :

The Government mandated: "You can proceed with the project, but you must comply with these rules (including rules around parking, noise, tree replacement and other important things)." (Read more);
The Project Teams said: "Absolutely, no problem. And here's how we're going to do it." (Read more);
Then the Project Teams did whatever they wanted: when it's come down to complying with the Minsterial Conditions, the Project Teams seem to have sidestepped many of the commitments they made, instead doing as they pleased, while at the same time reporting back that everything's fine. (Read more.)

What are they supposed to be doing? And what are they actually doing?

The following table provides a high-level summary of the rules that were put in place by the NSW Government around parking - and agreed to by the Project Teams - versus seems to actually be happening:

READ THE DETAIL

What do we want the Project Teams to do?
Simples. What they said would do.

We aren't striving to halt the project or seek any extraordinary measures. At its core, our request is straightforward: We ask the Project Team to uphold the Ministerial Conditions, aligning with their own documented promises, which claim adherence to these conditions. Should any other construction project deviate from its agreed-upon terms, swift action would undoubtedly ensue. We expect the same for this government-led project. Our goal? Ensure that the project mirrors the standards set for all major constructions, with the government abiding by and enforcing its stipulations.

Let's be clear:
Our issue is NOT
with the construction workers

We want to be clear. Our issues with construction workers parking on our backstreets are NOT directed at the dedicated construction workers who are simply doing their job. Every worker deserves straightforward access to their workplace and facilities like bathrooms and change rooms.

UNMET COMMITMENTS BY THE PROJECT TEAMS

The heart of our concerns lies squarely with the Project Teams. Despite committing to providing off-street parking under the Ministerial Conditions, they are literally instructing their workers to park on our streets, effectively using our streets as the parking facilities they were supposed to provide for their workforce.

QUESTIONS ON BROADER ACCOUNTABILITY

When these Project Teams neglect commitments like worker parking, which is stipulated under the Ministerial Conditions, it begs the question: where else might they be cutting corners? Are they compromising on other Ministerial Conditions of this critical infrastructure project that relate to the build itself?

SEEKING ACCOUNTABILITY, NOT BLAME

Many residents of Cammeray have approached the Project Teams about this oversight only to face deflection. Instead of acknowledging their role and committing to doing something about it, they've placed undue blame on their workers, and instructed residents to take photos of the workers and their cars. We demand accountability from the Project Teams, not pointing fingers at the hardworking individuals on site.