This weekend, 24-26 November, marks the inaugural running of the Newcastle 500; the grand finale of the Supercars Championship.
Jenkins Legal Services’ office is located within the boundaries of the racing circuit, and we have watched the race track evolve over the last few months.
You would not naturally think that motor racing and the law would have any cross-over, but in actual fact, NSW Parliament had to pass an amendment to the Motor Racing Act in order for the Newcastle race to occur.
On 1 March 2017, NSW Parliament passed the Motor Racing Legislation Amendment (Newcastle 500) Bill, to enable the V8 motor race that was previously held at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush, to be held in either Homebush or Newcastle. The new act is know known as the Motor Racing (Sydney and Newcastle) Act 2008.
Interestingly, the Amendment removed all references to V8s, permitting a greater variety of cars to race in Newcastle in the coming years. This is also to anticipate changes to the Supercar engines in the coming years.
The Act also outlines matters such as:
What authorization is required for the carrying out of works for the race, including the level of consultation required with the community and others;
Who has control of the race area during the race period;
Who is responsible for cleaning up the race area after the race;
The race-provider’s responsibility to reinstate the land following the race;
That anything done or omitted to be done by any person exercising their functions under the Act, or pursuant to any provision of the Act, or in accordance with any authorisation given under the Act, does not constitute a nuisance;
Limitations on who can use the official title or official insignia;
A prohibition on certain advertising on buildings and structures;
No compensation being payable in respect of motor race-related matters; and
The suspension of certain acts, including parts of the Environmental Protection Act, National Parks and Wildlife Act, and Roads Act, for the duration of the race period.
It is remarkable what goes into the organisation of an event like the Newcastle 500, both on the public stage and behind the scenes, and as proud Novocastrians, we hope it brings prosperity to our community.