NSW:Frigate scuttling no harm: NSW minister

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2011
NSW:Frigate scuttling no harm: NSW minister

SYDNEY, April 11 AAP - NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson is totally
confident the controversial scuttling of the decommissioned HMAS Adelaide will have no
negative impacts on the environment.

The frigate was towed out of Sydney Harbour early Monday morning and is due to be sunk
off the Central Coast on Wednesday, to attract marine life and become a diving site.

"I am 100 per cent confident there has not been a stone left unturned in relation to
making sure the stringent environmental testing has been undertaken," Ms Hodgkinson told
reporters on Sydney Harbour on Monday.

"It has undergone more stringent testing than I think any other project in history
in this state."

The sinking of the ship would be an historic event that was expected to draw large
crowds, she said.

"It's not every day that a warship is scuttled and it's a first for NSW."

Once sunk, it would become a big tourist attraction for divers, she said.

"It is going to put NSW and the Central Coast firmly on the world stage when it comes to diving."

Ms Hodgkinson said she was pleased that the scuttling is finally going to go ahead
after 10 years of planning.

"I am so pleased that there is not going to be any more interruptions or disruptions
that we have been able to foresee," she said.

The last hopes of the campaign group No Ship Action Group were themselves scuttled
on Monday when the NSW Ombudsman announced that he would "not be making any decision that
will affect the timetable for the scuttling of the Adelaide".

AAP wjf/apm/pc

KEYWORD: ADELAIDE SECOND UPDATE

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