ALLEN FAMILY BICENTENARY CELEBRATION ...... 2401 AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT ...... 2423 AVIATION HALL OF FAME 2014 INDUCTION ...... 2398 BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE ...... 2404 BRAUND AND LARKIN MEMORIAL PLAQUE ...... 2394 BRISBANE WATER OYSTER INDUSTRY ...... 2402 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE ...... 2394, 2409, 2423, 2423, 2425 CENTENARY OF FIRST WORLD WAR ...... 2408 CRIME COMMISSION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2014...... 2426 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS ...... 2437 DRUMMOYNE ELECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE ...... 2405 EDUCATION ...... 2445 ELECTRICITY PRIVATISATION ...... 2409, 2411 GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES ...... 2425 HIS EMINENCE BEATITUDE PATRIARCH CARDINAL MAR BECHARA BOUTROS RAI...... 2444 JENNIFER COWLEY, REGIONAL JOURNALISM AWARD ...... 2407 LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE ...... 2423 MEMBER FOR SWANSEA AND MEMBER FOR PORT STEPHENS ...... 2415 MENAI ELECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE ...... 2406 MYALL LAKES ELECTORATE EVENTS ...... 2394 NATIONAL PARKS ESTABLISHMENT PLAN ...... 2421 NEWCASTLE RAIL LINE ...... 2395 NORTHERN INLAND INNOVATION AWARDS ...... 2443 PAYROLL TAX REBATE SCHEME (JOBS ACTION PLAN) AMENDMENT (FRESH START SUPPORT) BILL 2014 (NO. 2) ...... 2429 PETITIONS ...... 2423 PRIMARY INDUSTRIES SECTOR...... 2416 PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS ...... 2394, 2443 QUESTION TIME ...... 2409 REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES ...... 2410 REGIONAL TOURISM ...... 2420 REMEMBRANCE DAY 2014 ...... 2399 RURAL AND REGIONAL ROADS ...... 2413 RURAL AND REMOTE EDUCATION ...... 2422 SENIOR EDUCATOR RETIREMENTS ...... 2397 SIR WILLIAM DOBELL...... 2400 SOUTH COAST TRAIN SERVICE ...... 2403 SOUTH EASTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT ...... 2407 SPECIAL OLYMPICS AUSTRALIA ...... 2446 ST GEORGE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT ...... 2396 SYDNEY TRAINS SOUTH LINE NOISE POLLUTION ...... 2443 THE HONOURABLE MARIE FICARRA, MLC ...... 2418 VALEDICTORY SPEECHES ...... 2430, 2438 VISITORS ...... 2408 WOLLONGONG FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ...... 2398

2394

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Tuesday 11 November 2014

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The Speaker (The Hon. Shelley Elizabeth Hancock) took the chair at 12 noon.

The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country.

BRAUND AND LARKIN MEMORIAL PLAQUE

The SPEAKER: Members will notice that the memorial plaque in the Legislative Assembly Chamber has been redecorated. The memorial commemorates the death at Gallipoli of two serving members of the Legislative Assembly, Lieutenant Colonel George Braund and Sergeant Ted Larkin. On 11 August 1915, by resolution of the House, the Speaker was "authorised to place within the Chamber a fitting memorial" to the late members. The memorial was subsequently unveiled on 30 November 1915. At that time the memorial was decorated with two Australian flags.

As part of the Parliament's Centenary of Anzac celebrations the plaque has once again been decorated with two national flags. When the Chamber walls were repainted in the early 1980s to what they are now, photographic evidence shows that the sword and the rifle were not placed back in their original positions. The flags were put back in place this week and the opportunity was taken also to rectify the placement of the sword and the rifle. This action has been taken as an appropriate way for the House to mark Remembrance Day today. I would like to thank the member for Strathfield, Charles Casuscelli, for his representations regarding appropriate commemorations within the Chamber.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Notices of Motions

General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given.

Pursuant to sessional order private members' statements proceeded with.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

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MYALL LAKES ELECTORATE EVENTS

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD (Myall Lakes) [12.09 p.m.]: I inform the House of two events that occurred in the Manning Valley on Saturday 8 November 2014. The first one was the "Make the earth move PCYC gala dinner" to support the gymaroos, who will be representing Australia at the World Gymnaestrada in Helsinki in 2015. The gymaroos is an internationally renowned gymnastics group that has been performing and competing both nationally and internationally for several decades. The event was held at the Police Citizens Youth Club in Taree and it was a fantastic night. More than 200 people turned up to support these young people in their endeavour to get to Helsinki. There were a number of award winners, including Daniel Stocks, the Australian champion tumbler in gymnastics, and other athletes.

Entertainment was provided by the gymaroos and by local artist Stacey Lee, a singer and dancer and former gymaroo who performs musical comedy. The gymaroos had three occasions on which to learn the routine with Stacey Lee and they did a fantastic job performing it. There was a three course meal from chef Laurent Gonfond, a well-known French chef who has been living in the Manning Valley for nigh on 30 years. So the food was great and the entertainment was great. The event was a fundraiser, and the auction raised a considerable amount of money. It is always good when one has a table of doctors and their spouses all drinking red wine and one gets them competing against one another in a charity auction as it is their natural instinct to outbid and outdo everyone else. They made a number of great purchases and that table contributed a lot of money for the cause.

11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2395

Also present were the principals of Taree L. J. Hooker and the principal of Wingham L. J. Hooker— Chris and Amanda Tate from Taree and Tim Bale from Wingham. They too supported the night. Amanda and Chris Tate from L. J. Hooker Taree have been businesspeople in Taree for probably 30 years and they raised their family there. Tim Bale was originally a dairy advisory officer in the Manning Valley. He has a dairy farm as well as running L. J. Hooker. He is now referred to as "Mr Milk" because he is the one who on behalf of a number of dairy farmers did a deal with Woolworths. He is now working on behalf of dairy farmers right across Australia to do a deal with Woolworths. The more buyers there are in the dairy market the better it is for dairy farmers.

The second event I went to on Saturday 8 November was the Manning Valley Relay for Life, which was held that afternoon. Events like this one were held all over regional New South Wales. The event was opened by a number of people, in particular a 91-year-old lady named Dotty. She cut the ribbon to kick off the event and she walked several laps around the oval. It was great to see her there and to see so many people supporting this event. Carers, survivors and the families of those who have suffered from or who are still suffering from cancer were all there to support this event.

We all know that governments cannot do everything and having communities raise funds to help with research into cancer, an insidious disease, is a great thing. It was also good for people to get out and to see that there are people who survive cancer. It is not necessarily a death sentence; people can live with it and people can survive it. We owe so much to our present Minister for Health, and Minister for Medical Research, the Hon. Jillian Skinner who has substantially increased funding for medical research in New South Wales. She is doing such a fantastic job increasing the number of nurses and building new hospitals right across the State.

NEWCASTLE RAIL LINE

Ms SONIA HORNERY (Wallsend) [12.14 p.m.]: The people of the Hunter have a lot to look forward to, and I am sure they will have a very merry Christmas, but from Boxing Day this year instead of being able to access train services at Maitland—for example, if they live in the electorate of my colleague the member for Cessnock—because of the decisions of those opposite they will have to endure two years of buses replacing the rail system, which is currently an efficient and effective mass transit system. So from Boxing Day, for two years, residents will not be able to catch trains from Maitland, for example, or from Cardiff or the university in the case of residents in my electorate, or from Kotara. Instead residents will have to catch some form of bus transport.

In many respects if the Hunter road network were quiet this would not be so bad. But we know that Hunter roads are at peak capacity at present. We are all keen for the Government to build stage five of the inner-city bypass, which it has in the planning stage. Train services are what the people in the Hunter rely on, and soon they will not be able to use them. The present Government was looking for 20 per cent public transport patronage in the Hunter, which is laudable and with which I agree. I know all members on this side of the House want to see more public transport usage and fewer people using their cars. We would also like to see more people walking and cycling safely on off-road cycleways. I wonder—and I know other people on this side of the House and the Hunter community are also wondering—how the Government will ensure that 20 per cent patronage on public transport when it is replacing a mass transport system with buses for two years. We do not know what the end result will be, and that is the problem.

Yesterday the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that the cost of the planned light rail system in the inner city had blown out by an additional $600 million, which the Government had not factored in. Given that the light rail will not go ahead until at least 2017, one wonders how much the additional cost will be for Hunter taxpayers. This is 1.8 kilometres of light rail, which many of them will not use because it is not citywide. If we were talking about light rail services that went to Warabrook, Maitland, Hamilton, Cardiff, Fassifern, Hunter commuters might have a different attitude. But at the moment the light rail system that is proposed is not going to help those citizens who currently rely on the heavy rail system to get from the suburbs to the city, which is important.

I am sure government policymakers really want fewer people to use cars and more people to catch public transport. But for that to occur we need to provide some fair dinkum incentives to encourage people to use public transport. We also know of course that in the inner city at the moment car parking is at a premium. It is at capacity. When we factor in the additional university buildings and law courts in the city, which means that people will have to travel into town instead of going to the university campus at Callaghan, there will be more drivers and more people parking in the city. We will have more drivers on the road with less capacity for car parking, because the car parks will be full. The cost of car parking in the city is astronomical. 2396 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Drivers are lucky if they can get a $7 per day car park—they are usually full by 8.00 a.m. If not, they pay $5 an hour for two hours and then they have to move their car. That is not feasible for anybody attending university or working full time. I ask the Government to rethink its decision on whether it should truncate the rail line post Christmas. It is not wise to be making that decision after the election. The Government should consult and talk to the community about the best public transport option for all of us in the Hunter.

ST GEORGE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) [12.19 p.m.]: Last month marked the delivery of another of our election commitments: the official opening of the new emergency department at St George Hospital. It is an honour to have the Minister for Health in the Chamber today. I was joined by the Minister for Health at the official opening. I think the Minister has reached double figures in her visits to St George Hospital. It is fair to say that in the past 3½ years one of my proudest achievements as a member of Parliament and as a lifelong local in my community is the work that the Government and the outstanding Minister for Health have done at St George Hospital. The new $41 million emergency department is state of the art. In the past I visited the former emergency department on Kensington Street. We have almost doubled the capacity of the old emergency department at the brand-new emergency department operating out of Grey Street. The number of ambulances in the bay has doubled, and the number of nurses has increased to cater for the new emergency department.

The state-of-the-art building is fully funded by the Government. The opening of this wonderful emergency department is one of this Government's crowning achievements. In particular I will focus on the clinicians and staff at the hospital. From day one they were eager to engage in planning the building and displayed such patience and professionalism during the construction project. I met many of the clinicians and staff when I was a candidate and, previous to that, when I was a councillor on Kogarah City Council, and then as a member of Parliament. I pay tribute to Trevor Chan and Allan Ajami and current staff such as Theresa Jacques. All of them play a huge part at St George Hospital. The new emergency department would not have been completed without their work.

The St George emergency department is one of the busiest in New South Wales. Members will be interested to know that the emergency department treats more than 68,000 people each year, with about 25,000 of them admitted. The emergency department will allow for future capacity to manage the growing needs of our local community, our population, and will include—I have mentioned this in Parliament many times before—five resuscitation bays; an acute hall with 34 treatment spaces; two designated fast-track zones, one for adults and one for children; an emergency medical unit; satellite imaging; and eight off-street ambulance drop-off zones. That is why I said there are double the number of ambulances in the drop-off zones at the new hospital. The old emergency department had only four bays. If an ambulance arrived at the emergency department it had to park across the road and patients were wheeled across Kensington Street and into the hospital, which was unsuitable for the local community and for the hospital. That is why the Government built a brand-new emergency department.

It is important to note that the new building has the potential for additional storeys to be added for future development stages. So the Government is planning for the future. The Government is working in partnership with the Department of Health, clinicians and staff in building a state-of-the-art hospital at St George. I have lived in my community all my life and I remember a number of campaigns to save St George Hospital. I remember back in 1996-97 the Labor Government wanted to rename the hospital as St Vincent's. At one stage the then Government wanted to close the St George homelessness trauma unit. Not only has the Government built a brand-new emergency department; it has backed that up with funding in this year's budget for further stages—something for which I have been fighting since my election. The Government promised funded builds and has delivered a new emergency department for our local community, with more to come.

Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER (North Shore—Minister for Health, and Minister for Medical Research) [12.24 p.m.]: I congratulate the member for Oatley on his absolute persistence in lobbying for his community with regard to the extended emergency department. Prior to the election when we made a commitment to invest serious money in the redevelopment of the St George Hospital emergency department the member for Oatley pushed that campaign. The Labor Government said that it would provide about $12 million to upgrade the existing emergency department. At the turning of the first sod the then chair of the local health district, Morris Iemma, who had been a previous health Minister, said to me that that was insufficient and how pleased he was that we had put together this major redevelopment. It is fantastic and the staff are wonderful. I thank the member for Oatley for his great representation of his community. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2397

SENIOR EDUCATOR RETIREMENTS

Mr PAUL TOOLE (Bathurst—Minister for Local Government) [12.25 p.m.]: Today I am privileged to highlight three educators in my electorate who have announced their retirement at the end of this year. These three people are special because they have been involved in education for a long time and they have had the opportunity to touch the lives of many individuals and families over the years. I am pleased to talk about them because, as a former schoolteacher, I worked with them at Assumption Primary School in Bathurst for 17 years. These three educators are the principal, the assistant principal and the religious education coordinator, and they are all retiring at the same time at the end of this year. They have made an amazing contribution to the lives of many individuals—an incredible team that has made a huge difference to the school and to the wider community.

These three educators have given an incredible commitment to education and to their community. Special attributes are needed for those in our community who undertake to dedicate their professional lives to nurturing our children, encouraging them and providing an insight into the exciting world of education and the broad perspectives that it offers. We are privileged to have an opportunity to recognise what an integral part teachers play in our society and what an impact they have on shaping the lives of students within their care. I have spent a lot of time with these three people exchanging personal stories, laughing and having fun and sharing the sad times that were had by our families.

Principal Peter Nugent commenced his commitment to education 43 years ago, when he commenced training at Armidale Teachers College, which was followed by his appointment to South Gunnedah School in 1974. Subsequent appointments were undertaken in the western areas of New South Wales, and the past 14 years were at the Assumption Primary School in Bathurst. Peter Nugent is a builder not only in developing school facilities but also in shaping the minds of future generations, inspiring them to be the best that they can be, to love knowledge and learning and all that it brings. Peter's level of passion expanded beyond the school grounds and he has been extraordinary in the establishment and advancement of CPS rugby for 17 years, as a coach and as an administrator for which he received acknowledgement in the form of a regional tournament in his name.

Few words or accolades could measure Peter Nugent's contribution. His legacy of immeasurable gifts and advancement to education will remain as one of the most respected focal points for the children he inspired and the parents and community to whom he gave so generously. Therese Hooper commenced her teacher training at North Sydney in 1973 and has spent her professional life at schools in Bathurst. She has been a visionary in the development and enhancement of skills and standards at the schools she has been involved with through such things as the coordination of academic pursuits and social enhancements including school camps and presentation nights and working as an essential conduit between the school, parents and church.

Therese also gave much of her time to Rural Youth, Glenray School and Glenray House through support and social work, as a member of the Bathurst Business and Professional Women's Association and to MacKillop College, the Carillon Theatrical Society productions and Bathurst Eisteddfod events. A further measurement of Therese's success has been her caring for and mentoring of her peer group, which has earned her the respect and trust of many teachers who have benefited from her guidance and encouragement.

Diane Walkowiak entered Sydney Kindergarten Teachers College in 1974. Following her initial appointment at Pymble, Diane commenced working in Bathurst schools in 1981. Passion and involvement are the keys to Diane's success as a teacher, from implementing Reading Recovery for students affected by visual dyslexia, Literacy Place and Wiggle Works learning styles to band and performance opportunities for student participation across the community. As a passionate leader in curriculum development Diane received a National Excellence in Teaching Award for Information and Communication Technology Education. Diane has set an extraordinary standard in education that many will aspire to.

Each of these outstanding educators has announced their retirement at the conclusion of the 2014 school year. Between them they have given 164 years of investment and passion to education—from their early days as students in training to the consummate and respected educators they are today. To succeed in one's profession is an accomplishment but to excel and inspire is a gift that each of these people has extended to all who have been part of their pathways, That is particularly true of their students, who will now take a more informed and caring place in society because of them. There is no greater measurement of their success as educators. To share their stories in this place is an honour. On behalf of the people of the electorate and State I thank each of them for making such an incredible difference to the lives of so many. 2398 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

AVIATION HALL OF FAME 2014 INDUCTION

Mr DARYL MAGUIRE (Wagga Wagga—Parliamentary Secretary) [12.30 p.m.]: On the evening of Saturday 8 November I had the honour and pleasure to join the aviation community from around Australia at a ceremony to induct six Australians and the Australian Air Force Cadets into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame [AAHOF]. When announcing the 2014 inductions Chairman Steve Padgett said on behalf of the board:

The awards represent those who have not only achieved incredible feats personally but have also made outstanding contributions to the development of aviation and the fabric of Australian life.

The inductees were: Sir Reginald Ansett, the driving force behind Ansett Airlines; aviatrix Senja Robey, founding member and past president of the Australian Women Pilots Association, instructor and inspiration for generations to follow; Horace Brinsmead, Australian Flying Corps Lieutenant Colonel, the first controller of civil aviation in Australia and the negotiator of the establishment of the first airmail route between England and Australia; Harry Hawker, co-founder of Hawker Aircraft, designer, distinguished airman, test pilot developing spin recovery methods, and adventurer; Col Pay, pioneer of aerial work, crop dusting and water bombing aircraft in Australia; and Ingo Renner, four-time world and 19-times Australian National Gliding Champion.

The highly coveted Southern Cross Award, which is presented for an outstanding contribution to aviation by an organisation, was awarded to the Australian Air Force Cadets, formerly known as Air Training Corps (RAAF). The inductions were made at Joyes Hall at Charles Sturt University. AAHOF is proudly supported by Shell Aviation, Jeppesen, GE, Wagga Wagga City Council, Hawker Pacific, Alliance Aviation Services, Wellcamp Brisbane West Airport, QBE and Charles Sturt University.

The organisation's motto "To Honour the Past and Inspire the Future" reflects dual aims to recognise those who have contributed to Australia's rich aviation history and inspire young people to become involved in the industry and be part of its future. The Aviation Hall of Fame initiative is in its third year. It is an electronic museum, which means that information about the inductees is accessed electronically. The committee, headed by Steve Padgett, is working hard to establish a bricks and mortar location for the hall of fame.

The six people and one organisation inducted on Saturday night have taken their places alongside former inductees of the past two years including Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, the great Don Kendell, who founded Kendell Airlines in Wagga Wagga, and many more. It was a sensational night that was enjoyed by all. Senja Robey and Ingo Renner were present with their families and friends to accept their awards. To hear Senja Robey speak about her achievements was inspirational. I learnt that she was the person who taught Chairman Steve Padgett to fly.

The aviation industry was like a big family when it converged at Joyes Hall in Wagga to celebrate the achievements of aviators past and present. Ingo Renner, 19-times Australian National Gliding Champion, also gave a great speech with his family present. It was inspirational to listen to the speeches and see their families, grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoying being part of recognising their contributions to this great country. Indeed, the trucking and aviation industries were the builders of this country. I am proud that the aviation industry has continued to innovate and improve aviation safety. I congratulate everyone who was involved in this wonderful initiative.

WOLLONGONG FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

Ms NOREEN HAY (Wollongong) [12.35 p.m.]: I speak on behalf of Department of Family and Community Services staff in Wollongong. In the past couple of weeks they have once again felt the need to walk off the job due to their concerns that a chronic shortage of staff might result in another tragedy. These workers are the least likely to take industrial action. They are dedicated and committed to child protection. For them to walk off the job for a second time shows the seriousness of their concerns about child safety and protection in Wollongong due to a lack of child protection workers. It is true to say that some time ago they were promised additional staff. Unfortunately, that has not come to pass.

We recognise that last August the same issue caused Coniston office staff to walk off the job following the death of a two-year-old boy despite reports being lodged three times in five weeks. We should take a bipartisan approach to working together to make sure we have sufficient numbers of childcare workers to carry out the face-to-face contact that is necessary to avoid further deaths of young children. I am speaking 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2399

specifically about the Wollongong area now but we must improve staffing levels across the board. We cannot take a Labor position or a Coalition position; we must take a human position. We have to protect children and there is only one way to do it.

I know that governments need to remain within their budgets and certain things need to be cut and streamlined. However, that should not mean that we put the lives of at-risk children on the line due to a lack of child support workers. That should be of concern to each and every man and woman in this place and throughout our community. Our community expects and demands that we protect our children. The workers in my electorate and in the Coniston office have shown that they are very reluctant to take any kind of industrial action but they need to bring this to a head to show that they need more child protection officers working face to face with these children.

The Public Service Association [PSA] says its members have had enough. They are extremely concerned that another tragedy is just around the corner. Mr Steve Turner, the spokesman from the PSA, has indicated that child protection workers are seriously concerned. The PSA delegate, Frank Kovic said, "The Government agreed last year to provide 10 additional positions for the district that were dedicated until at least June 2015." I raise the concerns on behalf of children throughout the State who are at risk, particularly those in my electorate of Wollongong. We should not reduce the number of caseworkers any further and should endeavour where possible to fill those existing vacancies to give caseworkers the kind of support they need. We should acknowledge that the PSA, its delegates and spokespeople are raising these issues for the benefit of our communities and child safety, which is so desperately needed. This is a matter of concern and I will keep the House informed of developments.

REMEMBRANCE DAY 2014

Mr VICTOR DOMINELLO (Ryde—Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Veterans Affairs, and Assistant Minister for Education) [12.40 p.m.]:

The tumult and the shouting dies The Captains and the Kings depart Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!

The weight and solemnity of those words of the poem Recessional by Rudyard Kipling are never and will never be lost on me. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month 1918, the gunfire that had thundered across the fields and throughout the cities of Europe for four long miserable years finally fell silent. Sixty thousand men—fathers, sons, brothers, husbands and fiancés—who departed our shores, leaving behind their homes and families and livelihoods never returned to the embrace of those who loved them. Today we remember them.

Their lives were lost in service of this country; Australian soldiers fell on the beach at Gallipoli, in the Middle East and in the quagmire of the Western Front. We also remember the other, sometimes forgotten casualties—our returned servicemen terrorised by the unspeakable memories of their experience. To remember the Great War is to remind ourselves that the four-year conflict ended not with brute and unyielding military force, but with a diplomatic agreement to cease hostilities and negotiate a peace treaty. While the Great War was not to become the war to end all wars, two words transcend the pages of history to solemnly remind us today, "never again".

On Sunday the Ryde community held its Remembrance Sunday service, organised by chairman Mr Bernard Cox and the City of Ryde Remembrance Day Committee. I was joined by John Alexander, the Federal member for Bennelong, and the Mayor of Ryde, Bill Pickering. I thank Reverend Janine Steele from St Anne's, Ryde and Father Paul Monkerud from St Charles Borromeo, Ryde for leading the service in prayer, and for the uplifting work they do in the Ryde community. I also thank Kim Phillips from the Ryde District Historical Society for her insight into the Ryde Goes to War project undertaken by the society and for her account of some of the stories of our local veterans.

I thank the St Kevin's Eastwood choristers, led by Suzanne Maslen, OAM, for the reverence of their Remembrance Day song. The Ryde City Concert Band led us in the hymns and the National Anthem, and 2400 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

special mention must be made of Major Bruce Meikle for his pipe performance of the Lament, and Mr Bill Poole for playing the last post and reveille. I extend thanks to Mr Peter Astridge, Gladesville RSL and Mr Ian Henderson, RSL State Council for their participation in the service. I conclude by offering the House some extracts from the accounts of the year 10 history students at Marsden High School. Its principal, Mr Gus Vrolyk, and history teacher Cimen Fevzi have embraced remembering by involving local veterans to give students firsthand accounts of their experiences. Skyler Williams wrote that:

Some [soldiers] might have been excited, thinking it was going to be a big adventure, and that they would be home by Christmas. This made me feel very sad, as for many soldiers, this was not the case.

Jessica Morgan reflected:

Meeting Gordon McPherson and Bernie Cox is something I will never forget. I could see and feel how proud they were to be able to serve this country.

Amelia Woolcott said:

I imagined Bernie and his mates diving into different directions for shelter, hoping that they were the lucky ones.

Maddy Hendroff said:

When he went to training he made a small group of mates—only one of them made it through the war with him.

Naomi Bolliger stated:

He took out a laminated picture and pointed himself out to the group. A much younger version of him was smiling at the camera alongside some other young men. In the background, I could tell that the conditions were not good. I thought that they must have been tough to survive in a place like that.

Kieran Morris wrote:

War didn't only affect the soldiers then, nor is that the case today; the damage extends beyond the battlefield—to the homes of the families of the soldiers, and the community when they return, or if they don't.

Marsden High School teacher Cimen Fevzi noted:

… the programme allowed the students an opportunity to hear between the lines of the history books.

Indeed, it is a very worthwhile program.

Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER (North Shore—Minister for Health, and Minister for Medical Research) [12.45 p.m.]: I speak to the statement made by the Minister for Citizenship and Communities, the member for Ryde, as a Navy wife whose husband served for 30 years, including time in the war zone in Vietnam. I thank the Minister for raising this matter on 11 November, a very important occasion, and for his very passionate representations in all military matters, particularly for those who have served their country.

SIR WILLIAM DOBELL

Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie) [12.46 p.m.]: I pay tribute to one of the greatest artists this country has produced; a man who, were he still with us today, would be a constituent of mine. I speak of Sir William Dobell, or plain old Bill, the affectionate and rather less pretentious moniker by which the good people of Wangi Wangi knew him. Bill Dobell was not born in Wangi Wangi, he was born in nearby Newcastle, but Wangi Wangi was undoubtedly his spiritual home. It was where he found solace from the controversies that dogged his career and personal life, and a place where he was able to rebuild his life and rediscover his creativity.

It is 70 years since the court case that brought Bill Dobell unwanted celebrity and, somewhat perversely, turned the spotlight on one of our brilliant artistic talents. Most people know this part of the Dobell story well. After a period of study in London and Europe, the promising young painter came home to Australia and began to establish a body of work that would ultimately see his name etched in the pantheon of great Australian artists. But when fame came to the artist it was not, sadly, in recognition of his considerable talent, 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2401

but due to the controversy that flared over his 1943 Archibald Prize winning portrait of fellow artist Joshua Smith. Two unsuccessful entrants claimed it was a caricature, not a portrait, and the argument ended with a highly publicised and contentious court case.

As well as questioning the legitimacy of his artwork, the case brought unwelcome speculation about his personal life and sexuality. While the publicity was unsolicited and unwanted, Dobell's painting undoubtedly succeeded in getting the then culturally shy Australian public talking about art. Dobell won the case, but paid a high price. The furore over the painting crippled his confidence, ruined his physical and mental health and robbed him of his desire to paint. This is where the little lakeside community of Wangi Wangi in my electorate of Lake Macquarie enters the story.

William Dobell escaped to Wangi to shake off the unwanted attention the court case had brought him. It was there, in the company of a community that cared little for celebrity or controversy, that he began to heal, emotionally and artistically. I am encouraged to remind this House of the amazing story and legacy of Dobell as his name is in the news again, thanks to the work of another Wangi convert, the journalist Scott Bevan of ABC 24 fame, who moved to Wangi some years ago and became absorbed in the quiet legend of Dobell. Scott has drawn on his long-time personal fascination to craft a wonderful biography, Bill: The Life of William Dobell, which recently was released.

But Scott's book is more than a portrait of the artist: It also paints a captivating picture of Wangi itself, depicting beautifully the way this charmingly secluded township and community worked its healing magic on the master artist. I am encouraged to hear, too, that another Lake Macquarie man, Belmont-born and now New York resident Paul Bernasconi, is planning to bring the story of Bill Dobell to life on the big screen. Paul has penned a screenplay and is in the process of workshopping his planned feature film. After retreating to Wangi, Dobell went on to win the Archibald Prize a second time in 1948, with a triumphant painting of Margaret Olley, and a third time in 1959. He also won the Wynne prize for landscape painting in 1948 with his seminal work Storm Approaching Wangi, which was a metaphor for the dark challenges that bore down on him in his quiet lakeside refuge, and which he was ultimately able to repel.

I am pleased to see this attention coming to William Dobell and to the town of Wangi. Although fame is an anathema to both, I sense that the people of Wangi are quietly chuffed about seeing their humble local hero, and their much-loved home town, receive due recognition. Scott Bevan spoke yesterday about his book at the Wangi Wangi library, with its delightful one-room repository overlooking the lake. The room was full of locals who hung on every word and circled the author afterwards offering anecdotes and even old pictures and newspaper cuttings from their personal archives. I acknowledge the hardworking members of the Sir William Dobell Memorial Committee, which is a volunteer organisation that owns and operates Dobell House, the artist's former home and studio, which is open to the public. I urge members, if ever they are on the west of Lake Macquarie, to visit Dobell House and experience for themselves the gentle aura of Wangi that so captivated and inspired the great William Dobell.

ALLEN FAMILY BICENTENARY CELEBRATION

Mr RAY WILLIAMS (Hawkesbury—Parliamentary Secretary) [12.51 p.m.]: I am pleased to inform members of the recent celebration of the Allen family bicentenary. The Allen family is one of the oldest families in The Hills and they are my family. The Allen family has lived in The Hills for 200 years and celebrated their family bicentenary with a picnic day at Heritage Park in Castle Hill on 25 October this year. Approximately 60 to 70 people were present. It is not very often your family celebrates a 200th anniversary: It was a pleasure to catch up with many friends, family and locals who are members of our Allen family. I am a direct descendant of Robert Allen. In June 1793 Robert Allen was tried at Tholsel in Dublin, Ireland, for stealing a coat and waistcoat. He was sentenced to seven years transportation. Robert was transported aboard the ship Marquis Cornwallis, which departed Cork on 9 August 1795, arriving in Australia at Sydney Cove in the new year after a passage of 186 days.

There had been 11 deaths among the prisoners, including seven who had died of gunshot wounds. The ship also carried Irish political prisoners who were involved in the original Battle of Vinegar Hill. Since that time the family has flourished in this country and has made a considerable contribution to this State. Today its people are spread widely across The Hills, Hawkesbury and indeed Australia. I pay tribute to Robert Allen for this portion of his life as he arrived in this country as a convict and endured unbelievable hardship that would be barely imaginable to people of today. Those brave early pioneers of Australia worked and toiled while sometimes bloodied from the discipline of a cat-o'-nine-tails and leg-irons, but nonetheless continued to carve out a niche in their newly adopted country. 2402 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Through hard work and perseverance Robert Allen was rewarded with a land grant he received in 1814. He married Mary Wright of Pitt Town and moved to his 50 acres of land at Castle Hill. The land, which was granted to him by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, was located between Highs Road and Coonara Avenue. It was here the family eventually built a stone cottage in 1860. Their original house was built by the family from stone quarried on the property in 1853. In the period between the two World Wars the house was moved to Round Corner and is now heritage-listed and known as Allen House. It was moved by horse and cart by Reg Allen, the great-grandson of Robert Allen.

The very thought that someone would commit to such a feat of moving a house, stone by stone, is testament not only to the physical strength but indeed to the enduring strength of members of this remarkable family. Robert and Mary had three sons, James, Bartholomew and Robert Jr. In his later years Robert's life took a turn for the worse when in February 1821 he was charged with harbouring, aiding and abetting a gang of bushrangers led by William Geary. Geary had been a convict worker of a close neighbour. Evidence was given that Allen had provided shelter to the gang in return for a share of stolen property. A freeman, John Hathaway, who worked for Allen and lived in his household, testified that the bushrangers were welcomed into the house, and that the stolen goods including calicoes, prints, nankeen, dungarees, a large bag of tea, crockery and some tobacco, which were divided among the outlaws and Robert Allen.

Constables later searched the house and found the articles hidden in a box covered with sheaves of oats. Robert Allen and a neighbour, Charles Franklin, were found guilty but released on payment of 100 pounds each, and remanded to appear at the next sitting of the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction. A few days later the bushrangers were captured. However, they managed to escape while being transported to Sydney to face trial. William Geary was later captured, apparently on information given by Robert Allen. While Geary and his accomplices were found guilty and executed, Robert Allen again was sentenced to transportation for life to Newcastle. On 30 August 1821 Robert was on a list of prisoners transported to Newcastle on the Elizabeth Henrietta. On 23 February 1822 his wife, Mary, petitioned the colonial secretary for mitigation of this sentence. Robert was transferred to Port Macquarie from Newcastle on 15 September 1823 aboard the Mermaid.

In 1824 Robert's wife, Mary, petitioned that a convict servant be assigned to her. On 6 April 1824 Robert petitioned the colonial secretary, Frederick Goulburn, for a pass to enquire about his wife in Castle Hill who was cohabiting with her government servant. Mary had been raising three small children and took a position with James Maher at Castle Hill as a domestic servant, by whom she later had four children. Robert died intestate in 1847 and the 50 acres in Castle Hill Road was divided between his sons with each receiving 17 acres. The land was continually subdivided between the sons and daughters of Robert Allen up until 140 years later when the last parcel of land was onsold. As I mentioned earlier the bicentenary celebration was held at Heritage Park in Castle Hill, which is significant because that was where the original Irish rebellion commenced. That later led to the Battle of Vinegar Hill.

Robert Allen was happy with life in Australia and did not take part in the rebellion. Indeed, if he had, our family would not be here to talk about it. Robert Allen was buried at St Patrick's Cemetery in 1847. His gravestone is located in the old Parramatta Cemetery on Pennant Hills Road. While our family has made a significant contribution to this State, on this day, the eleventh day of the eleventh month—Remembrance Day— it is also worthwhile remembering that descendants of the family, who include Reginald Allen, served in World War I at both Beersheba and Fromelles where 8,000 people died in one day of fighting; his brother, Eddie, was not so fortunate and lost his life on the Thai-Burma Railway; Jack Allen, who was the last surviving prisoner from Changi Prison, as I mentioned in this House as recently as last year when he passed away; and my Uncle Terry, who served in New Guinea. The Allen family is a proud family that has made a significant contribution not only to their country but also to the war effort.

BRISBANE WATER OYSTER INDUSTRY

Mr CHRIS HOLSTEIN (Gosford) [12.56 p.m.]: Today I acknowledge an industry in my electorate of Gosford that has commenced a unique and very important initiative. Last Sunday morning I joined a group of people on the beautiful Ettalong foreshores to attend the launching of the Brisbane Water oyster farmers environmental management system—a voluntary industry-driven environmental initiative that is crucial to the Central Coast's oyster industry. The Brisbane Water oyster industry is located on the beautiful Central Coast where the estuary system is home to approximately 15 oyster farmers who commercially grow shellfish over 151 hectares of designated lease area. The Brisbane Water oyster farmers grow the iconic Sydney rock oyster.

In the last calendar year the industry produced 1.8 million oysters worth more than $800,000 at the farm gate, which is part of the $35 million a year statewide oyster industry. This initiative is important because 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2403

oysters are filter feeders. They strain plankton and suspended solids as well as inorganic particles from the water and they make an excellent indicator of an estuary's health. It is said that they are the canaries of the estuary system. To ensure that cultivated oysters are safe to eat farmers maintain a rigorous quality assurance program that includes fortnightly water and meat testing, with additional bio-toxin assessments conducted once a month.

The data collected also provides an invaluable record of changing environmental conditions and contributes significantly to our understanding of the waterway and its management. The initiative was instigated through Brisbane Water oyster farmers and Oceanwatch Australia, which is a national not-for-profit marine natural resource management organisation that works to advance sustainability in the Australian seafood industry. It operates according to water quality, fish habitat and industry best practice. Brisbane Water oyster farmers and Oceanwatch are supported by the Australian Government, State Government and local council to ensure that the initiative moves forward.

I remind the House that oysters are a wonder food. They are nutritionally complete; they are rich in minerals, zinc, selenium, magnesium and vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. They are a great food and the industry is essential to the Central Coast. Brisbane Water oyster farmers accept that they have a responsibility to cultivate oysters on behalf of the community as sustainably as current technologies and techniques allow, and to continually improve any new methods that are developed. Oyster farmers have a vested interest in maintaining and improving the local environment as their livelihoods depend on the health and productivity of the estuary.

Oyster growers demonstrate their commitment by voluntarily participating in this industry-driven environmental management system. I congratulate Carl Bevilacqua and Denise Whitten who, on behalf of Brisbane Water oyster farmers, invited me to launch the initiative. Oysters are important to our social fabric and just this weekend we celebrated the birthday of the oyster at Ettalong where thousands of people participated in wonderful celebrations on the Ettalong foreshore. It was a great day of entertainment and a wonderful acknowledgement of what this industry brings to New South Wales and the Central Coast. I congratulate Oceanwatch and Brisbane Water oyster farmers on this voluntary, industry-driven, environmental initiative. I hope that the industry goes from strength to strength in the future.

Mr JOHN SIDOTI (Drummoyne—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.01 p.m.]: The member for Gosford is doing a wonderful job advocating for those great oyster farmers across the Central Coast and has explained the biodiversity and economic benefits of oysters. I congratulate him and hope he continues his good work.

SOUTH COAST TRAIN SERVICE

Mr GARETH WARD (Kiama) [1.02 p.m.]: It is with great pleasure that I thank my friend the Minister for Transport, Gladys Berejiklian, for listening to the community about a train service from Central to Kiama—the renowned 4.24 p.m. service—that has been overcrowded for many months. I have received many complaints, which I have faithfully presented to the Minister and to the department, and I am very pleased that those calls from my community have been answered. Extra carriages will be introduced as part of minor timetable changes to coincide with the opening of the South Coast's newest train station, Shellharbour Junction, on Saturday 22 November 2014. This station is a brand-new accessible station and will have more than 100 free commuter car parking spaces and a new connecting bus service. Shellharbour Junction will serve the growing communities of Shellharbour, Shell Cove, Flinders and surrounding suburbs, providing them with a modern station to connect with Sydney and the wider region.

The new station and interchange will be equipped with closed-circuit television surveillance cameras, modern lighting and footbridge access between platforms, two accessible lifts to access the platforms, a car park with 105 parking spaces, including four accessible parking spaces, an interchange with two bus bays, four kiss-and-ride spaces, a taxi zone and bicycle racks, and a pedestrian and cycle pathway connecting to Haddin Road, Flinders. The Labor Government failed to deliver this important infrastructure. In fact, Labor promised it in 2001 when it gave a commitment about this station but when Labor left office in 2011 the station had not been completed. Indeed, New South Wales Labor is the little red engine that couldn't. The New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government is getting on with building the infrastructure we need, such as train stations to service growing communities. People attending universities, going to work or requiring access to other facilities need these additional services.

I am pleased that the timetable changes starting next month will deliver the extra carriages for the travelling public that the community sought. Obviously I am pleased that this will mean more seats on previously overcrowded trains, which I experienced firsthand when I travelled on the 4.24 p.m. service from 2404 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Parliament House to my home. I have listened to the community and worked very hard to bring about this change. I am pleased that this service will now comprise eight OSCar train carriages. Also, I am pleased to confirm today that the new station at Shellharbour Junction will open on 22 November. A new bus route will also start running on Monday 24 November to connect local residents with their new station. Bus route 52 will carry customers between Flinders and Shellharbour Junction station via Shellharbour Village. Customers will also be able to use the Opal to connect with peak train services in the morning and afternoon, leaving Flinders between 5.00 a.m. and 7.42 a.m. and departing from Shellharbour Junction station between 3.32 p.m. and 8.10 p.m., Monday to Friday.

I place on record also that South Coast public transport customers are already benefiting from reduced journey times and improved connections to Wollongong and the Sydney central business district, with more regular and consistent departure times thanks to the October 2013 timetable change. Last year the New South Wales Government introduced a major timetable rewrite and the latest data shows that it is working, with more people choosing to catch the train. The Government is always monitoring the timetable and looking for ways to improve services. In June this year the Government commissioned new signalling infrastructure between Kiama and Bomaderry, which provided for journey time improvements for many customers travelling between Kiama and Bomaderry. Some finishing touches are being added to the station in the coming months but it is important that we get this new facility open for customers as soon as possible.

I thank most sincerely Lynne Strong from my electorate, who was a strident advocate for this improvement to the 4.24 p.m. service. As I told the House about a month ago, Lynne is a local dairy farmer who frequently comes to Sydney for work. She was one of the great community champions who pushed this petition and made sure that everyone who could do so signed it. I thank every single person who signed the petition to bring about this result, and I thank the Minister for listening. It is important also to acknowledge the media, which was very helpful in pushing this proposal. In particular, I thank the Illawarra Mercury and Glen Humphries, who is the infrastructure and transport reporter. He did a great job. I thank Brendan Crabb from the Kiama Independent, who was also a passionate supporter of the cause. I could go on and talk about the many things I would like to fix in public transport but it is nice to know that my service in this place has brought about one change that will benefit many, many commuters —the 4.24 p.m. Central to Kiama service.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Mark Coure): I, too, thank the Minister for Transport, the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian, and the member for Kiama because the 4.24 p.m. service that leaves Central travels through Hurstville, arriving there at 4.45 p.m. It is a great win for my constituents to have additional train carriages on that service.

BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE

Ms ROBYN PARKER (Maitland) [1.08 p.m.]: I pay tribute today to the brave men and boys of Maitland who lost their lives in the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium in 1917. On 11, 12 and 13 October 1917 the Australian 3rd Division's 9th Brigade and its battalions fought in the Battle of Passchendaele. The battalions of New England's own 33rd, Maitland's own 34th, and Newcastle's own 35th and 36th participated in the battle. The Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour lists 326 deaths from these brigades across the three days of the Battle of Passchendaele. Of those deaths, 102 were from my electorate of Maitland—representing a significant loss for the people of Maitland, which was at the time a small, close-knit rural community. A total of 499 men and boys of Maitland's own 34th Battalion were killed on the Western Front, many of whom still have family ties in Maitland.

The Battle of Passchendaele was a campaign fought by the British and their allies—Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The battle for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders took place on the Western Front between July and November 1917. Passchendaele lay on the last ridge east of Ypres, five miles from the railway junction at Roeselare, which was a vital part of the supply system of the German Fourth Army. The campaign in Flanders was controversial in 1917 and has remained so. British Prime Minister Lloyd George opposed the offensive, as did General Foch, the French Chief of the General Staff. Officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele became infamous for the scale of casualties and for the mud.

The infantry attack began on 31 July 1917. Constant shelling had churned the clay soil and smashed the drainage systems. Within a few days the heaviest rain for 30 years had turned the soil into a quagmire, producing thick mud that clogged up rifles and immobilised tanks. It eventually became so deep that men and 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2405

horses drowned in it. On 12 October 1917 there was a concerted Allied attempt to gain ground around Passchendaele. The heavy rain and mud again made movement difficult and it was almost impossible for artillery to be brought closer to the front. Allied troops were exhausted and morale was low.

The Australian 3rd Division under General John Monash took part in the battle. Monash protested strongly against the battle proceeding under such appalling conditions but he was overruled. The battle ended in slaughter and disastrous defeat. There were 13,000 Allied casualties, with 3,200 Australians and 2,735 New Zealanders killed or wounded. The eventual capture of what little remained of Passchendaele village by British and Canadian forces on 6 November finally gave the British an excuse to call off the offensive and claim success. The Battle of Passchendaele has come to represent the bloody, attritional warfare that developed on the Western Front.

Because of the significance of the Battle of Passchendaele to the Maitland community, the Maitland and District Historical Society and the Maitland RSL Club have convened a working party to develop a program to commemorate the centenary of the battle. Planning is well advanced for a month-long program of events and activities during October 2017 to acknowledge the sacrifice of so many local Maitland families. I commend the Maitland and District Historical Society and the Maitland RSL Club for this initiative, and I will be working closely with them to help bring the Centenary of Passchendaele plans to fruition.

I acknowledge the research carried out on the 34th Battalion and the Battle of Passchendaele by the Maitland and District Historical Society, particularly by Mr Peter Bogan. Peter is one of Maitland's most respected historians. As the local member and formerly as the Minister for Heritage, I have joined Peter on a number of heritage walking tours around Maitland. He has a wealth of knowledge. Peter and the historical society do fantastic work in preserving the history of Maitland. As the member for Maitland and formerly as the Minister for Heritage, it has been a delight to work with them. Lest we forget.

DRUMMOYNE ELECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE

Mr JOHN SIDOTI (Drummoyne—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.13 p.m.]: I will update the House on a number of achievements in the important areas of public transport, health and education. Recently I was honoured to have the Minister for Transport visit my electorate to deliver a major upgrade to Concord West railway station. When I was elected to Parliament in 2011 many people were unable to use the staircase to access the trains, particularly those with a disability and the elderly. The upgrade includes four lifts, new platforms and a new concourse. I am very grateful that this major upgrade has been delivered for the people of my electorate.

More than 500 extra weekly bus services have been allocated to the inner west, including additional services on bus route 466 from Ashfield to Cabarita Wharf. An additional 220 weekly ferry services have been allocated, including a late-night service at Cabarita, Abbotsford, Chiswick and Drummoyne. In a 2011 survey a lady from Breakfast Point complained that she had access to the ferry wharf at Cabarita to go to the city, but no service to bring her home late at night. After representations on her behalf, I was proud and honoured to be able to tell her that her concern had been listened to and dealt with. An additional 128 weekly rail services are now running on the Northern line—great news for commuters. We also delivered a major upgrade of the Drummoyne ferry wharf. Millions of dollars have been spent to make that ferry wharf accessible to all.

In 2011 I stood on one of the railway stations while people complained to me that train carriages were not fully air-conditioned. I can now say that 100 per cent of all train services are air-conditioned. That is a great achievement by the Minister for Transport and I thank her for the many services she has delivered to the people of my electorate. I will continue to lobby the Minister for the need for a ferry wharf on the Rhodes peninsula. Because of the reckless planning of the previous Labor Government there has been unfettered high-rise development on the Rhodes peninsula, with limited infrastructure built. My electorate is now heavily populated. A ferry service for the Rhodes peninsula would give people in that precinct the opportunity to use public transport and enable them to avoid much of the road congestion in the area.

In the area of health, I am a proud advocate for the many services at Concord Hospital. I am a strong supporter of Concord Hospital and I will take any opportunity to promote the many services it provides. This year a 20-bed palliative care ward has been delivered. It provides people with a necessary service at an important stage of life. I commend the staff of the palliative care unit at Concord Hospital for their service and commitment to patient care. In 2011 the dialysis ward at Concord Hospital was a huge issue. It has been 2406 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

delivered by this Government and is great news for the people of Concord. Another great service at the hospital is the Concord Cancer Centre. Concord Hospital has one of the best burns units in the country as well as a dementia care unit for HIV/AIDS patients at the Yaralla Estate. I thank the Minister for Health for harkening to the needs of the people of my electorate.

A number of schools have been built in my electorate. I had the privilege of having the Premier and the Minister for Education visit my electorate to check on the progress of a new school in Concord West, which will open in the first term of 2015. Another school at Wentworth Point will open in 2017, together with the fully refurbished and redesigned $15 million Lucas Gardens School at Five Dock.

MENAI ELECTORATE INFRASTRUCTURE

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS (Menai) [1.18 p.m.]: I will update the House about some major infrastructure projects in my electorate that are either complete or almost complete. These are projects that will make a difference in my electorate and the surrounding areas. Yesterday the member for Camden—the Government Whip—together with the Minister for Roads and Freight, the Hon. Duncan Gay, opened stages one and two of the new Camden Valley Way upgrade. It opened to traffic on Friday but we celebrated the official opening and it was publicised for those who had not realised it was ready for use. It was needed desperately in order to ease existing traffic congestion and to cater for the growth of the South West Growth Centre. We are building the infrastructure before the houses come, which is the right way to plan and govern for the people who will soon live there. Putting infrastructure in place is incredibly important.

The $280-million project represents stages one and two—Oran Park Drive at Harrington Park and Bringelly Road at Leppington. The project is ahead of schedule and has provided the community with a four-lane divided road designed to support development in the area. Stage three is currently being constructed, with work expected to finish in 2015. But we are opening projects to the public as soon as they are ready. Commuters, government representatives and politicians can see infrastructure in use rather than delaying its purpose to wait for politicians to cut ribbons. It is important to use infrastructure as soon as possible. Speaking of doing just that, yesterday the third westbound lane of the M5 between Beverly Hills and Prestons was opened.

I know that you, Mr Acting-Speaker, will be thrilled to hear that as it helps your constituents travelling to and from work. Just last Friday the Fairford Road to Prestons section was opened and on Monday the section from Beverly Hills to Fairford Road was opened. Those new sections will make a massive difference to traffic movement. In fact, only yesterday two people popped into my office at 4.30 p.m. on their way home to tell me they had arrived home half an hour earlier and decided to use the time saved to come to my office and thank me. I was thrilled and thought it was pretty amazing—it does not happen too often. We started that project when we first came to government.

Mr John Sidoti: They didn't thank Mark.

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS: They will thank him. I am sure commuters will enjoy that time saving. The 100 kilometres an hour speed limit has been restored from the Hume Highway and the allocated speed limit will apply soon to the remainder of the motorway when the final touches are complete. Until then, the speed limit is 80 kilometres an hour. Recently the Minister for Transport, the member for Wollondilly, the member for Camden, the member for Campbelltown and I caught the first train on the South West Rail Link between Edmondson Park and Leppington stations. Driver testing is still underway, but the train line will be opened to commuters early next year. That is incredibly exciting considering not a centimetre of track was laid before we came to government and now it will be ready to operate soon.

Trains initially will run every 30 minutes, starting at 5.06 a.m. through until 11.58 p.m., providing a shuttle service until the Government determines to where people want to commute—whether they want to change trains at Glenfield or Liverpool stations or travel to the city, airport or out west. We will work out how commuters want to utilise the service. The Opal card will give us some great data on where those commuters want to travel. This train line will make a huge difference, especially in view of the traffic congestion at Holsworthy station due to lack of car parking spaces.

While our Government has committed to providing 150 new car spaces to be built early next year, parking at Holsworthy remains at a premium. Commuters will make use of the 1,200 new spaces that will be available between Leppington and Edmondson Park stations, particularly the new constituents of the 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2407

Holsworthy electorate who live in Prestons and who will take great advantage of Edmondson Park station. A lot is happening in and around the electorate. I am thrilled that we are delivering on all our promises and that local people are using the infrastructure provided.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Mark Coure): I thank the member for Menai and congratulate her on all her outstanding achievements over the past 3¾ years. She is a very hardworking member of Parliament.

SOUTH EASTERN SYDNEY LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT

Mr BRUCE NOTLEY-SMITH (Coogee) [1.23 p.m.]: It gives me great pleasure to stand in this House today to announce welcome news of positive patient experiences in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, specifically from patients at the Prince of Wales Hospital in my electorate of Coogee. The latest survey of 17,000 patients conducted by the Bureau of Health Information has revealed that the vast majority had very positive things to say about their time in hospital. The good news for the South East Sydney Local Health District was that 93 per cent of patient respondents rated the care they received as good or very good, which is above the New South Wales average. The first results of the New South Wales Adult Admitted Patient Survey showed that 91 per cent of patients rate their overall experience in a New South Wales public hospital as either very good or good, and 85 per cent report they were always treated with respect and dignity.

Since coming to government, the Baird Liberal-Nationals Government has delivered on the pre-election commitment I made to my electorate of Coogee that we would deliver better patient services at the Prince of Wales Hospital. The results of this survey show that local residents are benefitting directly from the hard work that the Baird Liberal-Nationals Government continues to put in to improve local healthcare services. The Bureau of Health Information quarterly report, January to March 2014, quantifies the experiences of our patients by confirming that New South Wales public hospitals are delivering quality care to patients faster than ever before. In the first quarter of 2014 the Prince of Wales Hospital increased the percentage of elective surgery patients treated within time frames recommended by clinicians to 99 per cent—up from 84 per cent in the same quarter last year.

The Bureau of Health Information hospital quarterly report for April to June 2014 shows an overall improvement in the time from presentation until leaving the emergency department, with the percentage of patients who left the emergency department within four hours at 73 per cent—up from 61 per cent in the same period last year. I thank the Minister for Health, the Hon. Jillian Skinner, for her ongoing commitment to invest record funding in health in this State, including more than $1 billion this year on rebuilding our hospitals. The feedback demonstrates that increased funding is supporting better patient experiences; however, this does not mean that I will stop fighting for more funding to ensure that the locals in my electorate receive the best service delivery we can offer. It is clear that the New South Wales health system is improving under the Liberals and The Nationals after 16 years of Labor neglect.

Before I took office, the Prince of Wales was one of the poorest-performing hospitals in New South Wales. Improving patient experience and delivering quality care to patients faster than ever before has become a personal passion for me because locals and hospital staff in my electorate had been screaming for years for Labor to stop the spin and the stunts. When our loved ones go into hospital the fear and anxiety that overcomes us at that moment can be overwhelming. Improving the delivery and speed of services to patients in our hospitals is a challenge that we took on when we formed government. Knowing that services are being delivered faster so that patients are back with their loved ones sooner and are more satisfied with their experience is great news for families in my electorate, and indeed for others across the State who use the Prince of Wales Hospital.

I am pleased to be able to deliver on my commitment to improved patient care at this great hospital. When I make a promise, I deliver. The Prince of Wales Hospital is treating record numbers of patients faster than ever before. These improvements are testament to the hard work of a truly and incredibly dedicated workforce. I pay tribute to the hardworking doctors, incredible nursing staff and all staff at the Prince of Wales Hospital who have made these remarkable performance results possible; they truly are an amazing group of people. Patients in my electorate of Coogee are in good and very capable hands indeed.

JENNIFER COWLEY, REGIONAL JOURNALISM AWARD

Mr TROY GRANT (Dubbo—Deputy Premier, Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services, Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Minister for Hospitality, Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Arts) [1.28 p.m.]: I congratulate the editor of the Dubbo Weekender, Jennifer 2408 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Cowley, who recently won the Tom Barrass Memorial Award for Regional Journalism at the New South Wales Regional Media Awards. Jen has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen. Professionally, she has been a columnist and feature writer for the past 15 years and an official journalist-editor for the past decade. The Dubbo Weekender is an independent and totally locally owned and operated publication from Panscott Media that has been going to print every Saturday morning for the past 4½ years. The staff comprises a small dedicated team of people who do not work for financial gains but for their passion for journalism and because they believe regional areas deserve quality analysis of, and credible commentary on, bigger issues.

The Dubbo Weekender has a unique format for a regional publication. Entrants for the Tom Barrass Memorial Award for Regional Journalism were required to submit a body of work that contained up to five stories. Jen received the award for her two-part series that took readers on an insightful journey of discovery into the lives of law enforcement officers involved in the hunt for notorious criminal Malcolm Naden. The first chapter is entitled "Call of duty: When policing gets personal" and the second chapter is entitled "Call of duty Part 2: To catch a killer". The compelling story also talks about the families and the three police officers involved: Detective Superintendent Michael Willing, Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Meredith and Detective Senior Constable Sue-Ellen Scott. The local community of Dubbo and the nation were transfixed by the story of these three officers and Malcolm Naden.

Jen Cowley followed the case from the beginning, and like so many locals she and the officers have been deeply affected. This series is an example of a regional journalist at her very best and the publication is second to none. The judges commented that the series published in the Dubbo Weekender would hold pride of place in any newspaper in Australia. Jennifer provided a platform for Naden's victims to tell their story, and her ability to build trust and respect with those she interviewed was evident and critical to the final result. She showed that journalism is much more than the printed word. It is also about having the skills to cultivate a fertile landscape of thoughts and observations, and develop them into a great story. Jen's article is also evidence that long-form journalism continues to have an important place in the media industry.

When Jen accepted this award she dedicated it to the six children whose mums will never come home and to the three police officers who showed remarkable tenacity and humanity in never giving up on those children. Because of these tragic circumstances and the deep roots of families who are born and bred locals, Jen Cowley's story will link those police officers and the community forever. I am lucky to have known Jen on a personal level and I cannot think of a more rewarding recipient. On behalf of the Dubbo community, I formally offer my congratulations to Jen Cowley and to Panscott Media, which has a wonderful team of journalists who apply their trade largely on a voluntary basis and produce one of the most outstanding publications across this State that anyone could have the pleasure of reading. As always, I look forward to reading this weekend's edition of the Dubbo Weekender.

Private members' statements concluded.

[Acting-Speaker (Mr Mark Coure) left the chair at 1.33 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]

VISITORS

The SPEAKER: Welcome to all our guests in the gallery this afternoon and, of course, to our members. I specifically welcome to the gallery 40 year 12 legal studies students and their teachers from the St Marys Senior High School, guests of the member for Mulgoa. I also welcome Antoine Khoury Taouk, Mayor of Bsharri Municipal Council, Lebanon, accompanied by Jonny Taouk, guests of the member for Granville.

CENTENARY OF FIRST WORLD WAR

The SPEAKER: At the opening of Parliament on 11 November 1914 King George V told the assembled members of the British Parliament:

There is throughout my empire a fixed determination to secure, at whatever sacrifice, the triumph of our arms, and vindication of our cause.

For many there was still a degree of optimism that "it would all be over by Christmas", and indeed many Anzacs sailing across the Indian Ocean were concerned that there might be nothing left for them to do by the time they got there. But while the King was speaking, fighting on the Western Front was moving toward stalemate with the last great German assault on the Allied lines in the first Battle of Ypres. Four long years of hideous carnage were still to come. On this day, each year, we pause to remember the service and sacrifice of our armed forces. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2409

The eleventh day of the eleventh month is a time of reflection and commemoration. On this Remembrance Day we formally announce that the Parliament will mark the Centenary of Anzac next year with a commemorative exhibition in the Fountain Court. At the request of the Parliamentary Friends of Anzac, between January and April 2015 the Parliament will mount an exhibition entitled "Politics & Sacrifice: NSW Parliament and the Anzacs".

With this important exhibition we honour the members and staff from this Parliament who served in the First World War, most notably Lieutenant-Colonel George Braund and Sergeant Ted Larkin, who each made the ultimate sacrifice at Gallipoli. "Politics & Sacrifice" will also explore some of the political aspects of the war that were debated on the floor of Parliament and across the State at the time, from the conscription referendum campaigns, which had such an impact on our party political system, to the treatment of dissenters and so-called "enemy subjects" in New South Wales. His Excellency the Governor will officially open the exhibition on 15 January 2015. I trust that all members will take the time next year to view "Politics & Sacrifice" here in Parliament House with their families and constituents and reflect on the role that the Parliament, its members and staff played in the First World War. Lest we forget.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Notices of Motions

Government Business Notices of Motions (for Bills) given.

Private Members' Business Notices of Motions (for Bills) given.

QUESTION TIME

[Question time commenced at 2.21 p.m.]

ELECTRICITY PRIVATISATION

Mr JOHN ROBERTSON: My question is directed to the Premier. The Auditor General's report today revealed the New South Wales Government received $1.7 billion from the State-owned electricity businesses last year. Will the Premier come clean and tell the people of New South Wales which taxes will be increased and which services will be cut to fill the budget black hole from privatising electricity?

Mr MIKE BAIRD: I do not know where to start. There are so many things wrong with that question. I will start with the basics. Has the Leader of the Opposition looked at the forward profile and the weighted average cost of capital? I do not think so. The forward profile anticipates that the weighted average cost of capital will decline.

Mr Andrew Constance: The WACC.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: Yes, it is called the "WACC". That will lead to a reduction in long-term dividends. At the same time, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that if we invest in infrastructure we will get between 1.1 to 1.3 times the value of that investment in broader economic benefits, which will provide additional—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: I love this. The Leader of the Opposition is saying that he opposes a $20 billion plan to invest in infrastructure. The Government is very happy to support investment in infrastructure. Members of the Opposition might have heard of Deloitte Access Economics. My tip is that it has more credibility than the Labor Party's costing committee. Deloitte found that by 2026 the benefit of rebuilding New South Wales would be $30 billion a year. That is all—$30 billion. My sense is that that will be a huge benefit for New South Wales. What I love about this is that it is very clear that there is one person and one team holding back New South Wales. They are sitting opposite. They have no interest in this.

Do they want to build a second harbour crossing for the railway network to add 60 per cent capacity? Members on this side of the Chamber certainly do. Do members opposite want to look after regional New South Wales by improving roads and providing water security? Members on this side of the Chamber do. What do 2410 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

members opposite have against regional New South Wales? What I love about members of the Labor Party is their consistency with regard to their principles. It is amazing. They say one thing, they mean it, they stick to it and they follow through. At least that is what they pretend to do. Unfortunately, that is not what happens in reality. I recently saw an interesting question asked by the member for Shellharbour.

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! Does the member's point of order relate to relevance?

Dr Andrew McDonald: Yes.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member does not know whether the Premier's answer is relevant, nor do I. There is no point of order. The member is presuming something at this stage. It is a little early for the member to jump in to take a point of order on relevance.

Dr Andrew McDonald: I bet it is not relevant.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Macquarie Fields will not bet in this Chamber.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: Members opposite are against this transaction.

Mr John Robertson: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! Does the Leader of the Opposition's point of order relate to relevance?

Mr John Robertson: Yes.

The SPEAKER: Order! We do not know at this stage of the Premier's answer whether he is being relevant.

Mr John Robertson: The question asked how the Premier will fill the hole that will be created—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has answered that aspect of the question. There is no point of order.

Mr John Robertson: The member for Shellharbour—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The Leader of the Opposition is completely wrong. He is telling porkies and he knows it. The member for Shellharbour wanted to know whether school, hospital, regional road and sporting and cultural funds exist. They are rebuilding regional New South Wales. She said, "By the way, what can the Illawarra do to be eligible for payments?" She wants the money. We are used to this from Labor members. They stand on their principles and ask what the Government is doing to generate funds to get the State moving and then they say, "We know we are against it, but can we spend the money?" Labor members do that very well: They spend money and drive the economy into the ground. The Coalition does the exact opposite. The economy is soaring, infrastructure is being built, and if we win the election we will put $20 billion to work for the people of New South Wales. We are proud of that.

REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

Mr GREG APLIN: I address my question to the Premier. How is the Government delivering for regional New South Wales?

Mr MIKE BAIRD: What a fantastic question from the amazing member for Albury. I pay tribute to him because he and his constituents waited for a long time for an ambulance station, and he delivered it. He is delivering great health services for his community. I was very proud to join him at the opening of the ambulance station and to pay tribute to the paramedics and the great work they do with the facilities that we have provided to support them. That is a good example of a Liberal-Nationals Government that is united in looking after regional New South Wales. We are proudly delivering for regional New South Wales. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2411

We remember what it was like for regional New South Wales under 16 years of Labor administration. Members opposite did not even know it existed. That is why I was proud to work with the former Deputy Premier, who did a fantastic job looking after regional areas of this State. The new Deputy Premier is going at a cracking pace looking after regional New South Wales and making a difference on the ground. I am proud to say that the New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government is the strongest Coalition in the country. It is doing a fantastic job.

The Government established Restart NSW, and said that if there were windfall revenue, Waratah bonds or proceeds from transactions, they should be spent in regional New South Wales. We quarantined 30 per cent for regional New South Wales, and that was the first time that had happened. This Government cares for and looks after regional New South Wales, and we are proud to do that. There are a number of highlights I could run through—in fact, I might run through a few of them. The Government is very proud to have delivered the Bridges for the Bush project that was long overdue. Those opposite looked at the bridges and saw the decay but did nothing about it. They did not care, but we are happy to deliver this project. We are delivering health infrastructure from one end of the State to the other, under the Minister for Health. Highlights include the Wagga Wagga Hospital. How long did the member for Wagga Wagga have to wait for those funds? He waited 16 years.

In Dubbo this Government is delivering health infrastructure, and in Tamworth, in Bega, in Parkes, in Lismore and in Port Macquarie. We are delivering health infrastructure across this great State. I pay tribute to the member for Coffs Harbour, a long-time advocate for many infrastructure projects, particularly the Pacific Highway. The highway affects the electorates of many members and this Government is completing the duplication, which is long overdue. The final stage, the Woolgoolga to Ballina upgrade, is underway. The Princes Highway was ignored by those opposite, who made many promises to deliver. This Government has allocated $179 million to continue the upgrade to a four-lane divided road, including the Foxground and Berry bypasses and the Gerringong upgrade. This upgrade was promised by those opposite when they were in government and is being delivered by this Government—this is the consistent story of what we are doing on the ground.

There have also been upgrades of schools in regional New South Wales including significant infrastructure improvements at Moree East Public School, Brewarrina Central School, Narrabri Public School, Walgett Community College, Cooma TAFE and Tamworth TAFE. There is also $325 million for the Water Security for the Regions program—a long overdue water security measure. This Government is very proud to deliver this program because we understand regional New South Wales. The difference between the Government and those opposite is that we understand regional New South Wales and are delivering improved services and better infrastructure for those communities. This has been acknowledged by the NSW Business Chamber's Stephen Cartwright who said:

It's pleasing to see that regional NSW is a focus of the Baird Government, not only through tourism spending, but projects such as continued funding for the Pacific Highway upgrade, as well as almost $100 million to be spent on improving freight corridors.

Mr Clayton Barr: Who said that?

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The member for Cessnock is so excited he wants to join the winning team on this side of the Chamber.

Pursuant to standing order additional information provided.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: It is not too late for the member for Cessnock to join the team that is looking after regional New South Wales. We stand proudly by our record because we know regional New South Wales was neglected by those opposite. Government members are representing their regional communities and we are proud to be delivering on programs like Bridges for the Bush, the major highway upgrades, health infrastructure and school upgrades. We have a proud record of delivering for communities because they deserve better services. We will continue to do so as long as we have the opportunity to govern this great State.

ELECTRICITY PRIVATISATION

Mr MICHAEL DALEY: My question is directed to the Treasurer.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Attorney General will come to order. 2412 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Mr MICHAEL DALEY: Will the Treasurer confirm that a 49 per cent sale or lease of the electricity assets will necessitate a restructuring of them as companies under the Corporations Act and that will see the New South Wales Government lose every last dollar from tax-equivalent payments, which according to the Auditor-General were worth a whopping $829 million last year alone?

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: The Government announced that in June and we are getting questions about it five months later. I am glad that the member for Maroubra asked about the Auditor-General, who has released a report saying that capital expenditure was $3.7 billion lower than the allowance set by the Australian Energy Regulator in its previous pricing determination and that:

The underspend is expected to flow to customers during the 2014-19 regulatory period through reduced electricity prices.

That is testament to the work that we have been doing in relation to the networks. I remind those opposite that when they were in office and the Leader of the Opposition was the Minister for Energy, I think, prices were set to increase by 60 per cent over five years. That is what this Government inherited from those opposite. The Auditor-General is now selling the wonderful work this Government is doing by putting downward pressure on prices yet we have a question from the member for Maroubra in relation to the Auditor-General.

Mr Michael Daley: Point of order: My point of order relates to relevance. The question was very specific.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer was being relevant to the question he was asked.

Mr Michael Daley: When they are restructured—

The SPEAKER: Order! The member does not need to reword the question.

Mr Michael Daley: Madam Speaker, I am entitled, when taking a point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! The member is not entitled to do anything; all he has to do is to state his point of order. It is up to me to rule on the point of order.

Mr Michael Daley: I am entitled to—

The SPEAKER: Order! The member does not have any right to argue with me. The member will resume his seat. The Treasurer has the call. I call the member for Maroubra to order for the first time.

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: Someone needs some serious anger management.

The SPEAKER: Order! Is the Treasurer referring to me?

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: I suggest that the member for Maroubra needs anger management, Madam Speaker, not your good self. When the Government made the announcement in relation to the electricity networks in June we made it clear our decision was in order to recycle capital. An initiative that is a hallmark of this Government is to take capital from one asset to invest it in more productive infrastructure for the benefit of the State. We said we would do a scoping study to ensure the outcome will deliver the best infrastructure that this State has ever had. We have a clear plan to build $20 billion of infrastructure to decongest Sydney and we are doing that because Sydney commuters spend on average 185 hours a year stuck in traffic congestion. We have a plan to tackle that; those opposite do not.

Mr John Robertson: Point of order: My point of order relates to relevance. The question was pretty straightforward. Can the Treasurer confirm the Government will lose the tax-equivalent payments that are currently received from these networks?

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is remaining relevant to the question that he was asked.

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: The Government has a fantastic plan to decongest Sydney and rebuild infrastructure across the State. If those opposite want to ask about tax-equivalent payments they can explain why the Labor Party in the Senate is blocking the incentive payments to the States for recycling capital to invest in more productive infrastructure—some 15 per cent. The issue that those opposite need to explain is why their mates in Canberra, at their urging, are trying to block billions of dollars flowing through to the States. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2413

The bottom line is that, although for the next four months the Leader of the Opposition and the Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union, Steve Butler, will run around the State, placing stickers on poles and all sorts of nonsense to try to scare the community, we need $20 billion to unleash Sydney's potential to remain the great global city it is and to invest in vital infrastructure across the regions to ensure we get mineral and agricultural products to export markets. The State can either be held back, as those opposite want, or rebuilt so we can return the State to what it should be.

Pursuant to standing order additional information provided.

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: Those opposite want to ensure that the State is held back, so let us see how they explain that to every commuter in this city.

Mr Michael Daley: Point of order: My point of order relates to Standing Order 129. After five minutes the Treasurer has gone nowhere near addressing tax-equivalent payments.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Maroubra asked for additional information.

Mr Michael Daley: That is right, and I would like that information.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is providing additional information.

Mr Michael Daley: I would like the Treasurer to answer the question. It should be easy; it is a Dorothy Dixer. Where is the money going?

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Maroubra to order for the second time.

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: I do not know whether the shadow Treasurer listened to the first answer the Premier gave today but it is pretty obvious to me that he does not understand the notion and concept of recycling capital. Maybe the member for Newcastle can explain it to him, given the revitalisation that is happening due to the recycling of capital through the Port of Newcastle. It is very clear that those opposite, through their mates in Canberra, want to hold back billions of dollars in incentive payments back to the States. Those opposite and their union mates want to hold the State back.

Mr John Robertson: Point of order: My point of order is taken under Standing Order 129, relevance.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is being relevant to the question he was asked. There is no point of order.

Mr John Robertson: It is that same old chestnut: After 6½ minutes we still do not have an answer to the question. Are we going to lose all the money from tax equivalent payments? We still do not have an answer.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Treasurer remains relevant to the question he was asked.

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: The Leader of the Opposition does not understand the real-time value of money. What we are seeing displayed today is—

Mrs Jillian Skinner: Ignorance.

Mr ANDREW CONSTANCE: It is absolute ignorance by the Leader of the Opposition. I hope he enjoys his last six question times because he is going to the backbench after March.

RURAL AND REGIONAL ROADS

Mr ANDREW GEE: My question is addressed to the Deputy Premier. How is the Government fixing country roads?

Mr TROY GRANT: I thank the member for Orange for his question. What a local champion he is, delivering for the Orange electorate, as are all regional members on this side of the House delivering for their electorates. In roads investment we are delivering in spades. The member for Orange has fought hard over the 2414 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

past 3½ years to secure upgraded funding for a vital piece of road thoroughfare known as the Bells Line of Road. This Government has invested $43 million in that road and there is a lot more to come. Every regional member on this side of the House has a story to tell about regional roads and the improvements that this Government has made over the past 3½ years.

Unsealed roads in our west are unpassable when it floods, particularly in the electorate of the member for Murray-Darling. Those opposite left a disgraceful legacy that is being rectified by the great work of the member for Oxley, Andrew Stoner, and the best roads Minister this State has ever had, Duncan Gay in the other place. Transport arteries up and down the coast have been choked with traffic during peak holiday seasons and those choke points are now being alleviated to ensure a better and safer flow of traffic. Single-lane roads where trucks regularly battle with cars while trying to deliver produce that is created in regional New South Wales to Sydney ports for everyone's benefit are being improved to ensure greater efficiencies in getting produce from the paddock to the plate.

Unsafe roads right across our State, such as the Newell Highway and the Pacific Highway, that for 16 years claimed too many lives, are undergoing safety upgrades. The new Byron Bay bypass is one classic example of another regional member delivering for his electorate in the northern rivers region. Those of us on this side of the House do not believe it is acceptable for our regional roads to be less safe and reliable than roads in other parts of the State. I am proud to say that my brothers and sisters representing regional New South Wales will continue to deliver those improvements. Since coming to government the New South Wales Government has committed more than $20 billion for Roads and Maritime Services works, which is the largest investment in the State's history.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is too much audible conversation in the Chamber.

Mr TROY GRANT: Seventy-five per cent of that investment has been for projects in rural and regional New South Wales. This year's budget has committed half a billion dollars to country roads, including $200 million for a Regional Freight Program to improve the Bells Line of Road, the Golden Highway in the Upper Hunter, the Kings Highway in the Monaro, and Gocup Road—real money, not pie-in-the-sky promises that those opposite make. The Government has committed $177 million for the second crossing of the Clarence River at Grafton. The member for Clarence is another man who was elected on a commitment. Those opposite make pie-in-the-sky promises; when we make a commitment to regional New South Wales we keep it. The Government has also committed $50 million for a program to fix and seal roads right across western New South Wales. People are crying tears of joy because of the investment in the Cobb and Silver City highways.

The SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members will come to order.

Mr TROY GRANT: Those opposite were happy to leave that road as dirt and dust, and not fix the wear and tear on the road, which put lorries at risk. That is unacceptable. The member for Murray-Darling has delivered for his electorate.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wollongong will come to order. I call the member for Maroubra to order for the third time.

Mr TROY GRANT: The Government has committed $25 million towards the Queanbeyan bypass. Those opposite recently promised $60 million, but we are investing real dollars in that road. The Government has also committed $37.5 million for the Fixing Country Roads program, which will eliminate "last mile" constraints for high-productivity trucks on local and regional roads. Making regional New South Wales a great place to live, work and raise a family is at the heart of what this Government believes in.

Pursuant to standing order additional information provided.

Mr TROY GRANT: The only intent those opposite have for regional New South Wales communities is to continually break their hearts. This Government intends to make a commitment and to keep it. In 3½ years we have done a lot, but we understand that there is a lot more to do. We will continue to make commitments to our regional communities and we will continue to keep those commitments. Those opposite stuffed this State; they could not run a chook raffle let alone the New South Wales Government. They do not give a rat's bum about regional New South Wales; we do and we will continue to deliver.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members will come to order. There were too many interjections during that last answer. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2415

MEMBER FOR SWANSEA AND MEMBER FOR PORT STEPHENS

Ms LINDA BURNEY: My question is directed to the Premier. It has been reported again that the member for Swansea and the member for Port Stephens are still endorsed Liberal candidates for the next election. Does the Premier stand by these individuals remaining as his candidates despite the serious allegations and admissions at the Independent Commission Against Corruption?

The SPEAKER: Order! I remind the member for Maroubra that he is on three calls to order.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: I am not sure whether those opposite have missed it, but I have said regularly that an investigation is underway, and I will not provide a running commentary on that. That is my position. It is interesting that those opposite are focused on the make-up of the team because I reflected on the Leader of the Opposition's words when he said, "Most vital of all, the true ethical expression of Labor principles begins with every member of our ranks having a genuine voice."

Ms Linda Burney: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is entitled to make introductory comments.

Ms Linda Burney: It is clear that the Premier is not going to answer the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! It is not clear to me. The member for Canterbury will resume her seat. I call the member for Canterbury to order for the first time.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The Opposition is focused on the make-up of the teams. The Leader of the Opposition said he believes that every member of his ranks should have a genuine voice—except when it comes to Barbara.

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order: My point of order is taken under Standing Order 129. The question was about the member for Swansea and the member for Port Stephens, and about the Premier's action and lack of action.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has answered that aspect of the question. He is entitled to answer the rest of the question as he sees fit.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: In regard to his team, the Leader of the Opposition says that he believes in democracy. But when he visits places such as Lakemba where the current member has been working hard and he is looking for a candidate what does he do? He takes away democracy. The member for Lakemba is not happy about it; nor is Morris Iemma.

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! I have indicated that the Premier answered the question in the first 30 seconds. The Premier is being relevant to the question he was asked, and he is entitled to continue. The member for Macquarie Fields will resume his seat.

Dr Andrew McDonald: The Premier is nowhere near being relevant.

The SPEAKER: Order! Is the member for Macquarie Fields canvassing my ruling?

Dr Andrew McDonald: A general disagreement.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Macquarie Fields will resume his seat. The Premier has the call.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: We all remember Morris Iemma as a good bloke. He stood up for principles. I think all of us would say that he is a reasonable judge of character. In relation to the comments of the Leader of the Opposition, Morris Iemma said, "It's corruption of a different form. Deals done behind closed doors by faceless men." Before members opposite start worrying about members on this side of the House, the Leader of the Opposition should worry about those on his side of the House. The Leader of the Opposition refers to democracy; then he is happy— 2416 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Mr John Robertson: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! I have indicated that the Premier is being relevant to the question he was asked, although he is not answering the question the way the Leader of the Opposition wants it to be answered.

Mr John Robertson: With all respect, I do not know how talking about the Labor Party is in any way relevant to the question about the Liberal Party and Liberal candidates.

The SPEAKER: Order! Reference to members of Parliament generally is relevant. The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Premier remains relevant to the question he was asked.

[Interruption]

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. He is making matters worse.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: It is called hypocrisy. It is absolute hypocrisy. Members opposite come into the Chamber on their moral high horse—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to order. I call the member for Cessnock to order for the first time.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The Leader of the Opposition has made comments in other places such as Strathfield.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Toongabbie to order for the first time.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The Labor mayor of Burwood, John Faker, said, "I refuse to be installed by the faceless faction of powerbrokers in the ALP. I'm disappointed John Robertson has not stuck to his commitment of opening up the party." Those are not my words; they are the words of a Labor mayor. Far be it for me to keep quoting Labor people—

Mr Michael Daley: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! I have already indicated that the Premier is remaining relevant to the question he was asked. Does the member for Maroubra have a point of order?

Mr Michael Daley: Yes, I do. It is Standing Order 73. If the Premier wants to bring on a debate about this issue, let us debate it right now.

The SPEAKER: Order! Standing Order 73 has nothing to do with bringing on a debate. The member for Maroubra should learn the standing orders. The member will resume his seat.

Mr John Williams: Watch your back, Robbo!

The SPEAKER: Order! I point out to the member for Murray-Darling that that did not help. The member for Keira will come to order. The Premier has the call.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: We are taking every action necessary to clean up politics in New South Wales, and we will continue to do so because the people of New South Wales deserve nothing less.

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES SECTOR

Mr DONALD PAGE: My question is addressed to the Minister for Primary Industries. How has the Government worked to grow the primary industries sector in New South Wales?

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: I thank the member for his important question and for his interest in the prosperity of those living in regional New South Wales. I thank him for his hard work in this place over many years, and I wish him well in his retirement. Well done, Don. The Government has restored the vision for and confidence in the primary industries sector following 16 years of neglect by members opposite. We have 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2417

firmly focused on making primary industries number one again. The Government is restoring the vision. We are creating new jobs in rural and regional areas and we are driving continued growth of our $12 billion primary industries sector. We are committed to driving productivity growth in the State's primary industries by investing in research and development and, most importantly, we are investing in people.

We have corporatised the forestry sector to eliminate the possibility for interference in timber supply agreements and to maximise industry potential. We have introduced the greatest reform to regional service delivery in New South Wales since the 1940s—Local Land Services [LLS]. The 11 regional LLS boards now deliver focused service, information and advice to benefit local farmers and communities. When we came to government the livestock health and pest authorities were in a mess. They had not delivered audit returns for several years. We also had catchment management authorities and the Department of Primary Industries [DPI] extension in the same space, so we amalgamated them. Local Land Services is now a fully functioning one-stop shop in towns across New South Wales, offering advice and services to farmers and land managers alike.

The Government has assisted farmers to prepare for and manage the impact of drought, with a focus on preparedness rather than the on-the-run approach taken by members opposite. We created drought policies for the future, including low-interest farm innovation fund loans, which are hugely popular for farmers and land managers wanting to de-silt dams, sink bores or otherwise make their properties more resistant to drought. Farm business preparedness, risk management programs and ensuring a profitable farming sector are what we are all about. We also introduced a $31 million package of temporary emergency drought support measures until the Commonwealth's farm family payment measures commenced.

The Government released the highly anticipated NSW Biosecurity Strategy and framework, which underpins a landmark new biosecurity Act currently before the House. That will replace wholly or fully up to 14 pieces of legislation, and it is aimed at improving the protection of the State's $12 billion primary industries sector and environment from pests, diseases and weeds while slashing red tape. We inherited a mess when it came to cemetery space. We have resolved the crisis we inherited in the cemeteries and crematoria space, opening lot 10 at Rookwood and bringing together trusts, reducing red tape and promoting religious harmony in the cemetery space.

Labor let our commercial fishing industry drift into a mess. Members opposite sat on their hands for more than a decade while the industry continued to decline, rather than address much-needed structural issues. Their clumsy attempt to implement reform offered an ineffective exit grant package totalling just $1.5 million, which was a spectacular failure. Only 17 businesses took the opportunity to exit, and those that remained were no better off, leaving the industry in a real mess. The New South Wales Government is now working sensibly and practically through the reforms that the industry needs to maintain viability. We have introduced scores on doors for restaurants and cafes across New South Wales so that consumers can track online or on the street the compliance of eateries in relation to food safety. We have facilitated the ongoing investment of more than $100 million across more than 1,000 agricultural research and development projects in New South Wales.

The SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members will come to order. If they are not interested in this issue, as with regional roads, they can remove themselves from the Chamber.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: That $100 million equates to partnerships with every university across New South Wales and many beyond. We are undertaking trials with cooperative research centres, and research and development corporations to be at the forefront of scientific agricultural endeavour. Many members would be aware of the issues caused by the scourge that is wild dogs across regional New South Wales. I am pleased to announce that a major on-ground wild dog offensive is underway involving Local Land Services and several other government agencies. More than 250,000 baits will be laid, involving 62 local wild dog control groups, on more than 1,000 private properties and throughout 20 national parks in what is a true nil tenure approach to tackling this dreadful problem we have with wild dogs.

Pursuant to standing order additional information provided.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: All these things, as well as the additional $11.3 million in weed funding, the extension of our successful flying fox netting program and the commitment to grow the dairy industry have made primary industries in New South Wales number one again. Members opposite might be interested to learn more about the future of our dairy industry. I recall a recent announcement: members opposite have developed a plan for industry. But they should not have bothered because we have already done the work. We released the Growing the NSW Dairy Industry report. We are already exploring growth 2418 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

opportunities and we have announced the formation of a $1 million growth fund for the dairy industry. As an indication of New South Wales' leading position in primary industries, I am pleased to announce today that the New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government has secured the rights to host LambEx in 2016.

LambEx is Australia's premier lamb industry event. It presents a unique opportunity to put the New South Wales sheep industry on the world stage and attract new investment into the State's $610 million lamb industry. New South Wales is Australia's prime lamb powerhouse responsible for almost a quarter of the nation's lamb output. It is a perfect location for the next LambEx in 2016. Our strong efforts in securing the rights to host this event are further proof that this Government's commitment to primary industry is well and truly alive and well in this State. Sensible policy decisions on this side of the House are delivering real outcomes and benefits for our farmers and land managers right across New South Wales. There is renewed confidence in agriculture following 16 years of neglect from those opposite.

THE HONOURABLE MARIE FICARRA, MLC

Mr PAUL LYNCH: My question is directed to the Premier. Will the Premier confirm that the Liberal Party Nomination Review Committee, of which he is a member, determined that Marie Ficarra was a fit and proper person to be a candidate for Liberal Party preselection, despite facing serious allegations at the Independent Commission Against Corruption [ICAC] of being involved in procuring an illegal donation?

Mr MIKE BAIRD: For a start, it is not a surprise that I will not comment on Liberal Party matters to the member for Liverpool.

Ms Tania Mihailuk: No, you want to talk about our matters.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: I would have thought that there would be a few Labor Party matters that might be of interest as well. I think all Government members would say we were shocked by reports—

Mr Michael Daley: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has barely begun to answer the question.

Mr Michael Daley: My point of order is taken under Standing Order 129. The Premier's initial comments were "I will not comment on …"

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Maroubra is correct.

Mr Michael Daley: If he is not going to answer the question, he cannot be relevant.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is entitled to answer the question as he sees fit.

Mr Michael Daley: He can't be relevant, so he should just sit down.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Maroubra will resume his seat. He will not tell me how to do my job.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: He has it! He is smart. He is on to it.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call. Members will come to order.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The concern is that the report states, "Controversial former Labor powerbroker Mike Kaiser is to be brought in—"

Mr Ryan Park: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! Is this a point of order in relation to relevance?

Mr Ryan Park: It is under Standing Order 129.

The SPEAKER: Order! If members ask a party-political question they will get the answer they deserve. The member for Keira will resume his seat. There is no point of order. I will not take any further points of order if they are vacuous and spurious. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2419

Mr MIKE BAIRD: The article states, "… Mike Kaiser is to be brought in to help run John Robertson's Labor campaign next year, amid fears of inexperience in the Opposition campaign team."

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! If the member's point of order goes to relevance, I will not hear it.

Mr John Robertson: It is one thing to avoid answering a question—

The SPEAKER: Order! That is up to the Premier. He has commented on that. I said I would not take any points of order that were vacuous or spurious.

Mr John Robertson: He is now reading the article from the Daily Telegraph into Hansard. I know he is part of their advertising campaign, but this is pathetic.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time.

Mr Guy Zangari: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! Does the member for Fairfield have a different point of order, or is he going to incite me further?

Mr Guy Zangari: No.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: I think there is experience on the frontbench of those opposite—no, I do not actually. I am concerned with the statement, "He was a Queensland MP early in the century, until he had to resign after an inquiry found he had rorted electoral laws—"

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The member for Macquarie Fields will resume his seat.

Dr Andrew McDonald: I refer to Standing Order 93. I am entitled to take a point of order at any time, unless you rescind the standing order.

The SPEAKER: Order! And I am entitled to set a precedent at any time I wish. I have said that no further points of order will be entertained. The member for Macquarie Fields will resume his seat.

Dr Andrew McDonald: If you wish to set a precedent relating to no points of order, please do so.

The SPEAKER: Order! I made that ruling two minutes ago, but apparently the member for Macquarie Fields did not hear it. If members want to ask a party-political question they will get the sort of answer the Premier is giving. Question time is to gain facts.

Dr Andrew McDonald: Have you set a precedent that no more points of order will be taken?

The SPEAKER: Order! Is the member canvassing my ruling? The member for Macquarie Fields will remove himself from the Chamber until the end of question time. He will not canvass my ruling.

[Pursuant to sessional order the member for Macquarie Fields left the Chamber at 3.03 p.m.]

Mr MIKE BAIRD: Those opposite come in on their high horse every day, yet they have made such a decision. They did not tell the member for Newcastle and the member for Charlestown that that would happen when they entered this Chamber. They forgot to tell them those little details. I also love the fact that he has done a readiness audit for the campaign: One can imagine what that looks like. What do we need? We need crayons for drawings. They also need some more policies. They need to expand the Higher School Certificate advice line. 2420 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Mr Guy Zangari: Point of order: It is relevance under Standing Order 129. The question was about Marie Ficarra and her candidacy in the upper House. Crayons and the Higher School Certificate advice line have nothing to do with it.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Fairfield will resume his seat. He did not listen to the Premier's answer in that regard.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: We will not stand here and take lectures from those opposite on matters of probity, transparency or whatever they want to tidy it up. We on this side of the House will continue to deliver better services and more infrastructure, and at the same time we will get the New South Wales economy back to number one.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Cessnock to order for the second time. I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the third time.

Mr MIKE BAIRD: We will continue to deliver; that is what we will do. We have done it for the people of New South Wales because we are focused on them, unlike those opposite who are focused on each other. The people of New South Wales deserve a lot better than those opposite.

REGIONAL TOURISM

Mrs LESLIE WILLIAMS: My question is addressed to the Minister for Regional Tourism. How has the Government grown regional tourism in New South Wales?

Mr JOHN BARILARO: I thank the member for Port Macquarie for her great question. She understands the importance of regional tourism and the role it plays in her local economy and regional economies, and how it underpins the State economy. When the Liberals and Nationals came to government we inherited a tourism sector that was flat and depressed following years of being ignored. Those opposite could not see the important role that regional tourism and tourism generally played in underpinning the economy. In more than 16 shameful years the former Labor Government lost, or failed to attract, billions of dollars through inaction and laziness.

I am proud to advise members that in its first four years of government, the Liberals and Nationals have turned this around. In just four years we have increased the number of domestic and international overnight trips to regional New South Wales by 14 per cent. Last year, more than 50 million visitors spent $13.5 billion in regional communities, playing a major role in their local economies. Regional tourism is a significant economic contributor not only to local and regional communities but also to the State as a whole; we know its importance to growth and employment. Some 68,000 people are directly employed in the tourism sector by some 35,400 businesses that are run by mums and dads who have the courage to mortgage their homes to create jobs in the tourism industry.

That is why this Liberal-Nationals Government has put a sharp focus on regional tourism. It recognises the economic benefits that flow from a healthy tourism industry and has a full and interesting calendar of events. Since March 2011 we have secured 51 regional events across the State—nearly double the number of regional events that Labor invested in, including a five-year agreement for Port Macquarie to host the IRONMAN Australia series; ongoing investment for the Tamworth Country Music Festival; the Byron Bay International Film Festival and Byron Bay Surf Festival; Sculpture in the Vineyards at Cessnock, which is currently underway; the Hunter Valley Wine and Food month; and the Big Sky Blues and Roots Festival in Deniliquin, which next year will feature Michael Franti and Spearhead, among other big names.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Mount Druitt and the member for Miranda will come to order.

Mr JOHN BARILARO: But we are not ones to rest on our laurels. We know there is more to be done. This Government has set an ambitious goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020 and it knows that regional tourism will play a significant role in achieving this. We have introduced the new Regional Visitor Economy Fund, investing $21.6 million over three years into product development and marketing activities that will contribute to this goal.

[Interruption] 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2421

Who said it was a waste of money investing in regional tourism? We have established five new zone managers to link the resources and knowledge of Destination NSW, our regional tourism organisations, local councils and tourism operators. We have introduced the new $110 million Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund to invest in critical visitor economy infrastructure, such as airport upgrades, and cruise and rail trail infrastructure. Those on this side of the House understand the importance of regional tourism and the role it plays in our economy. We know what regional tourism is and what it is not. Regional tourism is CMC Rocks the Hunter, the Bathurst 12 Hour and Rally Australia in Coffs Harbour. Regional tourism is not discussing corrupt business deals for beachside union retreats.

Regional tourism is developing destination management plans to identify infrastructure needs and brands strategies and it is improving the visitor experience. Regional tourism is not enjoying a night with a couple of colleagues or two at Chalet Obeid up in the mountains. When the Liberals and Nationals came to government New South Wales economic growth had been the slowest of all the States in the nation for a decade. Now we have heard on a number of occasions that, led by the policies of this Government, we are number one again and we have been enjoying positive business confidence for 14 months in a row. The New South Wales Liberals and Nationals are investing in the infrastructure we need to drive tourists to our regions, create jobs and increase the economic competitiveness of the State. There is more work to be done but we are getting on with the job.

NATIONAL PARKS ESTABLISHMENT PLAN

Mr RON HOENIG: My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment. In light of the Government's commitment to update the New South Wales National Parks Establishment Plan by mid-2014, which is now overdue, will the Minister advise the House when the updated plan will finally be released?

Mr ROB STOKES: It is a great to be asked a question about the environment from those opposite because it has been 16 long months since I have been asked a question by those opposite about the environment cluster.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Canterbury will come to order.

Mr ROB STOKES: I am pleased to talk about national park additions and I thank the member for the opportunity to update the House on some excellent news on this Government's efforts to ensure that we have high-quality additions that will increase landscape connectivity and conservation connectivity in light of the World Parks Congress, which will commence tomorrow. This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for Sydney to host the major protected lands conference anywhere in the world, the last one having been held in Durban 10 years ago. For the information of the member, the Government has just announced 5,000 hectares of high conservation additions to the parks estate in the form of a new national park, the Everlasting Swamp National Park. I am sure the member would be pleased about that. That increase of 1,683 hectares to the National Parks Estate will increase the adjacent Everlasting Swamp State Conservation Area, which is currently 550 hectares, so it is a threefold increase in the size of that protected area.

The Government is looking to increase protection for these internationally recognised wetlands. Another is the Doodle Comer Swamp Nature Reserve near Henty. For the information of the member I am pleased to announce that several hundred hectares are being added to that nature reserve so that 50 per cent of this important international wetland will be protected. In addition, more than 3,000 hectares are being added to the Gwydir wetlands—also important Ramsar significant wetlands—which is significant because of migrating birds, including brolgas and jabirus. There are not only increases to important wetlands; this Government has renewed its commitment to the Great Eastern Ranges initiative where about 1,000 hectares of land are being added—again highly significant conservation land that importantly will link the mosaic of protected lands in this State. For too long the approach of those opposite to protected area management was to announce new swathes of national park without any supporting infrastructure or strategic analysis of where the parks would be added.

Ms Carmel Tebbutt: Point of order: My point of order relates to relevance under Standing Order 129.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister is certainly being relevant to the question he was asked.

Ms Carmel Tebbutt: He has gone nowhere near the question, which was when the National Parks Establishment Plan is going to be made available. 2422 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister only has to remain relevant under the standing orders and he is certainly remaining relevant. The Minister has the call. The member for Marrickville will resume her seat.

Mr ROB STOKES: I think that interjection is breathtaking. I am being completely relevant to the issue of adding high-value conservation lands to the parks estate. I will continue because this is entirely relevant to the question I was asked. As to the Great Eastern Ranges initiative, the Government has contributed $4.5 million towards this large landscape connectivity. This is a 3,200 kilometre long conservation project right along the Great Eastern Ranges, from the Grampians to the tip of Cape York. In keeping with this, the Government is including an extra 1,000 hectares of acquisitions including Morton National Park and Deua National Park. This includes the North Ettrema Wilderness Area, protecting the catchment of Reedy Creek that provides the catchment to Marble Arch, which is a significant karst feature. Right across the State this Government is looking for sensible, strategic high-quality conservation additions to our national parks, in keeping with its commitment to look after this State's environment to ensure that our environment is properly conserved and protected and that protected lands are increased in a strategic and sensible way.

RURAL AND REMOTE EDUCATION

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: My question is addressed to the Minister for Education. How is the Government improving student learning in rural and remote government schools across the State?

Mr ADRIAN PICCOLI: It has been about six months since I had a question from the Opposition on education, such an important area of public policy. For over 3½ years the Liberal-Nationals Government has done an incredible amount of work to improve educational opportunities for young people, preparing them for the future, and I know that Government members are very proud.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wollongong will come to order.

Mr ADRIAN PICCOLI: I remind members of a couple of election commitments made prior to the last election. There has been a pilot of 50 student support officers. I ran into one of them last week at the airport. Doug from Bega came over and told me what a great role they played in the school. There have been a couple of recent tragedies at the school—I have not had a chance to tell the member for Bega this—and the student support officer there, a lady in her mid- to late twenties, has done a fantastic job of supporting those students. This is important because the wellbeing of students is critical to their performance at school. I know parents send their kids to school and rightly expect them to be supported when they are there.

Parents can have confidence when there are student support officers like the young woman in Bega doing a great job for kids at school. Doug, the English teacher, was very appreciative and told me what a great thing it has been. As I have said many times in this House, the rural and remote education blueprint is focused on making sure that kids in country schools have the same opportunities as kids in metropolitan Sydney, ensuring we have the right incentives and the highest quality teaching profession in front of every classroom in country New South Wales. Those reforms are now starting to pay dividends. Last week the Leader of The Nationals and I were at the Department of Education and Communities to announce the new name of the virtual high school in New South Wales—Aurora College.

This means students across New South Wales can virtually do almost any subject they want when previously they could not because there may not have been an ancient history teacher in Cobar, for instance. They are now able to do this using modern technology. More importantly, next year we will enrol the first 55 students in the virtual selective high school. Next year 55 of the best performing kids across country New South Wales will start—they have done the selective entrance test in the same way as any student wanting to get into a selective school. Last week I had the opportunity to meet about 50 of the teachers who will be teaching as part of that selective school. This is important because all parents in regional New South Wales want their children to have the same opportunities as children in metropolitan Sydney. I remind members of the Labor Government's legacy of education reform. The former member for Balmain said in her brochure that her greatest achievement in the two years she was Minister was to introduce ethics classes. Compare that to the incredible reform, history and record of this Government over the past four years.

Ms Carmel Tebbutt: Cutting funding and destroying TAFE.

Mr ADRIAN PICCOLI: One thing I love about Opposition members is that they say this Government should be criticised because it has committed to six years of Gonski education reform when the Commonwealth 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2423

has committed to only four years. Opposition members are criticising this Government and saying that it should be doing even more than it is already doing when all they did was oppose every savings measure this Government introduced so it could afford to implement the Gonski reforms. Opposition members think that people in New South Wales are stupid and that they are not able to draw those connections. They cannot oppose every savings measure that this Government introduces, including those in education to reduce bureaucracy, travel times and CBD rent in order to implement the Gonski reforms. They cannot have it both ways. The people of New South Wales are not silly; they see right through Opposition members and they will see right through them in March next year.

Question time concluded at 3.21 p.m.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Valedictory Speeches

Motion by Mr ANTHONY ROBERTS agreed to:

That the business of the House be interrupted:

(1) At 6.00 p.m. today to permit the presentation of valedictory speeches by the members for Ballina, Upper Hunter and Toongabbie.

(2) On Wednesday 12 November 2014 at:

(a) 10.30 a.m. to permit the presentation of a valedictory speech by the member for Mount Druitt; and

(b) 6.00 p.m. to permit the presentation of valedictory speeches by the members for Wyong, Oxley, Macquarie Fields and Kogarah.

(3) On Thursday 13 November 2014 at 3.50 p.m. to permit the presentation of valedictory speeches by the members for Terrigal and Maitland.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Inaugural Speeches

Motion by Mr ANTHONY ROBERTS agreed to:

That the business before the House be interrupted at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday 13 November 2014 to permit the presentation of inaugural speeches by the members for Newcastle and Charlestown.

AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT

The Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 63C of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, of the Auditor-General's Financial Audit Report, Volume Five 2014, dated 11 November 2014.

LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE

Report

Mr Stephen Bromhead, as Chair, tabled the report entitled "Legislation Review Digest No. 65/55", dated 11 November 2014, together with the minutes of the committee meeting regarding Legislation Review Digest No. 64/55 dated 4 November 2014.

Report ordered to be printed on motion by Mr Stephen Bromhead.

PETITIONS

The Speaker announced that the following petitions signed by more than 10,000 persons were lodged for presentation:

Public Libraries Funding

Petition calling on the Government to increase recurrent funding for public libraries and to establish a Building Library Infrastructure Program, received from Mr John Barilaro. 2424 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Coal Wagons

Petition calling on the Government to require coal industry operators to cover all loaded and unloaded coal wagons, received from Ms Sonia Hornery.

Discussions on petitions set down as orders of the day for a future day.

The Clerk announced that the following petitions signed by fewer than 500 persons were lodged for presentation:

Edgecliff Interchange

Petition requesting the upgrade of Edgecliff Interchange to provide full access for all passengers, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Sydney Electorate Public High School

Petition requesting the establishment of a public high school in the Sydney electorate, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Elizabeth Bay Marina

Petition calling for an open and transparent public tender process for development of the Elizabeth Bay Marina, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital Parking Facilities

Petition requesting additional parking facilities at Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, received from Mr Gareth Ward.

Berry Ambulance Station

Petition requesting the construction of an ambulance station at Berry, received from Mr Gareth Ward.

Same-sex Marriage

Petition supporting same-sex marriage, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Public Housing Sale

Petition opposing the sale of public housing in Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Pet Shops

Petition opposing the sale of animals in pet shops, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Slaughterhouse Monitoring

Petition requesting mandatory closed-circuit television for all New South Wales slaughterhouses, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Pig-dog Hunting Ban

Petition requesting the banning of pig-dog hunting in New South Wales, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Container Deposit Levy

Petition requesting the Government introduce a container deposit levy to reduce litter and increase recycling rates of drink containers, received from Mr Alex Greenwich. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2425

The Clerk announced that the following petitions signed by more than 500 persons were lodged for presentation:

Daylight Saving Referendum

Petition requesting a referendum on the abolition of daylight saving, received from Mr Troy Grant.

Warringah Road Widening

Petition requesting a redesign of the proposed widening of Warringah Road and opposing forced acquisitions in the area, received from Mr Brad Hazzard.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Business Lapsed

General Business Notice of Motion (for Bills) No. 1 [Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Amendment (Restrictions on Political Donations) Bill] and General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) Nos 2992 to 2996 and 2998 to 3010 lapsed pursuant to Standing Order 105 (3).

GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES

The Speaker: I inform the House that I have ascertained it to be the pleasure of His Excellency to receive the Address in acknowledgement of His Excellency's message on this day at Government House.

Presentation

The House proceeded to Government House at 3.28 p.m., there to present to the Governor its Address in acknowledgement of His Excellency's message notifying his assumption of the administration of the Government of the State.

The House returned at 5.30 p.m.

The SPEAKER: I have to report that the Legislative Assembly presented to His Excellency the Governor its Address in acknowledgement of His Excellency's message. For greater accuracy I have obtained a copy of His Excellency's answer, which I lay upon the table of the House and order that it be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings:

Government House, Sydney 11 November 2014

The Honourable the Speaker and Honourable Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales

It gives me much pleasure to receive your Address and your kind comments upon my appointment by Her Majesty The Queen as Her representative in the State of New South Wales.

It will be my endeavour always to strengthen the links between the Crown and the Parliament and the people of New South Wales. My wife and I will expend our energies fully and willingly in the interests of this State, and trust that we shall be able to fulfil our part in the years ahead.

I welcome this opportunity of meeting Members of the Legislative Assembly today, and assure you of my close co-operation with you and of my earnest consideration of all matters which you may bring forward.

GENERAL THE HONOURABLE DAVID HURLEY AC DSC (RET'D) Governor

Pursuant to resolution government business proceeded with. 2426 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

CRIME COMMISSION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2014

Bill introduced on motion by Mr Stuart Ayres, read a first time and printed.

Second Reading

Mr STUART AYRES (Penrith—Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Western Sydney) [5.36 p.m.]: I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Government is pleased to introduce the Crime Commission Legislation Amendment Bill 2014. The Crime Commission's powers to conduct compulsory examinations are an essential tool in combating serious and organised crime. A series of cases in the High Court concerning hearings held by the Australian Crime Commission and the NSW Crime Commission have thrown into doubt the use of compulsory examination powers. This has led to uncertainty among investigators about how investigations may now be undertaken, and consequent disruption to major criminal investigations. There is also uncertainty among prosecutors as to the use of compulsory examination material in legal proceedings.

In the case of X7 v Australian Crime Commission in 2013, the High Court held that the Australian Crime Commission could not hold compulsory examinations of persons if they had already been charged with offences and those offences were the subject of the examination because this would prejudice the person's right to a fair trial. In Lee v The Queen, a 2014 case, the High Court held in similar circumstances that the publication of a transcript of a NSW Crime Commission hearing to a member of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions who was involved in the prosecution of the commission's witness was prejudicial to the person's fair trial. The High Court's comments in Lee suggested that "'persons involved in the prosecution" might in other circumstances include police and other investigators. This throws into doubt current practices that allow police officers to attend examinations and/or access hearing transcripts and, in doing so, undermines the utility of the NSW Crime Commission.

The High Court has recognised in both the X7 and Lee judgements that it is within the power of the Legislature to create laws that depart from the fundamental principles of our system of justice. Both judgements held that for legislation to overcome fundamental principles, its intention must be "expressed clearly or in words of necessary intendment." However, legislation risks being constitutionally invalid if it attempts to overcome fundamental principles by fettering the impartiality or discretion of the court. This bill proposes amending the Crime Commission Act 2012—the Act—to incorporate those clear "words of necessary intendment" and restore confidence in the lawful and appropriate exercise of the commission's functions. The amendments aim to protect the use of the commission's compulsory examination powers and the admissibility of evidence obtained in or derived from these commission hearings and to protect criminal prosecutions from challenge solely on the basis that a person has been questioned by the commission.

Situations where the commission compulsorily examines a person charged with an offence are infrequent, but when they arise they often involve homicide investigations or persons who are part of an organised criminal group—but not the principal—and it is necessary to establish the identity of other offenders and the circumstances surrounding the offence. There is thus a significant public interest in the New South Wales Crime Commission retaining full use of its powers of compulsory examination post-charge. The bill also contains amendments to the Crime Commission Act 2012 concerning the powers of the commission in relation to the joint task forces and other minor amendments.

No legislation is immune from challenge and these amendments cannot guarantee that all criminal prosecutions where the Crime Commission has been involved will be immune from challenge. However, legislative amendments are required as soon as possible to address the ongoing uncertainty among investigators and subsequent reluctance to use the commission's powers. I note that the outcome of cases currently before the courts and the approach adopted by other jurisdictions in future may necessitate further legislative amendments in this area. Where accused persons are to be questioned by the Crime Commission after they have been charged with an offence in relation to the subject matter of that charge, the amendments set out in schedules 1 and 3 to the bill propose four key changes.

First, the leave of the Supreme Court is required before compulsory examination can take place. The court can grant leave if it is satisfied that any prejudicial effect to the accused's trial is outweighed by the public 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2427

interest in using the commission's powers to fully investigate the matters that are the subject of the relevant reference to the Crime Commission. This also requires the commission to give notice to the person that leave has been granted, prior to questioning. Secondly, the evidence given will be subject to both use and derivative use of immunity. However, it may still be admissible in relation to an offence against the Act or for lying to the commission and may be admissible against other persons. Thirdly, the evidence given must be quarantined from any person who is a member of an investigative agency—including, for example, the police—who is involved in the investigation of the accused in relation to the offence. This is achieved by constraints on who may attend the hearing and on subsequent disclosure of the evidence given at the hearing.

Finally, the prosecution can in most cases only access the evidence if a further court order is made that it is in the public interest to release it to them. Operationally, this will require the investigating agency to establish a separate "clean team" of investigators. This clean team will not have access to the Crime Commission evidence and will not be involved in the broader Crime Commission investigation. It will be responsible for the ongoing prosecution of the accused. "Chinese walls" will have to be put in place to ensure the clean team is not tainted by access to the evidence of the accused given to the commission about the subject matter of the offence. I now turn to the disclosure of compelled evidence dealt with in this bill. The commission's functions include the provision of evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions [DPP] and other agencies, reinvestigation of police inquiries referred to the commission by the management committee, and to work together with law enforcement agencies of the Commonwealth, New South Wales and other States and Territories.

Part of the assistance the commission provides, and the evidence it gathers, involves the conduct of compulsory hearings and dissemination of evidence and information obtained therein. To ensure the commission can continue to fully discharge its functions, it must be able to disclose records of commission hearings where a witness is not the subject of a current charge, and in limited specified circumstances where the witness is the subject of a current charge. Similarly, police and investigative agencies must be able to make use of evidence obtained as a result of that disclosure to gather further evidence. The Act already provides for records of a commission hearing to be made available to the person who was examined or his or her legal practitioner. The bill provides that the court will also be able to order disclosure of a record of a commission hearing to a prosecutor.

The bill prohibits the disclosure of compelled evidence given by an accused person about the subject of the charge to a member of an investigative agency or prosecutor who is involved in the investigation or prosecution of the offence concerned. Notwithstanding this prohibition, the commission may order disclosure to an investigative agency or to a prosecutor, where the commission considers disclosure is desirable in the interests of justice and the commission restricts use of the evidence so that it is only used to investigate or prosecute an offence against the Act or for lying to the commission, an offence other than the offence with which the accused had been charged prior to being examined, or a person other than the accused.

Whenever the commission makes an order to disclose a record of a hearing, it may also make orders restricting the use or further disclosure of the evidence or record. The bill also addresses applications to stay proceedings. New section 45C is intended to reduce the likelihood of a successful application for a stay of proceedings being made as a result of the commission's compulsory examination or disclosure of compulsorily obtained material to, for example, the police or DPP. It applies whether or not the witness was the subject of a current charge. This provision sets out matters that the court must consider when considering a stay application. It requires the court to assess whether these matters have led or are likely to lead to unfair consequences for a person's trial. The matters listed include, for example, the questions asked and answers given during the hearing, whether the person was charged before the hearing, and the extent to which a prosecutor has had access to compulsorily obtained material.

The provision also sets out matters that are not capable of giving rise to a presumption of the kind of fundamental defect in criminal proceedings that would be a ground on which a court may stay criminal proceedings. These matters include, for example, the mere fact that a transcript was provided to an investigative agency or to a prosecutor, or the mere fact that evidence was derived as a result of the dissemination of a transcript. I now turn to the issue of appeals against past convictions. The bill creates an exception to part 7 of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001, which confers a statutory right to have a conviction and/or sentence reviewed in certain circumstances. The proposed amendments provide that the Supreme Court is not to consider an application under part 7 for a review of a conviction or sentence that is based solely on consequences said to have flowed from the fact that an applicant was compulsorily examined by the Crime Commission, or evidence obtained from, or as a result of, that compulsory examination. I now turn to schedule 2, which includes matters that do not arise from the X7 and Lee cases. 2428 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Schedule 2 to the bill contains miscellaneous amendments to the Act, including amendments to provide clarity regarding the NSW Crime Commission's powers to work in cooperation with external persons or bodies, including joint task forces. The 2012 remake of the Crime Commission Act formally recognised that it is a function of the commission to work in cooperation with joint task forces, including with agencies from the Commonwealth and other States and Territories. However, the way the legislation is constructed did not provide clarity regarding the Crime Commission's powers when it is working cooperatively in a task force or similar arrangement with interstate agencies. Joint task forces involving the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions are essential to investigate the most serious crime and criminal groups. Organised crime gangs do not stop their activities at State borders. It is essential that the NSW Crime Commission be able to use its formal powers— notably at compulsory hearings—when working on joint investigations.

The bill establishes a new type of referral, specific to the commission's function relating to joint operations whereby the management committee of the commission can refer for investigation matters relating to these operations. These are referred to as joint task matters in the bill. The existing safeguards and thresholds for referring a matter for investigation will apply to joint task matter referrals. Notably, the investigation will have to relate to a relevant criminal activity, serious crime concern or criminal activities of a criminal group that is the conduct that can form the basis of an existing referral. Alternatively, if the investigation involves cross-border or Commonwealth matters, there will have to be some nexus to New South Wales in the conduct being investigated and the matters must be of comparable seriousness to matters that can ordinarily be referred for investigation.

So, for example, the activities of New South Wales residents who are believed to be planning offences under Commonwealth counterterrorism laws could be the subject of such a referral. The management committee will only be able to make a joint task matter referral if it is satisfied that the commission's powers are necessary to fully investigate the matter, that it is in the public interest to do so, and that the matters are sufficiently serious or prevalent to warrant the investigation. I advise the House that this amendment is supported by both the NSW police commissioner and the Australian Federal Police commissioner, who is also chair of the board of the Australian Crime Commission.

Both are members of the management committee of the New South Wales Crime Commission. I also point out a number of miscellaneous amendments in the bill. The 2012 remake of the Act altered the wording of the provision allowing the Crime Commission to disseminate information and intelligence to other bodies making it unclear whether such information can be disseminated to bodies in other countries. Schedule 2 [1] will make clear that the commission can make such overseas disseminations if the management committee's guidelines approve it. This is consistent with the practice under the previous New South Wales Crime Commission Act. The 2012 Act also made an amendment to the provisions that apply when the commission is seeking a search warrant.

Under the previous provisions an application for a warrant could only be made where the commission reasonably suspected that there was a relevant thing on the premises, and had a reasonable belief that if a summons were issued for the thing it might be concealed, lost, mutilated or destroyed. The amendments reduced this to a one-stage reasonable belief test that did not incorporate the second limb relating to the issue of a summons. These amendments were intended to simplify matters, but in practice they have proven to be less useful than the earlier two-tier formulation. The Crime Commission considers that the two-tier test is more appropriate and supports reinstating that test. The bill therefore restores the two-tier formulation.

Section 33 of the Act provides for a right of review to the Supreme Court where a person claims he or she is entitled to resist production and questioning obligations under sections 28 and 30 of the Act. As presently drafted, the provision does not extend this right of review to hearings under section 24 of the Act. The amendments will ensure that a Supreme Court review can be sought if a person refuses to be sworn in or refuses to answer questions or produce documents at such a hearing. This will ensure that the review safeguard applies more broadly to people who are the subject of the commission's questioning regime. New section 35 (2) will ensure that the existing safeguards regarding commencing a prosecution where a person has sought a review to the Supreme Court are extended to the broader review category.

As part of the Patten report implementation, the 2012 Act introduced strict obligations on commission staff concerning disclosure of their financial circumstances. This is an important integrity measure and it is not intended to remove it. However, an unintended effect is that contractors and consultants engaged by the commission, even when briefly employed and/or engaged in non-sensitive work, are subject to the stringent financial disclosure requirements. Schedule 2 [13] confers discretion on the commissioner to waive the financial 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2429

disclosure requirement for some consultants or class of consultants. Whether such a waiver is granted will obviously depend on the nature of the work being engaged in. If the work is related to the law enforcement functions of the commission it is expected that the requirements would generally not be waived. The Act currently requires the commission to include recommendations for legislative change in its annual report. The bill sensibly makes this a permissive provision rather than a mandatory requirement. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned on motion by Mr Paul Lynch and set down as an order of the day for a future day.

PAYROLL TAX REBATE SCHEME (JOBS ACTION PLAN) AMENDMENT (FRESH START SUPPORT) BILL 2014 (NO. 2)

Bill introduced on motion by Mr Mark Speakman, on behalf of Mr Andrew Constance, read a first time and printed.

Second Reading

Mr MARK SPEAKMAN (Cronulla—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.54 p.m.], on behalf of Mr Andrew Constance: I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Government has listened to the community of Orange and is reintroducing the Payroll Tax Rebate Scheme (Jobs Action Plan) Amendment (Fresh Start Support) Bill 2014 to assist the community devastated by the closure of the Electrolux factory. Providing benefits and amending the previous bill raises questions about the procedural requirements to be followed in the context of a money bill. This bill has therefore been reintroduced afresh into the lower House. The Government proposes to extend the closure date under the Jobs Action Plan for a further two years, to 30 June 2017, in respect of the employment of any employee made redundant in the period from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2017, where they were formerly employed at the Electrolux factory at Orange. This recognises the significant impact that this factory closure will have on the community of Orange.

Extending the closure date for former Electrolux workers employed at the Orange factory highlights the benefits of this scheme as it targets a specific region and a specific industry sector, recognising the impact of the current economic climate and the likely impact on the Orange community from the closure of the Electrolux factory. The bill builds on the Government's election commitment under the Jobs Action Plan to create jobs in New South Wales and rebuild the New South Wales economy. The bill proposes an amendment to the Payroll Tax Rebate Scheme (Jobs Action Plan) Act 2011. As the Jobs Action Plan [JAP] Fresh Start Support [FSS] builds on the current JAP scheme, all the current legislative requirements for the JAP continue.

The original Jobs Action Plan Payroll Tax Rebate Scheme recognised the key role of business in boosting employment and offered a strong incentive for businesses to hire additional staff. The Jobs Action Plan has been instrumental in helping to create more than 132,000 jobs in New South Wales since this Government came to office. Data to the end of October 2014 shows 78,429 JAP registrations have been received. The Fresh Start Support Scheme proposed under this bill will provide an additional $1,000 payroll tax rebate to hiring employers when they hire a worker made redundant after 1 January 2014 from a list of designated employers. As under the current scheme, the hire must be for a new job and result in an increase in the new employer's full-time equivalent [FTE] numbers. Provisions are made for part-time employees.

The $1,000 additional payroll tax rebate under the Fresh Start Support Scheme will be paid on the first anniversary of the employment of the employee. This additional $1,000 means the JAP rebate increases to a possible maximum of $6,000 for employees formerly employed by designated employers. This would mean eligible employers would receive a $3,000 rebate of payroll tax on the first anniversary of employment of the relevant employee—being $2,000 under the existing JAP and an additional $1,000 under the Fresh Start Support Scheme—and $3,000 on the second anniversary. To be eligible for the Jobs Action Plan FSS payroll tax rebate the employer must employ a worker who has been made redundant between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2015 from a designated employer. The services of those made redundant must have been performed in New South Wales.

We will ask that businesses undergoing significant redundancy episodes notify the Government so they can be listed as a designated employer and their former employees can benefit from this support. A regulation 2430 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

will be tabled shortly that outlines guidelines for defining a designated employer and the definition of a redundancy. These guidelines can be varied with the approval of the Expenditure Review Committee. The guidelines specify that, once a business is listed as a designated employer, it will remain so until the Jobs Action Plan FSS closes. This bill recognises the difficult economic environment many businesses are operating in and encourages employers to hire employees made redundant through no fault of their own. This bill demonstrates that the Government remains committed to making New South Wales the first place to do business and encouraging employers to expand their operation. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned on motion by Mr Robert Furolo and set down as an order of the day for a future day.

Pursuant to resolution valedictory speeches proceeded with.

VALEDICTORY SPEECHES

Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina) [6.00 p.m.] (Valedictory Speech): As a boy who grew up on a North Coast cattle station and who was raised on Country Party milk, I have always been very grateful for the opportunities I have had in life. I have tried to live my life based on honesty, integrity, compassion and hard work. Many people have helped me, but I make special mention of my parents, Helen and Don Page Snr, who insisted that all seven of their children receive the best possible education. In the gallery tonight, I acknowledge and thank my wife, Lizzy, who is my strongest supporter and a wonderful help to me. She has been a great source of encouragement and continues to support me in every respect. My eldest son, Nicholas, and his wife, Ange, are here with my sister, Helen, who has also been a great support to me, and her daughter, Cilla. There are other friends in the gallery, and I thank you all for coming.

I will be forever grateful to the people of the Ballina electorate who have elected and re-elected me seven times without ever requiring me to go to preferences. Serving such a diverse electorate has at times been very challenging but my life is so much richer for having had contact with so many people in the electorate who do such wonderful things to make our community a better place. It is an honour to serve the community whether as a local member of Parliament [MP] or a Minister. I am fortunate because I have had the privilege of serving in both capacities. When offered the opportunity to make my valedictory speech on Remembrance Day I readily accepted because I wanted to pay tribute to all Australian service men and women, who have served our country to protect our freedoms, our democracy and our way of life. I also think it is a timely reminder to all members in this place that the sacrifices that we make in serving the public interest, whilst onerous on occasions, pale into insignificance when compared to the sacrifices made by Australians who have literally given their lives in the service of our wonderful country.

I have three family heroes. The first is my great-uncle Captain Harold Page, who fought with great courage at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order [DSO]. He later became the Deputy Administrator of Papua New Guinea and was in that role when the Japanese invaded in 1942. No-one knows for sure what happened to him. He was either executed when the Japanese arrived or taken prisoner and later lost along with 1,100 other Australian prisoners, both soldiers and civilians, on the Montevideo Maru, which was sunk by an American submarine.

Harold's son, Robert Page, my second family hero, was a Sydney University medical student in World War II when he volunteered to serve with Z Force, the commando unit that successfully carried out Operation Jaywick using the Krait, a former Japanese fishing boat, which sailed from Australia to Singapore through enemy territory before sinking seven Japanese ships right under their noses in Singapore Harbour. It was during a similar second covert operation, known as Operation Rimau, that Captain Robert Page was captured and beheaded by the Japanese at the age of 24, just a few weeks before the end of World War II. He, like his father, was awarded the DSO. The courageous stories of those commandos in Z Force in Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau are something that all Australians should know about. Their stories have been told in several books and are the basis of at least one movie of which I am aware.

My third family hero is Dr Earle Page, my grandfather, who went to Sydney University when he was 14 and graduated top of his year in medicine aged 21. He was a pioneering surgeon who had a distinguished medical career before entering Federal Parliament in 1919. He was instrumental in forming the Australian Country Party and was its Federal leader and he was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia through the 1920s and 1930s, excluding the Depression period. He became Australia's eleventh Prime Minister when Joseph Lyons died in office in 1939. He was also Australia's representative on the British War Cabinet under the United Australia Party and Labor governments during World War II and the Federal Minister for Health in the Menzies Government from 1949 to 1956. I understand he is the only Federal 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2431

Minister to hold onto his ministerial portfolio and remain as Australia's representative on the British War Cabinet when there was a change of government in Australia—a sign of the respect with which he was held by both sides of politics.

I mention my three family heroes because they influenced and inspired me always to put the public interest first, to work hard to assist others and to try to set a good example for those who follow. In my political life I have sought to promote the needs of the regions, which have struggled for attention and resources compared to their city cousins. Whilst we in The Nationals adhere generally to conservative principles, in many ways The Nationals are a political party based on geography rather than ideology. We do not have left and right factions. We are for whatever is best for the regions. I have always thought that ideology is there to serve mankind, not mankind to serve ideology. Mostly, problems in the regions have a practical solution. Devoid of an ideological straitjacket, it is that pragmatism and flexibility that enable our local champions in The Nationals to stand up for local communities. The only thing that matters in the end is whether it is in the interests of the regions we represent. If it is, we will support it; if it is not, we will not.

Any political career will be a combination of successes and failures, big things and small things, and if you are very lucky a happy ending. I am leaving on my own terms and there are no tears. Having said that, it is better to leave when they want you to stay than it is to stay when they want you to leave. I am retiring from politics but I am not retiring from life. I never imagined when I was elected in March 1988 that I would serve what will be 27 years by the next election. I thought maybe two terms, if I am lucky. In my youthful enthusiasm I thought it would only take a few years to sort things out. However, as we all know, effecting meaningful change is a challenging task in public life and it takes time. As it has turned out, I have spent one year at the beginning and one year at the end of my term as a backbencher, six years as a Parliamentary Secretary, or Assistant Minister as we were once called, 16 long years as a shadow Minister in opposition, and over three years as a Minister—in total, 12 portfolio areas.

Notwithstanding the truism that success has many fathers, I will briefly mention a few things where I feel I did make a difference. As a coastal MP and being on the New South Wales Coastal Council for several years, I am especially proud of playing my part in developing and refining the NSW Coastal Policy. This policy essentially prohibited high-rise development along the New South Wales coastline, guaranteed public access to beaches, facilitated a scale of development that is sensitive to environmental and planning constraints and protected the diversity of ecosystems. Indeed, when we lost government in 1995 and Craig Knowles became the Labor planning Minister, he asked his director general at the time, Gabrielle Kibble, who was the MP on the Coastal Council. She replied that I was and Minister Knowles instructed that I stay on the Coastal Council despite the change of government. That continued for about three years before some Labor backbenchers complained and I was politely asked to step aside, which of course I did.

As Parliamentary Secretary for Planning in 1994, I was instrumental in implementing the State Environmental Planning Policy [SEPP] 44, which requires a plan of management to always be put in place to protect koalas where any new development is to occur. When we went to opposition in 1995 I became the shadow Minister for Land and Water Conservation. The then Government had correctly decided that the 1912 Water Act needed to be rewritten. Richard Amery was the Labor Minister. The then Government's initial white paper expressly ruled out compensable water rights. However, I strongly believed that since water users had paid for their water allocations they should be compensated if the Government took away those allocations in the public interest, for example, for environmental flows.

Until that time the idea of compensable rights had only really applied to land, not water. To cut a long story short, Minister Amery—who I believe is the best Labor Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Land and Water Conservation there has been in my time in Parliament—ended up agreeing to compensable water rights and a few other things I wanted in exchange for the Opposition's support in the Legislative Council. The outcome was sensible legislation, negotiated between Government and Opposition, which was broadly accepted and generally remains in place today.

In opposition I also saw the need to appoint a cross-border commissioner to address the multitude of cross-border issues. After introducing legislation from Opposition in 2001, I am very pleased that we have had a cross-border commissioner in place now for three years. Cutting red tape has been something of a passion of mine, so it was natural to come up with a policy of requiring government to remove two regulations for every new regulation put in place. I am pleased to advise that this Government has more than met that policy objective. As the shadow Minister for Small Business I realised that the small business sector needed a strong advocate across all portfolios to highlight and resolve their many problems. 2432 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

My suggestion was such advocacy should come from a small business commissioner. Once again, I am pleased to see a small business commissioner has been put in place and is doing good work for the small business sector. Another initiative was to ensure that small businesses that deal with government agencies be paid within 30 days, otherwise interest would apply. Again, that policy is in place and working. I also wanted to see right-to-farm legislation to protect food production into the future, especially in peri-urban areas. Alas, I have been unable to deliver that outcome to date; others will have to take on that challenge.

When I became the Minister for Local Government in the O'Farrell-Stoner Government, I quickly realised two things. First, the relationship between State and local government was very antagonistic. Given that local government is an important player in achieving State objectives and because I prefer sensible communication where differences exist, the relationship needed to be fixed. Secondly, one-third of the 152 councils in New South Wales were financially weak, which meant that they could not address their infrastructure backlogs properly and many were struggling to deliver the basic services their communities needed. Serious reform was required to make local government sustainable, thereby delivering better outcomes for ratepayers and the State.

I set about repairing the State and local government relationship by inviting every mayor and general manager from all councils in New South Wales to a two-day conference in Dubbo in August 2011. All councils were present for this unprecedented collaboration. Several workshops were held over two days dealing with the things we needed to do to make local government stronger and therefore better able to deliver for their communities and ratepayers. Everyone, including me, stayed for the duration and actively participated in the debates. That Destination 2036 conference led to the development of an action plan, which in turn led to the appointment of an independent panel that was tasked with making recommendations for reform in the areas of service delivery and efficiency, appropriate structures, better governance, economic sustainability and a better State and local government relationship.

Three experienced people were appointed to the panel. They consulted widely and subsequently made 62 recommendations to me. I concurrently appointed a task force to look specifically at reform of the Local Government Act. Its key recommendation was to make integrated planning and reporting the centrepiece of the Act. It is important to remember that all this reform had to be done within the Government's policy of no forced amalgamations, which presented its own challenges. From both the panel's and the task force's work, I was able to make recommendations, which subsequently were broadly adopted in the Fit for the Future policy, which was released on 15 September by my ministerial successor, the Hon. Paul Toole. I thank the Premier in particular for his support for stronger financial incentives in the package being offered to the local government sector.

One of the programs we put in place was the Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme [LIRS]. The basis of LIRS was that the State Government would provide a 3 per cent or 4 per cent interest subsidy over 10 years to councils on their borrowings to address their infrastructure backlogs. This effectively meant that the State Government was paying about two-thirds of councils' interest on borrowings. When the third round of LIRS is finalised, for a State investment of about $100 million almost $l billion in local infrastructure will have been put on the ground by this very successful policy initiative.

A LIRS-type scheme can have wider application in growing jobs in regional areas beyond the Local Government portfolio. For example, if we want to create private sector jobs in regional areas, a business could take out a loan for start-up or expansion and the Government could provide an interest subsidy for a limited period—say, five years. The business wears the risk because the loan is in its name, not the Government's. However, the business receives assistance with its cash flow for a limited five-year period, after which it is on its own.

Another initiative I always believed would deliver lasting benefits is the creation of a specific borrowing authority for local government, which will save the sector millions of dollars over time. This authority would be able to take advantage of the State Government's triple-A credit rating, which means in practical terms that councils will be able to borrow at about 2 per cent less than they currently borrow. At current interest rates, that would reduce their loan repayments by about one-third, which means that councils would be able to spend those savings on service delivery and reduce their infrastructure backlog rather than having to pay the bank.

As Minister I was particularly keen on making much better use of regional organisations of councils, known as ROCs, or joint organisations. We need to drive economic efficiencies through joint procurement, resource sharing, reduced duplication and red tape. I thank members of the independent panel and the task force 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2433

for their good work and my chief executive officer, Ross Woodward, Steve Orr and Corrin Moffatt from the Office of Local Government for their support and enthusiasm for reform. Together we laid the platform for much-needed and long-lasting reform to local government, which will be good for local communities and the State. Of course, I strongly endorse the Government's Fit for the Future program.

Other reforms that occurred during my time as Minister for Local Government were the signing of a new intergovernmental agreement between the State Government and local government; early intervention laws to enable the early correction of councils that are becoming dysfunctional; stronger laws for the management of dangerous dogs; measures to reduce the unacceptably high levels of euthanasia rates among dogs and cats; and changes to swimming pool legislation as recommended by the New South Wales Coroner to reduce the number of preventable child drownings. As the first Minister for the North Coast, a top priority was ensuring that the Pacific Highway was upgraded as quickly as possible. This project is progressing well, with more than 60 per cent of the road now being divided carriageway. Dual carriageway throughout almost all of my electorate will be achieved next year, which has already saved, and will continue to save, many lives.

It is hard to summarise 26½ years as a local member in a few minutes. I simply say that helping constituents and community groups to solve problems is a very enriching experience and one that I have enjoyed. The only other thing I can say is that I gave priority to putting new infrastructure on the ground. This included four new schools: Ocean Shores, Southern Cross K-12, Wollongbar and Clunes; major upgrades to three other schools: Alstonville High, Mullumbimby High and Byron Primary; the redevelopment of Ballina and Byron hospitals; numerous sporting and community facility upgrades; and 24-hour police stations at Ballina and Byron Bay.

After more than a decade of planning and consultation, it has been the current Government that has provided $80 million in funding for the new Byron Central Hospital. I sincerely thank the Minister for Health for her interest, commitment and enthusiasm for this project. Construction commenced recently on the site at Ewingsdale. Traffic congestion has been a problem in Byron Bay for many years and we need a town centre bypass. Even though that is a local government responsibility, I could see that it would never happen unless the State Government funded most of the cost. With the assistance of the Hon. Duncan Gay, whom I regard as an excellent Minister for Roads and Freight, our Government has allocated $10.5 million to the bypass.

I can confidently say the great majority of people in my electorate, including me, do not see coal seam gas [CSG] exploration and mining as compatible with the character of the electorate of Ballina. The electorate is all about tourism, the creative industries, agriculture and horticulture, appropriate development, and protecting our clean, green sustainability focus, including renewable energy. I have also taken the view that CSG exploration and mining should not proceed if there is any environmental damage to land or water as a result, and I will always hold that view. There is no CSG in the Ballina electorate, but there is a petroleum exploration licence [PEL] over it.

When the owners of PEL 445 surrender 25 per cent of their licence, which they will be required to do, the Government should not reissue that part of the licence. That would ensure that the Ballina electorate is CSG free. I look forward to the Government's announcement on CSG in the near future. Another project I dearly want to see come to fruition is a rail trail on the now disused Casino to Murwillumbah rail line following the removal of trains by the Labor Government 10 years ago. An independent consultant's report supported the establishment of a rail trail. The benefits to tourism and job creation across the region, not to mention better health outcomes, will be huge.

I would like to thank several people. First, I thank my wife, Lizzie, and again acknowledge her strong personal and political support. I also thank my children, Nick, Tash, Lachie and Angus, for attending so many functions over the years and for putting up with not having their father at home for long periods. Politics, especially for regional members, is tough on families. I also acknowledge Morag Page for her support and commitment in the earlier years. My electorate officer Toni Graham has been with me since I started in 1988. I am sure she knows me better than I know myself. Thank you, Toni, for your loyalty and dedication over such a long period, not only to me but also to the electorate.

I extend my thanks to Donna Cruz, my other electorate officer, for your unflinching support, sunny personality and commitment to the best outcomes. I thank Annie Lewis for her bubbly, happy presence and efficient research and writing ability. I thank Carol Donaghey, who so capably fills in when either Toni or Donna are on leave. I also thank Bree Price, who worked in my electorate office for several years before coming to Sydney as Andrew Stoner's personal assistant. From my time in opposition, I especially thank Emma Watts, 2434 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

who assisted me with the new Water Act in particular. I also thank my ministerial staff for their support: policy advisors Paul Terrett and Darren Bark, who did an outstanding job in their roles; Namoi Dougal, my former chief of staff; Maria Hedley, my excellent personal assistant; Amanda AI-Zahab; Katrina Carlon; Anne Rinaudo; Angeli Lee; and Jonathan Porter.

In The Nationals I thank Jim Sneesby, my campaign manager for six campaigns; Chris Lomax, manager of my first campaign; Grahame Gooding, treasurer and a strong supporter for more than a decade; Mike Wallace; Jim Armstrong; Andrew Sochacki; Sue Curtis; and many other members too numerous to name. I also thank The Nationals head office staff, in particular State directors Jenny Gardiner, Michael Priebe and Ben Franklin, who is seated in the gallery. I have worked with five National Party leaders, including Wal Murray, Ian Armstrong, and George Souris, my good friend whose life and career have many parallels with my own. George and I went to boarding school together, attended the same university, played rugby together, were elected to this place on the same day and are giving our valedictory speeches on the same night. I acknowledge his wife, Vassy, and his son, Ari, who are also in the gallery.

I acknowledge the long and successful leadership of Andrew Stoner from 2003 until recently. I had the pleasure of serving as Andrew's deputy from 2003 to 2007. He did a lot to modernise the party. Andrew Stoner and Barry O'Farrell worked hard both in opposition and in government to put us in the strong position we are in today. Troy Grant, who was elected unopposed on Andrew's retirement, has the makings of a very successful long-term leader of our party and I wish him well. It is of great comfort, with so many capable members in The Nationals representing regional New South Wales, to know that the future is in good hands. I could be cheeky and suggest that because the political marriage in New South Wales is so good and because we all believe in equality in marriage, at some stage in the future all Coalition members might get a say as to who is the Coalition leader. One day the Premier might even be a member of The Nats. After all, it happened federally: Arthur Fadden, GCMG, was Prime Minister of Australia.

I especially thank my neighbouring members of Parliament, Deputy-Speaker Thomas George, Chris Gulaptis and Geoff Provest. We have many common issues in our electorates. It has been a pleasure to work so cooperatively with each of them as we have sought to advance the best interests of the Northern Rivers region. The Nationals are like one big family but our members are from diverse backgrounds. I thank each of my Nationals colleagues for their friendship and camaraderie. I am one of very few members who can say they have worked with a father and his son in this place. I refer, of course, to Bruce and Mike Baird. I was Assistant Minister for Transport under Minister Bruce Baird. He was a very capable Minister and very supportive of me, which I appreciated.

I recall one occasion in particular. In preparing the ground for major reform of the rail system Bruce highlighted that the State Rail Authority was losing $3 million every day. In answer to a Dorothy Dixer he said, "In the time I have been on my feet answering this question the State Rail Authority has lost $30,000." A quick interjection came from the other side, "Then why don't you sit down?" Twenty years later it was somewhat surreal to find myself seated beside Mike Baird at our first Cabinet meeting in April 2011. I congratulate Mike on his elevation to the premiership. He is doing a great job. I also acknowledge the contribution of former Premier Barry O'Farrell, along with former Treasurer Baird and other Ministers, in laying the foundations so that it can honestly be said that New South Wales is number one again today.

I thank the staff who work here at Parliament House. Apart from some of the behaviour in this Chamber, it is a good workplace. My special thanks to Hansard for making my speeches more "comprehendible". I thank my parliamentary colleagues from both Houses for their friendship, some over many years. I am sure that many of the friendships I have made on all sides of politics will continue long after I leave this place. In the remainder of my term I will continue to do everything I can to help the people of my electorate and help our excellent Nationals candidate for Ballina, Kris Beavis, get elected in March next year. Thank you, goodbye and good luck.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): On behalf of all members I congratulate Don on a wonderful valedictory speech. We appreciate the contribution he has made to this House not only as the member for Ballina but also as a parliamentary secretary and a Minister. We ask that Don and Lizzie are blessed with happiness and health in the future.

Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [6.29 p.m.] (Valedictory Speech): This evening I make a valedictory speech in view of my intended retirement from Parliament. It is a singular pleasure to follow Don Page, my school, rugby, university, parliamentary and lifetime friend from a parallel universe. It was 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2435

unimaginable that a son of Greek migrants born in the New South Wales wheat-belt town of Gunnedah could be elected to public office, first to Singleton Shire Council for seven years and then to the mother Parliament of Australia, the New South Wales Legislature, for a further 27 years—a total of 34 years. My parents were members of the Country Party and supported wonderful members of Parliament like Frank O'Keefe, Colin Fisher—whose son, Richard, is seated in the gallery—and Roger Wotton.

Education is the most important personal asset anyone can have. I am grateful my parents valued it so greatly. They first sent me to The Armidale School and then university. They sacrificed virtually everything and worked seven days a week for me. Education is the great equaliser. It is the means of delivering equity of access and opportunity that is taken for granted with the superb education system we now have. In those days Greeks, Chinese, Italians, Lebanese and others headed to country towns—sadly, that is not so today—and those migrants left a great legacy.

I was fortunate that the Stamatopoulos family decentralised to Singleton for business purposes and selected their accountant on the credential of his surname. Their daughter, Vassy, will be my loving wife of 36 years almost to the day of the 2015 general election. She married me for better and for worse, and soon also for lunch. A more supportive partner in public life I could not have hoped for. She has attended and taken a very sharp interest in everything and everyone, and actually likes attending debutante balls. Our son Theo and his wife, Vanessa, and two children Eva and Jonathan are working in Abu Dhabi—far away but not far from our thoughts. Our second son, Arie, and his girlfriend, Sophie Roche, are here in the gallery this evening. No man could hope for more love and care than I receive from my wonderful family.

It has been a great privilege to have been at the forefront of public policy and reform, and the implementation of delicate policy, and to help solve the many personal problems constituents have with their governmental interface. I have held some 13 ministerial portfolios and some 13 shadow ministerial portfolios over 23 years. In the Greiner Government I was privileged to have responsibility for the public float of the Government Insurance Office [GIO] and to start the process for the transfer to corporate ownership of the State Bank. The GIO in 1992 yielded $1.2 billion from the float plus $600 million in Commonwealth tax compensation. But those were days of a hung lower House. I know it is what the electorate served up and I have seen it often in numerous jurisdictions—the government of the day loses the next election.

In the arts, all our cultural institutions have ambitious capital plans, and I hope they can come to fruition, together with those plans for Walsh Bay that would convert the precinct into a cultural and tourist mecca. Singling out one highlight, Opera on the Harbour is a spectacular without compare. The racing industry has consolidated, rebuilt Royal Randwick and established The Championships as the pre-eminent Autumn Racing Carnival in the Southern Hemisphere. With a reasonable tax regime the New South Wales product is capable of regaining its Australian crown.

Destination NSW has reinstated New South Wales' mantle for tourism and major events. The biggest tourism partnership was signed last year with Qantas. The musical stage and sport have made New South Wales number one for major events again and a new International Convention Centre, currently under construction, will regain the impetus of this lucrative job generator. The Hospitality portfolio has been the most challenging. The response to alcohol-related violence led the Government to adopt a number of measures, which progressively resulted in dramatic reductions in the violence of the past.

I believe the electorate has benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars of capital expenditure, such as in roads, including on the Golden Highway and on local roads. There has been direct expenditure in overdue infrastructure through the Government's Resources for Regions, the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund and Restart NSW, as well as the traditional capital budget of government departments. I cite a new police command centre at Muswellbrook as but one example. The electorate will benefit from a dividend following the long-term lease of Macquarie Generation's Liddell and Bayswater stations.

However, there are a number of difficult issues to do with dairy industry deregulation, the gradual demise of the hardwood timber industry and in the great conflicts over water resource allocation. The present battles over land use between mining and resource companies and agricultural, viticultural and equine, are pitting communities, supportive of all industries, against each other. There must be sensible compromise and I know the Government is working on strategies to achieve this.

I thank the many staff I have had, both in the electorate and ministerially. Pam De Boer, who is here this evening, is the longest-serving electorate secretary of the Parliament, having worked with me for 27 years 2436 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

and indeed for my predecessor for all of his time in Parliament. I acknowledge Suzanne Andrews and Jackie Townsend in the electorate. Over my various ministerial portfolios I have had the benefit of many loyal staff. In my earlier roles, chiefs of staff included Paul Davey and the current Treasurer of Australia, Joe Hockey. In my immediate past capacity, chiefs included Matt Hingerty, Frank Marzic, who so tragically passed away, and Craig Regan, together with advisers Norm Lipson, Dean Long, Jinesh Patel, Sophie Holman, Hugh Cavall, Tracie-Lee Cullen, Rachael Hayes and Samantha Bailey, my drivers Bill Carpenter and Steve Ylonen, and some superb departmental liaison officers, some of whom are here this evening.

I would like to name former Director General Ken Brown and former secretaries of the Treasury Percy Allan and Michael Lambert as being in a class of their own. I acknowledge Ken Baxter, Dick Humphrey, Stepan Kerkyasharian, Barry Buffier, Mark Paterson and Angus Armour, and more lately Mary Darwell, Director of Arts NSW, Sandra Chipchase, Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of Destination NSW, and Liz Tydd, past Director of the Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing, all of whom are public servants I wish to pay credit to. My thanks also extend to the many public servants who have been involved in my ministerial portfolios and directly in the electorate: Police and Justice, hospitals and nurses, teachers and other government personnel in land and water management, power generation, agriculture and viticulture, mineral resources and in many other areas. The Government has also had the privilege and benefit of including many fine individuals from the private sector.

In my portfolio areas I make special mention of Racing NSW Chair John Messara, the board and Chief Executive Officer Peter V'landys. The rebuilding of Royal Randwick, the success of the race fields and the inaugural Championships will leave me very proud of the industry. The chairmen of the Australian Turf Club, notably John Cornish and now Michael Crismale, and CEO Darren Pearce were critical in this success. I acknowledge Percy Allan at Greyhound Racing NSW, Graeme Campbell and Sam Nati at Harness Racing NSW and their boards. I acknowledge Kim Williams and John Symond, chairs of the Sydney Opera House Trust, and CEOs Richard Evans and Louise Herron. At the Art Gallery I acknowledge, first, Stephen Lowy and Edmund Capon, and Guido Belgiorno-Nettis and Michael Brand. I acknowledge Rob Thomas, Chair of the Library Council, and members; and Alex Byrne and Richard Neville, State and Mitchell Librarians; Catherine Livingstone and Kim McKay at the Australian Museum; and Professor John Shine and Rose Hiscock at the Powerhouse Museum.

At Destination NSW I acknowledge chairs, John Conde and John Hartigan, CEO Sandra Chipchase, and the board, including the task force established under Russell Balding, Bruce Baird and John King. The State's tourism and major events strategy has been one of the success stories of the Government. Finally, I acknowledge the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority's Chris Sidoti and the board and staff. I appointed most of these fine people, including many members of their boards and trusts. I am pleased also at the number of women directors and CEOs who have been appointed. At the Parliament I acknowledge the fine work of clerks Russell Grove and Ronda Miller, and their incredible staff, legislative and administrative, who have worked so hard to ensure the processes of democracy are not compromised. I often tell visiting schools that whilst question time is something of a shock, it is the adversarial working of a robust democracy where the Government is tested by the Opposition to ensure better policy outcomes and a non-autocratic, inclusive democracy for all.

There were many companies and industry representative organisations, and racing and sporting bodies with which I had close workings. I believe New South Wales is possessed of some brilliant, world-renowned festivals such as the Sydney Festival under Chris Tooher and Leiven Bertels, the Sydney Writers' Festival under Chair Deena Shiff and CEO Ben Strout, Parramasala in the hands of Dr Harry Harinath, the Biennale, and the Sydney Film Festival under Chris Freeland, Leigh Small and director Nashen Moodley. Our performing companies are world class, starting with Opera Australia under David Mortimer and CEOs Adrian Collette and Craig Hassall, and the brilliant artistic director, Lyndon Terracini; the Australian Ballet under Jim Cousins, CEO Libby Christie and David MacAlister, the artistic director; the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Chairman John Conde, CEO Rory Jeffes and principal conductor, first, Vladimir Ashkenazy and now David Robertson.

There are also Bell Shakespeare, with the inimitable John Bell soon to be relieved by Peter Evans; the Sydney Theatre Company under the guidance of David Gonski, Patrick Macintyre and artistic directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton; Belvoir under Andrew Cameron, CEO Brenna Hobson and artistic director Ralph Myers; and from Carriageworks Peter Loxton and CEO Lisa Havilah. There are also the Museum of Contemporary Art under Simon Mordant and the superb Liz Ann Macgregor; Sydney Dance Company under Andrew Messenger, Ann Dunn and artistic director Raphael Bonachela; Bangarra Dance Theatre under Michael McDaniel, Phillipe Magid and artistic director Stephen Page; and the Australian Chamber Orchestra under Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, Tim Calnin and Richard Tognetti. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2437

I pay credit to Stephen Found whose theatres host the great musicals that help drive tourism in New South Wales. I wish I had until tomorrow to finish the list of great arts companies we have in our fine State. In industry, and especially the hospitality sector, I acknowledge Peter Newell and Anthony Ball of Clubs NSW and Scott Leach of the Australian Hotels Association, together with the Liquor Stores Association, Restaurant and Catering NSW, and the related services and leagues clubs all of which made remarkable contributions in perhaps the most difficult portfolio areas for which I had responsibility.

I extend my thanks to the many people inside and outside the National Party who have worked on election days, put up posters and been supportive out there in the community over the whole of my time in politics. Many of them have shared my journey for all that time. Going back in time, I thank Neil McNamara, John Martin and John Flannery from my Singleton Council days. I thank my electorate council chairmen: Duncan Macintyre and Richard Bell, Bob Keown, David Williams, Cheryl Nesbitt and Lorraine Gardiner. I thank my local branch chairs past and present: Scott Duddy; Charles Eccles; Neil Barwick; Michael Johnsen, who will soon be endorsed as The Nationals candidate for the electorate of Upper Hunter at the next State election; Don Dunlop; Spencer Thompson; James Munro; Douglas and Robin Munro; Peter Walker; Bryan Fuller; Bruce and Margaret McPherson; Alex Schmierer; Craig Miles and many others.

I have had the good fortune to be mentored by many, such as the members of Parliament I have already mentioned but also by Wal Murray, who gave me my first ministerial break; Nick Greiner and John Fahey, in whose cabinets I was proud to serve; and Duncan Gay and Barry O'Farrell, with whom I have a friendship and had a very close working relationship, especially in the latter difficult policy area involving alcohol-fuelled violence, liquor licensing, gaming and casino regulation. It was not that long ago that I tutored Barry O'Farrell into placing a "donation bet" on course at the Golden Slipper in 2011. He immediately grasped the beauty of a box quinella and enjoyed some great paying dividends. To my delight, this year he placed a $6 bet at the TAB for the Melbourne Cup for a box trifecta of three choices. He picked first, second and fourth; but if he had stayed with my original advice he would have won a quinella. Without doubt, serving alongside many fine members of Parliament and Ministers from both sides of the political divide has been a personal highlight; and many have become lifelong friends.

I believe in this institution of our democracy. Voting is compulsory and should remain so. It is all engaging, with direct and open access. Ours is perhaps the finest democracy in the world, including features sometimes fiercely adversarial in nature. That is why we in Parliament sit 2½ sword lengths across from each other. I have generally steered away from a factional or particularly partisan political life, and I am grateful the National Party is relatively free of this. Some say the Nats divide over fresh and salt water. I do not know where I fit, as the electorate of Upper Hunter straddles the Great Dividing Range. Either way it was an honour to have served as the Leader of the Parliamentary National Party, partnering with my friends Kerry Chikarovski and John Brogden as Coalition co-leaders in two elections.

In the National Party, anyone and everyone, including the boy from Gunnedah, has a place and a path. I have seen and been through all there is to offer, including the drama of premiership changes; a hung lower House, which is something of an excrescence in our democracy; and economic recession and boom. I have survived a Moody's, and Standard and Poor's official credit watch, droughts and bushfires. In all, democracy has triumphed and the people of our State have benefited from the overall force for good in all parliamentarians. I wish the dream team of Mike Baird and Troy Grant the success that awaits them next March, which will herald a golden era of opportunity in the life of New South Wales. I have met and dined with kings and queens and all manner of celebrities but it is my family, my friends, my work colleagues and the people of my electorate whom I value above all else. I am thankful for the love and support that has enabled me to carry on this career to its voluntary end.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): On behalf of all members of the House, I thank the Hon. George Souris for his contribution, which he has outlined here tonight. I thank him for his contribution as a shadow Minister, as leader of The Nationals and as a Minister. I trust that God will bless him, Vassy and their family. I wish him all the best, with good health and happiness, for his retirement.

[Business interrupted.]

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! There are a lot of very important people in the public gallery this evening. I recognise in particular the Hon. John Brogden, former member for Pittwater. I also recognise the Hon. John Hatzistergos, former member of the Legislative Council. 2438 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

VALEDICTORY SPEECHES

[Business resumed.]

Mr NATHAN REES (Toongabbie) [6.50 p.m.] (Valedictory Speech): I thank the Speaker, and I draw no inference from her arrival in the chair as I start my valedictory speech. This evening I thank those who have provided support, love, encouragement and advice over the nearly eight years I have spent here. At the outset, let me say that I have been hit in the bum by two rainbows in my life: first and foremost, my wife, Stacey—her saintliness does not require explanation, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart—and, secondly, the Australian Labor Party.

Mum and dad got seriously active in politics to get Gough in, and subsequently to keep him there in the face of Fraser and Kerr's bastardry. I thank them for guiding that rainbow—it was better than getting a boot in the bum. I have been deeply honoured and proud to serve the Australian Labor Party, the oldest party in the world representing the interests of workers. I am proud to have stood on picket lines. I am proud to have doorknocked for Labor candidates. I am proud that I have done my best to deliver for the great Labor causes of our time.

Colleagues, I have deliberately chosen to deliver this speech on November 11. Since 1975, the sobriety of Remembrance Day commemorations has necessarily been interwoven with the anniversary of the sacking of Gough Whitlam. The passing of Gough has refreshed all our recollections. We were lucky to hear insights from Graham Freudenberg last week. Inevitably, many of us started to think about what could have been. Graham Freudenberg was meant to arrive in Parliament in the Legislative Council. Instead we got Eddie Obeid. Imagine if Eddie Obeid had worked for Gough. You can almost hear him in Gough's ear saying, "Listen, mate, don't worry; I know this bloke called Lang Hancock. We've got this Vincent Lingiari character sorted out". Our world today would be very different. Levity aside, the great man's memorial service last week was a stirring and poignant occasion. It did more than just celebrate a great man and his achievements; it also stirred the question: Why be in politics?

I am certain that candidates in this Chamber, and others around Australia, are motivated by high principles when they choose to contest an election. What I am less certain of is that, once elected, each of us is clear on what we stand for, who we are and why we are here. Gough's service was a celebration of reform. True reform does not exist without vision and without courage. Last week all of us were reminded that being in politics is about actually doing things for our people. It is not about warming a seat. It is not about marking something off on the bucket list. Our job here is to do things—to do things that improve our community, to do things that improve our party and to do things that improve our nation. Then and only then should we, like Gough, consider the Paris option.

Politics is an arena of ideas, courage and principles. It is much more than a vocation or simply a vote in the Chamber. We owe it to ourselves and to the people who elect us to be bold, and I hope that I have been able to do that in my time in the Parliament. History shows that we are remembered for the fights we choose to have, not those fights we choose to avoid. During a tumultuous period for New South Wales Labor I was elected Premier, unopposed, in September 2008; 10 days later, in an unrelated incident, Lehman Brothers collapsed, precipitating the global financial crisis [GFC]. We reprioritised our capital works program and gave greater emphasis to smaller projects that were shovel-ready and we instituted sensible, measured savings in our recurrent expenditure as we prepared a mini-budget. I had seen Labor's credibility as an economic manager shredded over the previous 30 years in other States. I had watched as it took a painstaking decade in each of those States for that credibility to be restored.

I was resolute: I was not going to put the party in New South Wales in the same position. It is now a matter of record that we did the right thing. New South Wales is the only jurisdiction in the world that I can determine that improved its credit rating during the global financial crisis—a rating of triple-A, stable. And that was bequeathed to the incoming Coalition Government. As a Higher School Certificate economics student in 1985 I watched and studied the reforms of the Hawke and Keating years. Paul Keating had been a Minister in the Whitlam Government for a mere two months before Gough was removed in 1975—the 1975 sacking. He learnt from that experience in government that there was not a second to waste. That has always resonated with me.

Against a backdrop of prudent financial management we set about a policy-based reform agenda. In our TAFEs and through our State-owned utilities we committed to 4,000 apprenticeships, creating job opportunities 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2439

for youngsters and a massive boost to the State's reservoir of skilled labour. We also introduced 2,000 cadetships in our public service. Apprentices and cadets from that first cohort are now proud tradespeople and some of them, I am happy to say, are in my electorate of Toongabbie. We also introduced a TAFE training place guarantee for those already in the workplace. In our schools we raised the school leaving age from 15 to 17—an initiative that will pay dividends for those individuals and our State for decades to come. I am pretty certain there was not a vote in that—there certainly was not a vote from those kids who would have liked to have left school at 15—but that is the reform of which I am proudest and which I think will stand our State in greater stead over the long term.

We introduced ethics classes into schools despite the ill-informed opposition of church leaders about how that would wreck civilisation. Church leaders have a legitimate right to comment on public policy. What church leaders do not have a right to do is browbeat parishioners, browbeat governments or intimidate governments. Frankly, only one of those bodies is elected legitimately. For regional New South Wales, we introduced 600 new elective high school places, using technology to shrink the distance between great schools and our brightest students. We complemented all these measures with the introduction of universal eyesight testing for children.

Craig Knowles had already introduced universal hearing tests for kids aged four, and that was off the back of what Andrew Refshauge did for otitis media in Aboriginal communities. That meant those kids with a hearing or an eyesight issue had it picked up early, when they were young, and therefore did not miss the schooling that they needed to build on in later years. As a result, only in New South Wales is it no longer the case that a child with a hearing or eyesight impairment need have his or her early learning and lifetime opportunities compromised because of a lack of detection of that impairment.

More broadly in health, the State of Our Public Hospitals report in 2009 noted that New South Wales had the best elective and emergency department performances in Australia. I issue a special thank you to all the medical staff, ancillary staff and everyone else in hospitals and community health centres throughout Australia for the work they do in what I truly believe is the best health system in the world. I hope we were able to ease the burden on Dr Gordian Fulde at St Vincent's Hospital Emergency Department. We have all seen and heard the horror stories of a Friday or Saturday night in the St Vincent's Hospital Emergency Department. I am pleased to say that in 2009 we were well ahead of the curve on booze-fuelled violence: We introduced mandatory lockouts before they had been introduced elsewhere and before they were popular, plastic cups in licensed venues, and the naming and shaming of the more violent venues.

Why did we do that? I met Krystal in Wollongong, a young woman whose self-esteem had been smashed. She had lost an eye after an unprovoked glassing. There had been 17 glassings in the year prior to our introducing these measures. How many were there the year after? There was one. Some in the industry were loudly unhappy with our approach at the time because we did not consult. To them I make this point: Industry consultation is a privilege, not a right. Any industry that is unwilling to do its bit to sort out serious issues is inviting government intervention. In law and order more generally, we left office with 17 out of 17 crime categories stable or falling. I pay tribute to the member for Maroubra, who was the police Minister for a large part of that time. I do not know whether it is true that he had a quiet word to the Bra Boys in his Malabar branch and all the numbers went down.

To those members who knew both Bob Carr and Morris Iemma, it is probably fair to say that Morris did not have quite the same enthusiasm for national parks as Bob did. But it is also fair to say that when Morris came to office Carr and Bob Debus had just about done the lot—just about. Two elements of our conservation efforts remained outstanding. First, Carmel Tebbutt and I declared the Yengo wilderness in the Hunter a national park—a quarter million acres of wilderness on Sydney's doorstep preserved forever. Secondly, we saved the river red gums in the south-west of the State. To put this in context: The putting together of a mosaic of national parks that would endure into the future for generations went back a decade. Both Bobs had saved the northern and south-east forests and the Pilliga region in the central north.

The river red gums—or eucalyptus camaldulensis—in the south-west were of tremendous ecological significance. We had commissioned the necessary report from the Natural Resources Commission and that work was effectively complete by the time I stood up on my final day as Premier and announced that we would save the river red gums. Frank Sartor, who was subsequently the environment Minister, has claimed in his book— I doubt members have read it—that I made this announcement prematurely, that the necessary work had not been done. To Frank I simply say this: My friend, you are having yourself on if you think you would have been able to get it past the crocodiles in Cabinet and Treasury without that prior announcement. After my announcement there could be no going back on the river red gums. 2440 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Of course, any discussion of New South Wales land management systems is incomplete without reference to the 1983 Aboriginal Land Rights Act. Sadly, we noted recently the passing of its architect, Frank Walker. This was an Act ahead of its time. I had significant involvement in the review of the Act, as did comrade Lynch, and I commend him for his work. I worked alongside three tremendous intellects and advocates during the review. I pay tribute to Murray Chapman, who has since passed, and to Bill "Smiley" Johnson and Steve Wright. These men were a powerful force for good in a highly charged environment and it was an honour to work with them.

It was no coincidence that in November 2009 I announced the single largest handover of Crown land in the State's history—some 20,000 hectares—to the Yuin people on the South Coast. This was not the only acknowledgement of an historical wrong. Orphans, child migrants and other children had, through no fault of their own, slipped through society's cracks in decades past. They had been placed in an unregulated system of care that for many meant mistreatment of the worst kind. This "forgotten generation" endured that mistreatment, but many were scarred for life. Only the hardest of hearts would not have been stirred by their stories. I have always taken the view that as Australians we cannot celebrate and absorb those parts of our history that make us feel good without also acknowledging those elements that make us feel uncomfortable or ashamed. To not confront them stalls our maturation as a nation.

It was ongoing flawed and inadequate government policy of the past that had traumatised the forgotten generation. To this end, we issued a long overdue apology to the forgotten Australians—the first Government in Australia to do so. The service was attended by hundreds of those affected. There are those who seek to discount the importance of these acknowledgements, of their symbolism, preferring to concentrate on practical outcomes. Those people are wrong. No practical measure can truly be beneficial to an incomplete human spirit. Their hurt demanded our acknowledgement.

The human spirit also needs nourishment. It needs the arts; it needs the Vivid Festival. Now in its fifth year, many of you were there with hundreds of thousands of people from across New South Wales, dazzled and beguiled by an extraordinary display across the world's greatest city. And I did not get a single thank you. Instead, you bagged me when I announced the establishment of Vivid—you philistines who had never heard of Brian Eno and were still running around with Bucks Fizz in your Walkman or, like Krusty, with Chad Morgan on the gramophone. Do any of you want to scrap Vivid? Let Hansard show there was nary a murmur.

Mr Thomas George: Thank you.

Mr NATHAN REES: That is acknowledged.

Mr Brad Hazzard: You got one thing right. Only kidding.

Mr NATHAN REES: I will come to you shortly. We also gave to Sydney Parramasala, that tremendous celebration of subcontinental culture that is now an annual event. And we gave independence to the National Art School. I concede that was an obscure insider's gesture but it was one so appreciated by the arts community that John Olsen gave me his beret. It went straight to the poolroom. For The Nationals who do not know who John Olsen is I will explain later.

In fact, the beret sits opposite the Sherrin that Kevin Sheedy signed as "Coach, Western Sydney" in 2009—note the chronology—after I asked him at a Swans versus Essendon game if he would give serious consideration to coaching the new Western Sydney AFL team. As a Giants foundation member, it has been a delight to watch them grow. They had six wins last year and there will be many more to come. Only a few months ago I was in Melbourne with my good mate Kris watching the Giants beat Melbourne. The Melbourne fans booed them off—booed Melbourne off, that is. I give an undertaking to the Giants that that will never be part of our celebration.

It is also a delight to watch thousands of people travelling across Sydney to Giants games on the 450 buses we introduced or riding on the Epping to Chatswood rail line that I opened. The member for Keira will remember the fight we had with Treasury over getting the buses. At about 10.30 at night in a budget committee meeting in the run-up to the mini budget the Secretary of Treasury said to me, "Premier, there's not going to be any buses in the mini-budget." Imagine how that went. Next Giants season, despite the revisionism, people will be riding to games on the South West Rail Link—a project that we barged back onto the capital works program in 2009 as soon as it was prudent to do so and for which I signed the contract. All politicians know, however, that it is not always the big projects that are appreciated or noticed. As part of the response to the GFC I introduced the Community Building Partnership program. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2441

Mr Thomas George: Thank you.

Mr NATHAN REES: That is also acknowledged.

Mr Thomas George: That's two.

Mr NATHAN REES: Mate, without that program you would have been scurrying around like the Grim Reaper for 3½ years. Through the program a sum of $300,000 or $400,000 is given to each electorate depending on its unemployment rate. The program was designed to support local capital and equipment projects to support local jobs. It has been an unqualified success. All of us know how important that program is for our community groups and I am glad then Treasurer Baird resisted Treasury overtures to scrap it. I am sure they were fierce. Incidentally, I also had plans to introduce a similar scheme for social services but did not get the chance. My sacking is now history. At the time we had already reformed the Freedom of Information Act with a bias towards the release of information, and we had appointed a commissioner to keep the agencies and Ministers honest. We had introduced a register for lobbyists and a Code of Conduct. They were bold and necessary measures, but they were insufficient. I knew more needed to be done.

In November 2009 at the New South Wales Labor State Conference I sought, and was unanimously granted, the power to select my own Cabinet. I also announced that we would no longer be taking donations from property developers and that I wanted New South Wales to move as far as possible to public funding of elections. The public had had a gutful and, frankly, so had I. Public confidence in decision-making was low, our political standing even more so, and the culture of our party was in a state of decay. I knew there would be no going back having made that announcement. I knew that the forces of darkness would come after me, but it was a calculated risk. The critical part of the calculation was that even if I did not survive we would have started the ball rolling on much-needed reform.

That decision was easy but its load was heavy. I had intensely committed and loyal staff. They were a family characterised by an obsessive commitment to the Labor cause and each other out of relationships forged in the intensity of an under-siege leader's office. Almost all of them lost their jobs as well. Many are here this evening. I say thanks to each and every one of you. Equally, the party owes you all a debt of gratitude. Graeme, if you are here, for a Sussex Street machine that has always prided itself on its ability to deliver a deal it was a shameful period. My friend, I wish I had been in a position to make it otherwise. Since that time the reform of the body politic has rolled on.

Be very clear: None of the current election donation reforms would have occurred were it not for our insistence. And, arguably, none of the changes to the leader selection processes in our party would have occurred either. That job to do what is right by our party will never end. There are still those seeking to reinstate the old ways—the concentric binding that delivered us our biggest cultural crisis and our shabbiest period. I hope each of you as former members of staff draw solace from the fact that five years on the observations I made on exit remain salient. With the benefit of hindsight, I would repeat every action and statement.

Throughout my time as staffer, Minister and Premier—some 17 years—I have had the honour of working with some extraordinary public servants, including Picone, Wilson and Mathews in health. What Andrew Wilson did not know about public health was not worth knowing. He was a knockabout rugby league player from the Darling Downs of Queensland who came to Sydney to visit his extraordinary intellect on our public health system and he taught me a great deal. Shane Fitzsimmons came into his role in the Rural Fire Service after Phil Koperberg. You can imagine how that went for him. I love Phil but Shane fitted into the role very nicely. David Harris was patient with me as the new water Minister as he walked me through the complexities of water trading mechanisms. Roger Wilkins and Col Gellatly were a potent combination of policy and service delivery in central agencies. Kerry Schott is an adornment to Australian public service. Jennifer Westacott made a terrific transition from the public to the private sector. She was a delight to work with.

In my own department John Lee was there through the most challenging times, and usually with a smile. Lee Sanderson was the finest legal brain I have worked with and a very good public servant. I cannot name you all but I do thank you all. To my electorate office staff Nicole, Chris and Paul, you have been absolute Trojans running the office when I was absent as Minister or Premier and making sure that the tremendous people of Toongabbie were looked after. Your work ethic, integrity and professionalism have been extraordinary, and I thank you. To the people of Toongabbie, I thank you for the best years of my professional life. I hope I have repaid the faith you have shown in me. There are too many individuals and organisations to 2442 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

mention this evening. You have taught me that the greatest single contributing factor to our way of life is generosity of spirit. In so many ways the people of Toongabbie have inspired, delighted and humbled me. Thank you.

Incidentally, a word to the redistribution committee: The area I represent has been subject to a number of abolitions and changes over the years. It is grossly annoying for the locals. Previous name change frequency should be a factor in the committee's decision-making. Personally, I think removing the Aboriginal name of Australia's third settlement from the list of New South Wales electorates is pretty bloody ordinary. They have replaced Toongabbie with Seven Hills, named after the Seven Hills of Rome. Tremendous stuff! For the record I leave the Parliament without the benefit of a pre-2004 pension or any other considerations from my time as Premier. That is not a whine; it is a simple statement of fact. I make an obvious point that things such as post-service travel entitlements envisage precisely the sorts of events that have occurred in recent days and weeks—an ability to attend interstate services for former State and Federal leaders. I will say no more on the matter.

To the parliamentary staff, thank you for your patience, expertise and service. In particular I thank those in the library who have always gone out of their way to be helpful. I also thank Gary, Charlotte and Maria in catering. Your discretion and old-school approach to your role is something others could learn from. I thank Lionel and the security fellas. I include my personal security detail from when I was Premier, leaving aside the day when a couple of dogs attacked a cat over the road from my house and one of them drew his pistol. The cat was not that valuable. I say a big thank you to all of Hansard, word and history lovers each one of you. It is a niche role but essential. You make all of us sound good even when we did not. No voice recognition software can ever do that.

To my Australian Labor Party colleagues, I thank many of you for your support and friendship. I arrived in this place with acquaintances, not friends. That has changed. Sharpe, Foley, Veitch, Tebbutt, Primrose, Burney—that is the Left. Then we have Barr, remaining ambiguous in the middle, and Dr McDonald, who would like to be ambiguous but cannot bring himself to do it. Then there are Daley, Searle and Mihailuk— the problem children. Those of you who know them know that Foley and Mihailuk are two great warriors. If they joined together no doubt they could sort out Ebola and fix ISIL on their way back to Australia. Regrettably, they hate each other. I hope I can irritate them for some years to come. You have all been there through the highs and the lows, and I hope I can repay your friendship down the track.

Carmel Tebbutt, you are special. Carmel, with poise, intellect, loyalty and grace, makes all of us in the Parliament look good. All of us are intensely proud to have served with you and under you as Deputy Premier. I have previously paid tribute to Dame Marie Bashir, an exceptional lady and servant of New South Wales. It was a pleasure to serve with her. John Robertson, your efforts on the ground are matched by the talent of the team around you. I am certain that your passion and work ethic will be rewarded in March. I am proud to have served under you. Finally, in my inaugural speech I indicated that I wanted to contribute to a more civil Chamber and cordial relations between the warring parties. I think people in the broader community expect that of us. It does not mean we are soft or that we do not have blues. I still think the workers compensation legislation is an absolute disgrace. But what it does mean is that we are so lucky as a country because we do not have civil wars and the like that spill over into our parliamentary proceedings and chambers.

I will not compromise or embarrass my friends in the Government. Backbenchers and Ministers, you know who you are. Thanks for making these past four years special. You should feel free to out yourselves in the members' bar shortly. Over two terms in this Chamber I have seen a change, from toxic to tolerant, and, on a good day, respectful and good humoured. This embodies the Australian way. I urge you all to nurture it, and I hope in a small way I have helped. I thank the fourth estate. I thank all the journalists who keep the people of New South Wales and Australia informed.

Their industry has undergone extraordinary change over recent years. The pressure on them to deliver stories and maintain credibility and integrity in what they do is immense. To report on what is right, rather than what is trite, is a pressure they must put up with every day. They all do that in general with good humour. I thank all of them for their efforts and their capacity to accept both sides of an argument before putting it on paper or onto a news broadcast. Finally, to all of us in this and the other place, I say a sincere thank you for your efforts for the people of New South Wales. It has been a delight to serve alongside you.

The SPEAKER: I thank the supporters of the member for Toongabbie in the public gallery. Clearly the member is held in high esteem by members on both sides of the Chamber. We wish him all the best in the future and thank him for his significant contribution to this State.

Pursuant to sessional order private members' statements proceeded with. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2443

PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

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SYDNEY TRAINS SOUTH LINE NOISE POLLUTION

Dr ANDREW McDONALD (Macquarie Fields) [7.17 p.m.]: Yet again in this place I raise the issue of rail noise from trains that traverse the south line between Glenfield, Casula and Liverpool. This has been an issue from my first day in politics in 2007, and one that has yet to be resolved. This noise causes enormous distress to the people of Casula. The levels are so high that poor sleeping is now the norm for many residents. The addition of the bi-directional southern Sydney freight line over the past year has made a dreadful situation even worse. However, most of the noise still comes from regular commuter trains. The announcement yesterday by the Minister for Transport that the South West Rail Link will be a glorified shuttle service to Liverpool will mean even more trains on the south line—no comfort at all to anybody in south-west Sydney and further distress to the people of Casula.

The decision to run a shuttle train from Liverpool to Leppington, rather than a direct train to the city, was taken some time ago and is one that has been deliberately hidden from the people of south-west Sydney for some time. The initial southern Sydney freight line was approved by then planning Minister Frank Sartor just prior to Christmas 2006, before I had even considered a career in politics. This was a dodgy approval, and at that stage the noise barriers were only to be introduced if certain acoustic thresholds were met after the construction and use of the southern Sydney freight line, if the noise levels had increased by a certain amount. This was always a dodgy approval because the noise was already beyond what was acceptable for residents. Those houses could not now be built next to a rail line because the noise was already too great.

I have always doubted the use of acoustic modelling. It does not reflect what the residents of Casula have told me about the effect of rail noise on their lives. Indeed, it has been used by governments of both persuasions at both levels to deny the pain of the people of Casula. Both when we were in government prior to 2011 and since 2011 in opposition, I have asked for noise barriers to be constructed. Since 2011 I have asked the Minister for Transport on numerous occasions for further information as to the progress of the acoustic modelling, which was a condition of the 2006 approval, and whether any cost studies of noise barriers have been undertaken.

I know the answers to these questions are yes; the modelling has been done and the costing should have been done. The Minister has refused to give me or the people of Casula any meaningful information as to the progress of these barriers, what modelling has been done and the possible cost. Yet this is the major influence on the lives of the people of Casula. The locals of Casula correctly feel that they have been dudded by governments of both political parties and at all levels. This is unacceptable. They know this is an achievable outcome. It is a disgrace that they have not been listened to.

The Liverpool City Council has advocated in favour of noise barriers, yet it is meaningless rhetoric because the council has not offered any meaningful financial or other contribution to providing the barriers. It has just been meaningless politics rather than a contribution to solving problems. The fact that both State and Federal governments have placed responsibilities for noise barriers on each other, instead of working cooperatively to jointly fund them, says it all about the neglect felt by the people of Casula. They are right to feel that way.

The major regret of my time in politics will be that the noise barriers have not been put in place, nor has the refusal of the current New South Wales Government to even engage in any meaningful attempt to establish the facts and ascertain the difficulties of constructing the barriers been addressed. That is disgraceful neglect of the people of Casula. Last week I placed yet more questions upon notice to the Minister for Transport in relation to this issue, the answers to which will be illuminating. The time has come for the people of Casula to be given answers to their completely reasonable questions regarding what on earth this Government or any government will do to address this major adverse influence on the people's lives. It is time for answers.

NORTHERN INLAND INNOVATION AWARDS

Mr ADAM MARSHALL (Northern Tablelands) [7.22 p.m.]: Last weekend I had the great pleasure of attending the seventh annual Regional Development Australia Northern Inland Innovation Awards dinner in the beautiful Max Centre in Moree. I was joined that evening by the Federal member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, the 2444 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

member for Barwon, Kevin Humphries, and the redoubtable Mayor of Moree Plains Shire, Katrina Humphries. Before mentioning the various winners from the Northern Tablelands electorate, I congratulate all 65 quality nominees who came from every major centre in the northern inland region of New England in the north-west of the State, including a number from outside the Northern Tablelands electorate. I am not ashamed to say that our part of the world has many inspiring stories of innovative businesses and events that I will share with the House this evening.

The winner of the AgriFood Skills Australia Agriculture-Horticulture and Associated Services category was Bald Rock Beef Jerky of Tenterfield. Dan Ford has done a magnificent job in developing this company from his home base. As someone who is developing a taste for beef jerky, I can say that people will go a long way before they will find a better product than Dan's Bald Rock Beef Jerky. The winner of the University of New England's Professional and Government Services category was Whitehack of Armidale. Adrian Wood is a brilliant young man who recently moved to Armidale in country New South Wales. He is quite proud of the fact that not all computer hackers revel in digital vandalism, theft or other crimes. His company, Whitehack, is a small but growing Armidale business that is helping clients beat the hackers at their own game. He uses computer hacking skills for the good of his clients. His company is an information technology [IT] security consultancy that offers an innovative and ethical hacking service. Only three such operations exist in New South Wales.

From speaking with Adrian on the night of the awards, I am aware that he has been doing some work for the United States of America Department of Defense, particularly the Navy, to ensure that their computer software maintains its integrity and is not able to be hacked. This is a business that we probably do not think about much, but it is actually a growing business as more and more of our systems—those of government agencies in particular—become susceptible to hacking. The University of New England's Precision Agriculture Research Group won the NSW Trade and Investment Research and Education category. Professor David Lamb—or "Des", as he was nicknamed on the night—said that the team is a multidisciplinary group that has broken new ground in the development and application of technology for agriculture. Since its inception in 2002, the group has attracted more than $7 million for agricultural research, ranging from livestock to cropping and viticulture.

The Precision Agriculture Research Group has the National Broadband Network [NBN] connected UNE SMART Farm, which is the culmination of 12 years of work by the group. It is a national demonstrator site for trialling and demonstrating farm-related technologies in action. What has been achieved and prospective industry advancements could have local, national and global benefits for the entire agricultural sector. I acknowledge David Lamb and his team for their magnificent work. It will come as no surprise that they won the overall Innovation of the Year Award during the ceremony.

Paddy Rice and his team at ISU Solutions at Armidale won the Australian Government Department of Industry's AusIndustry Manufacturing and Engineering category. ISU Solutions created Sam, which is a technological linking device that facilitates interfacing and connectivity among a wide range of hardware and software applications. Sam is a single destination for purchasing, managing and monetising everything. The multipurpose functionality of the technology puts it a generation ahead of its time.

In the short time that remains, I will quickly acknowledge a number of award finalists: Uralla Arts, the Poultry Cooperative Research Centre; University of New England and TAFE New England for their integrated degrees—and it was great to see Lyn Rickard and Maureen Chapman at the awards—Regional Architects of Armidale, which is another new and innovative business that is doing some great things in the Armidale district; and Eastview Estate of Uralla, which is a great local distillery and craft brewery. I also mention some great highly commended award winners, such as Enactus UNE, BEST Employment of Inverell, the Home Nursing Group and the UNE-Coledale Student-led Clinic. I say "Well done!" to all the innovators in the Northern Tablelands. The awards ceremony was a great night. I congratulate them all.

HIS EMINENCE BEATITUDE PATRIARCH CARDINAL MAR BECHARA BOUTROS RAI

Dr GEOFF LEE (Parramatta) [7.27 p.m.]: I place on record the historic visit to Australia by His Eminence Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rai, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. His Eminence led a delegation from Lebanon with Vicar General His Excellency Bishop Sayyah and distinguished clergy. The bonds between Australia and Lebanon were forged in World War II when Australian soldiers were stationed in Lebanon. Exemplifying those bonds is the village of Kafrzeina in Lebanon—a village where Anwar Harb's father and grandfather lived. Anwar reflects that his father and grandfather often would talk 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2445

about the generosity of Australian soldiers. That close relationship and those bonds were pivotal in Anwar's decision to migrate to Australia. Today we have a large and successful Australian Maronite community—a strong and proud community who continue to be faithful to Maronite convictions.

The Patriarch's recent visit to Australia was seen as an historic event. His Eminence brought messages of peace, harmony and dialogue, and an unwavering stance against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] and terrorism. His Eminence is a strong and uniting voice for human dignity and a powerful voice for the Maronite and Christian communities across the world. His Eminence reflected on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. While Christians are in the minority, they have been in the Middle East for more than 2,000 years and will continue to live there despite the current challenges to peace in the region. His Eminence visited Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide and met not only with thousands of Australian Maronites but also with community leaders, politicians at all levels and other religious leaders—Catholic, Christian and Islamic. During the visit I was honoured to join the Maronite community as they celebrated the inaugural visit of His Eminence Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rai.

Parramatta is home to a strong Australian Lebanese community and Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church and the Maronite College of the Holy Family. I was privileged to attend a solemn liturgy attended by His Eminence on Sunday 26 October at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Harris Park. On Monday I attended the Maronite College of the Holy Family school performance for His Eminence. Such were the kind words and great performances by the students that the Patriarch was brought to tears. I commend the principal, Dr Margaret Ghosn, and her staff and students for putting together an exemplary performance for His Eminence. The college shone its most brilliant. I also commend all the sisters, who are led by Sister Irene Boughosn in the Harris Park convent, which is an essential part of the fabric of the church.

Later that day, more than 1,200 people celebrated His Eminence's visit at a dinner that was hosted by His Excellency the Maronite Bishop of Australia, Antoine-Charbel Tarabay. Later in the week His Eminence celebrated mass, visited a nursing home and unveiled a statue of the founder at the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family Convent at Dulwich Hill, the Patriarch Elias Howayek. So important was this event that the leader of all nuns throughout the world, Sister Gabrielle Bou Moussa, Mother Superior of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, attended. I commend Sister Superior Elham Geagea and other sisters for their work at the convent. On Saturday, in unseasonably hot weather, His Eminence travelled to Bilpin to bless the foundation stone for the White Stone Project—a project championed by my friend Sister Rose and about which I have spoken previously—and the wonderful efforts of Sister Rose and her team to make this important project a reality.

Later that night the patriarch was the special guest at a youth concert attended by thousands of young people. I again commend Monsignor Shora Maree and his able team of volunteers for ensuring it was a special night for thousands of young people and the young at heart. Monsignor Shora was delighted with the outcome of this wonderful event, despite the threat of rain. I am sure he had a special word to someone in higher places as the rain stayed away. Strong leadership by His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, fourth Maronite Bishop of Australia, ensured the success of the patriarch's visit.

Bishop Tarabay, a precision manager, led a team that ensured every event was well managed and that nothing was left undone. I commend the NSW Police Force and the Federal Police for accompanying the patriarch and for doing a fantastic job in ensuring his security. The Maronite patriarch's two-week visit to Australia was a significant event for Maronite Catholics, the Middle Eastern community and in particular Christians. By all measures His Eminence Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rai's Australian visit was highly successful and brought a positive message and hope and faith.

EDUCATION

Mr CLAYTON BARR (Cessnock) [7.32 p.m.]: Tonight I had planned to talk about the downturn in the mining industry and about the thousands of job that are disappearing from the Cessnock electorate. However, in a moment of serendipity I decided to talk about education. I have not spoken to my sister for several weeks but today she spoke to me about Cate Blanchett's contribution at the memorial service for the late and great Gough Whitlam. My sister reminded me that we both benefited from a free education and said that she was touched by the news of the death of the late Gough Whitlam. She also told me about Cate Blanchett's contribution and her story about free university education, which is also my story.

My father was a coalminer. I know people think coalminers earn enormous amounts of money and that they are grossly overpaid but I assure members that as the son of a coalminer I saw no excess of money. My 2446 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

parents had difficulty finding the $200 that was required each term to send me to the Catholic high school I attended and going to university in a pre-Whitlam era would have been beyond question. My sister's phone call and the earlier valedictory speech of the member for Toongabbie reminded me of the value of education and of the educational status of the people of Cessnock. I have spoken in the past in this Chamber about how students in Cessnock have the highest level of completion of year 10 and under, the lowest level of completion of year 12 and the lowest level of university matriculation in New South Wales.

I am reminded also of the work of Gough Whitlam. Education is an enabler. We need to do all we can to ensure it is not a barrier. Today in the Federal Parliament reference was made to the Higher Education Contribution Scheme [HECS] debt that will be incurred by students seeking a new trajectory—a university education. I am reminded that at the moment a university education carries a HECS debt of roughly 25 per cent, which is reasonable and affordable. I took on a HECS debt that was closer to 5 per cent, which was certainly reasonable and affordable.

In my moment of serendipity I remembered that the member for Toongabbie, in his term as Premier, provided young people with apprenticeships, cadetships, traineeships and scholarships. Even though people in the Cessnock electorate have access to the University of Newcastle, one of the world's best universities, they do not take advantage of that opportunity for a number of reasons that are too complicated to explain in the time I have available to me. We must do all we can to educate our young people and remove existing barriers to education. We must do all we can to ensure that our young people, or the elderly, obtain the education that they desire.

The educational journey of the member for Toongabbie was quite colourful. He left school, completed an apprenticeship and then worked as a garbage collector so he could afford to put himself through university and obtain a double degree in literature. My first tweet after the death of Gough Whitlam was, "I wonder whether we will ever have the courage to offer the leadership role to someone with a mind as bright and as sharp as Gough Whitlam." Look what politics and the Labor Party did to the member for Toongabbie, who has one of the brightest and sharpest minds in this Chamber. I am reminded of the value and importance of education and of the courage and bravery required of politicians to ensure the educational opportunities of our young people. We must have the courage to give the educational opportunities to those who need them most.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Noreen Hay): I welcome to the gallery Janice McLay and Holly Anstey from the Australian Diabetes Council, guests of the member for Campbelltown.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS AUSTRALIA

Mr BRYAN DOYLE (Campbelltown) [7.38 p.m.]: On Sunday 9 November I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics hosted at Campbelltown Athletic Stadium. The Special Olympics provides all people with an intellectual disability, regardless of their skill levels, an opportunity to become involved in competitive sports. The Special Olympics provide athletes with an opportunity to win medals and exhibit their athletic prowess, others enjoy an opportunity to become active, improve their health and develop self-confidence. This year we were honoured to have Inspector Tara Norton of Campbelltown Local Area Command and the law enforcement torch relay team attend the opening ceremony team to take care of the Olympic flame and ensure that it remains alight.

Travis Becker, Brooke McGrath and Melissa Etheron from my electorate—I have known them for a long time—also kindly consented to have a selfie taken with their local member. I spoke at the opening ceremony to approximately 50 athletes and their parents, and told them that they were standing on special ground—where Olympians had trained for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The athletes roared and there was a big group hug. I asked the athletes and their parents whether they had a best friend and they all put up their hands. I said that being a member of Parliament was a bit like having a best friend: When someone has a best friend he or she likes to tell everyone about them. I told the athletes I would speak about them in this Parliament, so tonight I am honouring that promise. Needless to say, there was another big cheer and another round of group hugs.

I asked the members of the Macarthur team what they would like me to say in my speech and they replied, "'Go Macarthur." Needless to say, I finished my speech with the endorsement "Go Macarthur", which went over well. I have seen the benefits of the Special Olympics to young people in my community. The core purpose of the Special Olympics is to change the community perception of people living with an intellectual disability and what they are capable of accomplishing. The Special Olympics aims to empower people who are often misunderstood, ridiculed, isolated or simply ignored by the wider community. 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2447

The Special Olympics movement began as a backyard camp and grew into a global movement that has been transforming the lives of people with intellectual disability for more than 40 years. The movement was pioneered by the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver whose sister, Rosemary, had an intellectual disability. Mrs Shriver understood firsthand that people with an intellectual disability were far more capable than people thought. In 1962 she invited 75 children with an intellectual disability into her backyard, offering them the chance to explore their talents through sport. Camp Shriver was born and that backyard activity soon turned into 40 camps across the United States of America. Today the work that Mrs Shriver began spans the globe in the form of the Special Olympics.

The Special Olympics now serves more than four million athletes in more than 170 countries, with a volunteer network delivering over 44,000 competitions annually. Special Olympics Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that was established in 1976. It is a privilege to witness these young people exhibiting their athletic prowess, their drive to succeed and to prove that they are champions. One of the most poignant moments of the ceremony is when the athletes, coaches and officials take their oath. The athletes' oath is quite moving: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." I commend the Special Olympics to the House.

Private members' statements concluded.

Pursuant to sessional order matter of public importance proceeded with.

WORLD DIABETES DAY

Matter of Public Importance

Mr BRYAN DOYLE (Campbelltown) [7.44 p.m.]: I speak tonight on World Diabetes Day—led by the International Diabetes Federation and its member associations—to be celebrated on Friday 14 November. Representatives from the Australian Diabetes Council—Janice McLay and Holly Anstey—have come to Parliament tonight on short notice. They will also be present at Parliament on Thursday this week, manning an information booth for World Diabetes Day. World Diabetes Day celebrates the birthday of Frederick Banting who, together with Charles Best, first conceived the idea that led to the discovery of insulin—a discovery that has changed so many lives. World Diabetes Day is celebrated across the globe by more than 160 countries and territories, by all member States of the United Nations, by health professionals and by those living with diabetes and their families.

Significant national landmarks across the world are lit blue to celebrate World Diabetes Day and tonight I am wearing the blue circle symbol of the Diabetes Council. World Diabetes Day plays an important role in raising community awareness about preventing and controlling diabetes in Australia and internationally. The theme for 2014-16 is "Healthy Living with Diabetes". This year's activities focus on the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast. The number of people with diabetes in New South Wales is estimated to grow by approximately 10 per cent over the next 10 years. The figures are staggering and have increased from approximately 580,000 in 2012 to approximately 636,000 in 2021. The biggest growth is expected to be in those aged 65 and over.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the pancreas no longer produces insulin. It is a lifelong condition that cannot be prevented or cured and early diagnosis is vital to prevent potential complications. Type 1 diabetes requires long-term care by a specialist multidisciplinary team with specific skills in managing all aspects of the disease and its complications. Similar care is required by those with pre-gestational and gestational diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is predominantly related to modifiable lifestyle factors such as excess weight, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating habits. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disorder that occurs when the pancreas is not producing enough insulin, and the insulin is not working effectively, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes represents 85 per cent to 90 per cent of all cases of diabetes.

With the assistance of the Australian Diabetes Council, I have held a number of community forums on diabetes in Campbelltown. The first was for a general community group and the second specifically for Australians of Maori and Polynesian background for whom diabetes is a major health issue. People in the group were asked to raise their hands if they had somebody in the family with diabetes. They all raised their hands. They were then asked to keep up their hands if they knew someone who had lost a limb due to diabetes and they all kept their hands raised. They were then asked if they knew somebody who had died from diabetes and they all continued to raise their hands. 2448 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

Diabetes is a serious health issue. I know that the Australian Diabetes Council is working hard at educating and helping people who are living with diabetes, to deal with its symptoms and to improve their lives. Through the NSW Office of Preventive Health, NSW Health is investing in statewide evidence-based programs such as the Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service, the Get Healthy at Work initiative and the Healthy Children initiative towards the prevention of type 2 diabetes in New South Wales. To further improve services for people with diabetes and to assist in prevention, the Agency for Clinical Innovation Endocrine Network is developing a new model of care.

Diabetes is an issue that affects everyone. Some of the cultural things we were taught as children tend to be counterproductive. As a young fellow I was always taught to clean up my plate and to ask for seconds but the diabetes forums stress the importance of portion control in eating. World Diabetes Day is an opportunity for us to raise the profile of diabetes in our community and to educate ourselves and others on the causes and treatment of diabetes.

Dr ANDREW McDONALD (Macquarie Fields) [7.49 p.m.]: The issue of diabetes is a significant one for the people of New South Wales. I congratulate the member for Campbelltown on raising it today. There is a worldwide epidemic of diabetes and a large proportion of that epidemic is in the developing world. Approximately 387 million people are affected with diabetes worldwide and there have been 4.9 million deaths from the disease over the past 12 months. There is a rising incidence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Australia. This has placed great stress on the people who develop the disease, their families and carers but it also places enormous pressure on the health system. Approximately 1.2 million people in Australia have diabetes and last year about 100,000 new cases were diagnosed. In New South Wales there are 400,000 people living with diabetes and it is now the sixth highest cause of death by disease in Australia.

As the member for Campbelltown mentioned, the Indigenous Australian population and Islander population both have high rates of diabetes. Indigenous Australians have the fourth highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the world. We have known for some time that well-managed diabetes leads to reduced complications. In my practice as a paediatrician this means that large numbers of children with diabetes are now using insulin pumps. This is an expensive form of treatment because the costs are not often met by government schemes. It is not just equipment that is needed; a major expense is the qualified and experienced staff required to provide not only the education needed for managing diabetes but also the ongoing support to those living with the complications of diabetes, such as sensation loss and heart disease. Diabetes is a complicated illness. Every person living with diabetes has different needs and requires initial and ongoing education.

I pay special tribute to the people of Campbelltown who care for those with diabetes, such as Terri-Ann O'Sullivan, the paediatric diabetic educator in Campbelltown, one of the hardest working people in the State. The increasing specialisation of care for diabetes means that general practitioners and physicians are finding it more and more difficult to care for diabetics. Therefore, we need more endocrinologists, specialists and multidisciplinary diabetic teams to care for people with diabetes. It is vital that control is good because diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in working age adults in Australia.

What is even more worrying about the 1.2 million people living with diabetes is that about another million people are unaware they have either diabetes or elevated blood sugar levels. This poor initial control of diabetes in its early stages leads to unnecessary complications when diabetes is eventually diagnosed. For example, renal failure in people living with diabetes and the need for dialysis is the major driver for the increasing demand for renal units across New South Wales, the other States of Australia and throughout the world. The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing, with one Australian diagnosed every five minutes. Some cases could be preventable because in populations at high risk of diabetes the onset can be delayed or even prevented by a healthy lifestyle, daily physical activity such as walking or playing sport as well as dietary changes with a better balance of fruit, vegetables and low glycaemic index foods.

In 85 per cent of cases of type 2 diabetes the disease can be prevented or delayed. World Diabetes Day has been celebrated each year on 14 November since 1991 when the World Health Organization established the day in response to increasing rates of the disease around the world. We speak about diabetes and World Diabetes Day almost every year but it remains important not only to raise community awareness of the risk factors for diabetes but also to remember that as politicians it is vital for us to factor in adequate diet and exercise because far too often urban design is dependent upon cars and this makes it difficult for people to have active transport. Indeed, the vitriolic campaign of the Daily Telegraph against bicycle lanes is a classic example.

Most people do not realise they are in the early stage of pre-diabetes because it is asymptomatic. In 2010 nearly 8,000 Australians died from diabetes and diabetes-related causes, which were 5.4 per cent of all the 11 November 2014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2449

deaths in that year. We cannot yet cure diabetes and people still require insulin. Treatments that avoid the use of insulin have been very disappointing. The control of diabetes is still a matter of education, dietary modification and medication with insulin. There are no shortcuts but governments need to work on prevention rather than treatment.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Noreen Hay): I welcome to the Parliament Janice McLay, Head of Government Relations and Business Partnerships, Australian Diabetes Council, and Holly Anstey, Business Unit Coordinator, Government and Business Partnerships, Australian Diabetes Council.

Mrs TANYA DAVIES (Mulgoa) [7.54 p.m.]: I speak on this matter of public importance relating to World Diabetes Day, which will be commemorated on 14 November and I thank the member for Campbelltown for bringing this important matter to the attention of the House. Diabetes is a disease that has affected my family directly and I am very much aware of the complications that emerge if it is not treated properly. There is very good national and international evidence that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented through lifestyle changes and achieving a healthier body weight.

The NSW Office of Preventive Health is implementing a comprehensive range of evidence-based statewide preventive health programs to promote to the community a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes. These programs focus on raising awareness and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. As the member for Macquarie Fields highlighted, governments need to act proactively and I shall highlight what the Government is doing to tackle diabetes proactively. The Get Healthy Service is a free evidence-based telephone service that supports New South Wales adults to achieve a healthy body weight, eat healthily and be physically active. The service has been accessed by more than 25,000 people.

The Get Healthy Aboriginal Strategy specifically focuses on supporting Aboriginal people to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes. In 2013 almost 5 per cent of people who accessed the service were Aboriginal. A type 2 diabetes prevention model was developed to provide specific information, education and support to people at high risk of developing diabetes. Since its launch in July 2013 around 40 per cent of participants now receive specific coaching due to their risk of type 2 diabetes. The Get Healthy at Work Initiative is preventing lifestyle-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, in people in paid employment by addressing modifiable lifestyle risk factors, such as unhealthy eating, inadequate physical activity, being overweight or obese, smoking and the harmful consumption of alcohol. Individual workers are able to complete a health check that focuses on their risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Workers with risk factors for diabetes are being supported to reduce their risk through education and referral to general practitioners and the Get Healthy Service. The NSW Knockout Health Challenge also supports adults from Aboriginal communities to reduce their risk of developing diabetes and other chronic diseases by achieving a healthier body weight through improved nutrition and physical activity. In 2013 more than 900 people from 20 communities across New South Wales collectively lost more than one tonne in body weight. Supporting children to adopt a healthy lifestyle at a young age will reduce their long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

More than 3,500 families have participated in the Targeted Family Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Program. The NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living 2013-2018 Strategy is another important step in reducing the impact of lifestyle-related chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes. I thank the representatives from the Australian Diabetes Council for their attendance tonight, NSW Health, ambassadors of healthy living and healthy choices we see amongst the community and all parents and carers who instil healthy eating habits in their children because it is at that level that we can change this dreadful disease.

Mr BRYAN DOYLE (Campbelltown) [7.57 p.m.], in reply: I thank the member for Macquarie Fields and the member for Mulgoa for their contributions to World Diabetes Day. I, too, draw to the attention of the House the presence of my good friend and member for Oatley, the chair of the New South Wales Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group. He has done a power of work within that group to raise the profile of diabetes within the Parliament and across New South Wales. The member for Macquarie Fields and the member for Mulgoa referred to problems faced by the Indigenous community with diabetes, such as complications with insulin pumps. The member for Macquarie Fields stated that many people are unaware they have diabetes and that was the case with a good mate of mine. The first time he knew he had diabetes was when he was giving a major business presentation and the next thing he remembers is waking up in hospital. He had fallen into a diabetic coma and was rushed to hospital. He had previously had symptoms but had ignored them. 2450 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 November 2014

It is important to raise awareness of diabetes and to educate people because diabetes has many serious knock-on effects that can lead to hospitalisation. People can even lose limbs and die from diabetes yet there is much that can be done to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Over the next couple of days members will receive an information pack from the Australian Diabetes Council in preparation for the celebration of World Diabetes Day 2014 on Friday. Inside the pack members will find a blue pin similar to the one I am wearing to encourage them to support World Diabetes Day and focus upon diabetes and promoting healthy living.

In addition, there will also be a pop-up booth in the Parliament on Thursday 13 November—my birthday too, just quietly. I encourage all staff and parliamentarians to visit the booth and to discuss diabetes with the lovely Holly and Janice from the Australian Diabetes Council, who will be irresistible and full of information. The growing prevalence of diabetes in our country is a challenge for parents, friends, communities, political decision-makers and people in medical services. On Friday 14 November I call on everyone to be part of World Diabetes Day 2014 so that we all may make a difference for the better.

Discussion concluded.

The House adjourned, pursuant to resolution, at 8.00 p.m. until Wednesday 12 November 2014 at 10.00 a.m.

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