18310
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
Tuesday 11 October 2005 ______
Mr Speaker (The Hon. John Joseph Aquilina) took the chair at 2.15 p.m.
Mr Speaker offered the Prayer.
ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF PITTWATER
Resignation of John Gilbert Brogden
Mr SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on 28 September 2005 I received a letter from John Gilbert Brogden resigning his seat as member for the electorate of Pittwater.
ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF MACQUARIE FIELDS
Return of Writ: Election of Steven John Chaytor
Mr SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that the writ, issued on 29 August 2005 for the election of a member to serve in the room of Craig John Knowles, has been returned with a certificate endorsed by the returning officer advising of the election of Steven John Chaytor to serve as member for the electoral district of Macquarie Fields.
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE
Mr Chaytor took and subscribed the oath of allegiance and signed the roll.
ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF MAROUBRA
Return of Writ: Election of Michael John Daley
Mr SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that the writ, issued on 29 August 2005 for the election of a member to serve in the room of Robert John Carr, has been returned with a certificate endorsed by the returning officer advising of the election of Michael John Daley to serve as member for the electoral district of Maroubra.
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE
Mr Daley took and subscribed the oath of allegiance and signed the roll.
ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF MARRICKVILLE
Return of Writ: Election of Carmel Mary Tebbutt
Mr SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that the writ, issued on 29 August 2005 for the election of a member to serve in the room of Andrew John Refshauge, has been returned with a certificate endorsed by the returning officer advising of the election of Carmel Mary Tebbutt to serve as member for the electoral district of Marrickville.
AFFIRMATION OF ALLEGIANCE
Ms Tebbutt took and subscribed the affirmation of allegiance and signed the roll.
PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I inform the House that with effect from 13 September 2005 the following members were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries to the offices indicated: 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18311
Mr Paul Edward McLeay Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Health
Mr Bryce James Gaudry Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Planning
I advise the House that with effect from 23 September 2005 the following member was appointed to the office indicated:
Mr Matthew James Brown Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Roads and the Minister for Transport.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
Mr SPEAKER: I report the receipt of the following message from His Excellency the Lieutenant- Governor:
Office of the Governor Sydney, 2 October 2005
J. J. SPIGELMAN Lieutanant-Governor
The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, Chief Justice of New South Wales, Lieutenant-Governor of the State of New South Wales, has the honour to inform the Legislative Assembly that consequent on the Governor of New South Wales, Professor Marie Bashir, being absent from the State, he has this day assumed the administration of the Government of the State.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL VACANCY
Joint Sitting
Mr SPEAKER: I report the receipt of the following message from his Excellency the Lieutenant- Governor:
Office of the Governor Sydney, 5 October 2005
J. J. SPIGELMAN Lieutanant-Governor
I, the Honourable JAMES JACOB SPIGELMAN AC, in pursuance of the power and authority vested in me as Lieutenant- Governor of the State of New South Wales, do hereby convene a joint sitting of the Members of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly for the purpose of the election of a person to fill the seat in the Legislative Council vacated by the Honourable Carmel Mary Tebbutt, and I do hereby announce and declare that such Members shall assemble for such purpose on Tuesday the eleventh day of October 2005 at 4.00 p.m. in the building known as the Legislative Council Chamber situated in Macquarie Street in the City of Sydney; and the Members of the Legislative Council and the Members of the Legislative Assembly are hereby required to give their attendance at the said time and place accordingly.
In order that the Members of both Houses of Parliament may be duly informed of the convening of the joint sitting, I have this day addressed a like message to the President of the Legislative Council.
I direct that the joint sitting with the Legislative Council in the Legislative Council Chamber for the election of a member of the Legislative Council be set down as an order of the day for 4.00 p.m. today, as appointed in His Excellency's message dated 5 October 2005.
DEATH OF MR JAMES HUGH TAYLOR, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
Mr SPEAKER: It is with regret that I have to inform the House of the death on 23 September of James Hugh Taylor, a former member of the Legislative Assembly, who represented the electorate of Temora from 8 October 1960 to 28 August 1981. On behalf of the House, I extend to the family the deep sympathy of the Legislative Assembly in the loss sustained.
Members and officers of the House stood in their places.
Mr Tony Stewart: Point of order: It is unfair, unreasonable and disrespectful for a photographer to be photographing members when we are paying our respects to a former member of this House who has passed away.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I acknowledge the honourable member's point, and appropriate action will be taken. 18312 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Routine of Business
[During notices of motions]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind members about the length of notices of motions.
Later,
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I again remind members of the need to observe convention in relation to the length of notices of motions.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
Mr SPEAKER: I welcome to the public gallery the former member for Illawarra, Terry Rumble.
VARIATIONS OF PAYMENTS ESTIMATES AND APPROPRIATIONS 2005-06
Mr Frank Sartor tabled variations of the Consolidated Fund receipts and payments estimates and appropriations for 2005-06 under section 26 of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983.
POLICE INTEGRITY COMMISSION
Report
Mr Speaker announced the receipt, pursuant to section 103 of the Police Integrity Commission Act 1996, of the report entitled "Operation Abelia—Research and Investigations into Illegal Drug Use by some NSW Police Officers—(Volumes 1 to 4)", dated September 2005.
Ordered to be printed.
NSW OMBUDSMAN
Report
Mr Speaker announced the receipt, pursuant to section 31 of the Ombudsman Act 1974, of the report entitled "Improving the Quality of Land Valuations Issued by the Valuer General", dated October 2005.
Ordered to be printed.
REGISTER OF DISCLOSURES
Mr Speaker tabled, pursuant to the Constitution (Disclosures by Members) Regulation 1983, a copy of the Register of Disclosures by Members of the Legislative Assembly as at 30 June 2005.
Ordered to be printed.
LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE
Report
The Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 10 of the Legislation Review Act 1987, of the report entitled "Legislation Review Digest No. 11 of 2005", dated 10 October 2005.
PETITIONS
Alstonville Bypass
Petition requesting that the Alstonville Bypass be completed by the end of 2006, received from Mr Donald Page. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18313
Gaming Machine Tax
Petition opposing the decision to increase poker machine tax, received from Mr Andrew Tink.
Southern Tablelands Rail Services
Petition opposing any reduction in rail services on the Southern Tablelands line, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Murwillumbah to Casino Rail Service
Petition requesting the retention of the CountryLink rail service from Murwillumbah to Casino, received from Mr Neville Newell.
Blacktown to Richmond Night Bus Service
Petition requesting a bus service from Blacktown along the Richmond line between midnight and 5.00 a.m., received from Mr Steven Pringle.
CountryLink Rail Services
Petition opposing the abolition of CountryLink rail services and their replacement with bus services in rural and regional New South Wales, received from Mr Andrew Stoner.
Mid North Coast Airconditioned School Buses
Petition opposing the removal of airconditioned school buses from the mid North Coast, received from Mr Andrew Stoner.
Anti-Discrimination (Religious Tolerance) Legislation
Petitions opposing the proposed anti-discrimination (religious tolerance) legislation, received from Mr Steve Cansdell, Mr Michael Richardson, Mr Andrew Stoner and Mr Graham West.
Same-sex Marriage Legislation
Petition opposing same-sex marriage legislation, received from Mr Graham West.
Dunoon Dam
Petition requesting the fast-tracking of plans to build a dam at Dunoon, received from Mr Thomas George.
Kempsey Water Fluoridation
Petition opposing the addition of fluoride to the Kempsey and district water supply, received from Mr Andrew Stoner.
Model Farms High School Hall
Petition requesting the provision of a school hall for the Model Farms High School, received from Mr Wayne Merton.
Colo High School Airconditioning
Petition requesting the installation of airconditioning in all classrooms and the library of Colo High School, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Breast Screening Funding
Petitions requesting funding for BreastScreen NSW, received from Mr Steve Cansdell, Mr Andrew Fraser, Mr Wayne Merton, and Mr Andrew Stoner. 18314 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Campbell Hospital, Coraki
Petition opposing the closure of inpatient beds and the reduction in emergency department hours of Campbell Hospital, Coraki, received from Mr Steve Cansdell.
Coffs Harbour Aeromedical Rescue Helicopter Service
Petition requesting that plans for the placement of an aeromedical rescue helicopter service based in Coffs Harbour be fast-tracked, received from Mr Andrew Fraser.
Muswellbrook Midwifery Program
Petition requesting the implementation of a community midwifery program in Muswellbrook, received from Mr George Souris.
Kurnell Sandmining
Petition opposing sandmining on the Kurnell Peninsula, received from Mr Barry Collier.
Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme
Petition objecting to the criteria for country cancer patients to qualify for the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme, received from Mr Donald Page and Mr Andrew Stoner.
Hawkesbury Electorate Youth Transport Services
Petition requesting affordable transport options for youth in the areas of Maraylya, Scheyville, Oakville and Cattai, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Recreational Fishing
Petitions opposing any restrictions on recreational fishing in the mid North Coast waters, received from Mr Andrew Stoner and Mr John Turner.
Lismore Fire Service
Petition requesting the provision of a permanently staffed fire service in Lismore, received from Mr Thomas George.
Crown Land Leases
Petition requesting the withdrawal of changes to the rental structure of Crown land leases, particularly enclosed road permits, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Willoughby Traffic Conditions
Petition requesting a regional traffic plan for the Pacific Highway at Willoughby, received from Ms Gladys Berejiklian.
Edinburgh Road, Willoughby, Traffic Conditions
Petition requesting a right turn arrow for traffic travelling west on Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag, turning north onto Eastern Valley Way, received from Ms Gladys Berejiklian.
Grafton Bridge
Petition requesting the construction of a new bridge over the Clarence River at Grafton, received from Mr Steve Cansdell.
F6 Corridor Community Use
Petition noting the decision of the Minister for Roads, gazetted in February 2003, to abandon the construction of any freeway or motorway in the F6 corridor, and requesting preservation of the corridor for open space, community use and public transport, received from Mr Barry Collier. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18315
Barton Highway Dual Carriageway Funding
Petition requesting that the Minister for Roads change the Roads and Traffic Authority's priority for Federal AusLink funding for the Barton Highway to allow the construction of a dual carriageway, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Tumut River Junction Bridge
Petition opposing the indefinite closure of the Tumut River Junction Bridge, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Old Northern and New Line Roads Strategic Route Development Study
Petition requesting funding for implementation of the Old Northern and New Line roads strategic route development study, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Forster-Tuncurry Cycleways
Petition requesting the building of a cycleway in the Forster-Tuncurry area as shown on plans of the State coastal cycle way, received from Mr John Turner.
Macdonald River Signage
Petition requesting that the Macdonald River be provided with signage stating "4 or 8 knots, no skiing, no wash", received from Mr Steven Pringle.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
______
CROSS-CITY TUNNEL
Mr PETER DEBNAM: My question is directed to the Minister for Roads. Given that the Minister has admitted that his Government signed the cross-city tunnel contract with "too many compromises", what were the compromises in road funnelling measures and how will he fix the mess?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Bathurst to order.
Mr JOSEPH TRIPODI: The cross-city tunnel is a great engineering feat, inserting $680 million of motorway into the heart of our city. With a challenge as great as this, there was a need to change the traffic flows, and that required compromises. One cannot change a city in a way that is being done without compromises. In 2002 there was a public process that determined a range of traffic changes for our city. In 2005, with the advantage of hindsight, those traffic changes involved too many compromises. Motorists have every right to be angry, and I apologise for the frustration and inconvenience they are experiencing.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call Opposition members to order.
Mr JOSEPH TRIPODI: Last Friday I met with the motorway's chief executive, Peter Sansom, and I urged him to reduce the toll to get more vehicles into the tunnel and off the surface streets. I look forward to hearing from him as soon as possible. The ball is in his court. Motorists are waiting for a sign of goodwill from the company. If there is a need for further meetings to talk about these issues, the New South Wales Government is willing to talk. Much has been made today about the payment from the motorway company to the Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA]. Details of the $97 million payment are included in the 64-page contract summary, which is on the Treasury web site. This document provides a detailed summary of the contractual and financial arrangements entered into by the Roads and Traffic Authority. The Auditor-General also confirmed this in his Report to Parliament 2003, Volume 5, which stated:
We examined the summary to ensure that it fairly represented the substance of the contract.
The up-front payment was simply cost recovery so that taxpayers did not end up paying for the construction of the tunnel. I am advised that to 30 June this year the RTA had spent $76 million; the remaining money is 18316 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 committed to the final round of works arising from the tunnel. RTA costs on the cross-city tunnel include public utility adjustments, including relocating power, water and gas pipes, costing $26 million; property acquisitions and related expenses, costing $5 million; construction, more than $21 million; and project development, including environmental studies, traffic studies, design work and preparation of planning documents, costing $23 million. In the medium to long term the cross-city tunnel will be a great thing for Sydney.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS POLICY
Mr PAUL GIBSON: My question without notice is addressed to the Premier. What is the State Government doing to protect New South Wales workers and their families from the Federal Government's planned industrial relations changes?
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: That is a great question from a member who wants to protect the working conditions of his constituents—the working families of this State.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Gosford will come to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: All I can tell the honourable member for Blacktown is that we will not sell them out. We will not sell out the working families of this State by handing over the industrial relations system to John Howard. That is the first thing we do, unlike members opposite. The Leader of the Opposition has not said whether he will keep his predecessor's policy. He has not said whether he will rush in and hand over the State's industrial relations system to Canberra.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call Government members to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The Leader of the Opposition has an opportunity in question time to reject that policy. He should reject his party's policy of handing over the State's industrial relations system to Canberra. Stand up for the working families of this State! Members opposite should get on board the campaign for a better deal for Australian families; they should get on board the campaign to protect their overtime, their penalty rates and their right to organise and be part of collective bargaining and to be able to say no in the workplace when the boss presents a take-it-or-leave-it deal. They should side with all of those who have combined to fight against these proposals. These proposals are a 30-year dream of the Prime Minister to rip apart the working conditions of Australian families. For 30 years he has wanted this fight. We will accommodate him by standing with the workers and their families and protecting their conditions.
What was revealed on the weekend appeared to be a softening, but it was not. In the words of the Federal Treasurer it was not a softening, it was what was revealed some months ago. It was the outline; that is, bringing down the independent umpire, removing the right of the independent umpire to protect the working conditions of Australian families, and bringing in some sort of bureaucratic, American-style fair pay commission. It will not be about protecting the wages of the lowest paid workers in this State—it will be about driving those wages down. It is never about increasing the wages, it is always about taking away protection, whether it is denying the right to collectively bargain, denying the right to an independent umpire or denying the right to award protection. It always gets back to one thing: driving wages and conditions down, not protecting them.
Members opposite have a chance to stand up for working families in this State by ditching their policy of simply saying yes to John Howard even before seeing the legislation, of simply handing it over to him before seeing the full details of the package, of handing over the State's industrial relations system to John Howard and Peter Costello, so they can fulfil a 30-year dream of ripping away the working conditions of families in this State. We are not going to stand by and let that happen. Our plans are to take available avenues to fight these proposals.
Mr Andrew Tink: Point of order: My point of order is relevance. The Premier talks about workers conditions. What was he doing about workers compensation?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The honourable member for Epping will resume his seat.
[Interruption] 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18317
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chair is becoming used to the daily performances of the honourable member for Epping. I place him on two calls to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: No wonder community leaders like Archbishop Peter Jensen have rejected this anti-family agenda. The Archbishop pointed out that the Prime Minister wants to turn Australian workers into robots. He wants to destroy family life and social cohesion. I can tell the honourable member for Blacktown, as I tell all members of this House, that we will stand with working families in protecting and fighting for their conditions, not selling them out like the Opposition wants to do by simply handing over the system to John Howard.
CROSS-CITY TUNNEL
Mr SPEAKER: I call the Leader of The Nationals.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Blacktown to order.
Mr ANDREW STONER: My question is directed to the Minister for Roads. Given that he says he was unable to negotiate a deal with the cross-city tunnel operators as they have him "over a barrel", what is he going to do, apart from promising more meetings, to help motorists who have been sold out by his $100 million toll tax?
Mr JOSEPH TRIPODI: I am delighted the Opposition has chosen to raise the issue of negotiations and its capacity to negotiate. I remind the House of the history of the Coalition when it comes to public-private partnerships [PPPs]. The House and New South Wales taxpayers are familiar with the track record of the Opposition on public-private partnerships. There is silence from Barry O'Farrell—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will be referred to by his correct title.
Mr JOSEPH TRIPODI: On 22 May 2000 the then Opposition transport spokesman, Barry O'Farrell, made a legendary comment on ABC radio station 2BL. He said—
Mr Andrew Stoner: Point of order: My point of order refers to Standing Order 138, which states, "An answer shall be relevant to the question asked." I know Joe still has his training wheels on but this question is about the cross-city tunnel.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of The Nationals will resume his seat.
Mr JOSEPH TRIPODI: These are the words of Barry O'Farrell in 2000 when he spoke about the airport rail link. He said:
I am very proud of the Airport Rail Link. It was a Coalition achievement.
I remind the House that that great project cost New South Wales taxpayers more than $700 million.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for East Hills to order.
Mr JOSEPH TRIPODI: That project was supposed to cost New South Wales taxpayers absolutely nothing but it cost us $700 million. The airport rail link was a public-private partnership in which a project which was meant to be privately funded ended up costing New South Wales taxpayers $704 million. New South Wales taxpayers got stuck with 80 per cent of the bill. The Greiner Government announced the airport rail link on 8 October 1990. The then transport Minister, Bruce Baird, said no government money would be spent on the rail link. It ended up costing $704 million.
Let us move on to Port Macquarie Base Hospital, which eventually cost the Opposition a seat in this place. That is a great Coalition project. New South Wales taxpayers paid for it twice and then gave it away. Who 18318 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 can forget the words of the then health services Minister, Ron Phillips, who also lost his seat, in this House on 7 April 1992—and this is an example of the Coalition's great capacity to negotiate a deal:
The Government is quite happy for its approach to be tested after the contract is signed.
They are great negotiations—sign now and New South Wales taxpayers will pay for it later. The Coalition Government's 1992 Port Macquarie Base Hospital deal was the worst privatisation in the history of Australia. The then Coalition Government sold out its own constituents, who have not stopped paying for that facility since. The Auditor-General said in 1996, when he got around to reviewing it, that New South Wales was "paying for the hospital twice and giving it away". The Coalition's record of public-private partnerships has been nothing short of shameful. We are proud to be able to compare our record of negotiations on PPPs with the Coalition's record.
HIGH SCHOOL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Ms VIRGINIA JUDGE: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Education and Training. What is the latest information on vocational education and training courses in New South Wales high schools?
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: I thank the honourable member for Strathfield for her interest in vocational education and training in New South Wales. There is no doubt that the way education equips students for the world of work and further education is the subject of much debate, particularly in recent times as we grapple with a skills shortage, not just in New South Wales but nationally.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Epping will come to order.
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: It is now more than four years since the Government introduced the new Higher School Certificate with significant changes for vocational education and training [VET] in schools. A landmark evaluation was undertaken by the Board of Vocational Education and Training about the way we deliver vocational education and training to senior students in New South Wales. Vocational education and training courses such as construction, metals and engineering, and hospitality are helping to deliver more skilled workers in New South Wales. Through VET courses we are training our future builders, welders and chefs. As part of the study, an independent survey conducted by the University of Melbourne of no fewer than 6,000 New South Wales students showed that our approach is meeting the needs of both students and industry.
More than one-third—or approximately 55,000—of New South Wales secondary students are now undertaking a VET course as part of their Higher School Certificate. They combine their VET courses with academic subjects, which provides them with choices. This is an important point: the New South Wales Government strongly supports students having options and choices and not being locked into a career path. They should have the opportunity to change their approach when they discover exactly what it is they want to do. Students who have undertaken a VET course can go on to university or TAFE, begin an apprenticeship, or go straight into the work force. New South Wales has the best school-based vocational education and training system in the country, and these two new reports confirm our success. Our approach gets students jobs and gives them options.
New South Wales Labor's approach is backed by industry, with 20,000 work placements being provided to students in New South Wales by employers. The VET courses are valued by employers and students alike. Reports have produced a number of significant findings. For example, the provision of VET courses in schools has a significant impact on school retention. Six out of ten students say that their decision to stay on at school was influenced significantly by their ability to undertake a VET subject. Almost 70 per cent of students said it was easier for them to obtain employment after having undertaken a VET subject. A University of Melbourne report stated that "the value of VET courses in schools cannot be overstated". The university study shows that, overall, VET students are more likely to go on to further education and training after school.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for North Shore will come to order.
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: It is particularly encouraging in a climate of national skills shortage that double the number of students undertaking a VET course go on to an apprenticeship or traineeship. I understand why the Opposition does not want to hear about this report: because it does not concur with the views of their Federal colleagues. The New South Wales Government is showing leadership in combating skills shortages and providing opportunities for students. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18319
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members will stop calling out. The Minister has the call.
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: It would be nice to see similar leadership coming from the Commonwealth. After all, there is a national skills shortage. It does not stop at the New South Wales borders.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will come to order.
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: Rather, we see the Federal Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, Gary Hardgrave, wandering the country desperately looking for partners for his failed Australian Technical Colleges program. Four sites in New South Wales still have not been announced as an Australian technical college, despite the promises of the Federal Government. The program is an absolute failure, compared with our approach in New South Wales. Our approach works. The report released by Bert Evans shows that the New South Wales Government has a clear plan to combat skills shortages and to provide students with options and pathways after completing their Higher School Certificate.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much conversation in the Chamber.
Mr Donald Page: Point of order: I appreciate that this is the Minister's inaugural question in this House, but the fact is that the situation has not improved in New South Wales for the past 10 years. She should not mislead the House.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Ballina to order.
Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT: New South Wales has a quality, rigorous VET in Schools program that is supported by students, employers and teachers. I thank Mr Evans for his leadership on this evaluation. I know the reports will help us build on the success of VET in Schools in New South Wales.
CROSS-CITY TUNNEL
Mr ANDREW STONER: My question is directed to the Minister for Utilities. Given that in 2001 the Minister invited "creative proposals" for the cross-city tunnel and that the Government now admits too many compromises and mistakes were made, what went wrong?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! A number of members have begun calling out. I have already called a number of members to order. I now deem those members to be on three calls to order. I warn other members, both Government and Opposition, that I intend to ensure that the remainder of question time proceeds in an orderly fashion.
Mr CARL SCULLY: I confess a little disappointment in the comment by the Minister for Roads because he left out one project—the M2 deal, which was incompetent. The Opposition often says that you have to make sure you recover your costs and when you recover your costs, well done. What happened with the M2?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind the honourable member for Epping that he is on three calls to order.
Mr CARL SCULLY: When I became the Minister for Roads I spoke about the deal that Baird and O'Farrell had done with the private sector. It cost $250 million of public money. When added to the airport line, Port Macquarie Hospital and, just for fun, Luna Park, they have trashed more than $1 billion of public money on private sector proposals. As to every single project that the Opposition undertook, if they were asked whether in hindsight they would have done it differently, they might say, "Yes, we would have." If they were asked, "Should you have undertaken the Port Macquarie Hospital project differently?" they might answer "Yes."
Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order: My point of order relates to standing order 139. The Minister for Roads says you got it wrong. Just 'fess up!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr CARL SCULLY: The Minister for Roads said—and I have no problem with his comments—that in hindsight, with the aid of a crystal ball or if we could fast-forward time and then rewind, things may have been done differently. What would the Opposition have done if it had known that Luna Park would be a disgraceful waste of money? What would the Opposition have done if it knew about the outcome of Port 18320 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Macquarie Hospital? What would it have done if it knew it would waste $700 million on the airport line? What would it have done about the M2? It might have done things differently. Big deal!
Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition wishes to take a point of order. I remind him that his last point of order was out of order.
Mr Barry O'Farrell: For the benefit of the Warrawee residents, why is standing order 139 not in order?
Mr SPEAKER: What is the point of order?
Mr Barry O'Farrell: The Minister is breaching standing order 139. Read it, Mr Speaker, and make your ruling.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
EMPLOYMENT AND INVESTMENT
Mr MATTHEW MORRIS: My question without notice is directed to the Premier. How is the New South Wales Government encouraging more business and investment in New South Wales?
Mr Andrew Stoner: They are closing the Swansea Bridge!
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The Leader of The Nationals might have something to say about this answer. I have been looking for a comment from him, because there has been silence in the last 24 hours. This Government made a decision yesterday to relocate the car import centre from Glebe Island to Port Kembla.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Earlier I indicated that a number of members are on three calls to order. Since that time that number has increased substantially. I will not tolerate another outburst of that sort. Question time will proceed in an orderly fashion. The Premier has the call and will be heard in silence.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: That decision will generate 1,000 jobs in the Illawarra, and we have heard not one word from the member for Southern Highlands. Not one word! A $140 million decision to drive investment and jobs in the Illawarra with the relocation of the car import centre from Glebe Island to the Illawarra warranted not one word of encouragement from the honourable member for Southern Highlands. All that she ever does is run down New South Wales, particularly the Illawarra.
Mr Peter Debnam: Point of order: I would like to congratulate—
Mr SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will show some leadership. He will resume his seat.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The $140 million relocation of the car import centre from Glebe Island to Port Kembla in the Illawarra involves a three-phase project that will create 1,000 direct and indirect jobs for the Illawarra. The establishment of Australia's leading car import centre will improve the infrastructure of Port Kembla, provide the capacity for an industry that is growing at 16 per cent per annum, and provide the capacity for it to meet its future growth. This Government is providing infrastructure development that is driving investment, jobs and growth. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18321
Yesterday, with 1000 jobs headed to the Illawarra, the honourable member for Southern Highlands said not one word about that decision. She was busy trying to run down New South Wales yet again. The only time the honourable member for Southern Highlands ever opens her mouth is to run down New South Wales—never to support New South Wales, never to support decisions that will drive jobs and investment. When it comes to running down New South Wales, that is when you will hear from the honourable member for Southern Highlands. When it comes to jobs, investment and growth or something positive for New South Wales or a region of this State, such as the Illawarra, we get only silence from the honourable member.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Southern Highlands to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: She had an opportunity yesterday with the announcement of the $140 million investment. Did she rush out and ring the radio stations to say what good news it was for the Illawarra? No!
Mr Andrew Humpherson: Point of order: At page 90 Decisions from the Chair states, "It is out of order to make personal attacks upon the conduct of members when answering questions." The Premier is clearly out of order.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The Premier has the call.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: This is a three-year plan to drive investment, jobs and growth for the Illawarra with the establishment of Port Kembla as the nation's new car import centre. It involves a three-phase redevelopment of the port, providing additional terminal capacity and additional capacity for predelivery inspection facilities for those vehicles. As I said, it is an important industry and it is growing at 16 per cent per annum. It was running out of space at Glebe Island and had insufficient capacity to meet future growth needs. The Government made an important decision to relocate this industry to a region that requires it, the Illawarra, and we have heard not one word of encouragement, not one positive word, from the honourable member for Southern Highlands.
It gives me great pleasure to also inform the House of the progress of the Government's drive to get more investment and more jobs by streamlining our planning process. I can report to the House that in just nine weeks the Minister for Planning—
Mr Chris Hartcher: Point of order: The Minister is quoting the car manufacturers—
Mr SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
Mr Chris Hartcher: The car manufacturers—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. I refer the honourable member for Gosford to Standing Order No. 139.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I am able to update the House on the progress made by the Minister for Planning in his contribution to assist in driving jobs, investment and growth. In the last nine weeks he has signed off on 56 local environmental plans to ensure that councils can get on with the job of development. He has also approved 35 major development applications, worth $500 million, declared three sites to be of State significance, and approved three concept plans with a capital value of $138 million, creating 420 jobs—1,000 jobs for the Illawarra, 420 additional jobs created by streamlining the planning process and the approval of programs that will drive investment and jobs.
Today I am able to advise the House of another project that has received approval, an energy project in southern New South Wales. The Labor Government has given the green light to a $96 million wind farm at Woodlawn near Goulburn, a major boost to the State's green energy capacity. The 25-tower wind farm at Woodlawn will provide 140,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year, enough green energy to power 22,000 homes. The project will provide 25 construction jobs. It will also cut carbon emissions by an amount equal to removing 29,000 cars from the State's roads. In approving the development application, the Minister has also imposed 76 consent conditions, including measures to control noise and visual impact. These are the types of actions that will drive investment, jobs and growth in New South Wales. And, I can inform the House, there will be plenty more to come later in the week, particularly relating to ports. 18322 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
MINISTERIAL PERFORMANCE
Mr PETER DEBNAM: My question is directed to the Premier. Given that since he became Premier, the Minister for Redfern Waterloo has made his portfolio unworkable and the Minister for Roads has demonstrated incompetence in his handling of the cross-city tunnel, when will the Premier show some leadership and take charge to resolve the mess in both portfolios?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Government members will come to order. The Premier has the call.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: It is good to see that honourable members opposite read the newspapers. They would be short of any questions without newspapers. The Minister for Redfern Waterloo will continue to administer his portfolio and I have full confidence in him. We have gone through the issues of the remarks he made a couple of weeks ago, and there is no point in going over them again. They were totally inappropriate, for which the Minister has apologised. It is time to get on with the job. That is what the Government wants to do and that is what the Government is committed to doing—as is the Minister: getting on and dealing with all issues in Redfern-Waterloo, not merely those relating to the Block. So far as the Cross City Tunnel is concerned, the honourable member and his colleagues should be the last members of this House to cry crocodile tears about infrastructure. We have spoken about Port Macquarie Hospital, the M2 and Luna Park—
Mr Peter Debnam: Point of order: My point of order relates to relevance. The question is absolutely straightforward: Is the Premier working for the community—
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition cannot simply repeat his question under the guise of a point of order. He will resume his seat.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition cannot repeat the question again and again under the guise of a point of order. I direct him to resume his seat. The Premier has the call.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: What we will not do is take a decision that will lumber taxpayers with billions of dollars worth of losses—which is what the Coalition has done whenever it has entered into these infrastructure projects. We will work to get motorists whatever better deal we can. We will not do that by bailing out the company—as the Coalition would do, and as it has done. In all the examples that were given earlier, one was missed: Eastern Creek. Eastern Creek was going to cost nothing but it ended up costing us $150 million. We will not bail out private-sector operators. They have taken the commercial risks on this.
We will pursue whatever avenues are available to us to get motorists a better deal. But it will not come at the cost of bailing out a company, particularly a company that has taken a confrontationist approach to motorists. We want the company to take a more co-operative approach to dealing with motorists, instead of getting them offside and upset, as it has done. The clear message to the company is this: Traffic volumes are not as you anticipated, so work with motorists and be a little more customer friendly.
SYDNEY FERRIES SAFETY UPGRADES
Ms TANYA GADIEL: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Transport. What is the latest information on Sydney Ferries upgrades?
Mr JOHN WATKINS: On 22 September I informed the House of the Government's intention to appoint Mr Geoff Ashton as Acting Chairman of the Sydney Ferries Corporation Board. Mr Ashton, with a strong record of high-level management behind him, was asked to join the organisation in the short term to ensure that Sydney Ferries continues to focus on safety, and to support the chief executive officer with the cultural and industrial reforms that are already under way. I met with the new chairman in the days following his appointment and directed that his first task was to work with the chief executive officer to develop a package of reforms for Sydney Ferries to further improve safety across a range of areas, including engineering, operations, and quality systems management and training.
I can now advise the House of the details of this 10-point plan, which Sydney Ferries will begin implementing this week. The initial cost of the changes will be approximately $1.8 million, with further initiatives still to be evaluated. At a cost of around $100,000, the Government will equip all Sydney Ferries 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18323 vessels with global positioning systems [GPS] to provide our crews with access to flawless information on speed, position and direction. Eighteen GPS units have been initially ordered and are now being delivered. The new technology will first be installed on all Freshwater class vessels, followed by RiverCat ferries in the coming months.
To complement the installation of the GPS technology, the Government will also equip all Freshwater and SuperCat class vessels with "black box" vessel data recording systems, at an estimated cost of $680,000. Once operational, the data recording systems will assist in the collection of detailed operational, mechanical and geographic information. A tender will be let this month, and trials are expected to commence on a Freshwater class vessel early next year.
In line with recent upgrades to the Narrabeen, the Queenscliff and the Freshwater, the Government will spend approximately $1 million to upgrade the control systems on the Collaroy. The Collaroy was the last of the Freshwater class vessels acquired by Sydney Ferries in 1988, and it operates on a different control system from the other ferries in this class. This will now be standardised. Sydney Ferries is currently developing an implementation plan for the upgrade, which will be evaluated by the board on 27 October.
The New South Wales Maritime Authority is reviewing Sydney Ferries safety management systems to examine management oversight of operational issues, risk management, maintenance, the general arrangement of critical systems and equipment, the adequacy of internal communications, standard operating procedures, and emergency operating procedures. NSW Maritime intends to report back to Sydney Ferries by the end of the month. Sydney Ferries has also engaged the Australian Maritime College to assist in developing and implementing new training modules. The Australian Maritime College is one of the top providers of maritime education, training and research in the country. The project will help develop better procedures, familiarisation protocols, and enactment and practice of those procedures on a vessel.
I am further advised that Sydney Ferries has implemented new berthing rules for Freshwater class vessels and that the chief executive officer has directed that the approach patterns of all other boats be reviewed. The new procedure requires masters to approach wharves at Manly, Circular Quay and Balmain shipyard at low speed, and to take new precautions. For example, on approach to Circular Quay from Manly, a master must switch from sailing mode to manoeuvering mode no less than 100 metres from the wharf. The speed of the vessel in normal conditions should be less than four knots at two vessel lengths from the northern end of its berth. Sydney Ferries will also investigate the feasibility of additional crew on Freshwater class ferries to improve communication and interaction between masters and crew.
In addition, Sydney Ferries will undertake an investigation into whether a dedicated crew for the Collaroy is feasible. This review will consider what additional training and resources would be required to install such a crew, given that the mechanics and handling of the Collaroy are different from those of other Freshwater vessels. Sydney Ferries will create new positions at its Balmain shipyard to oversee engineering works and repairs, improve technical maintenance plans, and ensure that proper procedures are always followed. Finally, Sydney Ferries will commission a detailed risk review of its entire operating environment to improve safety, at an estimated cost of $40,000. The review will begin as soon as possible. It will identify hazards based on detailed risk assessments, and recommend strategies to address those risks.
The Government is committed to improving the safety and reliability of all our public transport services: train, bus and ferry. In light of the Collaroy incident, I have also asked the Ministry of Transport to work with Sydney Ferries to review its drug and alcohol testing program. These reforms are a comprehensive and dynamic response to the incidents I have previously detailed to the House. They will ensure that safety at Sydney Ferries remains at the highest possible standard.
BILAL SKAF SENTENCE REDUCTION APPEAL
Mr ANDREW TINK: My question is directed to the Attorney General. Given that the time for seeking leave to appeal to the High Court against the reduction in the sentence of gang rapist Bilal Skaf expires in two days, will the Attorney General seek leave to appeal to the High Court if the Director of Public Prosecutions does not do so?
Mr BOB DEBUS: The Government and I are continuing to take legal advice on that matter. We have made it plain that every reasonable legal avenue will be explored to place the matter before the High Court. 18324 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
TOWNS AND VILLAGES FUTURES PROGRAM
Mr NEVILLE NEWELL: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Regional Development. What action has the New South Wales Government taken to ensure the economic wellbeing of our small regional towns and villages?
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: I thank the honourable member for Tweed for his question and his ongoing interest in small communities. The Iemma Government directly supports the economic development of small regional towns, through its Towns and Villages Futures Program. The program encourages economic growth by providing funds for local projects in communities with fewer than 2,500 people. The State Government has committed $1.2 million over four years to the program, which started in the 2003-04 financial year. So far, 132 projects in 108 communities have received assistance through the Towns and Villages Futures Program and its precursor, the Townlife Development Program.
Members will be interested to hear that a further 22 projects have been offered funding this year. Another 10 communities will receive State Government assistance for community initiatives. Funds are provided for projects that give regional communities more secure futures by increasing economic growth and creating local jobs. Projects include community planning, marketing activities, and support for local events like festivals. A total of $162,665 has been allocated to successful applications in 2005. This includes $36,300 for four projects in the Hunter region involving communities in Bulahdelah, Gresford, Nabiac and the Wollombi Valley.
Four projects in the south-east region will receive $28,000 for the communities of Bermagui, Bungendore, Jugiong and Wee Jasper. The New South Wales Government will provide $61,990 for eight projects in the western region to benefit the towns of Baradine, Barmedman, Coolah, Kandos, Lake Cargelligo, Quambone, Rylstone, Tibooburra and Tullamore. Further, $18,000 will be provided to three projects for the Murray region communities of Brocklesby, Culcairn and Mathoura. In addition, $18,375 will be provided for three projects in the northern region communities of Bendemeer, Eastern Dorrigo Plateau, and Ebor.
Last year there were a number of regional successes because of this New South Wales Government program. This included funding for the Orara Valley Axemen Rugby League Football Club. Our assistance helped the club to develop a business and marketing plan to commercialise Coramba sportsground and promote the January 2005 Rugby League 7s Tournament at this venue, not far from Coffs Harbour. I note the appreciation of that fact by the honourable member for Coffs Harbour. The tournament attracted national media coverage and the National Rugby League intends to make the tournament an annual event at Coramba.
Members of the House will be interested to hear of the latest changes to the Towns and Villages Futures Program. On 1 January 2006 the program will be streamlined to more effectively foster growth in small regional communities. From the beginning of next year communities will be able to apply for towns and villages funding all year round instead of having to apply once a year. To reduce confusion, communities with a population of less than 2,000 will be eligible for funding under the Towns and Villages Futures Program. Larger communities will be able to apply under our Main Street/Small Towns Program. Changes to the program are in line with recommendations made in an independent review of the program in early 2005. This review also found the program has raised community profiles, enhanced community pride and has built community skills.
In contrast, let us have a look at the output of the policy juggernauts opposite: The Nationals. In June this year The Nationals held their party conference. In the fire storm of policy that exploded out of The Nationals, we received this gem: a $1 million country life program announced by the Leader of The Nationals to spend $1 million on incentives to attract 100,000 people to relocate in regional and rural New South Wales. That is about $10 a head! Later in his conference speech the Leader of The Nationals supposedly clarified his statement to say that The Nationals would pay nearly $20,000 a person to move. He announced that they had a $1 million program to relocate 100,000 people but he then announced that 100,000 people would receive $20,000 a head. That is a cost of $2 billion—not the $1 million he originally forecast, but 2,000 times higher! I trust that those who are keeping an eye on the spendometer have noticed that there is a difference between the $2 billion that such a program would cost and the $1 million that The Nationals announced. I notice that the Leader of the Nationals has disappeared. He does not want to hear this.
Mr Donald Page: Point of order: Further to your earlier ruling in relation to Standing Order 139, which states that a Minister must answer the question and not engage in debate, I put it to you that the Minister is at the moment engaging in debate and is not answering the question. I would ask you to bring him back to the leave of the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am inclined to uphold the point of order and ask the Minister to answer the question and to be mindful of the time he is taking to do so. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18325
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: We hear that sort of spurious point of order from the Opposition but we also note the embarrassed silence of Liberal members. There is that old saying about how you can pick your friends, but the Liberals, sure as eggs, will stick to The Nationals. The Nationals could save the $1 million that they plan to spend on this policy and buy something that would help with their policy. Perhaps they could immeasurably help their policy-making process by spending $1 million on a calculator and they could get themselves out of a bit of strife.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have already indicated that in my view the Minister has given a reasonably lengthy reply. I now ask him to conclude his reply.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: The policy targeted places like Orange, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga. When the Central Western Daily says, as it did recently, "Boom town still on a roll", when Orange City Council boasts on its Internet site that Orange has a high growth rate, and when all of the towns mentioned have a lower unemployment rate than the national average, one can see that that policy, even though it does not add up, can work. As I demonstrated in the first part of the answer to this question, the New South Wales Government supports regional communities and certainly supports small country towns and villages and hamlets throughout the State. We want to help them and we will support them to grow and to thrive.
Questions without notice concluded.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Routine of Business: Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders
Mr CARL SCULLY (Smithfield—Minister for Police, and Minister for Utilities) [3.46 p.m.]: I move:
That standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow for the following routine of business on Tuesday 11 October 2005:
(1) That the House consider forthwith a motion of condolence to the families and friends of the victims of the 1 October 2005 Bali bombings.
(2) At the conclusion of the speech by the Leader of the Opposition on the motion of condolence, the debate be adjourned and set down as an order of the day for resumption at 7.30 p.m.
(3) When the House returns from the joint sitting, the House consider the motion for urgent consideration set down for this sitting, followed by the taking of private members' statements at 5.15 p.m.
(4) The matter of public importance not be called on at this sitting.
(5) From 7.30 p.m. no divisions or quorums be called for the remainder of this sitting.
(6) At the conclusion of the consideration of the motion of condolence, the House, as a mark of respect, adjourn without motion moved until Wednesday 12 October 2005 at 10.00 a.m.
Mr ANDREW TINK (Epping) [3.47 p.m.]: Of course, the Opposition strongly supports the motion of condolence. However, I have a concern about paragraph 4 of the motion for suspension of standing and sessional orders, that the matter of public importance not be called on at this sitting. There is a pattern emerging, which is really disturbing from the Opposition's point of view, that whenever a matter of public importance is to be called on, it is almost guaranteed that for some reason or other the matter will not proceed. I see the Leader of the House has a wry smile on his face. All we ask is for a fair go on matters of public importance. We have not been getting a fair go for a long time. I move:
That the motion be amended by leaving out the word "not" in paragraph (4).
The amendment will allow the matter of public importance to proceed in a way that I understand will not conflict with the motion of condolence in any way and will allow us to have a matter of public importance, as we ought to be able to have from time to time. The matter of public importance today concerns the very important issue of the Pacific Highway, as raised by the honourable member for Coffs Harbour, who has been pursuing this matter assiduously, and he should be given a chance to speak on it this afternoon.
Question—That the words stand—put.
The House divided. 18326 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Ayes, 51
Ms Allan Mr Gaudry Mr Pearce Mr Amery Mr Gibson Mrs Perry Ms Andrews Ms Hay Ms Saliba Mr Bartlett Mr Hickey Mr Sartor Ms Beamer Mr Hunter Mr Scully Mr Black Mr Iemma Mr Shearan Mr Brown Ms Judge Mr Stewart Ms Burney Ms Keneally Ms Tebbutt Miss Burton Mr Lynch Mr Tripodi Mr Campbell Mr McBride Mr Watkins Mr Chaytor Mr McLeay Mr West Mr Collier Ms Meagher Mr Whan Mr Corrigan Mr Mills Mr Yeadon Mr Crittenden Mr Morris Mr Daley Mr Newell Tellers, Ms D'Amore Ms Nori Mr Ashton Mr Debus Mr Orkopoulos Mr Martin Ms Gadiel Mrs Paluzzano
Noes, 35
Mr Aplin Ms Hodgkinson Ms Seaton Mr Barr Mr Humpherson Mrs Skinner Ms Berejiklian Mr Kerr Mr Slack-Smith Mr Cansdell Mr Merton Mr Souris Mr Constance Ms Moore Mr Stoner Mr Debnam Mr Oakeshott Mr Tink Mr Draper Mr O'Farrell Mr Torbay Mrs Fardell Mr Page Mr J. H. Turner Mr Fraser Mr Piccoli Mr R. W. Turner Mrs Hancock Mr Pringle Tellers, Mr Hartcher Mr Richardson Mr George Mr Hazzard Mr Roberts Mr Maguire
Pairs
Ms Megarrity Mr Armstrong Mr Price Mrs Hopwood
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Amendment negatived.
Motion agreed to.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL VACANCY
Joint Sitting
At 4.00 p.m. the House proceeded to the Legislative Council to elect a person to fill the seat in the Legislative Council vacated by the Hon. Carmel Mary Tebbutt, resigned.
The House reassembled at 4.12 p.m.
Mr SPEAKER: I report that the House met with the Legislative Council in the Legislative Council Chamber to elect a member to fill the seat in the Legislative Council vacated by the Hon. Carmel Mary Tebbutt and that Penelope Gail Sharpe was duly elected. I table the minutes of proceedings of the joint sitting.
Ordered to be printed. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18327
BALI TERRORIST ATTACK
Mr MORRIS IEMMA (Lakemba—Premier, Treasurer, and Minister for Citizenship) [4.12 p.m.]: I move:
That this House expresses its profound sense of shock and sorrow at the deaths of Australian victims of the bombings in Bali on 1 October 2005 and the injuries sustained by others, and conveys its deepest sympathy to the friends and relatives of all those who have suffered.
Once again we come together in solemn remembrance, united in grief and sorrow. Once again we are bound in heartfelt sympathy for the friends and families of innocent Australians killed and maimed in Bali. Three years ago almost to the day we recoiled in shock and grief at the news of the slaughter of innocent lives on an island whose very name was synonymous with fun, with carefree rejoicing, and with the innocent pleasures of the young and the young at heart. Today we express again our sorrow and our grief, and not least our burning anger at a second atrocity in Bali, an atrocity no less hateful or barbarous for the fact that the toll of death and suffering was mercifully lower than before.
Our grief, our bitterness, our sympathy can never be measured in numbers but in the depth of feeling in our hearts. For the second time in the lives and memories of all of us, October has brought news of tragedy in Bali, of the cruel and sudden deaths of fellow Australians, of families destroyed, of children, parents, loved ones torn from those nearest and dearest to them. In this hour of remembrance our hearts and feelings go out also to the people of Bali, to the relatives of all those Balinese killed, injured and maimed, all those bereaved, all those whose hopes for a better life have been shattered, all those hardworking and cheerful Balinese people who have seen the prosperity of their island threatened once again, their hopes for the future set back and endangered.
Our hearts go out to the entire Indonesian people and their leaders who have seen their great country torn by mindless strife and violence less than a year after the unparalleled tragedy of the Boxing Day tsunami. But above all we remember our innocent Australian dead whose names are now engraved in our memories, our history, our consciousness: Colin and Fiona Zwolinski, Jennifer Williamson and 16-year-old Brendan Fitzgerald from Busselton in Western Australia. It has long been a tradition that a coffin brought back from abroad and draped in the Australian flag is a mark of respect for one who has fallen in the service of his or her country, a victim of war. When I saw the images of those flag-draped coffins on Sunday I reflected that so it was with the men and women whose lives we honour today. They, too, were victims of war, a war without boundaries or battlefields, a war of shadowy and unseen enemies, a war waged by the forces of fanaticism and hatred.
Let us never forget the reality of that war. Let us always see it for what it is: an attack on our fundamental values and our way of life. Jennifer Williamson was a victim of that war: 48 years old, a proud mother of three from the Newcastle suburb of Cooks Hill, who was described by her family as devoted, loving and loyal. Her husband, Bruce, was a victim of war. He is still in hospital in Singapore after operations to remove shrapnel from his eyes. Colin Zwolinski was a victim of that war. A mining executive dedicated to his business and the welfare of his workers, he was killed by a terrorist bomb. His wife, Fiona, was a victim of that war—a nurse, a mother who lived for her family, for their teenage children, Isaac and Ben. So too was 16-year- old Brendan Fitzgerald of Western Australia another casualty of the war.
At least seven other Australians were injured in the Bali blasts, and we remember and honour their names as well. They bore no hostility to their attackers. They had no quarrel with those who killed or maimed them. There was no hatred in their hearts. They saw no enemies among the friendly, laughing people who shared their final hours and days. Yet their lives were snuffed out or their bodies injured and torn by unknown assassins. Three years ago the tragedy fell most heavily on the people of Sydney's beachside suburbs, especially the surfing communities of Coogee and Bondi. In the latest atrocity the burden has fallen most heavily on the people of Newcastle, whose families, schools and businesses still reel from the shock of that evil assault. We remember them today as we pay tribute to the rescue workers, the professionalism of the police and officials, the untiring labours of the doctors and nurses in Bali and in Darwin and other hospitals in Australia, such as John Hunter, which cared for the injured.
To our good friends in Bali we say again: Maintain your courage, your strength, your good cheer, your valiant spirit. Look to your friends and neighbour Australia for help and whatever counsel we may offer as you rebuild your lives, your shattered businesses, your grief-torn families. And to those Australians who have suffered the sudden terrible loss of loved ones we say this: You are with us in our prayers, you are with us in our hearts. Your sacrifice, your great undeserved suffering in this strange and terrible war will always be remembered. As you cherish the memories of those who died and suffered on that dreadful day in Bali, I ask all honourable members to join me in this condolence motion. 18328 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Mr PETER DEBNAM (Vaucluse—Leader of the Opposition) [4.18 p.m.]: I am honoured to have the opportunity to join the Premier in speaking on this motion. I have not been to Bali but so many Australians have, and there is obviously a deep sense of emotion and respect for the Balinese. As the Premier said, this is not the first Bali bombing; this is the second Bali bombing and it has clearly hit Australians, as it has hit the Balinese and all Indonesians. Clearly, it was designed to undermine the economy of Bali and drive any foreigners out of that resort. Many Australians would echo the words of the Premier, "We will do whatever we can to support the Balinese in getting through this."
How many times in recent years have we spoken in this House about terrorism? There was the first Bali bombing, the recent London bombings, the embassy bombing in Jakarta, September 11 and a number of other attacks around the world. They are ongoing. Each time we make the same point: We must maintain our resolve. These are attacks on us all. They are not only attacks on the Balinese or on Australians holidaying in Bali; they are attacks on all Western democracies around the world. At every opportunity these terrorists will pursue democracies that are doing well and seek to undermine them. One of our responsibilities is to do what we can to support the countries that have been attacked. A number of Australians died in the recent bombings; the Premier has mentioned their names. On Thursday night I joined the Premier at the ceremony at Newcastle. Although I did not speak for long, I had the opportunity to acknowledge some of the families of the victims. I certainly remember Jennifer's brother, who was behind us in the church. It was a moving experience.
The young fellow Joseph Frost, who spoke on that evening, had 1,500 people in the palm of his hand as he spoke with real emotion and determination about the effects of the attacks on him, his friends and his family. He was in the bombing, of course, and he spoke with some humour about the bomb blast blowing his trousers off as he was standing there. Several times through his address he broke down, but he continued. It is worth mentioning a couple of the points he made. He was so Australian in the way he presented his emotions and arguments. He started by saying that the number one question in his mind was why it happened. He went on to say that apparently it is all about religion. Apparently it was wild radicals, whoever they are, who decided that whatever was being done was offensive to them. However, he made the point that all people were doing was eating dinner on the beach with their friends and families. Who does that offend? He went on to say, and we can all move forward with these words:
These are our darkest hours, the worst days of many of our lives. This sad and sickening act has torn us open but we will stand together and we will make it through.
They are inspirational words for us all as we deal with these ongoing terrorism attacks. We are here not only to support the families and friends of the victims, those who were killed and injured, we are also here to thank the emergency workers for moving so rapidly; the Australians for their support; the military, who were very quick off the mark to deliver medical services; the Indonesians, who clearly made considerable progress in timeliness of response after the first bombing; the many doctors and nurses who went from New South Wales and all the other States to assist; all the medical staff in Australia and Singapore who have provided assistance to the Australians; and all those who are determined to support Bali, and to ensure that tourism continues and the economy thrives.
Combating terrorism is all about vigilance and intelligence gathering. Clearly, we are getting better at that, but we have to ensure that the security forces get the full resources they need to do their job. As we are talking about victims being killed and injured, I mention the devastation caused by the earthquake in Pakistan and tens of thousands of people being killed in an instant. We are thinking of them. Those on this side of the House are delighted to join with the Premier in saying to all the families and friends of those killed and injured that our thoughts and prayers are with them and our determination to fight terrorism remains strong.
Pursuant to resolution debate adjourned.
CONSIDERATION OF URGENT MOTIONS
Drought Assistance
Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro) [4.24 p.m.]: I propose that today the following motion be given priority:
That this House notes:
(1) the significant improvement to drought figures for rural New South Wales for the month of October;
(2) recognises that the battle for rural communities is not yet over; and
(3) commends the New South Wales Government for its continued support of rural and regional communities affected by the drought. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18329
The House should discuss this urgent matter today. On the weekend we saw some of the best figures for rural New South Wales that we have seen for some time. October drought figures show that 38 per cent of New South Wales is drought declared, down from 77 per cent in September; 49 per cent is marginal, up from 22 per cent in September; and 13 per cent is satisfactory, up from only 1 per cent last month. They are the best figures since April 2002 and the single largest improvement in that time. It is important that the House reinforces to farmers and rural New South Wales that we understand that just because there has been good rain for a month or so and we have started to see some green in the pastures, the job is not over by a long shot. Only 13 per cent of the State is satisfactory at the moment. The rest is either marginal or drought declared, and we are heading into the hottest period of the year. Marginal areas could easily fall back into drought.
These good-news drought figures came out a couple of days ago, and it is urgent that we talk about the situation facing New South Wales farmers and show them that this House recognises their need for continued support. We also need to ensure that the broader community recognises that although we have had good rainfall figures for a month or so, farmers will not be forgotten. As members opposite keep saying, that is why the motion should be discussed urgently. It is urgent to continue to highlight that ongoing support of both the community and the Government for the farmers of New South Wales and that we are still there for them.
The New South Wales Government has spent more than $160 million in drought programs for our farmers. That includes more than $70 million in transport subsidies, $8.5 million in community disaster relief funding, $17.5 million for the State's share of the interest-rate subsidies under the Commonwealth's exceptional circumstances business support program, and more than $12 million in waived fees, including those relating to land leases, wild dog destruction, beekeepers and irrigators. It is urgent that we make sure people in rural New South Wales understand that, although conditions have improved over the past month, we will not forget about them. Many farmers still face serious problems because in most cases it will probably be years before they start to fully recover financially from the drought. There is always the danger, of course, that if we do not get decent follow-up rains the State could slip back into drought. I hope the Coalition will agree to my motion having priority. It is important that we show the media and the general public in the Sydney area that the drought has not gone away although the situation has started to improve.
It is urgent that we find out whether the Coalition will back up the farmers in New South Wales or continue to oppose motions moved by Country Labor in this place, as it did in the past couple of weeks when we raised urgent matters such as the sale of Telstra, petrol prices and roads. The drought is ongoing. We also need to debate this issue to reinforce for the Commonwealth that although this drought may end in the next few months or in a year, we need to be properly prepared for future droughts. We must ensure that our exceptional circumstances assistance and other forms of drought relief better meet the needs of the people of rural New South Wales whose lives have been so seriously disrupted by the recent devastating drought. I want to make sure farmers know that we understand that a little bit of green growth does not mean the end of their problems. I am sure Opposition members who represent rural electorates feel the same way. There is a long way to go and we are standing with the people of rural New South Wales.
ClubsNSW Annual Conference
Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [4.29 p.m.]: The Coalition has always supported farmers in this State and on many occasions initiated motions in this House about the drought. The ClubsNSW annual conference, which is being held at Tweed Heads this week, gives us an opportunity to bring to this House as a matter of urgency the plight of clubs in New South Wales. The Australian Labor Party has no interest in clubs or in the welfare of the 2.5 million people, many of whom live in regional and coastal towns, who hold 4.6 million club memberships. Many farmers utilise club services. In fact, most drought meetings in country towns have been held at clubs.
This morning the Minister for Gaming and Racing had an opportunity to address the ClubsNSW annual conference at Tweed Heads. I had the Royal Australian Air Force standing by to immediately fly to Sydney a cassette tape of the Minister's speech because I thought he would make an important statement in the light of the Coalition initiative, which was presented two days ago. One would imagine that in such a speech the first point would be the most important. As the first and most important point the Minister chose to advise the delegates of the spelling of the Premier's name. He spelt out I-e-m-m-a. When 1,600 delegates greeted the Leader of the Opposition no-one had to spell his name; they would not have got a word in edgewise. The Leader of the Opposition received a standing ovation and cheers to the rafters at the conclusion of his speech.
The survival of clubs is under threat because of the pernicious regime of taxation that was imposed by the Carr Government. That includes the current Premier, all the Ministers in Cabinet and all the Government members in caucus. They all stood up for the Government against the club movement. Whenever the Coalition has raised the increase in poker machine tax they have voted in favour of imposing and increasing Government 18330 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 taxes; they have not supported the clubs, including those in their own electorates. The Coalition has presented a memorandum of understanding that was signed in front of the 1,600 delegates at the annual conference. The memorandum states that the tax on clubs, which has already been increased, will be frozen at current rates. The government of the day will still collect $763 million over and above the previous tax regime. That is plenty. How about a fair go for clubs? How about giving them a chance to survive and to look to a future in which they can continue to foster light entertainment and to support their local communities, charities and sporting organisations? They are vital matters that affect our way of life and standard of living, particularly in areas that are heavily dependent on clubs and large retirement communities.
I listened to the entire tape of the Minister's speech; it was flown to me express. At the end of his speech the Minister built up to a crescendo. Using my stopwatch I counted seven seconds of dying applause. That is all the Minister got. The delegates thought he was going to speak of a vision for the industry and respond to the Coalition's initiative. There was no such response. So the delegates gave him seven seconds of dying applause—and I am being generous about the last two or three seconds. On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition got 45 seconds of thunderous applause, a standing ovation and cheers to the rafters. He continued his speech longer than he anticipated because he was constantly interrupted with cheers and applause as he made each of his points.
Our policy and our engagement with average Australians who are part of the club movement and the communities that depend so much on clubs is different to that of the Government. One commentator sent me an urgent SMS because he was so distressed at the lack of performance by the Minister. He said that the Minister was as flat as a pancake and lectured the clubs on the challenges they face. The only challenge the clubs face is getting rid of the Australian Labor Party Government. The Government did not respond to the Coalition's initiative that was released on Sunday. They rolled out an Acting Premier. The Premier said, "I'm off, you can be Acting Premier. Tell them there will be no response until Christmas." But even today there was no response from the Minister. [Time expired.]
Question—That the motion for urgent consideration of the honourable member for Monaro be proceeded with—put.
The House divided.
Ayes, 47
Ms Allan Ms Gadiel Mr Orkopoulos Mr Amery Mr Gaudry Mrs Paluzzano Ms Andrews Mr Gibson Mr Pearce Mr Bartlett Ms Hay Mrs Perry Ms Beamer Mr Hickey Ms Saliba Mr Black Mr Hunter Mr Sartor Mr Brown Ms Judge Mr Shearan Ms Burney Ms Keneally Mr Stewart Miss Burton Mr Lynch Mr Tripodi Mr Chaytor Mr McBride Mr Watkins Mr Collier Mr McLeay Mr West Mr Corrigan Ms Meagher Mr Whan Mr Crittenden Mr Mills Mr Yeadon Mr Daley Mr Morris Tellers, Ms D'Amore Mr Newell Mr Ashton Mr Debus Ms Nori Mr Martin
Noes, 34
Mr Aplin Mr Humpherson Mrs Skinner Mr Barr Mr Kerr Mr Slack-Smith Ms Berejiklian Mr Merton Mr Souris Mr Constance Ms Moore Mr Stoner Mr Debnam Mr Oakeshott Mr Tink Mr Draper Mr O'Farrell Mr Torbay Mrs Fardell Mr Page Mr J. H. Turner Mr Fraser Mr Piccoli Mr R. W. Turner Mrs Hancock Mr Pringle Mr Hartcher Mr Richardson Tellers, Mr Hazzard Mr Roberts Mr George Ms Hodgkinson Ms Seaton Mr Maguire 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18331
Pairs
Ms Megarrity Mr Armstrong Mr Price Mrs Hopwood
Question resolved in the affirmative.
DROUGHT ASSISTANCE
Urgent Motion
Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro) [4.45 p.m.]: I move:
That this House notes:
(1) the significant improvement to drought figures for rural New South Wales for the month of October;
(2) recognises that the battle for rural communities is not yet over; and
(3) commends the Government for its continued support of rural and regional communities affected by the drought.
I have great pleasure in moving this motion because the October drought figures, which were released on the weekend, demonstrated a significant improvement in regional New South Wales. They showed that 38 per cent of New South Wales is drought declared, down from 77 per cent in September; 49 per cent of New South Wales is marginal, up from 22 per cent in September; and 13 per cent is satisfactory, up from just 1 per cent last month. In addition to improvements, dam storage levels have reached 52 per cent capacity, up from 30 per cent in July this year. The recent spring rains have started to help our farmers in rural New South Wales, particularly in cropping areas, with some of the crop prospects looking quite good.
About 90 per cent of our potential winter crop is in the ground; most of it was sown late in the season by farmers who were pinning their hopes on some decent rain. If there are follow-up rains in October and November we could well be looking at the first decent crop in New South Wales for three years, and some income in farmers' pockets. In the electorate of Monaro, which I represent, as in many other parts of the south, we have started to see some green landscape, some pasture growth. However, it is important to note that, certainly in the Monaro area, we are still to see sufficient length on that growth to provide enough pasture for the long term. Follow-up rain is definitely needed there. This motion will let farmers know that the New South Wales Parliament continues to be right behind them. It will also let them know that all members of the New South Wales Parliament understand that although the figures have been encouraging, many areas remain marginal or drought declared, and if there is no follow-up rain a number of areas could fall back into drought. We will also need a lot more rain to fill up key dams around the State and provide water for irrigators.
The motion is also designed to highlight the New South Wales Labor Government's continued support for the State's farming community: it will continue to be there for farmers at every turn. The Government has spent more than $160 million in drought programs for farmers, including more than $70 million in transport subsidies, $8.5 million for the Community Disaster Relief Fund, $17.5 million for the State's share of interest rate subsidies under the Commonwealth's exceptional circumstances business support program, and more than $12 million in waived fees, including those relating to land leases, wild dog destruction, beekeepers and irrigators. The Government will continue to provide assistance, commensurate with the level of demand, as long as the State's farmers need help. The area that I represent has benefited from that assistance, which has included the provision of a drought support worker at Cooma. There are now 11 drought support workers throughout rural New South Wales and they are a tremendous benefit to farming families that have been challenged by this terrible, long-running drought.
The State Government has topped up its commitment by its contribution to the funding of the rural financial councillors program, which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State governments and local communities. The New South Wales Government's contribution amounts to approximately 25 per cent of the overall funding for the program and underpins the availability of this important service throughout the State. During the drought the Government has repeatedly provided more than its normal contribution. In fact, in the last three financial years, it provided an extra $25,000 for each rural financial counsellor. It has contributed nearly $2.7 million to support the 30-plus rural financial counsellors since the start of the drought in 2002, a 45 per cent increase in State support since Labor came to office. 18332 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
The State Government has expanded access to the Drought Household Relief Program, which is administered through the Department of Community Services and assists families to meet basic expenses, such as the payment of household bills. Previously, the scheme did not provide for access when an area was not rolled over by the Commonwealth under its exceptional circumstances [EC] program. In May 2005, the Government announced that it would amend the guidelines to ensure that farmers in areas that are drought declared under New South Wales guidelines have access to the scheme, even if they lost their EC income support provisions. That important policy change was designed to ensure more farmers would be able to access the Drought Household Relief Program. We have seen a strong commitment from the Government during this drought, and that commitment will be ongoing while farmers continue to need drought relief and assistance. I hope that today we will receive unanimous support in acknowledging that this Parliament recognises that, despite many areas of the State starting to look green again, we have a long way to go and people continue to need support.
Hopefully, with decent follow-up rain we will see an end to the drought. However, it is important to make sure we keep pressure on the Federal Government to improve the system of drought assistance for future droughts. I think we all now accept that global warming—which the Federal Government, unfortunately, will not properly address—is likely to cause more severe droughts in the future. We need to ensure that as well as urging the community to properly address global warming we also put in place better drought relief measures. During this drought New South Wales has fought for a better way to assess severe droughts, via a national agricultural monitoring system. For nearly two years the State Government has pushed the Commonwealth to agree to implement an objective, climate-based model to improve the way it assesses drought and awards exceptional circumstances declarations. This model would use rainfall data, soil moisture, water availability and pasture growth. Currently, rainfall is the major factor considered, but obviously it is not always the best measure of drought.
At the April 2005 Primary Industries Ministerial Council meeting, New South Wales was able to gain agreement from the Commonwealth that Federal and State governments would work together to fund the system's development and maintenance. This is a major step forward, as the national agricultural monitoring system could assist in streamlining the drought assessment process. On other occasions in this place we have debated problems with exceptional circumstances assistance, the rollover process, and the difficulties people have encountered in accessing assistance.
I am reminded of previous debates regarding the drought, in which Coalition members told us how much the Commonwealth intended to spend on drought relief. At that time I emphasised, as I do again, that many farmers in the drought-stricken Monaro area, which I represent, are simply unable to access drought relief because of the conditions imposed. For example, one farmer who was assessing how he would provide feed for his stock questioned whether he should purchase feed on the market. He decided to buy a neighbouring property that had some feed on it, to feed his stock. It was a smart, long-term move for him. But he was ruled ineligible for exceptional circumstances support because he had purchased property in a certain time frame. That example simply shows that the conditions relating to exceptional circumstances assistance are inappropriate.
In its recent reconciliation of its 2004-05 budget, the Commonwealth revealed that part of its $13.6 billion surplus represents a massive underspending in the Department of Primary Industries. A large amount of that money relates to the Commonwealth's underspending on assistance for farmers. Once again, I warned that the Commonwealth would promote that it would spend $1 billion but that it would not get it to farmers. Again we have been vindicated in saying that the exceptional circumstances conditions and criteria need to change and that the Federal Government has to work with the States to ensure that people who are eligible for that money actually get it, rather than having it go into Peter Costello's pocket. Indeed, I noticed in the reconciliation of the budget that that portfolio underspent by $456 million, but that the explanatory paper suggested the underspending was only $94 million in the drought assistance program. So I am not sure which of those figures is correct.
This is an important opportunity for the House to show that it still supports farmers. It is disappointing that once again The Nationals, with its appalling recent record of lack of support for rural New South Wales, voted against debating this motion to support New South Wales farmers. I hope The Nationals will vote for the motion and show that they give farmers some support, rather than adding to their appalling record of recent weeks of voting against debating the sale of Telstra, the impact of high petrol prices in New South Wales, and roads. What an appalling record from The Nationals!
Mr IAN SLACK-SMITH (Barwon) [4.55 p.m.]: I was quite enjoying the honourable member for Monaro's contribution until the end when he ran completely off the rails and ruined his entire speech. The House 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18333 notes the significant improvement in drought figures in rural New South Wales during the month of October. Five days ago I travelled from my farm in Burren Junction to Tumbarumba, in the south-western part of the State. All the way down, the countryside looked a picture; it looked great. There is good feed there, although it is not very solid yet because it has been a bit cold. Last June was the second-wettest June we have had on record, 1930 having been wetter, and consequently there has been good rain in many areas. Run-off in some of the dams has not been very good because the ground has been taking up all the moisture. For example, Burrendong Dam is still low, at 30 per cent of capacity, Copeton Dam is at 30 per cent of capacity, Keepit Dam is at 38 per cent of capacity, and Pindari and Split Rock dams are still low. So we have a long way to go yet before we can say that the drought is well and truly over.
The third paragraph of the motion congratulates the State Government on its continued support of rural and regional communities affected by the drought. But let us talk about some of the real issues with regard to the State Government's continued support. For example, last year's budget for noxious weeds was $5 million. Noxious weeds cost New South Wales primary industries $4 billion per year. By way of contrast, Toowoomba council's budget for running its gardens in the city of Toowoomba, which is somewhat smaller than the State of New South Wales, is $7 million. So the Government has treated the farmers of New South Wales with such disdain—
Mr Steve Whan: That's where our GST is going.
Mr IAN SLACK-SMITH: If you want to make smart comments, let us look at the agricultural budget. Last year that budget was cut by $37 million, and this year it has been cut by $54 million. That is caring for regional and rural New South Wales! That is caring for primary industries! Next year the Government is looking at cutting $58 million from the agricultural budget. So much for Country Labor having a big say in regional New South Wales!
Under the FarmBiz program, over a three-year period New South Wales was to receive $30 million from the Federal Government. But that did not occur. The worst Minister for Agriculture we have ever had, he in the other place, replaced that program with a $5.8 million FarmBiz program that was an absolute abysmal failure. Let us see how much this Government cares about New South Wales producers. A total of 450 producers are owed $2.4 million under the failed ovine Johne's disease scheme. So much for Country Labor! So much for what it has been spruiking about New South Wales producers being supported by this Sydney-centric Labor Government. Country Labor has no say at all in caucus; it is only there as a tool for the Government to feel good.
In July the Minister mooted the First Farmer Scheme and committed $3 million to it. More than 1,000 farmers showed interest in the scheme, but not one dollar was forthcoming. Where did that money go? Probably into the cross-city tunnel! Let us look at rail line closures. As we speak the Baradine-Binnaway line is about to be closed, leaving wheat wagons stranded. We are now looking at a record wheat crop in New South Wales in many of these areas, but all of it will simply go by road. The Government needs to be a bit fair dinkum about this and stop being so hypocritical.
In its submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal [IPART] the State Water Corporation requested that the tribunal increase charges in relation to general security irrigation water, which is a very rare commodity in New South Wales. I will just read out the increases in the charges: Border Rivers, an increase of 112 per cent from last year; the Gwydir River, a 146.2 per cent increase from last year; the Namoi, a 102 per cent increase. Let us compare this with the North Coast, for example: a 1,196 per cent increase in charges, and the water supply charges for towns and for permanent farms, such as orchards and vineyards, on the North Coast have increased by 3,779 per cent. So much for this Government being sympathetic to regional and rural New South Wales. The Peel River, which is upstream from the Namoi, a 102 per cent increase; Macquarie, a 117 per cent increase. It gets worse and worse. In the South Coast there is a 484 per cent increase.
This Government has been talking about what it is doing and how it is caring for regional and rural New South Wales. It is interesting that the honourable member for Monaro, who is leading this debate, did not mention anything about prices in his address. Most of us are aware that there are record sheep and cattle prices at the moment. The prices have been extraordinarily good, but of course grain prices and cotton prices are probably the worst they have ever been. Over the past 20-odd years grain prices in New South Wales have been slowly falling. A lot of producers are looking at flicking the wool producers and going into fat lamb production simply because it is very difficult to survive with the wool industry the way it is.
But the honourable member for Monaro would not know anything about that. He is here as a Country Labor member but he does not know a single thing about agriculture. It is interesting that he does not know anything about inland New South Wales, and I acknowledge that the Monaro has been very badly hit with 18334 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 drought in previous years, but all of a sudden he is jumping up and down now that things are getting a bit better. I am very surprised that the honourable member for Monaro has not claimed that the Government is responsible for bringing the rain. I am waiting for him to say that in his reply. The honourable member mentioned freight transport drought subsidies.
It is interesting that it was the marvellous Minister in the other place who abolished the subsidies. Then there was a tremendous fanfare when the Minister decided to reintroduce the subsidies. He congratulated himself and Country Labor on their efforts in returning the freight subsidies, when it was they who abolished them in the first place! What a joke! It was not all that long ago that they threatened to cut back the Trangie Agricultural Research Station, sell off some of the land, and put that money into consolidated revenue. It was only through a lot of pushing both politically and from local government in the Trangie area that the Minister finally saw a bit of commonsense and let it be. If this is how this Government treats people in agriculture, goodness gracious me, the future does not look all that good.
It is interesting that the honourable member for Monaro has been extolling the virtues of this Government but I can honestly say I do not think there is one iota of evidence of this Government assisting people in regional and rural New South Wales; it all seems to be completely Sydney-centric. The proposed IPART water charges will crucify a lot of producers, especially in the citrus industry and especially down south. The drought is not over but the situation looks very promising; there will be a decent wheat crop all over New South Wales this year. It will not be a record crop but it will be very close to it in some places. As far as this side of the House is concerned, the Government has done very, very little for agriculture in New South Wales.
Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [5.05 p.m.]: It is always a pleasure to support the honourable member for Monaro. I add to his comments about the conduct of the Opposition this afternoon when The Nationals voted against discussing drought. I gather they were too afraid to discuss drought, but they had forgotten about the honourable member for Barwon. The honourable member for Barwon has always been fair—at least on drought matters—in this Chamber, and he did not dispute the figures put on the table this afternoon by the honourable member for Monaro. I also recognise the Minister for Western Sydney, Minister for Fair Trading, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Commerce, who has been out to Broken Hill and Bourke in drought situations—very bad drought situations. Members might note that that is where the silver necklace, the silver earrings and the silver bracelet came from.
On 28 September I had the good fortune to be with Adam Bannonock—a great adviser to the Minister for Primary Industries—who acted as my driver to Ivanhoe, which is a little over 300 kilometres from Broken Hill. There we were on the dirt road from Menindee to Ivanhoe, 206 kilometres, 26 single-lane grids, well- maintained by the shire, and not one head of stock. The country is absolutely magnificent. We have had rain but now, instead of having a water drought we have a cash drought, and, in very simple terms, our graziers have not got the cash now to restock. Mention has been made today about stock prices. The fact is that our people have not got the money to restock and they cannot go to fat lambs because, as the honourable member for Barwon ought to know, that kind of country is not fat lamb country; it is Bungaree land; it is wool sheep land; and that is about the end of it. It is never going to be fat lamb country unless there are some pretty rabid changes with genetic engineering.
Mr Ian Slack-Smith: Point of order: The honourable member for Murray-Darling has forgotten the Dorper, which is a South African variety of sheep.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marianne Saliba): Order! There is no point of order.
Mr PETER BLACK: My driver, Maurice Phillips, was one of the first seven to import Damaras to Australia. The honourable member for Barwon has forgotten that. I do not want a lecture from the honourable member for Barwon on the character of sheep, although I recognise that some members of The Nationals seem to have a very close association with sheep, which perhaps they should not have. On 6 October I opened the Carribee Field Day, Carribee being about 30 kilometres to the east of Buronga. Again, 266 kilometres and not one head of stock.
Mr Thomas George: Point of order: I take exception to the comments made by the honourable member for Murray-Darling as to sheep and what possibly could happen with them. I would ask the honourable member to withdraw those remarks.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marianne Saliba): Order! There is no point of order. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18335
Mr PETER BLACK: There is one thing for sure: our people know how to shear them; I think The Nationals have forgotten. I am going to get on to a really nasty subject: John Cobb—the most unlikely Minister for Multiculturalism we have ever had. His only contribution as Federal Minister for Multiculturalism has been to tell the ladies to wear headscarves as a fashion statement.
Ms Katrina Hodgkinson: Point of order: I do not think many women would have a concern about wearing a headscarf as a form of regular dress. I take exception to the honourable member's comments in relation to that.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marianne Saliba): Order! There is no point of order.
Mr PETER BLACK: A lot of people take exception to John Cobb when he makes those sorts of statements.
Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order—
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marianne Saliba): Order! This is the last improper point of order I will hear.
Mr Barry O'Farrell: Mine is a proper point of order. Nothing in the motion put forward by the honourable member for Monaro allows the honourable member for Murray-Darling to attack the Federal member on completely unrelated matters.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marianne Saliba): Order! The speaking time of the honourable member for Murray-Darling has expired.
Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON (Burrinjuck) [5.10 p.m.]: I speak tonight on drought figures for rural New South Wales for the month of October and the general recognition that the battle for rural communities is far from over. As my colleague the honourable member for Barwon said, the grass is now looking nice and lush, but we are heading into a hot summer and a bad bushfire season because of the amount of ground fodder. There is no doubt that the figures are extremely poor. This time last year the figure was as high as 92 per cent and even though we have dropped a few percentage points, over the next few months the figure could very easily increase to the previous obscene figure.
A big problem facing farmers this year in the Burrinjuck electorate and much of the southern parts of the State has been the cost of, and access to, fodder. Access has been difficult because all farmers have needed fodder and the law of supply and demand state that something in demand will end up costing a lot. It is not uncommon for farmers in my electorate to pay a significant amount for loads of fodder, such as $8,000 to $10,000 per shift every 7 to 10 days. Wool clip prices this year are half those of two years ago, so often the cost of fodder is double the value of their wool clip. This drought, which has been ongoing for several years, has made things extremely tough for farmers. Even people with the best of intentions may, several years later, concede that the industry is not going as well as they had hoped.
I take exception to paragraph (3) of the motion. The Government has been dragged kicking and screaming to assist with changes to Goulburn's water supply. A few months ago drinking water was limited to several litres per person per day, and patients in hospital were asked to bathe only every second day. The Government has consistently failed to adequately upgrade water supplies for country towns. It has significantly diminished the value of the Country Towns Water Supply and Sewerage Program to a level that no future government could possibly do. It is at an all-time low. The Government abolished the country timber bridge program, which has resulted in temporary closures of several major rural transport routes, including the Gundaroo Bridge. The closure has resulted in heavy vehicles having to travel an extra 30 to 40 kilometres on dirt roads to transport fodder to farmers or transport livestock to various destinations.
In the short time I have available it is important that I put on record that mental health problems and depression have seriously affected many farmers during the drought. Suicide remains an extremely serious problem in rural New South Wales, notably within my electorate. There is a serious shortage of rural counsellors and if this Government seeks to pat itself on the back for providing mental health services and rural counsellors, it is extremely misguided and hypocritical. This is a huge problem throughout rural New South Wales and the Government has a hell of a lot to answer for. Much more is required in rural New South Wales that this Government continually fails to acknowledge and deliver on. It is high time that we saw a change of Government so the people of rural New South Wales can be looked after in the manner they deserve. [Time expired.]
Pursuant to resolution business interrupted. 18336 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS
______
HOMELESSNESS
Mr PAUL GIBSON (Blacktown) [5.15 p.m.]: I speak on an issue that is really above politics and has been brought to my attention by many of my constituents. I refer to the plight of the homeless in this State and nation. The New Year started off badly for world affairs. First, there was the tsunami last Boxing Day, when Australians reacted as expected by putting their hands in their pockets and many millions of dollars went overseas to support victims of the tsunami. We did ourselves proud. Then Cyclone Katrina hit New Orleans and Australians again put their hands in their pockets and sent $10 million to America to help the people of New Orleans. Only recently, Pakistan experienced a shocking earthquake and again we did ourselves proud by donating $5 million—although I note that as yet nothing has gone to Mexico.
Tonight, however, I speak about our own home-grown problem—the homeless in this city, State and nation. This morning I walked around Parliament House, which I do on many mornings. By the side of the State Library 15 to 20 men were sleeping on newspapers or bits of cardboard. They are there rain, hail or shine; any time of the day or night, they are there. What are we doing to help these people? Goodwill has to be seen and practised at home as well as on the world stage. Charity begins at home. I often question whether we really care. The homeless do not appear in the headlines, they have very little voting power but they are our brothers and sisters; they are the forgotten tribes, the ones we turn a blind eye to.
The homeless are young, old, down on their luck and lacking self-respect. They have little hope for the future. My dad used to always say, "Judge no man until you walk in his moccasins" and "There but for the grace of God go I." How true those statements are when one sees these homeless people every day. Let me provide some figures that the Parliament should note. In the last census, in the Sydney growth area alone 15,456 people were homeless, Western Australia had 11,700, Queensland had 24,600, New South Wales had 26,700, Victoria had 20,300, South Australia had 6,800 and Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory also had homeless people. This means that in excess of 103,000 people are homeless in Australia.
Today I spoke with Radek Folwarczny, a friend of mine from the Matthew Talbot Hostel, who provided me with some astounding figures. For the 12 months ended 30 June 2005 the Matthew Talbot Hostel served 240,000 meals to the needy and the homeless. The number of people that they assisted and who stayed at the hostel during the past financial year was a mammoth 48,000. There but for the grace of God go I! The homeless are our tsunami, our Cyclone Katrina, and our earthquake. Every State must address the problem of homelessness and so, too, must the Federal Government. These people need help; they are occurring on our guard. We have all seen them and we must assist them. I first made a speech in this Chamber on the homeless about five or six years ago but nothing has changed. I believe it will only change if it is the whim of the Parliament to make that change.
The issue of homelessness goes beyond politics. Homeless people have been affected virtually in the same way as those affected by the cyclones and tsunamis, and we have done nothing to help them. I would like an Australia-wide appeal to see what we can do for the homeless people in this city, this State and this nation because they need help, the same as the people affected by hurricane Katrina, the tsunami and the recent earthquake. I implore the Parliament to look at the homeless issue, about which we can and should do something.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [5.20 p.m.]: I commend the honourable member for Blacktown for raising this important issue in our community. I commend him also for being renowned as a champion of the battlers in our community; he has always been that way. The honourable member referred to the Matthew Talbot Hostel, with which I have been associated for more than 10 years. As the honourable member said, the fact that almost 250,000 meals are provided to 48,000 people each year is indicative of a major issue in our community. One day the honourable member pointed out to me that homeless people spend evenings in the area below my office, between the State Library and Parliament House. That brought the issue home to me and everyone else. On behalf of the Government, I commend the honourable member for what he has done in raising this important issue and for suggesting a way forward in dealing with it.
TRIBUTE TO JOHN BROGDEN, A FORMER LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
Mr BARRY O'FARRELL (Ku-ring-gai—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [5.21 p.m.]: Most people leaving this Chamber get the opportunity of a final speech and those of us remaining have the chance to pay 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18337 tribute to them. John Brogden resigned as the member for Pittwater on Wednesday 29 September, and I want to take a few minutes to pay tribute to John's contribution in this place. Let me state John's parliamentary record: elected at a by-election on 25 May 1996 and sworn in on 4 June, John served for nine years, four months and four days. Following the 1999 election, John joined the front bench as shadow Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Sydney Water and Youth Affairs. On 28 March 2002 he was elected Leader of the Opposition, a position he held until his resignation from that position on 1 September 2005. That recital of facts does neither justice to John Brogden nor his contribution to the State. John's passion for politics is best exemplified by his decision, aged 16 and, as he always added, "in his school uniform", to join the Liberal Party.
While we both worked as advisers during the Greiner Government, I got to know John well when he was President of the New South Wales Young Liberals and I was the party's State Director. What impressed me about John then, and thereafter, was his interest in taking the Liberal message beyond the party faithful. Not for him the satisfaction of the petty internal games that preoccupy too many activists across all political parties; instead, John gained satisfaction from articles, speeches and debates that took Liberal beliefs and values to a wider audience. John had two unsuccessful attempts at preselection. In 1991 he stood for Liberal selection in Drummoyne and lost—an outcome I shared that season in Coogee—and in 1994 he was the runner-up in the selection that saw Peter Debnam elected in Vaucluse.
Happily, John only had to wait for two more years and the retirement of Jim Longley to enter this Parliament as the member for Pittwater. John genuinely loved Pittwater and its people. He always boasted that it was the best, "the most beautiful", electorate in New South Wales. John's passion for Pittwater encompassed its people and their activities. He actively participated in what might be characterised as the Pittwater lifestyle— surf clubs, bush fire brigade, boating and numerous other social groups existing in the electorate. John especially enjoyed his work with local schools, and annually entertained his school captains at Parliament House. John fought for many local issues throughout his nine years as the member for Pittwater, but I would adjudge his determination to save Mona Vale Hospital as being at the top of the list.
As his shadow Minister for Health, I knew the depth of his commitment to the hospital's retention, and I note that John and Lucy chose Mona Vale Hospital for their son's birth. In this and other areas, John was never hypocritical; he did not argue one thing and do the opposite. However, John's contribution extended far beyond the electorate of Pittwater. As New South Wales Liberal leader—a title he preferred to the more negative Leader of the Opposition—John had an impact upon the whole State. Whether leading the battle for improved rail safety in the wake of the Waterfall disaster, improved health care following the Camden-Campbelltown revelations, or the fight to end the unfair vendor tax, John Brogden's political activities had a beneficial effect for the people of the State.
In commenting on John's resignation as leader, I also highlighted another area of statewide importance—mental health. John had the attributes that good leaders need: the capacity to enthuse people and bring media focus on less fashionable issues. He had a genuine and longstanding commitment to the plight of the homeless, and he recognised that many were homeless because of mental health problems. At the 2003 election John Brogden was the only party leader to release a policy on mental health. Earlier this year he made the groundbreaking decision to appoint a shadow Minister for Mental Health—a first in State or national politics. His argument was clear: mental health issues would never get the attention they deserve without a Minister representing their interests at the Cabinet table.
The fact that the Premier announced the appointment of a Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Mental Health) six months later is proof of John's political acumen and effectiveness. For the Liberal Party— John's passion for 20 of his 36 years—he delivered unity. I spent my first seven years in this place in a dysfunctional party, not focused on winning; nor providing party supporters or the wider public with an effective alternative government. John changed that; he got us refocused and working hard. He led by example, setting a cracking pace as he endeavoured, through media appearances and public events, to hold Labor accountable for its failures and to outline alternative Liberal policies. We owe John credit for our standing in the polls. John of course was not perfect; few saints have found their way into legislative chambers anywhere in the world.
I could argue that my relegation to the back bench upon John's assumption of the leadership was proof of his imperfection, but I have publicly acknowledged that, while unwelcome at the time, it gave me time out to renew my political motivation and purpose. I do not intend to rehash the final steps in John's political career. I simply point out that he apologised for his indiscretion and by resigning as leader he paid a high price for his actions. The matter should have ended there and, had it done so, John Brogden would still be contributing to the 18338 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 public life of this State. But he is not, and I cannot help feeling that this place, my party room and the State will be all the poorer for his absence from the political scene. Central to John's achievements are his family, and he paid tribute to them in his maiden speech. In speaking of his wife, John said:
Public life makes great demands not only on members of Parliament but also on their partners.
Lucy Brogden was a political partner in the every sense during John's time in this place. She shares his achievements; she too deserves our thanks and acknowledgements. Lucy is certainly in our prayers and thoughts as she and John continue along the path to the full recovery we wish for him. I conclude by quoting the two last lines of John's maiden speech. He started by quoting Robert Kennedy:
New politics is a reaffirmation of the best within the great political traditions; to righting the wrongs; compassion to those who suffer and a willingness to think and act anew.
He finished his speech by adding:
When I leave this place I hope that I will have achieved that goal and made a difference for Pittwater and New South Wales.
Despite John Brogden's truncated tenure in this place, he fulfilled that hope. I pay tribute to him. I wish him both good health and a fulfilling future.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [5.26 p.m.]: I too offer my sincere best wishes to John Brogden and his family, and I wish him a speedy recovery. All of us in the Parliament realise that this is not a political situation; it is a personal tragedy, and we all feel deeply about it. As I said, we wish John and his family a speedy recovery from these difficult circumstances.
PORT STEPHENS COMMUNITY BAND TENTH ANNIVERSARY
Mr JOHN BARTLETT (Port Stephens) [5.27 p.m.]: This coming Saturday, 15 October, at the Soldiers Point Bowling Club, the Port Stephens Community Band is celebrating its tenth anniversary. I shall highlight some of the events over those 10 years. I have been the chair of the Port Stephens Sister Cities Committee since 1988. Back then the Port Stephens Sister Cities Committee decided that if we were to have exchanges and build friendships with people overseas we needed some Port Stephens groups for those overseas visits. Therefore, we decided that we would form a Port Stephens Community Band and a Port Stephens community choir, which subsequently became a junior choir and a senior choir. So the impetus for the formation of the Port Stephens Community Band was the Sister Cities Committee. Initially, the committee worked for about a year behind the scenes and in late 1995 a motion was moved at Port Stephens Council to set up the Port Stephens Community Band as a 355B committee of council.
I acknowledge the work done by the original committee and subsequent committee members. I acknowledge the work done by Neil Strang, David Hicks, Brenda Young, especially for the administrative work she did initially in setting up the band, Patti Bowden from Port Stephens Council, Fran Corner, who has been the treasurer for 10 years and who is totally involved in trying to make the band successful, Metta Henderson, Ian Sugden, Bronwyn Mitchell and, more recently, Christine Judd from Port Stephens Council.
When the band was set up its object was to develop a sense of community identity and belonging by involving youth and adults in community cultural projects. It was also to encourage all members of the community to participate, placing an emphasis on tutoring individual musical skills and combining those skills in a brass, concert or stage band for civic, cultural or other activities. Over the past 10 years there have been many of those. The band did joint performances at events with the choir and different dance groups. They were the backdrop to a Tateyama Wings Choir visit from our sister city in Japan. In November 1998 the band performed at the National Sister Cities Conference opening, which was held in Port Stephens. In December 1998 we organised a New Zealand sister city visit to Tauranga, and they played at the mayoral band day held every November in the park at Fly Point as well as being involved in festivals, school fairs and Anzac Day. For many years on Anzac Day the band marched on the Tilligerry Peninsula and subsequently they have played at the cenotaph as the marchers arrived.
Did the band achieve its aims? It did. In some cases whole families became involved. I will talk briefly about the Henderson family. Metta was involved with the committee as well as being in the band for the whole of this time. Frank, her husband, joined about four years ago. The kids, Martin, Kim, Alison and Clarence, have all been involved in the band. Clarence, being the youngest of the children, has moved on to guitar and plays a 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18339 wonderful didgeridoo. When we have cultural functions in Port Stephens we get Clarence out with his didgeridoo. It is amazing what that young man can do with the didgeridoo.
I conclude by thanking Michelle Sciberras, who has been the director of the band for 10 years. Councillor Helen Brown has been councillor on the committee for the past few years, and Annette Thomson has also done some wonderful work keeping the band going. Michelle's dedication in turning up to practices, in organising workshops, in organising the uniforms and working on the equipment has been amazing. To Michelle I say congratulations on the great job she has done with the band for more than 10 years. It is a credit to you and to all the community members involved. I look forward to the event this Saturday evening.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [5.32 p.m.]: I commend the efforts of the honourable member for Port Stephens, both in his role as local councillor and subsequently as the local State member, in promoting social infrastructure within his community. I commend him also for bringing to the attention of Parliament the efforts of the Port Stephens Community Band in providing a service to its community for more than a decade.
RONALD McDONALD BEACH HOUSE, FORSTER
Mr JOHN TURNER (Myall Lakes) [5.32 p.m.]: Tonight I commend a wonderful community project under way in my electorate—the Ronald McDonald Beach House. It consists of four holiday cabins on the beautiful foreshores of Wallis Lake. These cabins, which overlook the water, will be made available free of charge specifically for the use of seriously ill children and their families, who are unable to take holidays due to expenses incurred when children are in and out of hospital constantly. The cabins will also be made available for bereaved families, particularly where young children have tragically passed away.
This has been a dream of, particularly, Ross Presgrave, a well-known local fundraiser, and Adam Sherman, the McDonald's franchisee. Ross Presgrave has left no stone unturned in pursuing this matter. Often it takes enormous time to get these things up and running, but it has been just over two years since they really got into this and in the scheme of things it has been a great example of how a community and governments at all levels can pull together. The cabins are on Crown land. The council is trustee of the Crown land and had to give initial consent. The council then sought the consent of the Department of Lands on the basis that the Forster- Tuncurry area had been selected as an ideal location, not only because of the natural beauty of the beaches and national parks but also because it was only two hours from medical facilities in Newcastle, and of course Taree has Manning Base Hospital.
There were hold-ups in planning within the Department of Lands as some reshuffling was going on, but it was subsequently approved. Council approved the development application and the development got under way. With Ross Presgrave driving non-stop, the development is now reaching fruition. As I said, it is an example of how a community can pull together. The Great Lakes Council was very co-operative. It pushed for it and gave the necessary approvals. A few months ago the Great Lakes community had raised more than $100,000, and I daresay the amount has increased since then. Ronald McDonald House Charities have contributed $200,000 and the Commonwealth Government has pledged $150,000.
The real community participation is shown in the fact that most of the buildings will be donated in one form or another. These include the time of the builder, Peter Shepperd. Neil Elkington, who owns Harvey Norman, will be donating all the white goods and electrical products. Town Plumbing Supplies owned by the Buderus family and Colemans Plumbing Supplies—some from Newcastle may recognise that name—will be assisting. Allan Caldwell is arranging for the roofing and fencing to be donated through Metroll and Bluescope Steel. East Coast Photography will be helping. The McNamara family will be doing the trusses and I believe there is a possibility that the Seven network's Better Homes and Gardens program has expressed an interest in the construction and landscaping of the cabins for an upcoming program.
This project has been embraced by the whole of the community and we are hopeful it will be completed and up and running by Christmas. It will assist those young people particularly, and their families who are under enormous stress. It is bad enough when anyone is sick, but when young people become sick with debilitating cancers, and so on, there is enormous worry and stress. In some way this project will help towards relieving some of that stress and worry. Only a small number of these cabins are scattered throughout Australia. We believe these will be forerunners of more in other parts of the State. Ross Presgrave is to be highly commended. With many of these things it is better to have a committee of one. He certainly was not a committee of one, as many more people were involved, but a committee is only as good as the guy who drives it, and he has certainly been driving it very hard. 18340 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [5.37 p.m.]: I commend the honourable member for Myall Lakes for bringing to the attention of the House the Ronald McDonald Beach House project on Myall Lakes. I support him in his commendations of all those who have contributed to the success of the project. From personal experience of knowing people whose children are in similar circumstances, I know that the Ronald McDonald House program is an outstanding success. It makes a major contribution to those families and to our community. It is a great benefit to everyone to have such a program in one's community.
EDWIN WHEELER OVAL UPGRADE
Mr PAUL LYNCH (Liverpool) [5.38 p.m.]: I draw to the attention of the House the need for improvements to be undertaken at Edwin Wheeler Oval. The oval is the home ground of the Valley United Junior Rugby League Football Club. The ground is located in Green Valley at the intersection of Cartwright and Maxwell avenues, at the junction of the suburbs of Sadlier, Ashcroft and Cartwright. The club has been trying for a considerable time to have improvements made at the oval. As long ago as 1999 I inspected the oval's facilities with club officials and then made written representations to the mayor of Liverpool. The first item raised in this letter was the need to improve lighting at the ground, especially to assist with night-time training. A number of problems with the canteen were highlighted. Improvements to the ceiling and walls were needed, and shelving was needed. The roller shutter needed to be replaced with bars. The toilets also needed repairs and repainting. The doors on the various buildings needed replacement. There were also other issues. Part of my letter read:
I would be pleased if you could look urgently into this problem. My own suspicion is that the matters above for the most part could be rectified without enormous expenditure. There does not seem to have been great expenditure over the last thirty years on this ground. It is of course one of the premier locations in Green Valley.
The mayor said he would obtain a report from council. A slightly longer letter followed, which, in part, stated:
Edwin Wheeler Reserve currently has two floodlight poles with two banks of lights on each. The club's concern would appear to have merit as the current lighting, although at full capacity, does not light up the whole field.
Some other issues were dealt with, but most were not. A similar response was given to Councillor Waller in reply to a question she asked at a council meeting. Not a lot has resulted from all this activity. The next year I wrote again to council pointing out the real safety and health concerns arising from the poor condition of the seating at the oval. Following that representation the council addressed the seating issue, but not much else. I again wrote to the council in August 2004. Speaking about the ground I wrote:
The condition of the facilities has been the subject of representations by me previously. By the descriptions given to me by my constituents there seems to have been only limited, if any improvement made there.
The council's general manager seemed somewhat put out by that statement. His letter in response itemised what he claimed were improvements, including the installation of a new security screen on the canteen, the rekeying of the entire facility to ensure maximum security, major returfing and maintenance around the cricket wicket, and an assertion that the toilets were cleaned on a regular basis. To say that the club was underwhelmed by this response is an understatement. Some of the council's claims were wrong—for example, the toilets are not regularly cleaned by council—and some were exaggerations, such as the claim about the installation of a new security screen. Moreover, the council completely ignored the substantive issue of upgrading the ground to an adequate level. It also ignored the previous council response to a club offer to do some concreting as part of an attempt to improve the facility. Following that suggestion the club was threatened with a blizzard of paperwork.
Several weeks ago I met with club representatives who informed me that the most immediate need of the club is to improve the lighting at the ground for training purposes. The club has six teams this year: the 8s, 9s, 11s, 12s and two 13s. They want more teams next year and have the potential to get them. However, that is not possible if the lighting is not improved. I made yet more representations to the council. In a letter of response to me the general manager said, in part:
Council recently carried out a floodlight condition audit on all sporting facilities (53 venues) across the Liverpool LGA and ranked them according to replacement/upgrade priority. The audit identified upgrade works required at Edwin Wheeler Oval, and the oval is ranked 18 on the priority program for upgrading of lights. Commencing in the 2005/06 financial year, council is proposing to implement an annual program of sports field lighting in accordance with the above priority program. However, implementation of the upgrade works will ultimately be dependent on council's annual budget provisions. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18341
The club is not ecstatic with this response, especially as in 1999—six years ago—the council conceded to me the inadequacy of the lighting. Club members say it feels as though the oval has been No. 18 on the list for 20 years. The council letter gives no idea of the methodology used in the preparation of the audit and priority list. Given other documents I have seen from council, it would not surprise me if it were badly awry. Certainly I know of one oval where lighting has recently been renewed, but that oval is considerably newer than Edwin Wheeler Reserve. I request that the council properly review the lighting issue at Edwin Wheeler Reserve. The club has been waiting far too long to be fobbed off in this manner.
I note that the club has a number of other immediate concerns about the oval. The club considers that the bubbler is in a disgusting condition and the surrounding concrete is sinking. One of the ladies' toilets has been leaking for months. The council promised to fix it, but has not done so. During the playing of the last game at the oval the men's toilet flooded and water had to be swept away. The council has not supplied electricity to the back storage shed. The club considers that the whole amenities block is a disgrace. At other fields new kitchens have been installed in the canteens. At this oval the club's requests are ignored. I ask that the council properly review the issues. The ground's facilities are about 40 years old, with precious little improvement having been made during that time. The council ought to do more. I urge the council to apply for Department of Sport and Recreation grants, which it has been remiss in not doing so for some time.
NORTH-WESTERN AND SOUTH-WESTERN SYDNEY LAND REZONING
Mr MICHAEL RICHARDSON (The Hills) [5.43 p.m.]: For the past three months residents of north- western and south-western Sydney have been under threat from a rapacious Government intent on destroying the equity they have built up in their homes. I refer to the Government's Metropolitan Growth Centres strategy and its associated Landscape and Rural Lifestyle Area zoning. North Kellyville in my electorate has been particularly badly affected by this draconian plan by bureaucrats in the Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Resources [DIPNR] and the Department of Environment and Conservation to provide green space at zero cost to the Government. According to a Government document:
The landscape and rural lifestyle zone will protect the rich biodiversity, Aboriginal heritage and other landscape qualities that are characteristic of North West and South Western Sydney, for the community and future generations.
By the stroke of a pen the Labor Government has divided landowners in north-western Sydney into winners and losers. The winners are those in the white zone who are able to develop their land. The losers are those in the green zone, or the Land and Rural Lifestyle zone, many of whom have lived in their homes and worked the land for decades. The Growth Centres document claims:
Landowners within the zone will be able to continue to enjoy using their land as they have up to now. Existing opportunities to build a house will not be removed and current uses such as rural residential living, agriculture and tourism will be allowed to continue. The new zone will add an overlay of considerations but will not change the existing zoning.
How can the Government say the new zone will not change the existing zoning when all manner of restrictions are placed on the use of that land by the Land and Rural Lifestyle overlay? Landowners in the area chipped in, at DIPNR's insistence, to prepare a master plan for the area. At no time did the Government mention anything about the Land and Rural Lifestyle area. If the Government's chief planning agency asked you to prepare a master plan for the area you lived in, supervised your work and specified the number of homes you had to include, would you not believe your land was going to be developed? I know people whose property values have fallen from $3 million to $800,000. They are understandably angry. I am not talking about speculators who bought land to make a fast buck. I am talking about people who have lived in the area for more than 30 years, have raised their families there and have farmed or worked the land.
It is not as though the Government's proposal will deliver good environmental outcomes. Incredibly, the draft maps the Government released were based on outdated aerial photographs. In most cases they did not even send in anyone on the ground. Wooded areas of high conservation value were included in the white zone— that is, land that can be developed—while the green zone included farms, chook sheds and homes. One property owner who barely has a tree on his two hectares of land was entirely in the green zone. Down the road, Frank and Mary Bonello's hydroponics lettuce farm, which I visited last week, had the boundary going right through the middle of a shade cloth. I went to a rally at Rouse Hill on 7 August, which was organised by the STOP group—Stop Taking Our Property—and attended by 3,000 angry people. The group is spearheaded by landowners such as Councillor Ray Williams, John Kozor and Bernie Moriarty. The Speaker of the House, whose electorate adjoins mine and is also affected by these proposals, was present. He told the crowd that areas in his electorate that were twelve feet underwater during heavy rain had been zoned for medium- density housing. 18342 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Two weeks before that rally I wrote to the then Minister for Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Resources, Craig Knowles, on behalf of Mrs Sharyn Kirchner of Withers Road, Kellyville, in which I posed a number of questions, including: What criteria were used to assess land for inclusion in the Landscape and Rural Lifestyle area? What restrictions will be placed on the use of land in this zone? Will market gardeners and flower growers have to lodge a development approval to change crops? What will happen to existing use rights if a block changes hands? Is it true that all property owners in the Landscape and Rural Lifestyle area will be encouraged to revegetate their properties? Will it be possible to build a new house on a block of land in the Landscape and Rural Lifestyle area? I add to those questions: How will chicken farmers and market gardeners be able to continue with their businesses next to townhouses and flats? Does any member of this Government have a clue as to what is involved in primary production?
So far the silence from the Government to my letter, which I sent on 25 July, has been deafening. Perhaps the Government does not know the answers. It certainly had no idea what was on the ground in the area. Shortly after his elevation, the new Premier indicated he would scrap the overlays. However, affected landowners were asked to make submissions to the Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Resources about the Growth Centre strategy, with a deadline of last Friday. Why would they be asked to do so if the overlays are being scrapped? The new Minister for Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Resources promised residents that changes would be made to the overlays. Affected property owners are concerned that he is just going through the motions rather than making substantive changes. The bottom line is if there are areas that require protection we should all pay for them. We should not expect individual landowners to bear the cost. This process should be stopped now. The Liberal-Nationals Coalition, when in Government, will scrap the green overlay and bring equity to the development of north-western and south-western Sydney.
Q THEATRE, PENRITH
Mrs KARYN PALUZZANO (Penrith) [5.48 p.m.]: I wish to speak about a theatre production being staged in Penrith by the Q Theatre called Somewhere … The Magical Musical of Penrith. The story starts nearly 30 years ago in 1977 when Doreen Warburton moved the Q Theatre from Circular Quay to Penrith. She had the Penrith locals celebrating theatre way back then. Initially the Q Theatre was run from a converted shed in Railway Street, Penrith. During wartime the shed held the local Red Cross dances. In a $14 million refurbishment of the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, a new 382-seat theatre was built as the new home of the Q Theatre. The Q held its opening production, Somewhere … The Magical Musical of Penrith, in the new theatre last Friday night.
I thank the large team, the Q Theatre Production Company, that put the production together, including its producer, David Hollywood; the writer, Kate Mulvany; Tim Minchin, who wrote the music and lyrics; and the director, Brendon McDonall. I should add that Brendon is a graduate of Theatre Nepean, that fine institution at the University of Western Sydney. The five main characters were played by Geraldine Turner, Sharon Millerchip, Jo Turner, Amie McKenna and Nick Simpson-Deeks. There was also a large supporting cast of 36, and the ensemble ranged from people who had not been on the stage before to some seasoned local performers. Among them were some very young people and I commend those young people who participated, particularly those from local schools, and those who had never before been in a musical production. I mention Mavis Reynolds, one of Penrith's icons, who walked with her Olympic torch through Penrith all those years ago. She had her Olympic torch with her when she participated in this production as well.
I refer also to the words used by the director when he described the musical that he directed. He said that the show produced for the opening began its year-long journey to the stage in a one-week workshop with the playwright, Kate Mulvany, and four terrific actors—Jo Turner, Lucia Mastrantone, Amie McKenna and Nick Simpson-Deeks. They workshopped and interviewed many locals. They strolled through the plaza, hooned around St Mary's, grabbed a mixed dozen of Krispy Kremes, inhaled a bistro lunch at Panthers and got lost in Glenmore Park. They watched the sun go down over the Nepean River and soaked up as much of Penrith as they possibly could. They dreamed about Penrith and painted it in bold colours.
They thought: What if Krispy Kremes was an alien ship that landed with a mysterious plan in store for Penrith? What if there was a forgotten fourth explorer to discover the Blue Mountains—Blaxland, Wentworth, Lawson and Steveo? What if someone bought a new family home in Glenmore Park but could not ever find it? What if sport was actually a religion, and Saturday night at Panthers was like a Hillsong Convention? Everyone interviewed had a different opinion on what constitutes "Penrithness". It was a bustling metropolis, a rural centre, a place with the facilities of major city but the feel of a country town, a picaresque riverside community and a "sub" that is trying to find its "urb". Only one local described it as a "hole", but did not want to live anywhere else. They were struck by the pride that everyone had in their homes. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18343
There was energy in the air, a sense that everyone knew they were on to something—that Penrith was about to come into its own. They watched the action from dawn until dusk: young professionals, construction workers, university students, schoolkids, young mums, families, artists, seniors, Supre girls, skater boys sports fans, council workers, sporting heroes, proud divas, quiet loners, computer geeks and taxi drivers. All of those disparate people were going about their daily lives, totally unaware of what actually connects them: they all live "somewhere". I commend the team for getting it together and the actors for their performance on the night. It was a unique project. It was an event, rather than a well-made play. As someone said, Somewhere is homemade theatre for the people, by the people about the people. They built it, I went and I certainly was chuffed.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [5.53 p.m.]: Following a Cabinet meeting on 27 June I had an opportunity to visit the facilities referred to by the honourable member for Penrith. As the Minister responsible for a regional area, I take a great interest in regional facilities. I was overawed by the fact that Penrith has what must be the best musical centre west of Broadway in the city. It is a fantastic centre. The project cost $14.1 million, of which the State Government contributed $6.1 million. It encompassed a refurbishment of Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre and provided new facilities, including new teaching rooms associated with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, which is now also located there, a new backstage green room and a new 382-seat Q Theatre.
In addition, there is a new entrance to the facility, a new foyer, a new atrium and a new box office, which I understand services all organisations that now use the facility. I commend the honourable member for Penrith for her involvement in the project over many years as a local resident, councillor and member of Parliament. I should point out that the project received no Federal funding. It was funded by contributions from the State and local governments. I do not want to make that a political issue, but we now have one of the best facilities in Western Sydney, and it is not all that far from Broadway!
GRAFTON BRIDGE
Mr STEVE CANSDELL (Clarence) [5.55 p.m.]: In 1932 the Grafton Bridge was opened with much fanfare by Steven Bruxner of the Coalition Government, the bridge having been promised and built by the Lang Labor Government. It was a rail bridge designed for the traffic of the 1930s, with 500 traffic movements per day. On 21 February 2003—70 years on and 24,000 vehicle movements a day later, including B-doubles and school buses—with more fanfare and pomp Bob the Builder came to Grafton to promise a $70 million bridge across the Clarence River.
Mr Grant McBride: Good Government.
Mr STEVE CANSDELL: The same Government; we have not gone to an election yet. Premier Carr promised beyond doubt that a new bridge would be built over the Clarence River at a cost of between $40 million and $70 million. In an article in the Daily Examiner of 21 February 2003 Mr Carr was quoted as saying that construction would start in late 2005 or early 2006 and be completed within two years. He said that construction costs would be met from the Roads and Traffic Authority's unallocated funds under its existing capital works budget. "I give an iron-clad guarantee to this timetable," Mr Carr said. So much for Labor's iron- clad guarantee! On 1 October this year the Daily Examiner carried the headline "Bridge on Hold", and quoted Mr Carr's statement of 21 February 2003:
I give an iron-clad guarantee to this timetable. It (a new bridge) is seriously required.
Then on 30 September last the L-plate Minister for Roads said that the contracts for this project had not yet been let, that it was a prime candidate for deferral. "Don't blame me," the Minister said. He wants to blame the Federal Government for lack of funding. That is a cop-out. The AusLink program has provided more funding for roads than this State has ever received. There has been a windfall in goods and services tax [GST] revenue. At a recent NRMA Pacific Highway forum it was said that with petrol costing $1.30 per litre the Government would receive a projected $675 million in GST revenue above budget expectations. In its editorial on 1 October under the headline "ALP breaks promise on new bridge" the Daily Examiner stated:
Well, Mr Tripodi's excuse that there is not enough money does not wash with us.
Ron Bell said on the local radio station 2GF that he had been chasing the Minister for Roads for two weeks seeking a comment on air but had been unable to tie him down. On 5 October the Daily Examiner editorial carried the headline, "Mr Tripodi duds the Clarence". The editor, Peter Ellem, stated in part: 18344 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
It is NSW Roads Minister Joe Tripodi, and no-one else, who has broken a core promise jointly made by former NSW premier Bob Carr and then Labor candidate for Clarence Terry Flanagan to much fanfare.
"Labor has dudded the Clarence once again," it said. On 11 October, under the headline "We await your call Mr Tripodi", the Daily Examiner editorial stated:
For close to two weeks The Daily Examiner has been attempting to speak directly to the NSW Roads Minister, Joe Tripodi, so we can question him in detail about the Iemma Government's decision to put the construction of a second bridge over the Clarence River in Grafton 'on hold'.
Despite numerous requests, some of them in writing, the Minister has declined—or, more accurately, refused—to return our calls.
Mr Tripodi, this is not good enough. Former premier Bob Carr flew into Grafton to give an 'iron-clad' guarantee that the Government would build the bridge.
If the premier, who no doubt has a heavier workload than you, Mr Tripodi, can take the time to come to Grafton to announce this project, you should be able to find the time to pick up the phone and tell us, in your own words, why you dumped on it.
It is fairly obvious why he dumped it. It is called mismanagement, and the Government does a great job of it. Minister Tripodi is a pawn in this whole game. He was thrown a hospital pass as Minister for Roads. He has more problems than he would ever want to find, and he is not handling them well at all. I can give an ironclad guarantee that the Government's decision not to build a second bridge across the Clarence River will not be forgotten and will not be forgiven. Shame on Joe Tripodi, shame on Morris Iemma, and shame on the Labor Government for once again dudding the people of country New South Wales.
BUNDEENA BUSH FIRE BRIGADE OPEN DAY
Mr PAUL McLEAY (Heathcote—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.58 p.m.]: On Saturday 8 October the Bundeena Bush Fire Brigade hosted its second annual combined open day with its next-door neighbours, the Bundeena New South Wales Fire Brigades retained volunteers. The event is especially important to the villages of Maianbar and Bundeena, as it highlights the combined effort by the town's volunteers to work together to secure the safety of the national park, our townships and their people. Bundeena and Maianbar are isolated communities, and in the event of serious incidents, such as the January 1994 fires and the April 1999 hailstorm, the only road in or out is cut and locals have to fend for themselves.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service State Open Day for 2005 involved 400 open day events held across the State. Seven such events were held in the Sutherland shire—at Waterfall, the Illawong communications unit, Kurnell, Sandy Point, Engadine, Loftus and Bundeena. The purpose of the open day is to encourage people to learn more about the Rural Fire Service and to find out how they can help. Bundeena Bush Fire Brigade has initiated many education days. For example, recently education days have been held at the Bexley Day Care Centre for children as young as three and at Bundeena primary school. The combined open day with New South Wales retained firefighters and Station 80, which displayed a real spirit of co-operation, was headed by the captain of the Rural Fire Service, Maggie McKinney, who is one of the most respected firefighters in the shire, if not across the State.
Bundeena Bush Fire Brigade has 30 members, and I am proud to say that I am the president of the brigade. The volunteers give up many days to help prepare for the open day. I wish to name some of the brigade members, particularly those who have been preparing for their Higher School Certificate. Special thanks go to firefighters Scott Burton and Troy Dillon, trainee Shaun Heath, cadet Donna Burton, and catering officers Noeline and Peter Trewin. On the day we had a 90 per cent turn-out of members, which is what I call dedication. The event featured active displays alternating between Rural Fire Service Station 23 and New South Wales Fire Brigades Station 80. A total fire ban on the day prevented any lighting up of displays, but there were plenty of other activities for the community to enjoy.
The focus of the day was community safety. Firefighter and Deputy Captain Deryk Engel's fire-aware home and garden display, with its focus on building materials and fire-resistant flora, was very popular. Education displays included children's games such as "000", in which the children had to throw three sacks through the "0" on a mobile phone display to call the fire brigade; a knock-down game, which involved children knocking down the "fire" with a knapsack; and Firewize, which is a Rural Fire Service education initiative. There were also ice-creams for the children. Other displays included the Burning Issues Café and equipment displays to inform the community where their donations are spent. A highlight for the children was the painting of the wall of the fire station, guided by one of the associate members, Sue Spiteri. A video of the 1994 fire, which was set up by Kirsty Louder, was also very popular. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18345
We also chose the day to launch two new community fire units in Bundeena. Two streets were targeted, Bournemouth Street and Woodfield Avenue, which historically are high-risk areas. I was pleased to be able to present those fire units to New South Wales Fire Brigades. I thank Captain Paul O'Shea of Station 80 for facilitating the launch. I also thank Deputy Captain Graeme Thomas, engine keeper Ron Hozack, and firefighters Bruce Sigal, Richard Eden, Eric Miller and Simon Bedwell. Simon Bedwell is also a dedicated ambulance officer who gives even more off-duty time to the community.
Residents Don Turner and Phil Sharples accepted the presentation of the community fire units on the community's behalf, and I appreciate their commitment and dedication. The first training session with residents will take place tomorrow night, 12 October, and the sessions will total 12 hours. I wish to thank the Deputy Superintendent of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, John Watsford, Group Officer Peter Evans, and Captain Maggie McKinney. I also thank the members of the local community who turned up to witness the presentation of these important community fire units and celebrate fire safety awareness in what was a large open day across the State, particularly in Bundeena and Maianbar.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [6.03 p.m.]: I commend the honourable member for Heathcote for bringing to the attention of the House the marvellous achievements in his electorate with regard to providing both a rural fire service and a community fire unit to the area. I also congratulate the honourable member on his role as a unit commander. It is great to have a member of Parliament right at the coalface looking after such an important issue. I know the area from my younger days and am aware of the fire problems there, and I commend the honourable member for being so involved.
The honourable member for Heathcote referred to New South Wales Fire Brigades' community fire unit, a $15,000 unit to be installed in Bournemouth Street, Bundeena, as part of a major safety initiative to protect the community from bushfire. Community fire units are made up of groups of local residents in high-risk areas who are trained and equipped to assist in the protection of their homes during bushfires. The community fire unit program gives teams of local residents the equipment and training they need to defend their homes and assist fire services both during and after bushfires. I commend the honourable member for Heathcote for his role as a unit commander in his area and for achieving such a great outcome for his local community.
RYDE HOSPITAL NURSE STAFFING LEVELS
Mr ANDREW TINK (Epping) [6.05 p.m.]: I raise concerns about Ryde Hospital, which provides medical services to a significant part of my electorate. I refer to a document dated 26 September 2005 headed "Ryde Hospital—Strategies for Reducing Staffing Expenditure" which rolled off my fax machine a few days ago. The document focuses on nursing, and in the first paragraph refers to "reducing staffing (nursing) expenditure at Ryde Hospital". It says that registered nurses form 50 per cent or less of shift staffing. The document goes on to make a comparison between the percentage of staffing at Ryde Hospital with that at Royal North Shore and Hornsby hospitals, where, it claims, there is a greater percentage of registered nurses per shift. I certainly do not suggest that any registered nurses should be taken from those hospitals, but I believe that Ryde Hospital should be on a par with Hornsby Hospital when it comes to registered nursing percentages because the two hospitals are comparable with regard to the services they provide.
The document raises a number of issues concerning nurse staffing levels which I do not have time to refer to at this time, but I wish to draw attention to a couple of them and seek the urgent advice of the Minister for Health as to the Government's plans for the future of nursing at Ryde Hospital. The document refers to an assistant in nursing and undergraduate nurse being rostered as the seventh nurse on the morning shift at the hospital. I do not doubt for a moment that assistants in nursing, to the extent that they are trained and certified, do their absolute best, as do undergraduate nurses, who are training to be nurses.
But, as we found following a number of inquiries and concerns that had been sparked in this Parliament regarding problems at various hospitals, it is unfair and dangerous to the staff, as well as the patients, to place them in positions of responsibility when they may not necessarily have the training and experience for the roles they are required to undertake. It is in that regard that I express strong concern that assistants in nursing and undergraduate nurses may be required to assume the role of the seventh nurse on the morning shift at Ryde Hospital. That is not fair to the patients and I believe it is not fair to those staff either, however well trained they are. If a person is to carry out the role of the seventh nurse, that person ought to be professionally trained up to that level, and nobody else should be required to carry out that role.
Another point of concern to me in this memo is where it talks about utilising endorsed nurses fully as team leaders as replacements for registered nurses. I understand endorsed nurses are trained at TAFE—and, 18346 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 again, I take nothing away from the training and the professionalism at TAFE. The issue is the use of someone trained to a certain level to carry out the job of someone trained to another level in what is a very difficult profession. I am extremely concerned that endorsed nurses may be used as replacements for registered nurses: I do not think that is fair to the staff or the patients. Again I ask the Minister for Health to explain what is going on in that regard.
The next point that came to my attention in this memo is the use of volunteer sitters and feeders to free up nursing time. Either it is appropriate for nurses to be involved in sitting and feeding or it is not. Plainly, nurses at Ryde Hospital have been involved in sitting and feeding so it has been the view that this was an appropriate role for nurses, but I would be very concerned if that role was now in some way relegated to volunteers. I do not believe volunteers should be used to carry out a job that hitherto has been done by registered nurses.
There are a number of other issues arising from this memo but the final issue I want to take up is where it talks about the need to address the issue of escort nurses through a planned booking system of non-urgent test procedures, which may reduce reliance on booking agencies or casual staff for escorts. If these people are trained up to the job, that is fine. If they are not, the Government's responsibility is to provide the resources. When he was Minister for Health the Premier made a number of promises at Ryde Hospital on 25 May and later, and it is now time for him to ensure that the nursing standards are equal to those of other hospitals in the area and adequate for the important job that nurses are required to do at Ryde Hospital. Substitutes are not satisfactory.
HEAVY VEHICLE INDUSTRY
Mrs DAWN FARDELL (Dubbo) [6.10 p.m.]: Today I inform the House of the outstanding work being carried out by an industry that can claim to be the true backbone of our State and, indeed, our nation. Last Saturday I had the honour of speaking at the New South Wales Rural Trucking Association forum in Dubbo. Whilst there to field questions and outline my views on how State legislation impacts on the industry, I was able to convey some good news on behalf of the Minister for Roads. Plans to lift restrictions on truck movements at certain times along the Newell Highway between Dubbo and Gilgandra is a positive step forward. Previously, there had been a curfew on heavy vehicle movement along this stretch of road at night and in the early morning and late afternoon to allow school buses to pick up and drop off students.
The restrictions on night-time movement will be lifted once the rules are gazetted around 14 October. Other restrictions will remain in place. This will be a 12-month trial, but the news was gladly accepted by all of those drivers, operators and company representatives gathered at the forum. Three key factors merged to make the change possible: the lobbying efforts of the Australian Road Train Association, particularly that of Executive Director John Morris, who is based in Dubbo; the support of both Dubbo City Council and the Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA], and the willingness of the Minister for Roads to use commonsense. The forum also proved to be a learning experience for me. At this point I admit to having a conflict of interest on this subject. I am the mother of a son with a road train licence and the wife of a man involved in the transport industry, but not until Saturday's gathering was I aware that this industry is being pressured by many intricate issues at present.
The electorate of Dubbo takes in one of the busiest highways in Australia. The Newell Highway carries more than its fair share of trucks making their way between Melbourne and Brisbane and beyond. In fact, according to the RTA's figures given at the forum, 80 per cent of this nation's entire truck fleet passes through New South Wales every year. The Newell Highway hosts a large chunk of those trucks and challenges the Pacific Highway as the most plied carriageway in the nation. As was pointed out during the forum, not all of that 80 per cent of trucks would be registered in New South Wales and, in fact, it is taxpayers in New South Wales that carry the burden of providing a funding platform for road maintenance and repairs enjoyed by interstate truck operators and other governments. It is true that the Commonwealth works in partnership with the New South Wales Government to make up a shortfall in funding, but budgets are repeatedly shrinking.
That was clearly demonstrated by recent demands from the Federal Government that New South Wales sign the AusLink package. The net result for New South Wales was far less Commonwealth money for roads. That continued feud between the governments results in two things: first, local governments are forced to find more in their budgets to take up the slack for road maintenance and upgrades and, second, there is a bemused reaction from the transport industry, which rightly states that regardless of the finger-pointing over responsibility, the work still needs to be done. The Australian Road Train Association also raised valid points on 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18347 how funding structures currently work. The association takes offence at being penalised for making progress in its industry. Increased fuel efficiency and smarter logistics are resulting in an industry that is more streamlined than it was even 10 years ago.
There are spiralling registration and insurance fees, high fuel prices, increased competition in the freight industry and no special dispensation to keep road trains afloat or on rail. Improvements in the trucking sector go unnoticed. There are increased attacks on the trucking industry as a whole, particularly on the image of the average truck driver and his or her machine. Despite the good work by a majority of drivers, some sections of the media still take pleasure in beating up the industry for some imagined horror or potential road safety threat. There is certainly a cowboy element in the industry, but the days of those kinds of drivers are numbered. The most vocal proponents of getting rid of those drivers or operators are within the transport industry itself. They are determined to weed them out and be rid of them for good. We have all seen the shattered lives left behind by those who ignore the road rules, including those who drive trucks or cars and those who ride motorbikes. No one user group is immune.
Those at the forum rightly demanded that the views of government and the general public not be tarnished by the behaviour of the few bad operators who are still in their industry. As a result of the frustration of trying to get the message out that reforms have swept through the industry of late, I was asked by one delegate at the conference, Mr Rod Hannifey, how the public perception that trucks are dangerous and that truck drivers are somehow the cause of all vehicle accidents could be turned around. In conjunction with the Australian Road Train Association, Rod has developed specialised education programs for schools and he makes regular appearances in the media endorsing proper road use by trucks and cars. Mr Hannifey recently took a reporter and camera crew from A Current Affair on what he described as a daily run. The camera crew was treated to endless incidents of car users cutting off or blocking trucks. How loud would the howls of protest have been if the roles were reversed and a camera crew bore witness to such behaviour from truckies?
Another irony I raised at the conference was the fact that truck drivers undergo thorough testing to obtain their licences. Yet another hazardous community of road users need only hitch on a trailer and head off on a great adventure—with a caravan. Where is the testing and examination for them? Those people are also towing unwieldy loads over great distances and, while not driving to a timetable, they are certainly restricted to a speed limit. In many cases that is because of the nature of what they are towing. If a professional driver with a modern rig on a tight deadline has to go through all these licence regulations, why should members of the Happy Valley caravan club, who travel along at 80 kilometres an hour on the Newell Highway, not have to do so as well? Truck drivers are more likely to be the ones who cop the unseemly gestures and criticism for causing traffic delays. We all share the roads but it is time we had more respect for this industry. Issues that affect travel on those roads and the major industries that depend on them should be given closer attention. I appeal to all members to contact their local trucking industry lobby group or representatives and invite them to talk.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [6.15 p.m.]: In a previous role as Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Roads, I had the opportunity to travel in a truck between Sydney and Brisbane. The issues raised by the honourable member for Dubbo were issues that I experienced first hand. The honourable member pointed to the interaction between trucks and other vehicles. There are roundabouts from one end of the Central Coast to the other, but that is not well known and cars coming up to the roundabout often move to the outside lane. Cars will come up on the inside and put themselves in a position where they are likely to cause an accident. On one occasion we avoided an accident by just milliseconds.
All the issues raised by the honourable member for Dubbo are important. Some eight years ago when I had the role of Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Minister for Roads I saw a change in the trucking industry. It now accepts its responsibilities and is proactive in improving safety on the roads. We are all well aware of the funding issue. The Minister for Roads pointed to the cut of more than $300 million in AusLink funding, and the shortfall has to be borne by the State Government. That must be coupled with the fact that we receive only $10 billion of the $13 billion in GST that is paid by this State to the Federal Government. I commend the local member for drawing attention to this issue. Dubbo is the hub of the trucking industry in western New South Wales.
PORT MACQUARIE ROADS PROJECT
Mr ROBERT OAKESHOTT (Port Macquarie) [6.17 p.m.]: I speak tonight about a decision to defer a roads project for my electorate, and I am pleased that the former Parliamentary Secretary for Roads is at the 18348 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 table. Following the AusLink agreement, which was signed last Friday week, the Gateway road project into Port Macquarie from the Pacific Highway and the Oxley Highway has been deferred for two years. The former Minister for Roads made a commitment that construction would begin at the end of 2005 or the beginning of 2006. Following the AusLink agreement, construction is now expected to commence sometime in 2007 or 2008.
I accept the Minister's statement that other projects have been dropped from the agenda following the AusLink agreement. Indeed, the Grafton Bridge project, which was mentioned earlier by the honourable member for Clarence, has been deferred for four years, along with a number of other projects. I thank the Minister for deferring this project for only two years, but am I expected to accept that decision. The Port Macquarie community does not accept it and will urge the Government to stick to its original commitment. I hope the Minister and the Government have the good sense to stand by their commitment.
Currently, four important acquisitions are necessary along the road corridor, and two are quite large. Regardless of the commencement date for construction, I seek confirmation from the Minister that the acquisition process will continue because it is extremely important to the future development of the western area of Port Macquarie. I inform the Government that leading up to the next election, in March 2007, the community and I will mount a strong campaign for the project to proceed according to the original schedule. I can well remember the former Minister standing on the site promising this project for the people of Port Macquarie and providing a timetable for construction. The community and I will not allow the project to be delayed and we will lobby the Minister to honour the original commitment.
I take this opportunity to invite the Minister for Roads to visit Port Macquarie and meet with locals affected by the decision so that he may gain an understanding of the importance of this road. I shall reiterate some of those reasons, despite them having been raised in the House previously. This is the gateway to Port Macquarie; it is the main entry and exit point, but at the moment it is a goat track. The road is as busy as the Pacific Highway and has, on a daily basis, between 11,000 and 16,000 vehicle movements.
Port Macquarie is the largest population centre north of Newcastle on the North Coast. Government often forgets that in planning decisions. The project is a critical piece of infrastructure for future growth. Port Macquarie cannot expand to the east because it is a coastal community and one cannot expand into the ocean. Port Macquarie is bordered to the north by a river and environmentally sensitive land. Therefore, promises by Wal Murray more than 15 years ago to build bridges over the Hastings River and develop the north shore are not realistic. Port Macquarie can only expand to the west and to the south. The planning for area 13 will facilitate the western area growth for Port Macquarie, and the Oxley Highway is the backbone of future development for the community. Again, I urge the Minister to visit the area, listen to local concerns about the decision to defer construction, and abide by the original commitment to deliver the project on time.
Private members' statements noted.
[Madam Acting-Speaker (Ms Marie Andrews) left the chair at 6.22 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m.]
BALI TERRORIST ATTACK
Debate resumed from an earlier hour.
Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [7.30 p.m.]: On behalf of The Nationals in New South Wales I join with the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in expressing my condolences to the families of the victims and to the survivors of the latest terrorist outrage in Bali on 1 October this year. This cowardly and despicable bombing has tragically affected families not only in Australia but also in Bali. This was an attack on both Australians and Balinese, an attack on the Australian way of life and the Balinese way of life. In many ways, this attack and the previous bombing attack in Bali have led to the death of innocence of Australian families visiting Bali and, for that matter, other countries to spend carefree holidays and good times, to expect a relaxing, happy and safe time in a beautiful location.
The terrorist madmen who inflicted these atrocities have not only killed innocent bystanders who have no direct connection with their twisted extremist cause; they have killed the easy innocence of the Australian way of life. I note that just today the Indonesian police made their first arrest in connection with this outrage against humanity. I commend the Indonesian police and the Australian police assisting in bringing to justice those terrorists responsible. The Indonesian and Australian nations must work together to send the strongest possible message to extremist fanatics and would-be terrorists that we repudiate absolutely their violent and unjustifiable terrorist agenda, and that our people will not be bowed by their cowardly tactics. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18349
This and other bombings were not some sort of political or religious statement; they were murder, plain and simple. Sadly, the repercussions of these disgusting and vile acts will endure for a prolonged time, certainly for the victims and their families, for the Australian way of life, and for the Balinese economy and tourism industry. By their actions, the terrorists have condemned many Balinese families to enduring poverty as tourism numbers, dollars and jobs dry up.
I also commend all those who are helping to overcome the aftermath of this atrocity—the medical support, the police work and the various forms of aid flowing to the Balinese. Once again I express my sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic event and in particular to the many families in Newcastle who, through no action of their own, have been touched by grief as a result of this sad event. I am sure it is the fervent wish of all members that the perpetrators be brought to justice swiftly, that the strongest possible punishment be applied, and that this type of senseless tragedy be prevented from ever recurring.
Mr BRYCE GAUDRY (Newcastle—Parliamentary Secretary) [7.35 p.m.]: I support the Premier's motion of condolence to express the House's profound sense of shock and sorrow at the deaths of Australian victims of the bombing in Bali on 1 October 2005 and the injuries sustained by others, and I convey my deepest sympathy to the friends and relatives of those who have suffered. I extend sympathy also to those still affected by the 2002 Bali bombing, and reflect on the devastating earthquakes that have taken more than 20,000 lives on the subcontinent this week. In every one of these cases, there must be immediate and long-term support to ensure that the victims and their families are helped to recover and rebuild their lives.
This latest act of barbarism has struck hard at the people of Newcastle, taking the lives of three of its respected citizens—Jenny Williamson, Colin Zwolinski and Fiona Zwolinski—and severely injuring 14 other members of the seven families that had visited Bali to enjoy the surf, the tourism and the friendship and beautiful culture of the Balinese people. Also taken was the life of a young Western Australian, Brendan Fitzgerald. On behalf of the people of Newcastle I extend condolences and an expression of ongoing support to all the families affected by this tragedy.
There is a great strength and sense of community in Newcastle, exemplified in the past week by the public response to the church services held at Christchurch Cathedral and Sacred Heart Cathedral at Hamilton, and the services held at St Francis Xavier, St Pius X, and other schools across Newcastle, and by the calls of concern and the offers of help made to the affected families by friends and members of the Newcastle and Hunter community. As Bishop Dr Brian Farren said in his address at the Anglican service:
The fact that innocent holidaymakers enjoying recreation and a tropical paradise were so violated deeply affects us all. This atrocity elicits from us a deep outpouring of love, compassion, sympathy and concern for those who are injured, for those who mourn the deaths of loved ones and, more desperately, for those whose lives have been so savagely and suddenly cut short.
The bonds of friendship and the strength of character of those injured was vividly brought home to me when I visited John Hunter Hospital last Thursday with the Premier to express support to those who had been brought back to Newcastle to be close to family and friends while undergoing treatment. Despite their injuries, their thoughts were for all those involved in their rescue, their treatment in Denpasar, in Darwin and in John Hunter Hospital, the professionalism of government officials, the armed services, the Australian Federal Police, the medical and nursing staff, and the Balinese people who had come to their assistance. They particularly mentioned the life-saving role played by Dr Adam Frost in the period immediately following the bomb attack and his continued work to ensure their care, and the role played by the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, whose holiday in Bali put him directly in contact with the crisis.
One of the younger people injured was Miss Aleta Lederwasch. Her statement in this week's Newcastle Herald clearly reflects the deep feelings that she and other people had for Bali. She appealed to people, "to also pray for the Balinese people because they are going to lose so much out of this". She said she tried to avoid crowded places in Bali because she feared a terrorist attack but that Saturday's bombings would not stop her going back. She said, "I would go back to Bali. They were such beautiful people, but I would not want to go where there are heaps of people." She appealed to Australians to support the Balinese in other ways if they chose not to go back as tourists, such as sending money to improve their hospitals. That was certainly the reflection of so many of the people caught up in this incident, not a feeling of hatred for the Balinese people but a feeling for the impact this would have on their economy and on the sense of community in that area. 18350 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
Not one of the 1,200 people who attended the gathering for prayer and reflection at the Sacred Heart Cathedral will forget the service, with its theme of the healing waters of life, symbolised by the water fountain placed in front of the altar, which the entire congregation moved to and touched while they reflected on the injured and lost. One was left with a sense of oneness and solidarity with those who were grieving. When Monsignor Alan Hart outlined the service he made it clear that this water theme was decided on by the friends and families of those involved. In most cases they were people who live close to the beach at Merewether and Bar Beach. Their children were actively involved in sport and in surfing. Many of them had formed strong friendship groups, being children who attended the Catholic schools in the area, particularly St Francis Xavier and prior to that St Pius X. There was that strong sense of them going with their children, who were at that stage seniors in high school, if they had not already left, to have a relaxing recreational time prior to the children moving on to the more intense schooling period. So water, whether the water here that they so much enjoyed or the recreation they went to in Bali, was a very fitting theme for the service.
At the service, Joseph Frost, the son of Dr Adam Frost and one of the people at the bomb site when the bomb exploded, relived his experiences in a moving address that brought home to all of us the senselessness of this savage attack and the impact of it on our entire community. He also reflected on the strength of the families and the Newcastle community when he stated:
Having been broken open, our hearts have been exposed. But we'll stand together and we will make it through.
That is also our wish for Paul and Peni Anicich, for Tony and Mary Anne Purkiss, for Bruce Williamson, for Nicholas and Jennifer Scott, for Kim and Vicki Griffiths, for Aleta Lederwasch, for Eric and Jennifer Pilar, and for their children, their partners, their parents and their families, and especially for the children, the parents and the family members of Colin and Fiona Zwolinski. We offer our condolences and the continued support of our community to all those who have suffered from this outrageous act.
Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE (Bega) [7.44 p.m.]: I also support the Premier's motion of sympathy and I wish to convey my message of hope and support to those affected by the Bali bombing on 1 October. On the eve of the third anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings we again participate in a condolence motion for those affected by a random act of terrorism, an indiscriminate attack that will change lives and communities forever. On 1 October, 26 lives were lost in the seaside area of Jimbaran Bay and the bar and shopping hub of Kuta—a result of the sickening actions of a cowardly terrorist group, murderers, who seek to achieve nothing more than the destruction of our way of life and the way of life of the Balinese and Indonesian people. In addition to the 26 fatalities, 102 people were wounded, some of whom were from the Batemans Bay community on the South Coast of New South Wales. Those who lost their lives in the Bali blasts were Newcastle woman Jennifer Williamson, whose husband, Bruce, lies critically ill in a Singapore hospital, Newcastle couple Colin and Fiona Zwolinski, both in their mid-40s, and 16-year-old Brendan Fitzgerald from Western Australia.
The South Coast of New South Wales is becoming far too familiar with the actions of international terrorist organisations. The recent attack changed the livelihoods of two Batemans Bay families—the Shaw and Drake families. In particular, they saw first hand the devastation of a bomb attack. A Bali holiday for these families ended up with them providing to Indonesian police video footage of a suspected suicide bomber. Garry Shaw still has a ball bearing in a muscle in his back while his friend George Drake has undergone surgery to remove one from his neck. The ball bearings were contained in bombs in the rucksacks. The Batemans Bay community was relieved to know that both families are okay, but everyone has been touched to learn of their story and once more to know that the video footage they provided will be significant in determining how this was done, and hopefully by whom. Tonight there is preliminary report that the Indonesian officials have made an arrest. We can only hope that this leads to further arrests of those behind this cowardly act.
Newcastle will grieve for a long time but I thought it important to convey a message of hope from an amazing human being, Gayle Dunn, who lost her son in the 2002 Bali bombing. As politicians we get to meet some amazing people, but this lady is incredibly special. She is an inspiration to the community and the young people of Ulladulla. Along the way she has taught me a lot about persistence and commitment. Out of the adversity and hardship of the Bali bombing in 2002 Gayle had a dream to bring about hope for the South Coast village of Ulladulla, which lost two of its sons in the 2002 attacks. I know that Newcastle will do the same in the remembrance of the victims and families directly affected by this act.
Gayle, with the help of a committee, has established the Dunn-Lewis memorial, for which she is seeking State Government support. The Dunn-Lewis complex is a living memorial for all the innocent lives taken in the terrorist attack in Bali in 2002. As Gayle states, it is a beacon of hope from which the true Aussie spirit and love of life and family shine. Those words alone are a lesson that we learn from this terrible tragedy. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18351
The Dunn-Lewis complex will be a regional sporting, entertainment, recreational facility, a national memorial and tourist attraction. These facilities will sustain the complex and provide the means to run self-help programs and courses—for example, free breakfast on school mornings and basic mechanics.
The list goes on. The project will be special. I wanted to bring it to the attention of the House tonight so that everyone can see that whilst we participate in a condolence motion, and while our thoughts and sympathies are for those affected, there is a hope and a human spirit of Australians that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Quite often in times of tragedy we see that in its strongest form. Our freewheeling spirit means that terrorism will never succeed. I also want to recognise the officials who are in Bali providing support to those directly affected–the police, medical staff and government officials. It is important to note that a tight-knit community such as Newcastle will continue to have hard days ahead, but by taking inspiration from people like Gayle Dunn I hope that the families and community of Newcastle will bounce back and out of this tragedy some good will come. Again, I wish to convey my deepest sympathies to those directly affected and I support the motion before the House.
Mr TONY STEWART (Bankstown—Parliamentary Secretary) [7.50 p.m.]: I strongly support this condolence motion. We remember three years ago almost to the day—in fact, tomorrow—the deaths of 202 people in the tragic Bali bombings, and 10 days ago the 26 people who also died in Bali. No-one ever thought that another attack would occur in Bali. We are optimistic and move on. We think that the situation that confronts us can be changed. Unfortunately, the reality is very different in our modern and complex world where our enemy cannot be defined and politics has become embroiled in terrorist attacks.
I will not dwell on that issue because tonight is not a night of politics, it is a night of uniformity and bipartisanship to recognise that the Australians, the Balinese and the other nationalities who died in Bali in the tragic events that occurred 10 days ago and three years ago did not die in vain. They represent the reality of today's world and their deaths tell us to deal with the situation that confronts us. I live and work in an electorate where community members are often stereotyped and linked to the images we see on television, the news we hear on radio and the articles we read in newspapers about terrorism. I say very strongly to the House that my local Islamic community condemns these events—which, supposedly, involve people of Islamic extremist influence—that have occurred not only in Bali but throughout the world.
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils and the Islamic Council of New South Wales have condemned the situation. The Lebanese Muslim Association has condemned very strongly what has occurred and has recognised that we must have legislation in this country that deals with terrorist issues. The Islamic Charity Projects Association, which represents the Bankstown and Liverpool area, and the Lebanese Community Council have also been strongly concerned about the events taking place throughout the world. I am tired of people in my local area being stereotyped. Like all Australians, they care about and believe in the future of this great country. No-one wants to see our citizens involved in such tragedy.
Ironically in October last year, as a member of the New South Wales Parliament Asia-Pacific Friendship Group, I visited Bali with the chairman of the group, the honourable member for Lake Macquarie. We visited the hospital in Bali and looked at the burns unit, which had been set up by the Australian Government with Federal funding. I applaud the Australian Government for establishing that unit after the terrible tragedy that occurred three years ago. We committed ourselves to obtaining funding for a hospice to provide assistance in the future to parents of children and those in need who have family members in hospital. We have been working towards such projects, as we did on a recent visit to Vietnam to help those who have been affected by terrorism.
I was astounded at the work that had been done in the hospital at Bali, as well as the representation by Australian medical staff at the hospital and the assistance provided by Australian universities and Australian and State governments. Their work has paid dividends. When the recent bombings occurred, the hospital in Denpasar was much better equipped to deal with the tragedy. We thought such a tragedy would never happen again. Unfortunately, it did.
During my visit to Bali I was concerned that we put the situation into perspective and that people do not walk away from Bali. Bali is a place we can still visit and love as a holiday destination, as we have done for many years. When I visited Bali for the first time as a young man in 1979 I was astounded by the hospitality of the Balinese people and the beauty of Bali. No-one wants that situation to change. I urge Australians to recognise the reality that exists throughout the world and not be put off visiting Bali. 18352 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005
As I said, I do not want my speech to have a political perspective, but I recognise that politics surrounds this tragedy. When I was in Bali last year I visited the Sari Club with my 15-year-old son. For the benefit of the Daily Telegraph I paid for the cost of my trip and my son's trip. I told my son that he will later come back to Bali for his holidays and he will love Bali. He understood what I meant. I took him to the Sari Club where we saw the flowers that were still being left by Australians in October last year. Last year I penned a poem about how I felt at the time. It puts into context what I have said this evening. I wrote:
I look at this place and wonder why Where so many innocent victims one night died
Victims of a war that nobody can explain A war that has no soldiers only misery and pain
We are told by George Bush that democracy is at stake But the reality is different and doesn't equate
202 innocent victims have had their future taken away So that politicians can win elections and "save us" each day
So through all the political rhetoric that floats around this world Remember the Bali victims who died on October 12
I will not forget the tragedy that occurred 10 days ago. I recognise the realities that confront us in this world. I hope we all work together as brothers and sisters to find harmony in this critical situation.
Mr JOHN TURNER (Myall Lakes) [7.57 p.m.]: I join with Government and Opposition speakers in support of this motion. I have been to Bali once. I share the sentiments expressed by the honourable member for Bankstown and other speakers about their visits to Bali. It is a sad time for the Balinese people and a very sad time for the many people who were affected in this latest round of terrorist activities in Bali. At the time I was in Singapore on a trip I paid for to visit my child and grandchildren. After a delightful Saturday night out I was having a nightcap and watching CNN when it broke the news of another bombing in Bali. I called my wife and we watched the tragic drama unfold.
I am a Hunter Valley person, born and raised in Cessnock. I worked in Newcastle and had a legal practice in Maitland. I recognised many of the names involved. Significantly, one name I did recognise at the time was Paul Anicich, a solicitor I have known for 36 years. He is the managing director of Sparke Helmore. By coincidence, my sister-in-law is the personal assistant to the managing partner of that company. I have had a long involvement with Paul. My sister-in-law rang me the next day to tell me that Paul had been involved in the Bali bombings and was badly injured. I subsequently found out that his wife Peni, formerly Peni Barstow, was a Taree girl.
This tragedy touched us in a personal way. Having said that, of course, it touched us also in the sense that so many people were injured; and that the Balinese people had been once again subjected to such an atrocity committed by their own people. It is something that I cannot get my head around. I said to my wife while we watched this tragedy unfold, "I just have not the ability to understand why this has occurred. Why would someone do this to their own people?" I do not know whether I will ever understand that mentality. On the last occasion we witnessed the atrocious behaviour of those connected with the attack on the Sari Club and the manner in which they conducted themselves during the course of their trial.
I proposed to keep my remarks brief tonight, but last Friday I visited the hospital. I did not see Paul, because he was in a medical-induced coma, but I did talk to his brother, Richard, a solicitor whom I have known for many years. He assured me that Paul was recovering and over the worst—he was certainly very badly injured—and that his wife would be released from intensive care on the Saturday. I can only presume that that occurred. I want to say specifically to the Anicich family but more generally to the Newcastle community and to those in the Balinese community who were involved in this tragedy that we cannot let this get us down. We 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18353 cannot stand by and say that these people are going to win, because they are not going to win. I recall watching television footage of people at the airport. One man who was interviewed—I have no idea who he was; a vox pop, I guess you could say—said, "Of course I am going to Bali. If I don't go, they will have won." Of course that is what we have to do. We have to make sure that these bastards do not win.
Mr ALAN ASHTON (East Hills) [8.01 p.m.]: I support the motion of condolence moved by the Premier and supported by the Leader of the Opposition. I extend my condolences and those of my constituents to the injured and to the family and friends of those killed in the most recent attack in Bali. In addition to the Australians killed and injured, numerous Balinese and people from other parts of the world were killed and injured, because Bali has for a long time been a rite of passage for many. I recall using that very same expression in this House when we spoke about the terrible events of 2002. I am not surprised that there has been another bombing in Bali and I suppose I have to be honest and say I would not be surprised if there is a further bombing.
We are dealing with a group of people who, for whatever reason, feel they are making a great statement for their cause if they kit themselves up with suicide bombs, walk into a restaurant, blow themselves apart and kill innocent people. I agree with what was said by the honourable member for Myall Lakes in his contribution, Even with my ideology—I am sure I disagree with his on many issues—I cannot get my head around what has taken place in Bali. I said that these people were killed, but that is probably the wrong word because those who died were undoubtedly murdered.
In the past it has been unusual that Australians died as victims of cowardly acts of terrorism, until Bali in 2002. Australians have made sacrifices in a variety of wars—the early Sudan crisis, the Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Iraq and other areas where Australians have been sent or volunteered to go. Whether or not everyone agreed with those conflicts, men and women put on the Australian uniform and did something that their country expected them to do. But those who died and were maimed in Bali were not fighting for Australia or for "Western" interests. They were not part of any "coalition of the willing". They were not occupation forces; they were simply tourists who were eating and drinking in Balinese restaurants and being served by Balinese Indonesians who owned and operated those restaurants.
They were, however, victims of a war that has no purpose, other than to kill and maim for an ideology. I have not been unsympathetic to genuine causes where the dispossessed, the racially abused, the victims of the Holocaust—whether in Germany or, as the honourable member for Willoughby might acknowledge, in Armenia, Africa and other places—or victims of an oppressor have fought to create their own national identity or to end imperialism. My ideology understands that kind of structure and the fact that that situation can bring about these kinds of outrageous events. But I have to say that the slaughter of innocent women and children has never progressed a cause in the history of the Western and Eastern worlds that I, as a historian, have been able to understand. I do not believe it makes sense. However, I understand the history and, in a way, understand why people do this.
I do not believe there has ever been a book about how to use terrorism and how to kill to get people in other countries to react in a certain way. It may be that there is a formula to it, but I do not think it has ever worked. It flies in the face of what is happening in different parts of the world where organisations that once used violence have recognised that that is the least successful way of attaining their objectives. Fortunately, Australia has an excellent relationship with Indonesia generally and a special bond with the Balinese people in particular, as the honourable member for Bankstown and others have said. It is apparently quite something to go to Bali. I have not been there myself, but I know many people who have visited Bali on numerous occasions.
After the 2002 Bali tragedy, Australia played a vital role in improving hospital facilities in Bali in order to treat the wounded, and improved facilities in Darwin Hospital to treat those evacuated to Darwin for treatment before transfer to Sydney and other States. I pay tribute to those who played key roles in assisting the injured—the nurses and doctors, and the Balinese people. While doing so many were themselves injured. Everyone involved is trying to make the best of another terrible situation. To the families destroyed by the bombers, and to their friends and associates, I offer my sincere condolences and those of my constituents in the electorate of East Hills. I am sure all honourable members support this motion. It is tragic that an event such as this is one of the few occasions in which we can come together as parliamentarians and agree.
Ms GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN (Willoughby) [8.08 p.m.]: I join with my parliamentary colleagues on both sides of the House in placing on the record my heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of the most recent Bali bombings. We can only imagine the utter distress of losing a loved one 18354 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 under such horrific circumstances, and we can only imagine the ongoing distress experienced by those injured and those who witnessed the carnage and human suffering. The perpetrators of this despicable act represent the absolute worst in human nature. Such senseless acts of terrorism defy logic. To target innocent holiday goers, fellow human beings, in such a cold-blooded and indiscriminate manner represents the most lethal type of warfare ever witnessed on the face of the earth.
We also on this occasion grieve for the Balinese people who, having just begun to recover from the 2002 bombings, must once again begin the painful process of rebuilding their lives and their communities. In these uncertain times we must be vigilant in being even more aware of our surroundings, and ensure we take every necessary measure to fight against such acts of terrorism that aim to bring down our very way of life. It is regrettable, yet a reality, that we are in the midst of a war that has no boundaries, whose victims are random, and the perpetrators of which are devoid of the basic decency found in most human beings.
On this occasion I also wish to pay tribute to the medical experts and emergency staff both in Bali and in Australia who until today continue to support the victims, the injured, and those who need ongoing assistance. I think the words of Joe Frost, who spoke at Newcastle Sacred Heart Cathedral in a special service to acknowledge the victims of the Bali bombings, encapsulated what many of us feel. He said, "That bomb hit us that night and it has hit all of our community." I think those words ring true because, irrespective of where we live in Australia, whether or not we visited Bali, whether or not we know anybody directly associated with the bombings as victims or as relatives, we can empathise with the ongoing hardship and distress they are experiencing. On behalf of the constituents of the Willoughby electorate, I reiterate my condolences to the victims, their families, and those who are still coming to grips with what they experienced on that fateful October night. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during these most difficult times. I commend the motion to the House.
Mr JOHN MILLS (Wallsend) [8.11 p.m.]: I support the Premier's condolence motion and extend my sympathy to the families and friends of the people killed in the Bali terrorist attack on 1 October 2005. The close-knit community of Newcastle and the Hunter is still shocked. The Catholic community, in particular, mourns the deaths and confronts the terrible injuries of their own people. The link that took our Hunter people to that restaurant at Jimbaran Bay on that night was the proud Catholic seniors high school at Hamilton, St Francis Xavier, formerly Hamilton Marist Brothers. St Francis Xavier drew students from all over the Hunter region, so we all feel the loss.
One call to my office last week was very much appreciated. It came from my constituent Gerard Mowbray, who is the principal of St Paul's High School at Booragul. Until three or four years ago St Paul's was a year 7 to 10 Catholic high school from which students went on to St Francis Xavier. These days the school has its own year 11 and 12 classes, whereas St Francis Xavier has only years 11 and 12. Gerard explained the community involvement in Catholic education in the Hunter and the grief that was felt by them all because of the interchangeability of schools, from parishes to various high schools, including St Francis Xavier. Importantly, the people in the Hunter, irrespective of their religious belief, acknowledge that it is our people who have been most affected. When people so close to us are killed, injured or traumatised, I think we all sit back and say, "It might have been me."
Three years ago, I think on 22 October, I stood in this place when a motion of condolence was moved by then Premier Bob Carr following the Bali terrorist bombings. Some 20 people of the 88 Australians who were killed in those bombings came from the Randwick municipality, an area that Premier Carr represented, and he felt that very deeply. On that occasion Premier Carr said, "To name the dead is a great sorrow." Tonight it is a great sorrow for me to name Jenny Williamson, Fiona Zwolinski and Colin Zwolinski. The Williamson and Zwolinski families, and the surviving family members who were in Bali, have our strong and ongoing support. Some nine families in the Hunter had family members variously injured in the bombings, ranging from a little or very severely, and they have been in hospitals in Bali, Singapore, Darwin, and John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where some still remain.
I note the Sacred Heart Cathedral ceremony held last week to acknowledge what had happened in Bali, and the Premier's visit to the people who were in hospital. The Premier reported today, as did the Leader of the Opposition, how much the survivors, even though they were still critically and seriously injured, had expressed their gratitude to people such as the Balinese medical staff, the medical staff in Singapore and Darwin, and at John Hunter Hospital, and the counselling staff and others in the Hunter and New England Area Health Service. They also appreciated what had been done by police in Bali and here in Australia, and by diplomatic staff in Bali. For members who would like a nearly complete list of the diplomatic staff involved, I refer them to the speech of Sharon Grierson, the Federal member for Newcastle, in Federal Parliament yesterday, when that 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18355
Parliament carried a motion of condolence in this matter. The survivors also appreciated the efforts of the Army, Qantas, and a whole range of people who, sadly, are now better trained than they were three years ago to deal with emergencies of this kind.
I mention also the Balinese people, because we need to support them. As previously, the largest numbers of people from one nationality killed by these atrocities have again been the Balinese. Our condolences and sympathy go to the families of those killed and injured, and also to the people and families who lost their livelihood. Last time somewhere between half a million and one million Balinese people lost their livelihood following the bombings. On this occasion perhaps more Balinese people will be affected. I also want to refer to the moving speech by Joe Frost, who was in Bali and was slightly injured. On behalf of the young people especially, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral last Thursday night Joe Frost expressed hope when he said, "We will stand together and come through this." That hope is worth having, and that makes us winners in this process.
Mr JEFF HUNTER (Lake Macquarie) [8.17 p.m.]: Together with my colleagues I support the motion moved by the Premier. On 24 October 2002 I said in this place:
Today I offer my condolences to the family and friends of those who tragically lost their lives in the Bali terrorist attack. The bombings of the nightclub and bar in Bali have dramatically affected the whole of Australia and many other countries throughout the world.
It is simply amazing that some three years later I am again expressing my condolences and sympathy to those affected by another round of bombings in Bali. I first learnt of the bombings in Bali by phone, from an Indonesian friend of mine who lives in Bali. He advised me of more bombings and said, "Kuta is hell." He expressed sadness at what had happened. He works in the travel industry in Bali, and of course not only was he sad for the people who had lost their lives but he realised how the second bombings in Bali, some three years after the first, would affect the livelihood of everyone in Bali.
As the honourable member for Wallsend, the honourable member for Newcastle and other members have said, three of the four Australians who lost their lives, sadly, were from Newcastle, and a number of other people who were injured were also from Newcastle. Yesterday's Newcastle Herald published an article entitled "Fleeting reunion in couple's last hours", written by Brooke Newstead, which speaks about a couple, the Zwolinskis, who were killed in the bombing. The article also refers to the people who survived the bombing and had been transferred back to John Hunter Hospital, and also refers to a number of the people who had been discharged from the hospital. But I was also moved by the additional piece to that story, which stated:
Year 11 students at St Francis Xavier's College, Hamilton, begin the year 12 syllabus officially today but there is a larger challenge for some of them.
About 10 of the students are survivors of the Bali blasts.
Returning to school today from their nightmare holiday, they also begin the long process of healing. School principal Brother Hubert Williams said a private assembly would be held this morning to welcome the survivors back to the school and to pray for the dead and injured.
He said the assembly will be attended by all students of the school, family members and teachers, including acting assistant principal Julia Lederwasch, who was injured with shrapnel at Jimbaran on the night the suicide bombs went off.
Brother Williams said the next big step for the students would be preparations for the funerals of the three Merewether residents who died in the blasts, Jennifer Williamson and Colin and Fiona Zwolinski.
Earlier the honourable member for Wallsend referred to the speech to the Federal Parliament yesterday by Sharon Grierson, the Federal member for Newcastle. Among other things Sharon said:
The Newcastle families have worked as one in many ways throughout this ordeal. They want this condolence motion to register their appreciation of the efforts of others, too numerous to all be named. However, they ask that mention be made of the following: the scores of Balinese people and hotel staff who assisted complete strangers to hospital and who gave unsolicited help to wounded Australians in the hours immediately following the bombings; the Balinese nurses, police officers, diplomats, flight crews, Australian officials and contractors involved in the expert care, swift evacuation of wounded and stranded people to various hospitals and back to Australia and who provided ongoing assistance. Australia can be very proud of them all, including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its consulate and other staff for their professionalism and speedy support.
Sharon concluded her speech by saying:
In talking to our affected families, they made some pertinent comments that should be shared here. In spite of their painful experience, they are proud to be Novocastrians and they are proud to be Australians. They will be forever grateful for the public infrastructure that mobilised so quickly to assist them, even when they were in another country, Bali. They now fully appreciate how fortunate we are to belong to this country. They value more highly than ever their own personal relationships as well as the relationships that strengthen our community, our nation and our region.
I agree with Sharon. It is out of a tragedy like this that we realise how lucky we are to live in Australia. As I said, some of the people injured in the bombing were from the Newcastle area, including a couple with links to 18356 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 the Lake Macquarie electorate, Tony and Maryanne Purkiss. Tony Purkiss is the Secretary-Manager of the Royal Motor Yacht Club at Toronto, which is a major suburb on the western side of Lake Macquarie. It is, in fact, where my electorate office is located. Maryanne is recovering in John Hunter Hospital and Tony is in the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney. I wish them both well and a speedy recovery. On behalf of all the people in the Lake Macquarie electorate I extend our best wishes to all those affected by the bombing.
After the first Bali bombing I had the opportunity to meet with some visiting members of the Bali Provincial Parliament who visited the New South Wales Parliament and attended a luncheon that my colleague the honourable member for Wallsend also attended. Subsequent to that visit I had the opportunity to visit Bali. I visited the Bali Provincial Assembly and had a briefing from members of the delegation who were here in the New South Wales Parliament. One of those was Sumardika, who was a member of the Security Committee of the Parliament. I was told of the plans that they had put in place to improve security in Bali. They showed great interest in how Australia was reacting to the bombings and urged me as a member of Parliament to return to Australia and encourage Australians to return to Bali.
I saw on that visit, which was after the first Bali bombing, that security had certainly dramatically improved. I had visited Bali once before prior to the bombings and on this second visit I noticed an increase in security measures wherever I visited throughout the island. It is sad that all the work that the Balinese people have put in to rebuild their local economy has been again shattered by this latest bombing. On my visit to Bali I also had the opportunity to visit the major public hospital, the Sanglah Hospital, where I met with the director, Dr Lanang. He provided me with a booklet which is a technical report entitled "Lessons Learned from the Bali Bomb Blast." The hospital was assisted by the World Health Organisation to review its response to the first Bali bombing. It was a detailed report with many, many recommendations, which I am pleased were being implemented. I know the director of Sanglah Hospital was keen to implement the recommendations and, because they were, I am sure that more lives were saved a week ago when the second bombings occurred.
As part of my visit to Bali I also met with people who were trying to promote Bali overseas. The Bali Tourism Board was working to put together the first promotional video of Bali. It was called "Bali Beyond Expectations", and the board was seeking assistance to market Bali in Australia to encourage Australians to again visit what is a very beautiful place inhabited by some fantastically friendly people. I came back from that visit and I asked, "What can we do to assist Bali in its recovery?" As Chairman of the New South Wales Parliament Asia-Pacific Friendship Group I had discussions with other members of the group and it was decided that we would try to assist in the health area. We had been in contact with the Australia Vietnam Medical Foundation, known as Hoc Mai. Hoc Mai means "forever learning" in Vietnamese.
The Hoc Mai Foundation is a collaboration between the University of Sydney, a number of medicos at Royal North Shore Hospital and the Vietnamese health department, particularly centring around Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi. The idea of Hoc Mai is to improve the skills of Vietnamese clinicians with assistance from Australia and, of course, to allow Australian medicos to visit Vietnam and expand their knowledge of conditions over there and, hopefully, improve their techniques in certain areas, particularly in traditional medicine here in Australia. The Asia-Pacific Friendship Group has got behind the Australia Vietnam Medical Foundation. Some 12 months ago we had a fundraiser here at Parliament House which raised about $4,000 towards the cost of a hostel at Viet Duc Hospital that was opened only last week by the New South Wales Governor, Marie Bashir, in Hanoi. I was able to attend the opening with a number of other colleagues from the Asia-Pacific Friendship Group. That hostel cost in excess of $100,000, and we are proud that the Parliament could participate in helping the people of Vietnam.
The Asia-Pacific Friendship Group thought that the model adopted by the Australia Vietnam Medical Foundation could be followed in helping Indonesia. In May of this year at one of our meetings in the Speaker's suite it was resolved by the friendship group that we would work towards establishing an Australia-Indonesia Medical Foundation. The aim is to have a fundraiser here at Parliament House to raise sufficient funds to establish the foundation and start the medical exchange, initially focusing on Sanglah Hospital in Bali but then spreading out to other areas such as Aceh, which was devastated by the tsunami. We have great support from the Indonesian community for the project, particularly from the Consul General for Indonesia in Sydney, His Excellency Wardana, and all the members of the consulate. We also have support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In fact, the Australian Consul General in Bali, Brent Hall, is very supportive and assisted me in my visit to the Bali hospital and in speaking to a number of government representatives.
Something positive is coming out of the tragedy in Bali. We in the New South Wales Parliament will work to further enhance the skills of the medical teams in Bali so that, heaven forbid, if anything like this were to occur in the future, they will be even better prepared to deal with such an emergency. I will leave my contribution at that. I thank all those who have been involved in assisting the Australians who were hurt in the bombing. I extend my sympathy to the families and friends of those victims and also to the people of Bali. They are not being forgotten. We in Australia will do our best to ensure that the people of Bali are not dramatically affected by this tragedy. 11 October 2005 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 18357
Ms VIRGINIA JUDGE (Strathfield) [8.30 p.m.]: I join in the condolence motion moved by the Hon. Morris Iemma, our Premier, and supported by members on both sides of the House. On behalf of the people of the electorate of Strathfield, in Sydney's inner west, I express my condolences to all those harmed or affected by the tragic bombings in Bali on the evening of 1 October 2005. During this debate I was particularly moved by the thoughtful and emotional words of the honourable member for Wallsend, who personally knew people who have been affected; the honourable member for Newcastle; the honourable member for Lake Macquarie, who spoke about his experiences at the hospital in Bali; and Tony Stewart, the member for my neighbouring electorate, Bankstown, who has travelled to Indonesia and went to Aceh with the wonderful Father Riley, who has done such wonderful work in establishing an orphanage there.
Bali is indeed a beautiful island paradise that has for many years offered a spiritual retreat and escape, especially for western tourists. Many Australians have taken holidays in Bali. It is located on our northern doorstep and has become a mecca for families, surfers and ordinary holidaymakers, particularly those on a tight budget. Sadly, the word "Bali" has now become synonymous with carnage and bloodshed. This tiny, beautiful paradise has been drawn into a maelstrom of intolerance, ignorance and hate. The irony is that Bali is a beautiful place but now, sadly, it is associated with recurring terror.
The recent second wave of bombings turned three crowded restaurants into ruins, claiming at least 26 lives, including those of four Australians, and wounding approximately 120 others, including 17 Australians. When the bombings occurred they affected the global community. The echo from the bombings has reverberated across the world and into our communities. The people of Newcastle and Perth have been especially shaken by the loss. They have supported each other and have rallied to support those who have suffered injuries. As fellow Australians, we offer the people of Newcastle and Perth both our condolences and ongoing support. In these dark hours those who lost family members or suffered trauma can be sure that our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Our Australian hospitals and medical personnel are world-class. They have offered, and are still offering, the best care available to those in need. In these difficult times we appreciate the skills and dedication of our wonderful doctors, nurses, other health professionals and our service men and women who are teaming up to mend the damage caused by these bombs. This tragedy could just as easily have struck someone from our own family circle, perhaps someone from our street, community or local area.
Our condolences are also offered to the families and friends of those holidaymakers from other countries caught up in the bombings. Their suffering is no less than ours. Suffering also are the beautiful Balinese people. Their world has been turned upside down, first by the bombings in 2002 and, second, by what we now know as the 2005 Bali bombings. In the long term the Balinese will suffer much more than we Australians. Besides the death and suffering of those Balinese caught in the bombings, the loss of tourism and the economic downturn that it will bring, and the increased cost of security and policing will create far greater suffering to be endured by the Balinese people. They will have to suffer the stigma of being a bomber's playground. The peace of centuries has been shattered. Decades will now have to pass before harmony and confidence is restored to the island. Indeed, we have seen a paradise lost.
The explosions occurred less than two weeks before the third anniversary, on 12 October, of the bomb attacks on two Bali nightclubs in 2002 that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. The most recent bombing is another in the series that has rocked Indonesia since the first Bali bombings in 2002. There were bombings on 25 August 2005 in the religiously divided eastern Indonesian city of Ambon, where seven people were wounded when a homemade bomb exploded at a market. On 28 May 2005, in a busy marketplace in the town of Tentena, twin bomb blasts killed 19 people and injured at least 40 people. On 9 September 2004, outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, 10 people, plus a suicide bomber, died and more than 100 were wounded. On 5 August 2003, outside the American-owned JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, a car bomb killed 12 people and wounded 149 others. On 14 July 2003 a bomb exploded at the Indonesian Parliament building days after the arrest of Jamaah Islamiah suspects. No-one was killed or injured but the blast shattered windows and a door in an office area. On 27 April 2003, at Indonesia's main international airport near a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, a bomb tore through a restaurant area wounding 11 people. On 5 December 2002, at a McDonald's Family Restaurant outlet and a car showroom in the eastern Indonesian city of Makassar, a bomb killed three people and wounded 11 others.
The intent of these tragic bombings seems to be to divide the Muslim majority of Indonesia from the outside influences of western countries and to put the democratically elected Indonesian Government under threat. I should add that Indonesia is one of the world's largest democracies. The earlier bombings did not succeed in achieving those objectives. As peace-loving Australians we must not let the criminals who orchestrated these bombings escape to continue their work.
According to Indonesia's counterterrorism forces, the suspected suicide bombers who carried out the bombing on 1 October appear to have been a small group with no prior criminal record or link to a large terrorist 18358 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 October 2005 organisation. This is a similar profile to that of the bombers in London in July 2005. The men who devastated locals and holidaymakers in this latest attack in Bali are believed to have come from impoverished areas where access to higher education is limited and where a more radical stream of their religion has taken hold. It is this environment that allows terrorist organisations to become stronger, giving hope to the disenfranchised. Young men from poor communities are promised a place in heaven and then sent out to kill themselves and to hurt as many innocent people as they can.
The Australian Federal Police have been working with Indonesian police to track down these criminals. In a country as populous as Indonesia, that is not an easy task. Many of those involved in the first Bali bombings have already been caught. Our support and encouragement are with the fine officers of the Australian Federal Police and their Indonesian counterparts as they undertake their work. It may take many years but whatever it takes, they know that we will stand behind them and provide whatever support they need. Perhaps the unsung heroes in many of these Indonesian bombings have been the staff of the Australian Embassy in Indonesia; they have come under direct attack. Each time a bombing occurs they are called on to work tirelessly to co-ordinate rescue and medical staff, ensuring evacuations go smoothly and tracking down any Australians who are unaccounted for. They keep us back at home updated with the latest information.
We would all like to think that this will be the last time we will have to pause to remember Australians killed or maimed in a bombing overseas. Tragically, that probably will not be the case. As world citizens Australians, rightly, will continue to travel, to develop overseas friendships and to establish business associations. We must be cautious but not cowed by these bombings. I urge Australians not to retreat to the perceived safe haven of Australia. It is easy for us as Australians to stay at home and decide not to return to Bali. I am not saying that we should ignore travel warnings—we should not. If we stop travelling to places where there has been a terrorist attack we are letting the terrorists win. But we should keep in mind that nowhere in the world is safe anymore. Terrorism knows no boundaries, and it is a sad reality that any place in the world could be attacked.
I am concerned about the future of Bali and the best way that we can help. The one thing that Thailand asked Australians to do after the terrible Tsunami was to come back as many livelihoods there depend on tourism. I believe this will also be the case in Bali. A sharp drop-off in Bali visitor numbers is expected in the short term, but it is hoped and I believe that the island will bounce back in the longer term. These recent bombings occurred just as tourism in Bali was starting to improve. Of course, tourism declined sharply after the 2002 bombings. Tourism never properly recovered as Bali struggled again to survive the severe acute respiratory syndrome scare and the Marriott hotel and Australian embassy bombings in Jakarta, and as it was bracing for the effects of bird flu. As a result, the incomes of Balinese people were severely reduced and the education of primary schoolchildren was sacrificed in order for families to struggle and survive.
We must not turn our backs on our Indonesian and Balinese neighbours. Most important, we will not forget those innocent Australians who were killed or injured earlier this month whilst they sat down to enjoy an evening meal together with their families and friends. Sharing an evening meal with friends and family is the most common thing in the world to do—they were doing no wrong. It should have been just another day in paradise. Soon after the bombings occurred I wrote to the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Sydney, expressing condolences on behalf of the Strathfield electorate. The letter I received from His Excellency Wardana, the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia stated:
Dear Ms Judge MP
Thank you for your expression of sympathy for the families of the victims of the Bali Bombings on 1 October 2005.
The Government and People of Indonesia strongly condemn this inhumane act, and our security agencies are working hard in cooperation with investigators from several neighbouring countries, including the Australian Federal Police, to bring the perpetrators to justice.
We appreciate your support and cooperation at this sad time.
On behalf of the Strathfield electorate I again express our condolences to those who lost loved ones and to those who are still recovering.
Members and officers of the House stood in their places.
Motion agreed to.
The House adjourned at 8.44 p.m. until Wednesday 12 October 2005 at 10.00 a.m. ______