NSW election goes green, stadium to fall

The legal bid to stop the NSW government tearing down Allianz Stadium has failed as environmental issues take centre stage in the election.

ALLIANZ STADIUM DEMOLITION

Heavy machinery was seen tearing down parts of Allianz on Thursday afternoon. (AAP)

The NSW state election has focused in on environmental issues including accusations of misleading information about dam west of Sydney and a boost to national parks.

But the legal fight to stop the NSW government from pulling down the city's Allianz Stadium before polling day has failed.

NSW Labor on Friday vowed to employ 200 additional field officers to target pest control and 60 new officers to restore damaged parts of Kosciuszko National Park.

A Labor government would also nominate the Royal National Park south of Sydney for world heritage listing.

"After eight years of neglect, Labor will invest in new staff to protect threatened species, prevent further declines in biodiversity and safeguard our water catchments, wetlands and key habitats," Labor's environment spokeswoman Sharpe said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Premier Gladys Berejiklian's government was accused of misleading the community after it was revealed it's considering raising parts of Warragamba Dam wall significantly higher than what's been admitted publicly.

Documents seen by AAP show the wall will be designed so it can hold back an additional 17 metres of water even though the coalition initially plans to raise the flood level by just 14m.

Despite this, the government isn't assessing the environmental impact of raising the wall an additional three metres.

The documents show the Berejiklian government plans to raise each end of the wall - the dam abutments - by 17m with the spillway initially set at 14m.

The design would allow the spillway to be modified in the future if climate change leads to increased flooding.

The Greens on Friday accused Western Sydney Minister Stuart Ayres of misleading parliament.

"Despite repeated questioning, the minister continued to give an answer that now seems to be covering for plans to prepare for a higher wall," Greens MP Justin Field said in a statement.

A week after the Land and Environment Court threw out a challenge by Local Democracy Matters and Waverley Council against the government's $730 million plan to flatten and rebuild Allianz Stadium the government was given a second green light.

The community group took the matter to the NSW Court of Appeal on Friday but it was dismissed unanimously meaning demolition will likely continue.

NSW Labor leader Michael Daley wrote to Ms Berejiklian on Thursday demanding "hard demolition" be halted until after the election.

Labor says if it wins the March 23 election it will refurbish rather than rebuild the Moore Park stadium to save hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Gladys Berejiklian will be known as the wrecking ball of NSW politics," NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge said outside court on Friday afternoon when labelling the court's decision "very disappointing".

"The wreckers will go in, the stadium's going to be destroyed, and the people of NSW won't get to have their voice heard or their opinions heard at the next state election (on March 23).


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Source: AAP


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