No Rally shenanigans: Police | NSW News | Breaking State News in New South Wales

Absolutely - safety first. But I imagine most of the dangers are likely to emanate from rally drivers, copy-cats and alcohol-influenced revellers.

Another day in the surreal state of NSW. Maybe it is just my imagination but we have a state governemnt who willy nilly changes the law as it suits them to facilitate the economic whims of a few people with the taxpayer bearing the brunt of the policing of the tensions created by the division this rally has caused in the community. Then the assistant Commisisioner issues warnings increasing this tension. there is a pattern here. Rememebr the expected violence of the G8 meeting in Sydney?

The support from the instituitions that the ALP have made their very own, such as the Police in this instance, shows that there is a very Alice in Wonderland feel to the way this state is being administered currently.
The use of police to control those who wish to protest and disrupt the rally will be a cost borne by the average taxpayer for an event that will make the promoters millions. Why does not Repco and their French mates pay for the cost of the policing of this event seeing that it is ultimately of dubious public good.?
Perhaps the ALP should also stop using the police simply to legitimise their "one law for us and one law for them" style of governing and get on with becoming part of the 21st century where watseful and useless events like these are no longer viable.
The support by the Assistant Commissioner and how he sees the rally bringing lots of money to the area sounds like he has learnt the accepted spin and in a mantra-like manner repeates almost verbatim the words of every other supporter of this rally. I doubt if the police should be doing that sort of thing. Promotion shold be left to the promoters.

Dave Owen wants everyone to have a good time. Is he serious? The animals being struck by insanely driven cars, airborne going sidewise around corners stirring up never-before seen amounts of dust and noise will not be having a good time. Nor will the wallabies and kangaroos dying of stress-induced myopathy over several days or weeks. Nor will the baby birds in nests and fledglings abandoned by their parents from the terror of low-flying helicopters, compressed air sirens and hand horns designed to 'protect' them from being hit by the cars. Nor will the people who love wildlife who have been anguishing for months over this insanity. Or those whose houses/properties are trashed by drunken spectators. Or the ones who are stuck in their houses from 5am till 10pm as their road is gazetted, unable to get to work, school, go shopping, get to appointments. Does Dave Owen care about any of them?

Dave Owen says 'do not be stupid'. Rally drivers are stupid in the extreme. They are putting the lives of themselves, co-pilots and spectators at risk with every race. This is an extremely dangerous sport. Check out youtube for proof.

Having said that, I do not endorse the lighting of fires either, being fire season. But then isn't the risk of a rally car crashing into the bush an even greater risk of bushfire?

And they want to be notified of any banner-hanging, even on private property? Hello? Beware those who like to put up 'garage sale' on their property from now on. You need to contact the police first!!!

As the Superintendent says its all about 'money' and 'having a good time'! The death to wildlife, destruction of the environment, and the inconvenience it will cause to residents clearly count for nothing these days in the eyes of the police. They are prepared to spend heaps of public funds on helicopters, police cars and telecommunications to make sure 'bread and circuses' prevail for the plebs and to ensure some blow-in private company makes a hefty profit before it leaves town and the mess it has created. 'Don't be stupid' the Superintendent says. Well, that's right Superintendent – think about these words and who do they really refer to? Some of us actually care for others before ‘money’ and ‘having a good time’. If this is the best a police superintendent can come up with, then pity help us all.

Rallies waste fuel, cause pollution, destroy the environment but worst of all they kill animals and make orphans of baby ones. Why don't you just hold the rally in a place that's already been destroyed? If the fun is about destroying the country and it's inhabitants, isn't that immoral? That's what I was taught many years ago anyway.

Protesters will NOT be doing stupid things. Protesters will be protesting. Showing the world how many people do not want 'events' such as these, foisted on to a community that has consistently said it doesn't want it.
The amount of media we have generated so far has been massive, with heaps more to come. We, don't ALL believe the 'spin', rally PR teams have constantly publiscised, that this 'event' will bring great riches to the region. Our tourism numbers are already rising, so the papers have been telling us. The numbers in Accommodation are the same for last year- no rally then !
But many people feel dis-empowered by bureaucracy, and 'Do Nothing', we find it's 'Very Empowering' doing something. Come and join with us, Show and speak your Disapproval.
Speak out ! Strength in Numbers ! Say No Rally in the Valley !

I am very much against the rally and certainly won't be watching it

So now we have a Deputy Commissioner of Police who is an appraiser of how good an event is to be and who is also an economist who can tell it will bring a lot of money in! And why should people who wish to protest by way of signs have to consult with the police? how authoritarian are these people becoming and why are we not protesting about that with a nice big sign. This DC looks like he could be in line for preselection for the Labor party.

While not advocating any particular shenanigan, I feel that shenanigans in general are a thing to be encouraged. Some people go for months or even years on end without engaging in a single shenanigan. And medical studies have shown that shenanigans are good for your cardiovascular system. Probably.

My Irish heritage renders shenanigans ABSOLUTELY essential to health, and I have found no peer-reviewed studies to refute this. However the NSW Government and the selective reporting of the Tweed Daily News IS harmful to health - the health of us all and more especially that of the environment on which we all depend! Why not report that the police tasked with supervising this event have to date been very impressed with the self-imposed restraint of the protestors? Better still, come and see for yourselves just how much fun can be had at the child-friendly shenanigans organised to celebrate National Threatened Species Day, Fathers Day and a car-race free future! It will be a grand boost to your mental health:-)

I agree that protestors shouldn't do stupid, dangerous things. It could get really messy (messier than the rally itself) and no-one wants that.

As for the rally, I certainly won't be watching it, in fact I plan to vacate the Tweed for the entire weekend that the rally is on. The thing that is most offensive (to me) about this rally: organisers continue to dismiss or gloss over the concerns of locals with a bunch of spin and BS.

It's alright for them, I bet they don't live here.

By the way: for those who label anyone against the rally as a 'hippy' in a minority group: actually, many people against it are mainstream citizens, your average Joe who's employed in a normal job and is simply able to see what a crock it is.

As for me, I'm an IT student in my 20s, not a hippy, and it shouldn't make a difference if I was. This event is just wrong for the region. Period. You want regional growth, create an event that's appropriate for this area.

Furthermore, as a young person born and raised on the Tweed, while I love this place, I'll unfortunately have to vote with my feet. I see no future here, especially if the rally and other regional problems continue (i.e. diminishing healthcare, lack of public transport, lack of permanent jobs) then I'll leave the area indefinitely (like so many) in favour of someplace where opportunities are real.

The local wildlife don't have this choice, unfortunately. This is their home, and leaving isn't an option. Rally cars are just like super fast, super destructive cane toads - massive PESTS and we simply don't want them here.

Australia is a big country, so why impose this destructive event on 'The Green Cauldron', a national landscape renowned for its rich biodiversity? It's insanity, so what's next? The AirForce using the Twelve Apostles as target practice? Jetboat races on the Great Barrier Reef? Doesn't make sense, does it?