Health concerns: Residents and politicians unite to stop the proposed Moorebank freight terminal. Hughes MP Craig Kelly at the proposed site.
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard seems to have an interesting view on the expected rise in the number of trucks on local roads when the proposed freight terminal in Moorebank is operating.
During her tour of the west last week, she said she understood community concerns and that her government's aim was "to do better by freight movement".
"That does require new infrastructure, and the Defence land there at Moorebank has been identified for some period of time, including that under the Howard government," she said.
"But movements of freight always have to be properly planned so that they're not impinging on people's quality of life.
"We'll want to stay very strongly engaged with local people here as that work rolls out."
Hughes MP Craig Kelly said the promise to be "strongly engaged" with local residents just wasn't good enough.
Mr Kelly said Labor refused to acknowledge the potential damage the trucks would inflict.
"She was less than two kilometres away from the Moorebank site and still did not see fit to pay a visit to the most important issue affecting local residents in the region," Mr Kelly said.
"It appears the Prime Minister's attitude is: cover your ears, close your eyes, and whatever you do, don't mention the freight terminal."
Mr Kelly said Ms Gillard's comments leant towards the definitive construction of the development, even though the environmental impact statement was "far from ready" for public exhibition.
A spokesman for the Moorebank project office said the office, in consultation with the Parsons Brinckerhoff engineering firm, was preparing the EIS.
The spokesman said the EIS would need to undergo an adequacy review by state and federal regulators before it would be ready for public exhibition.