Road death of Fraser's friend fuelled house attack: [1 All-round Country Edition]
John Stapleton, Annabelle McDonald. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 20 Oct 2005: 6.
Abstract
Politicians from Premier Morris Iemma down condemned Mr [Andrew Fraser]'s violent outburst, but the daughter of his late friend said she supported Mr Fraser's actions.
Ms [Marina Prendergast] said Mr Fraser was at the hospital when her father died and had gone to the funeral. She said she entirely understood Mr Fraser's reactions.
On the day Mr [Tripodi] said Mr Fraser was not in his electoral office when Mr Tripodi was visiting the area, Mr Fraser said he was at the funeral of a friend who had committed suicide.
REPENTANT but unbowed, Andrew Fraser left NSW Parliament House yesterday afternoon with these words: "Do what you can to get this bloody highway fixed."
With tears in his eyes, Mr Fraser blamed the NSW Government for the car crash that killed his friend Brinos Notaras on the Pacific Highway two months ago, saying it was the catalyst for his attack on Roads Minister Joe Tripodi on Tuesday night in parliament.
Politicians from Premier Morris Iemma down condemned Mr Fraser's violent outburst, but the daughter of his late friend said she supported Mr Fraser's actions.
"I completely understood where he was coming from," Marina Prendergast said. "Andrew Fraser and my father were from the same part of the country. They were good friends and allies on many political matters."
Mr Fraser said Mr Notaras's death had exacerbated his anger at the Government's failure to upgrade the highway in his north coast electorate of Coffs Harbour.
He said he had asked the Government to put barriers on the road and had been ignored. Instead, he said, the Government found $800,000 to put in speed cameras, which were not effective in saving lives.
"Go up there and talk to those people who have lost kids, who have lost parents," he said.
"An old mate of mine for 20 years was picking his wife up three weeks or four weeks ago and died on that bit of road.
"If Tripodi had put those dividers in, he (Mr Notaras) would be alive today."
On August 30, Mr Fraser was called to Coffs Harbour Hospital.
Mr Notaras, 75, who owned a sawmill for 50 years at South Grafton, had been on the way to pick up his wife from Coffs Harbour airport when he had a head on collision with a truck, which jackknifed and pushed
the car into the metal barrier.
Ms Prendergast said Mr Fraser was at the hospital when her father died and had gone to the funeral. She said she entirely understood Mr Fraser's reactions.
"My father was a very loving, charismatic, passionate, hard working and active man," she said. "If there was dual carriageway, I do believe he would still be with us. He drove that road a million times in his lifetime. He knew it like the back of his hand.
"The fact that it was that road was very emotional for Andrew."
A week before the accident, Mr Fraser said he had hand-delivered a letter to Mr Tripodi after the death of 21-year-old Kylie Wilson, whose family he knew well. Mr Tripodi did not "have the courtesy" to respond, he said. "If the road had been fixed, she would not have died."
On the day Mr Tripodi said Mr Fraser was not in his electoral office when Mr Tripodi was visiting the area, Mr Fraser said he was at the funeral of a friend who had committed suicide.
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