It will be a blow to democracy if Save Our Rail is forced to pay the $800,000 in legal fees accrued by the state government in the court battle over whether the Newcastle heavy rail line could be torn up.
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After initially ruling against the government’s plan to truncate the train line between Wickham and Newcastle almost a year ago, the Court of Appeal recently overturned the decision and ruled that Save Our Rail was liable for the government’s court costs.
If that happens, Save Our Rail would be financially crippled.
The Mercury firmly believes that Premier Mike Baird should not allow his government to strike the devastating blow to this group of people who were simply representing the concerns of many Hunter residents.
If the government presses Save Our Rail for the money, it will surely mean the group will soon be bankrupt.
Any such move will send a clear message to communities across the state that has sinister implications for democracy.
It tells people that they can take on the government, if they dare, but there could be damaging consequences.
In a democracy, it’s healthy for governments to be challenged by the people they work for – the voters.
Save Our Rail represented the views of a significant number of voters in the Greater Hunter who were concerned that the truncation would affect their access to public transport.
Those people deserved to have a voice and Save Our Rail gave them one.
The Mercury is calling on the state government to let Save Our Rail off the hook, so future community groups aren’t scared away from challenging the establishment.
If that happens, we are taking a step away from democracy.
