Overview of Events resulting in the cancellation of HoverWorld Expo 2004:

• Work commenced on HoverWorld Expo 2004 in 2000, and at that time Canberra officials indicated that it was the type of event that would be welcomed on Lake Burley Griffin. A year ago, on October 22, 2003, the National Capital Authority gave the event approval subject to other mandated Government agency approvals.

• By this late stage we were only beginning to grasp just how vast the approval process would be. From the outset, it was tremendously difficult to wend our way through the conflicting and overlapping mandates of the various departments of the Canberra government. As one example, the National Capital Authority requires a $10 million public liability insurance policy, but in August 2004 we discovered, only through the minutes of an ACT meeting, that ACT Urban Services requires a $20 million policy, and an additional $10,000 bond would be required for the use of the lawn outside Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, for DiscoverHover activities.

• We frequently learned of such additional mandates only through our own investigative efforts. Over time, our frustration grew as each time we climbed over one mountain of regulations we learned to expect a vista of obstacles ahead. For example, on June 30 we were informed that it was decided in a meeting with Environment ACT that HoverWorld Expo should not run any longer than three days.

• We faced many obstacles in the area of environmental regulations. To its credit, Canberra is quite diligent about protecting and preserving its environment. Unfortunately, this diligence also creates a weighty impediment to organizing an event in Canberra, and served to eliminate a number of the very activities that HoverWorld Expo 2004 participants would most enjoy, such as cruising on the Molonglo River.

• Seven months ago we learned that Environment ACT would require a comprehensive Environmental Risk Assessment and Management Plan, to state our provisions for dealing with a myriad of issues such as dust management, fuel spill cleanup, and noise impact on the closest affected residential area as ascertained by a government approved specialist. We also learned that noise must be monitored during the event, with the implication that the event could be shut down at any time should agreed-upon levels be exceeded.

• Further examples of the extensive environmental regulations include a fully approved central fuel storage and distribution station; prohibitively strict campsite rules pertaining to gas stoves, generators, power cables and waste disposal; and an on-site certified electrician to monitor all power cables.

• In addition, the Australian Federal Police and Water Police required that each participant obtain a permit prior to the event, and that each hovercraft must undergo an inspection at their station.
  
• With the exception of several volunteers, most of the many organizations and individuals whose services were needed have required payment for those services. In some cases, payment was required for us to even obtain copies of the regulations with which we were expected to comply
  
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