Mayor slams Government’s move to appeal Supreme Court’s WestConnex ruling

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has condemned the NSW Government’s decision to appeal a Supreme Court’s ruling that found the Berejiklian Government’s compulsory acquisition of 68-72 Lilyfield Road was improper.

On May 1, NSW Supreme Court found the acquisition of the Desane Group’s Rozelle site was “motivated by improper purpose”, which called into question the entire compulsory acquisition process the Government has undertaken for WestConnex.

“The Government is refusing to learn its lesson,” said Mayor Darcy Byrne.
“When the Supreme Court made its ruling, the Premier said she expected the Roads and Maritime Services to listen to what the Court said, obey the decision, and then move forward.

“Clearly, the RMS has stopped listening to the community, and now it’s turning a deaf ear to the Supreme Court.

“They should be reviewing their practices and making sure homes weren’t acquired using improper processes.

“Instead, they are resorting to bullying tactics to send a message to anyone who would dare challenge them that they will break your bank balance,” he said.

Desane says the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office advised its lawyers that they would seek to expedite the appeal because “his Honour’s judgment causes significant uncertainty for a large number of pending and future acquisitions of land under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act. It also may cause significant delays to Stage 3 of the WestConnex project.”

For further information, please contact John Roper on 9392 5914.

Mayor slams Government’s move to appeal Supreme Court’s WestConnex ruling

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