In April 2016, WestCONnex Action Group joined forces with Victoria's Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport and WA's Rethink the Link to make a submission to the Senate Committee on the establishment of a National Integrity Commission. We supported it on the basis that a federal anti-corruption body would be well-placed to investigate issues related to WestCONnex, the East West Link and Perth Freight Link. This was our joint cover letter.

Attention: Committee Secretary
Select Committee on the establishment of a National Integrity Commission

20 April 2016

Submission on the establishment of a National Integrity Commission

This document contains the formal submission made by the Rethink the Link (RTL) in WA, WestCONnex Action Group Incorporated (WAG) in NSW, and the Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport (YCAT) in Victoria to Select Committee on the establishment of a National Integrity Commission.

RTL is a community voice for concern over the Perth Freight Link (PFL) Project, which includes a section called Roe 8 through critical wetlands, and the lack of transparency by state and federal governments around the project. RTL has provided alternatives to the PFL project and is working with an alliance of 35 organisations and 5 Local Governments opposed to the PFL.

WAG is a community group made up of residents from across western, inner and south-west Sydney that is campaigning against the WestConnex motorway. We are not affiliated with any political party.

YCAT (previously known as Yarra Campaign Against the Tunnel) is a community coalition of individuals and local groups concerned about inappropriate road developments in Melbourne's inner northern suburbs.

Our groups have united to make this submission as we believe the same issues of poor governance, lack of transparency and potential corruption impact all of our campaigns.

We support the establishment of a National Integrity Commission because these issues indicate serious failings in the government processes used to assess, approve and engage private contractors for these large infrastructure projects, which depend on billions of dollars of Federal funding to proceed.

The remainder of this submission expands on the issues we have identified above.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at:

• Rethink the Link: [email protected]

• WestCONnex Action Group: [email protected]

• Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport: [email protected]

Yours sincerely,

Kim Dravnieks, Rethink The Link

Pauline Lockie, WestCONnex Action Group

Chris Star, Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport