Note

This is a transcription of the newspaper article at http://files.jakecoppinger.com/1960s-rod-fraser-traffic-report-scandal/1996-03-14-daily-telegraph_hills-denial-on-traffic-report.pdf

Hills' denial on traffic report

Daily Telegraph, 1966-03-14

(No listed author)

Mr. P. D. Hills, MLA, last night said he had not ordered the "pulping" of a report criticising a $400,000 plan for Sydney's traffic needs.

He said he had "never heard of the report."

Mr. Hills, Labor member for Phillip and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, was Minister for Local Government in the previous Labor administration.

He was commenting on an article in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph.

The article said the Government had paid $400,000 to De Leuw Cather and Company, of San Francisco, for a report on Sydney's traffic problems and road needs.

The Government sent the report to the Cumberland County Council, then Sydney's town planning body, for analysis and comment.

Proposals

Mr. Rod Fraser, then chief planner of the Cumberland County Council, made a written report to the Council.

In his report, Mr. Fraser said the proposals:

• Failed to consider special characteristics of Sydney's overall land-use pattern.
• Omitted to note that Sydney's transport system had changed from being predominantly radial to an intricate network of movement.
• Dealt only superficially with the movement of goods and people on Sydney's roads.
• Gave an unrealistic and misleading estimate of economic savings from the expressway system.
• Recommended a threefold increase in expressway mileage without relating it to land use.

"The treatment of the movement of people and goods on our roads in the De Leuw Cather proposals is superficial," he said.

"An estimate that $11 million a year could be saved through using proposed expressways is unrealistic and misleading.

"Salesmanship"

"Indeed, the whole tone of the proposals borders on salesmanship."

Mr. Fraser's report analysed the De Leuw Cather proposals in great detail and covered 23 foolscap pages.

He ended by urging the then Minister for Local Government, Mr. P. D. Hills, to "take no action" on the De Leuw Cather proposals.

The article said Mr. Fraser's report was printed, but pulped and never distributed.

The Minister for Local Government and Highways (Mr. Morton) said last night he had not heard of Mr. Fraser having compiled a report on the De Leuw Cather recommendations.

Mr. Morton said he would make inquiries today.