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Home  News & Events World Youth Day 2008 at Randwick Racecourse
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World Youth Day 2008 at Randwick Racecourse |
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A MESSAGE FROM THE WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008 OFFICE
This week the NSW Government permitted WYD 2008 to enter Randwick Racecource to
commence preparatory works for the Papal Vigil and Mass next July.
Despite this good news, some media reporting continues to be based on incorrect
information - three claims in particular need to be corrected:  Randwick Update
1. World Youth Day said it needs 12 months to prepare Randwick Racecourse for its
events and can’t meet its own deadlines.
We have at no time said that we require 12 months to set up the WYD08 site. Our initial
construction program ran from October 2007, and the simplified site plan now in place
requires exclusive access to the racecourse for only a few days.
We are very confident that we will be able to deliver the set-up and the event
successfully. We are erecting temporary structures only and our contractors have
confirmed that given our new, simpler site plan, the preparatory works can be completed
sooner.
We will continue to work with the racing industry to minimise any negative impacts, to
maximise the positive ones, and to modify the program to suit the time available.
2. Cardinal Pell and the Catholic Church are behaving like bullies, insisting the event will
be staged at Randwick no matter what.
WYD 2008 tabled its plans for Randwick with the AJC in July 2006 - well before the use
of the site was confirmed. The AJC was enthusiastic about having the event at the
racecourse and hosted the Premier in announcing Randwick as the site last October.
Since then, WYD 2008 has engaged in countless hours of meetings with the AJC, trainers
and Racing NSW to hear and respond to their concerns. As a result, WYD 2008 changed
its design plans at least three times to accommodate their needs but the goal posts keep
moving.
This is not the behaviour of bullies.
The NSW Government, after detailed assessment work on 18 different sites, strongly
recommended to WYD 2008 that Randwick Racecourse was by far the best venue for the
Vigil and Final Mass: WYD 2008 did not demand to use the site, and has only sought to
do so on the advice of the NSW Government, and with its strong support. It is worth
noting that the AJC strongly advocated the event being held at Randwick and were
enthusiastically part of the announcement last year.
3. The racing industry has already lost one Spring Carnival due to Equine Influenza. If
World Youth Day goes ahead next year, it will lose another Spring Carnival.
We sympathise with the industry in relation to EI and we don’t want to make matters
worse. That is why we undertook site induction with the Department of Primary
Industries - to ensure that our workers fully comply with regulations.
A Message from the WYD 2008 Office on Randwick Racecourse 2 of 2
The NSW Government has taken responsibility for retaining suitable contractors in order
to ensure appropriate protection is in place for racing and training during World Youth
Day events. The aim is to ensure the site will be available for use as NSW’s premier
racing and training facility as soon as possible after the Final Mass.
ASSESSING FUTURE CLAIMS AND MEDIA REPORTS
Several weeks ago, WYD 2008 was falsely accused of moving onto the Randwick site in
breach of the quarantine restrictions.
In considering negative or hostile media comment, please remember that:
· WYD 2008 works closely with both the State and Federal governments and abides
by their direction and advice. Both governments are strong supporters of this
event.
· WYD 2008 is committed to complying with the State and Federal government’s
advice on this issue.
· Randwick Racecourse was strongly recommended by the NSW Government as the
best place to host the evening Vigil and Final Mass. The site offers superior lineof-
sight (LOS) viewing for 300,000 people and has the best transportation rates
available (up to 90,000 people movements per hour using nearby Central
Station).
· Sydney Olympic Park was considered, but ruled out due to lower LOS (200,000)
and transport rates (40,000 people movements per hour). Similarly, Telstra
Stadium - one of its major venues - only has a capacity of 80,000. There are no
alternatives remotely as good as Randwick.
Please communicate this information to your parishioners and anyone who enquires
about this matter.
If you would like further information, please contact our Director of Communications, Jim
Hanna, on (02) 9390 5914 or 0414 828 629.
WYD 2008
10 October 2007 |
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