New South Wales

Legislative Council

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD)

Fifty-Seventh Parliament First Session

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

Authorised by the Parliament of

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Business of the House ...... 57 Conduct of Business ...... 57 Motions ...... 57 Holocaust Remembrance ...... 57 Documents ...... 57 Tabling of Papers ...... 57 Rulings ...... 58 Members Seeking the Call ...... 58 Notices ...... 58 Presentation ...... 58 Business of the House ...... 58 Postponement of Business ...... 58 Sitting Pattern...... 58 Bills ...... 59 Library Amendment Bill 2019 ...... 59 First Reading ...... 59 Second Reading Speech ...... 59 Governor ...... 60 Assumption of the Administration of the Government...... 60 Address-In-Reply ...... 60 Visitors ...... 64 Visitors ...... 64 Governor ...... 64 Address-In-Reply ...... 64 Questions Without Notice ...... 66 Country Universities Centre ...... 66 National Sorry Day ...... 67 Country Universities Centre ...... 67 Schools Working with Children Check ...... 68 Cootamundra High School ...... 68 Country Universities Centre ...... 69 Education System...... 69 Bullying...... 70 Firefighter Workers Compensation...... 71 Country Universities Centre ...... 71 Regional Employment ...... 72 Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre ...... 73 Country Universities Centre ...... 73 Metro Northwest ...... 73 Water Restrictions ...... 74 TABLE OF CONTENTS—continuing

Country Universities Centre ...... 74 Walk Safely to School Day ...... 74 Water Efficiency ...... 75 Country Universities Centre ...... 75 Investing in Women Funding Program ...... 75 Poultry Welfare Standards ...... 76 Naplan Tests...... 76 Schools Working with Children Check ...... 77 Deferred Answers ...... 77 Kanahooka High School ...... 77 Ministerial Probity Disclosures...... 77 The Hon. ...... 77 Eraring Power Station ...... 78 Land Clearing...... 78 The Hon. Bronnie Taylor ...... 78 Questions Without Notice: Take Note ...... 78 Take Note of Answers to Questions ...... 78 Country Universities Centre ...... 78 Orking with Children Check ...... 79 Country Universities Centre ...... 79 Country Universities Centre ...... 81 Country Universities Centre ...... 81 Country Universities Centre ...... 81 Naplan Tests...... 81 Take Note of Answers to Questions ...... 82 Members ...... 82 Inaugural Speech ...... 82 Business of the House ...... 86 Notices of Motions ...... 86 Governor ...... 86 Address-In-Reply ...... 86 Members ...... 105 Inaugural Speech ...... 105 Rulings ...... 110 The Hon. Notice of Motion ...... 110 Members ...... 110 Inaugural Speech ...... 110 Committees ...... 112 Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night Time Economy ...... 112 Establishment and Membership ...... 112 Governor ...... 113 Address-In-Reply ...... 113 TABLE OF CONTENTS—continuing

Committees ...... 114 Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night Time Economy ...... 114 Establishment and Membership ...... 114 Message...... 114 Adjournment Debate ...... 115 Adjournment ...... 115 Regional Maternity Services ...... 115 Food Waste ...... 116 Aboriginal Culture and Heritage ...... 116 State Election ...... 117 Holocaust Remembrance ...... 118

Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 57

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

The PRESIDENT (The Hon. John George Ajaka) took the chair at 11:00. The PRESIDENT read the prayers.

Business of the House CONDUCT OF BUSINESS The Hon. : I move: 1. That on Wednesday 29 May 2019, proceedings be interrupted: (a) at approximately 3.00 p.m., but not so as to interrupt a member speaking, to enable Mr Banasiak to make his first speech without any question before the Chair; and (b) at approximately 5.30 p.m., but not so as to interrupt a member speaking, to enable Mr D'Adam and then Ms Hurst to make their first speeches without any question before the Chair. 2. That on Tuesday 4 June 2019 proceedings be interrupted at approximately 5.30 p.m., but not so as to interrupt a member speaking, to enable Mr Roberts and then Mr Buttigieg to make their first speeches without any question before the Chair. 3. That on Wednesday 5 June 2019 proceedings be interrupted at approximately 6.00 p.m., but not so as to interrupt a member speaking, to enable Ms Jackson to make her first speech without any question before the Chair. Motion agreed to. Motions HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE The Hon. NATALIE WARD (11:02): I move: 1. That this House notes that: (a) the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies held its annual Yom Hashoah [Holocaust] Remembrance ceremonies at the University of New South Wales on 28 April 2019 and Masada College on the North Shore on 29 April 2019; (b) the ceremonies commemorated the tragedy of the genocide that resulted in the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust by the Nazi regime; (c) the theme of the ceremony was "Memorials and Memories"; (d) six candles representing six million Jews were lit by Holocaust survivors: in the north by Judy Gyenes, Peter Gyenes, Kathrin Stein, Peter Nash, Yola Schneider, Richard Wolf and in the east by George Grojnowski, Dr Elizabeth Levy, Eugen Klein, Associate Professor Richard Haber, Lena Goldstein, OAM, and Lilly Berger; (e) the "Next Generation Address" was given by Harry Rosen, co-founder of Youth HEAR [Holocaust Education and Remembrance], an interactive education forum that is dedicated to bridging an identified gap between Australian youth and the memory and awareness of the Holocaust; and (f) the importance of Holocaust commemorations around the world in remembering all the lives that were lost in the Holocaust. 2. That this House acknowledges: (a) all the Jewish lives that were lost in the Holocaust; (b) the important contribution the commemorations make in educating all people about the Holocaust; and (c) the important work done by Vic Alhadeff and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. Motion agreed to. Documents TABLING OF PAPERS The Hon. : I table the following paper: 1. Annual Reports (Departments) Act 1985 and the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983—Report of the NSW Department of Education for year ended 31 December 2018. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 58

I move: That the report be printed. Motion agreed to. Rulings MEMBERS SEEKING THE CALL The PRESIDENT (11:03): To contribute to a debate in the House, to ask a question during question time or to raise a point of order, members must seek the call. The appropriate way to seek the call is to stand up and audibly address the President with the words "Mr President". A member need only seek the call by saying "Mr President" once. Repeatedly calling out "Mr President" will not enhance the likelihood that a member will be granted the call. In most instances the President rotates the call between Government, and crossbench members. Generally I will not be pausing proceedings to prompt a member to seek a call. It is the responsibility of the member to seek the call. With all due respect to members, it is not my job. The Clerk will shortly be circulating to all members a note indicating the correct form of address to various occupants of the Chair. [Members interjected.] If the Deputy President and the Hon. wish to have a conversation, they can take it outside the Chamber. Notices PRESENTATION [During the giving of notices of motions] The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order: The notice of motion contained argument, so it is out of order. However, I note that there are other means that the President can take in relation to the motion and I would invite him to do so. The PRESIDENT: I will reserve my ruling in relation to the notice of motion. [Later,] Ms : Why don't you admit you're a climate sceptic? The Hon. : I want sensible policies and you should be supporting nuclear instead of throwing working people on the scrap heap. The PRESIDENT: Order! Firstly, interjections are disorderly at all times. I call Ms Cate Faehrmann to order for the first time. Secondly, responding to interjections is also disorderly. I remind members to direct all comments through the Chair. I call the Hon. Mark Latham to order for the first time. Business of the House POSTPONEMENT OF BUSINESS The Hon. DON HARWIN: I move: That Government business notice of motion No. 1 be postponed until the next sitting day. Motion agreed to. SITTING PATTERN The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (11:11): I wish to advise members of a small change to the scheduling of the lunch break on Wednesdays and Thursdays, in light of changes to the sitting pattern generated by the new sessional orders. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the House will resume sitting at 2.45 p.m. after the lunch break. However, if the take note of answers debate proceeds past 1.15 p.m. the lunch break will extend until 3.00 p.m. Honourable members should be aware that I have discussed this matter with the Leader of the Opposition before making this statement. I have been guided by the approach that was taken earlier in my parliamentary service when question time was at 12 o'clock and by the practice adopted by the former Leader of the Government the Hon. Michael Egan. Even though at that time the House did not have a take note of answers debate, frequently the House sat past 1.00 p.m. and so there was always a flexible time for resumption after lunch. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 59

I propose that the House will resume at 2.45 p.m. but if the House sits later than 1.15 p.m. we will resume at 3.00 p.m. The break is important, particularly for staff. Since I sat in the President's chair I have had the view that it is important for workplace safety that staff on long sitting days have appropriate lunch and dinner breaks. This allows staff not only to have a break but also to conclude work while the House is not sitting. It also facilitates the work of the clerks, such as brief deliberative meetings of committees that are held during the lunch break, as enabling them to take a break. As I said, this arrangement is to facilitate the good operation of the workplace. I hope all members will support the arrangement. It is a convention that the Leader of the Government makes these decisions but I wanted to make all members aware of the reasons. Bills LIBRARY AMENDMENT BILL 2019 First Reading Bill introduced, and read a first time and ordered to be printed on motion by the Hon. Don Harwin. Second Reading Speech The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (11:15): I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The State Library of New South Wales, the Parliamentary Library and the Library of the are amongst the first and finest libraries in this State. These institutions are entrusted with the important role of collecting the documentary heritage of the people and communities of our diverse State and preserving it for future generations through the legal deposit scheme in New South Wales. This role of these libraries is important for ensuring universal and equitable access to information and for protecting freedom of expression. I was delighted that in 2018 this Government was able to make the biggest single cash injection to support libraries across the State, with a record $60 million investment. This Government is a great supporter of the library system. I note that because the legal deposit laws mean— The PRESIDENT: Order! There are far too many conversations taking place in the Chamber, in particular by staff members in the President's gallery. I can assure those staff members that I do not need to hear nor do I want to hear what they are saying. The Hon. DON HARWIN: I have raised the matter of the historic investment by this Government because it is important to acknowledge that the resourcing of the legal deposit scheme for those three libraries ensures that through inter-library loans books are available across the State on a very equitable basis. The stronger position of our libraries means that this legal deposit scheme will continue to be of great benefit to people across the State. The Copyright Act 1879 currently requires that a copy of all books published in New South Wales be deposited by the publishers in the State Library, the Parliamentary Library and the Library of the University of Sydney—known collectively as the "legal deposit libraries". This requirement ensures that published material in New South Wales is catalogued, accessible and archived in perpetuity to appropriately record published works in New South Wales. However, the Copyright Act 1879 only requires the deposit of printed books, which is defined in the Act to include any newspaper, pamphlet, sheet music, map, chart or plan. This means that publishers of electronic publications in New South Wales are under no legal obligation to deposit their material in the legal deposit libraries. Similarly, legal deposit libraries have no express authority to collect or require provision of electronic publications from New South Wales publishers, even though it may be of significance to the history of the State. Consequently, the collection of legal deposit libraries is fragmented and incomplete, as electronic publications have become more frequent in the twenty-first century. The Library Amendment Bill 2019 will amend the Library Act 1939 to provide the legal deposit libraries with greater functions to be able to identify and collect any material that the head librarian of each library considers relevant. Importantly, this will now include electronic publications. The bill will also maintain the requirements in the Copyright Act 1879 that all books published in New South Wales must continue to be deposited with the legal deposit libraries. These requirements will be maintained through savings and transitional arrangements, and means that all provisions relating to the legal deposit libraries and obligations on New South Wales publishers will be contained in the one piece of legislation, being the Library Act 1939. As a result, the bill will also repeal the Copyright Act 1879 as it will no longer have any application. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 60

I now turn to the substantive elements of the bill. Schedule 1 to the bill inserts new part 3A in the Library Act 1939, which sets out the new functions of the legal deposit libraries. New section 14A defines a "legal deposit library" to mean the State Library, the Parliamentary Library and the Library of the University of Sydney. New section 14A also defines "library material" to include an electronic publication. New section 14B makes it clear that the legal deposit libraries can identify, collect and maintain relevant library material. "Relevant library material" is defined in new section 14A to mean any library material relevant to the collection of the library. The bill then sets out the two new ways in which the legal deposit libraries can identify and collect library material. The first method is contained in new section 14C, which authorises the head librarian of a legal deposit library to direct a person who publishes library material in New South Wales to deliver a copy of the material to the library, or to make the material available for copying, through a legal deposit order made in writing. A legal deposit order may apply to specific library material, or more broadly to a class of library material. It can be of unlimited duration and may capture library material published in the past, or library material not yet in existence at the time the order is made. The broad nature of a legal deposit order will mean that it only needs to be served once on a publisher in New South Wales to ensure all material published, or published in the future, is deposited and archived for the benefit of generations to come. If a publisher in New South Wales fails to comply with a legal deposit order they may face a maximum penalty of 10 penalty units for each item of library material that they fail to deposit. New section 14D sets out the second method for the collection of library material. This provision provides that the head librarian of a legal deposit library may collect free of charge relevant library material for inclusion in the legal deposit, if the material has been made freely available to members of the public by the publisher of the material. Having this function set out clearly in legislation is important, especially considering the vast amount of material being published online or through other digital formats. To improve efficiency in collecting library material, new section 14E allows the head librarian of a legal deposit library to delegate the exercise of the collection functions to any member of staff of the library. New section 14F sets out how documents, including legal deposit orders, are required to be served on New South Wales publishers—whether they be individuals or corporations. The bill also repeals the Copyright Act 1879 and sets out savings and transitional provisions in schedule 2 that are consequential on that repeal. The provisions of the Copyright Act 1879 requiring the legal deposit of print "book"' are kept in force, unless a legal deposit order is made later in respect of those materials. This bill will bring the legislation regarding the legal deposit of publications into the twenty-first century. It will also bring New South Wales into alignment with the national legislation that provides for the deposit of electronic publications, and into alignment with legislation in other States and Territories. I am confident that the new functions given to legal deposit libraries by the bill will ensure that the documentary heritage and history of New South Wales will be collected and maintained for future generations. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Governor ASSUMPTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT The Hon. DON HARWIN: I move: That the following Address be adopted and presented by the whole House to the Governor in reply to Her Excellency's message communicating the fact of her assumption of the administration of the Government of the State: To Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, AO, QC, Governor of the State of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of . May it Please Your Excellency— We, the members of the Legislative Council, in Parliament assembled, desire to express our thanks for Your Excellency's message informing us of your assumption of the administration of the Government of the State by virtue of a commission from Her Most Gracious Majesty appointing you Governor. We offer Your Excellency our sincere congratulations on your appointment by Her Majesty, confident that your administration will reflect the distinction and devotion to duty already displayed in your services to the State in other fields. Motion agreed to. ADDRESS-IN-REPLY The PRESIDENT: I report receipt of a copy of the speech made on Tuesday 7 May 2019 by Her Excellency the Governor and which is recorded in the Minutes of Proceedings. The Hon. (11:26): I move: Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 61

That the following Address be adopted and presented by the whole House to the Governor, in reply to the Speech which Her Excellency has been pleased to make to both houses of Parliament. To Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, AO, QC, Governor of the State of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. May it Please Your Excellency— We, the members of the Legislative Council of the State of New South Wales, in Parliament assembled, desire to express our thanks for Your Excellency's speech, and to express our loyalty to Australia and the people of New South Wales. We assure Your Excellency that our earnest consideration will be given to the measures to be submitted to us, and that we will faithfully carry out the important duties entrusted to us by the people of New South Wales. We join Your Excellency in the hope that our labours may be so directed as to advance the best interests of all sections of the community. I join with other members to congratulate Mr President some weeks after his well-deserved re-election to the position of President. I am honoured to be the first to speak in reply to the address of the Governor, the Hon. Margaret Beazley, AO, QC, to the joint sitting of Parliament on 7 May 2019. I speak on one of the first policy discussions and reflections in this newly elected Chamber, given most other debates to date have been more of a mechanical, machinery nature in the House, and important they are for setting the parameters, expectations and accountabilities for members in the Chamber and the Government in the coming term. The New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government has been re-elected for an historic third term. Not since 1971 has a government been elected to serve a third term in its own right. On that occasion the Askin Government was elected by a one-seat majority. The 2019 Berejiklian Government has a two-seat majority in the other place. As one can see, we have made steady progress over the intervening 48 years. In 1971 many— but not all—members of this House were not yet born. I was in first class, being taught by a wonderful teacher called Mrs McCowpyne at South Penrith Public School, beginning my proud public school education. I thought this place was very much different back in 1971. If members will allow me to indulge my love of political history, this contribution may be of interest to the newer members and perhaps some of the older members of the House. In 1971, whilst the re-elected Askin Government in the other place luxuriated in a one-seat majority, in this place there were 60 members, each serving a 12-year term, with a quarter of the House being elected every three years. From 1934 to the democratic reforms of 1978, the election of the 15 members of this place every three years was not conducted by the people of New South Wales but by the members of the Legislative Assembly voting in their Chamber and the members of the Legislative Council voting in this Chamber. It was quite a closed workshop. At the 1971 election the Legislative Council comprised 16 Liberal members and 11 Country Party members—that is, 27 Coalition members, 27 Labor Party members and four Independent members, so one can see the parallel. I make the observation also that only six of the members were women—three Government members and three Labor members. This means that only 10 per cent of Legislative Council members were women. There were not enough women members then and there are still not enough now. There are some interesting parallels between this Fifty-Seventh Parliament and the Askin Government. However, the parallels with the Askin Government will end there as I now take a moment to acknowledge our State's first female elected Premier, the Hon. , MP, and congratulate her on her hard-earned win. The Premier stands out as a global beacon for modern Australia in so many ways, including for multicultural Australia and the public school system. As a woman leader she is a role model for many young women and many others in our community. The Premier worked tirelessly on the campaign. Her work ethic, her dedication and her commitment stand unchallenged. We are proud to have her as our leader and the Premier of our great State. Let me say that this will not be a speech of hubris or boastfulness about our re-election; far from it. Nor will it celebrate the historic Coalition victory at the recent Federal election returning the Government with an increased majority. No doubt others will take time to reflect on those matters. I acknowledge the great honour and responsibility that the people of New South Wales have bestowed upon those of us on this side of the Chamber and I acknowledge the democratic outcome of this place as evidenced by the diversity of members elected. Government members are aware that continuing our program to build on our vision to make a real and lasting difference for the people of New South Wales will require cooperation, consultation and goodwill from all members in this Chamber. I take this moment to pause and congratulate those members newly elected to this place and those re-elected, and to welcome back the familiar faces. I note the departure of some former members who either departed by choice or are absent because of political fortune. I wish them well in their future endeavours. I now turn to the Governor's Speech, which I thought in an appropriately restrained tone outlined the Government's achievements to date, its election commitments and its vision following the successful election. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 62

I first congratulate Her Excellency on her appointment. Her Excellency comes to the post of Governor of New South Wales with a huge amount of goodwill and support from her career in the law. I am aware, as other members would be, of Her Excellency's previous roles in the community, many of which are unsung but acknowledged by those she has assisted. We know how highly regarded she is by the legal profession. The warmth and enthusiasm demonstrated at the parliamentary opening reaffirms that New South Wales has again made a distinguished choice for Governor. I acknowledge and thank the former Governor, the Hon. David Hurley, for his service and commitment to the people of New South Wales. I wish him all the best as he takes on the vital role of Governor-General in Canberra. Our State is proud to see him become Governor-General and we know that he will serve our nation with the same distinction as he did as our Governor. I turn now to the Governor's Speech in which Her Excellency outlined the Government's vision for the future of this State—a vision that was endorsed by the people at the election. I will quote from the opening passage of Her Excellency's Speech to remind members of the new Government's agenda. She said: This program builds on the vision, hard work and determination demonstrated during the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth terms of Parliament. I am advised that before the 2019 State general election, the Government set out a plan for New South Wales to: • Lock in the State's strong economy, keep the budget in surplus and help business to create jobs. • Take the pressure off families by helping ease the cost of living and delivering better services. • Fix our roads and transport network to ease congestion and make it quicker for people to travel around. • Invest more than ever in health so that every person has high-quality care when they need it most. • And invest more than ever in schools to give all children in New South Wales the best start in life. This is the agenda the Government put to the people of this State and the basis upon which it was elected. I think all members would agree that—subject to the fine print—we all support those noble objectives. It will be how we get there that will test the purpose and perhaps the relevance of this House in the coming four years. The re-election of the Liberal-Nationals Government for an historic third term is built upon eight years of hard work and reform. The electorate acknowledged that and also understood that eight years is not long enough to complete the huge task we had set ourselves. In this regard our election slogan "Let's get it done NSW" resonated with that sentiment. It was criticised as not being an "Obama-esque" vision statement. But behind that slogan is a vision for New South Wales and we are already delivering on that promise. How good is the Sydney Metro Northwest? On Sunday 26 May 2019 Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Roads officially opened the Sydney Metro Northwest, the first stage of the Sydney Metro system, Australia's biggest public transport project. Some 120,000 people rode for free on the opening day, nearly double what was expected. The hard work and discipline of this Government has paid off, with the driverless automated rail line opening on time and more than $1 billion under budget. That infrastructure project will transform lives and give countless opportunities to people into the future. On Monday of this week, on its first day of operating as a public transport system, around 21,000 people travelled on the Sydney Metro Northwest in the morning, which was higher than Government expectations of around 17,000 passengers. With an initial frequency of train services every five minutes during peak periods, the metro line can carry about 17,000 passengers an hour. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that when asked about the Sydney Metro Northwest one commuter said that it used to take him an hour and 20 minutes to get to work at Rhodes, but the new line meant it would be less than an hour. That will make a huge difference to his daily commute and save over 20 minutes, which is time he can spend with his family. The huge success of the new metro scored positive media even from the critical Sydney Morning Herald. The people have voted with their feet and woe betide anyone who ignores them. That is only the first ribbon cutting event of many over the coming years as other critical transport infrastructure projects come online, including the problem-dogged CBD and South East Light Rail. I note that daytime testing of trams is now well underway. Anyone who travels on the M4 East is eagerly awaiting the opening of stage two of WestConnex any week now. Let us reflect upon how we have got to this position as the envy of all States and the Commonwealth. In eight years we have taken New South Wales from the last performing State in the nation to the first. We made New South Wales number one again. Our first term in government under Premier Barry O'Farrell was about fixing the State's finances. We have fixed the budget and we have paid off all the debt. We supported businesses to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs—an estimated 400,000—and we are delivering the lowest unemployment in New South Wales ever. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 63

Our second term in government under Premier Mike Baird was built on the back of asset recycling, including the leasing of poles and wires and undertaking the largest investment in infrastructure in Australia's history for major projects across the State, including $90 billion currently on the books. At the same time we have increased the State's assets to a record level of a quarter of a trillion dollars. Our third term in government under Premier Berejiklian is about delivering on what matters most to the community and the people of New South Wales. This Government rolled out the most ambitious infrastructure program in the nation; we are now focused on getting the job done and delivering real benefits to families and individuals. The Coalition Government will help deliver better social outcomes for the most vulnerable and equality of opportunity for people across the State no matter their background or where they live. With strong fundamentals now in place after two terms in government, we can focus on the most difficult problems that our community faces, including those which have driven intergenerational disadvantage. The Premier has hit the ground running with the restructure of the Cabinet and ministries to align with the Government's agenda to improve the lives of everyday people. As a western Sydney boy, it would be remiss of me not to mention the great transformation happening in our west—one of the Government's many and ongoing achievements that I am most proud of. The transformation happening before our eyes is the result of the investment by the Coalition over several governments. Western Sydney is currently experiencing a boom like it has never seen before. At the heart of it is the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport and the ripple effect of industry and services that it has created. The potential for western Sydney and its people over the next 10 to 20 years is truly boundless. At the centre of that potential is a new city, supported by the construction of the new western Sydney airport that will connect the region and the people of western Sydney to the world. The airport city will include an advanced manufacturing and industrial hub that will create 200,000 jobs in the fastest-growing industries of the future. The airport city will be serviced by two nearby vibrant cities that are vying for their stake in the future, Liverpool and Penrith. Both cities are receiving airport-related investment such as major road upgrades, new rail proposals and health facilities and services. The Liverpool Hospital is central to a new health precinct, with research centres such as the Ingham Institute engaging in teaching and university partnerships. The hospital is currently subject to a $1 billion expansion. It is perfectly positioned to service the new airport and aerotropolis in the future. Similarly, Penrith's Nepean Hospital—where I was born—is undergoing a $1 billion redevelopment and expansion. Western Sydney is a focus of development and growth for both and New South Wales governments. Already the area has attracted public investment of more than $20 billion across transport, health and education infrastructure. A number of the new Government reforms that excite me include a senior Minister for Customer Service. The indefatigable Minister handcrafted his response to this challenging role. He has led a revolution in customer service through Service NSW with a 97 per cent customer approval rating. I note that this has been copied by the new Federal Government in its creation of Service Australia, which reflects great credit on Minister Dominello. As part of Minister Dominello's new overarching responsibility for customer service, he will no doubt revolutionise the State Government and its multitude of interactions with the community. Parks and public spaces is another reform that is a passion of mine. Public space is crucial to the social, economic, political and environmental life of our country towns, regions, suburbs and cities. It goes hand in hand with good urban planning. It is visionary to have a Minister for Planning and Public Spaces as part of the planning cluster. The best Minister for that challenge is of course the Hon. , whose background, profession and passion in good planning are unrivalled. He is a Minister who is dedicated to the renewal of green space and creative thinking about public spaces while planning for the future population, which the Greater Sydney Region Plan expects to reach eight million by 2056. The Government wants every Sydneysider to have green space within walking distance of their home. That involves retrofitting areas to make them more usable and attractive. The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces plans to create $500 million of value from his $150 million budget to increase open space in Sydney. The Minister plans to buy up forgotten land across Sydney to create new parks and playgrounds, as well as build crucial linkages between green spaces and cycleways to meet the needs of the increasing population of Sydney. He plans to reclaim land between development sites and from riparian corridors that have been set aside for drainage. He plans to find an interim use for public land that was reserved for utilities such as water pipelines or future motorways. Most of that land is already publicly owned. The priority for acquisition will be sites that connect areas of green space. In my view, access to quality open space and public spaces is a basic human right. It leads to children being healthier and more active and people across all communities being physically and mentally healthier. Greater community interaction in public spaces creates greater community harmony and reduces the isolation to which the Hon. referred in his inaugural speech. Public space is critical to reducing isolation. Implementation of a plan for increased public space will support cleaner waterways, increased Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 64

biodiversity, reduced heat sinks and a healthier environment. The Minister also wants to use public space to promote active exercise that includes cycling, walking and running. He wants to work with councils and his colleagues, such as the Minister for Transport and Roads, to use public space to promote active transport. The Minister points out that roads themselves are public spaces and do not exist solely for one purpose. He said: We need to use open space to promote alternatives like safe cycling and running and walking because there's a real public health benefit to this. I think we all agree with that. The Hon. : You're lucky Duncan's not here. The Hon. SHAYNE MALLARD: We have all moved on. I have advocated all my public life for active transport, including safer cycling infrastructure. I look forward to real progress in this area. The recent State election campaign was a tough one, but one that I enjoyed. I focused on western Sydney seats centred on Penrith. I congratulate the Hon. on retaining his seat against a huge and confident—perhaps overconfident— campaign by the Labor Party, including a well-resourced union campaign. The people of Penrith backed the Hon. Stuart Ayres and they backed the Government. I congratulate all the candidates and teams I worked with, who put in great efforts to support our re-election. In particular, I pay tribute to four candidates with whom I worked very closely: Owen Laffin in Blue Mountains, Belinda Hill in Londonderry, Paul Zadro in Liverpool and Alexander Andruska in Heffron. Each of those candidates put in an energetic election effort and took up the fight on behalf of the Liberal Party and the Government. Two of the electorates recorded healthy swings to the Government. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with each of them and their campaign teams. Like most in this Chamber, on Sunday morning after the election I was numb with exhaustion. Zombie-like, I switched on the ABC Insiders program to hear Barrie Cassidy say, "Well, there's been an election in New South Wales. We've woken up and nothing much has changed. But, in fact, an awful lot has happened." I thought that Barrie Cassidy summed it up quite well. I commend the motion to the House. [Business interrupted.] Visitors VISITORS The PRESIDENT: On behalf of all members I welcome into the public gallery student leaders from New South Wales high schools, who are attending the Secondary Schools Leadership Program conducted by the Parliamentary Education Unit. Governor ADDRESS-IN-REPLY [Business resumed.] The Hon. TREVOR KHAN (11:44): I second the motion for adoption of the address-in-reply to the Governor's opening speech. I endorse the remarks of the Hon. Shayne Mallard. I congratulate all returning members on their re-election to this House and I particularly congratulate new members who have joined us in the past couple of weeks. I am sure I speak on behalf of many when I say that it is truly an honour to serve in this House. I hope new members find as much pleasure, joy and stimulation as I have experienced over what is now turning into many years as a member of this place. I look forward to continuing to work in my role as Deputy President and to working with temporary chairs of committees. I extend a warm welcome not only to new members but also to returning members, many from both sides of the House with whom I have worked closely. This House has the capacity—at least at times—to put aside partisan bickering and work collaboratively for the benefit of the people of New South Wales. Plainly what we saw at the recent State election, as we have at others, are the joys of victory and the ashes of defeat. However, the important lesson for all of us is the strength of our democracy. We achieve either change or continuity through the ballot box but certainly not through the fist or the pistol. We are fortunate to serve in this theatre of democracy even more so because the New South Wales Parliament is the oldest Parliament in Australia with parliamentary traditions that stretch back centuries and well before the first meeting of this place in 1824. It was a delight to listen to the Governor's Speech—and I am sure all members felt that joy—on the day of the opening of Parliament. Her Excellency outlined the achievements of the Berejiklian-Barilaro Government during the Fifty-Sixth Parliament and set out the vision of this Government for the Fifty-Seventh Parliament. While much has been achieved, there is still much more for all of us to do. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 65

I will briefly emphasise two key areas of delivery for this Government. The first is public transport infrastructure. The Liberal-Nationals Government has a transport plan for the people of New South Wales, which is something that, unfortunately, had been sadly lacking in the past. For too long the people of north-western Sydney, for example, had to rely upon limited public transport services in their patch of Sydney. However, on 26 May the Sydney Metro Northwest opened for service. The service has been eight years in the making and the project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Passengers now are able to travel from Rouse Hill to Chatswood in approximately 37 minutes. That is visionary stuff that John Bradfield, if he were alive today, would embrace with enthusiasm. The metro project is not only city changing but also—more importantly—life changing for the tens of thousands of people from the north-western areas of Sydney who will use the service each day. With news that patronage during Monday's peak hour exceeded expectations, it is clear that the residents of north-western Sydney are sold on the benefits of the project. The transport Ministers and Premiers who have overseen it deserve great credit. I acknowledge the work of Mr Rod Staples—a fine public servant who has carried out his duties with distinction and who has been instrumental in managing the project. All members who saw his appearances before committee inquiries during the last Parliament will, I am sure, acknowledge that he is a public servant of integrity who is entirely in command of his brief. On behalf of all members of this House, I extend our thanks and congratulations to him. I now speak to Her Excellency's remarks with regard to the provision of health services across the State. When I was first elected to this place in 2017 Tamworth had been promised a new or redeveloped hospital for years. The former Independent member for Tamworth, Peter Draper, sought—I have to say, to his credit— to extract commitments from the former Labor Government to rebuild the hospital. Commitments were repeatedly given and repeatedly accepted with good grace by Mr Draper, but then, sadly, they were not met. As I was the duty member of the Legislative Council for Tamworth at that stage, the issue caused me great frustration and, indeed, there was a degree of acrimony between myself and Mr Draper. I am certain that he attempted as best as he could to deliver for the people of Tamworth, but, sadly, he was unable to due to the reliance upon the provisions of the former Labor Government. It was only with the election of the O'Farrell-Stoner Government in 2011 that money was finally allocated and construction and redevelopment commenced. The $211 million Tamworth Hospital redevelopment included $91 million from the New South Wales Government and $120 million from the Australian Government's Health and Hospitals Fund. With regard to that commitment, I acknowledge the very considerable work of Mr Tony Windsor in his efforts to extract funds from the Commonwealth Government to assist in the development of health infrastructure in regional areas. Construction of the Tamworth redevelopment was completed in March 2017. The project included $41.7 million for stage one of the development of a regional cancer centre, which was constructed near the hospital's emergency department. Having visited a number of patients in that cancer centre, I know what it has done for the people of north-western New South Wales. It has allowed them to receive treatment close to home. They no longer need to be transferred to Sydney or Newcastle for treatment, many hours away from their loved ones. The facility in Tamworth provides not only first-class treatment but also the additional benefit of allowing families to be around their loved ones during periods of treatment. The extent of the Government's commitment to health is demonstrated by the range of projects that it has facilitated throughout the State. The Government committed $700 million to stages one and two of the redevelopment of Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital. Stage one was completed in 2016 and stage two is expected to be completed later this year or early next year. The Government committed $450 million to three stages of redevelopment at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. Notwithstanding the controversy that some have sought to create, the Northern Beaches Hospital was opened on 30 October 2018 as part of a $600 million investment in health services across the northern beaches. The Government has committed $900 million to stages 1A and 1B of the redevelopment of Westmead Hospital and $300 million to redevelopment and other works at St George and Sutherland hospitals with some works already completed. Then there is Campbelltown Hospital. The Government has committed $760 million across two stages, with stage one, which delivered a new acute services building, completed in 2016. It does not stop there. The Government committed $348 to Gosford Hospital and construction on the main tower was completed in the middle of last year. The Government committed $35 million to Griffith Base Hospital, with works currently underway, and $73 million to the redevelopment of Macksville District Hospital. Lismore Hospital received a $320 million commitment across several stages, with works expected to be completed in the middle of 2021. Over the past eight years in government we have seen an enormous positive change for all people across New South Wales and, I emphasise, an enormous benefit for people across regional New South Wales. I look forward to that track record continuing in the Fifty-Seventh Parliament. There is much more that I could say about Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 66

the past and the future but I fear I would not do it justice. I will reflect on another change that we have recently been witness to with regard to the person who delivers the Governor's Speech: the appointment of Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley, AO, QC. Governor Beazley has taken up the role after serving as the President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal. Her Excellency was admitted to the legal profession in 1975 after graduating from Sydney Law School with honours the year prior. She took silk in 1989. After a distinguished career at the bar with an extraordinarily diverse practice, in 1993 she became the first woman to be appointed to the bench of the Federal Court, and in 1996 the third woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court judiciary. Concurrently she became the first female Justice of Appeal in the New South Wales Court of Appeal. On that bench, Her Excellency continued to break records, becoming the first female president in 2013. Additionally, in 2006 Governor Beazley was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the judiciary and the law, particularly through contributions to professional and ethical standards and to the advancement of women in the legal profession and the community. I congratulate Her Excellency on her commitment to public service. I am sure members are in agreement when I say Governor Beazley will make a fine Governor of New South Wales and carry out her duties with distinction. Finally, I pay tribute to General the Hon. David Hurley and Mrs Linda Hurley for their dedication to duty and service to the people of New South Wales over many years. General Hurley is due to be appointed Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia next month. In closing, I reiterate my congratulations to all I have spoken about. I look forward to the Fifty-Seventh Parliament and all that it holds for the people of New South Wales. The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order: I know there is always a large amount of noise just before question time as members enter the Chamber and that makes it extraordinarily difficult for speakers and also for those listening. Mr President, I ask you to call the Chamber to order so that the Deputy President can conclude his excellent remarks on the address in reply. The Hon. Mick Veitch: To the point of order: There was a lot of audible noise in the Chamber while the Deputy President was speaking. However, it was all coming from the Government side. If anyone is to be called to order it should be Government members. The Hon. Niall Blair: To the point of order: I was trying to interject but the noise coming from other parts of the Chamber, including from Opposition members, was just as loud. We should all come to order and allow the Deputy President to finish the last 15 seconds of his contribution. The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Niall Blair to order for the first time. The Deputy President has the call. The Hon. TREVOR KHAN: Thank you, Mr President. I commend the motion to the House. The PRESIDENT: According to sessional order, proceedings are now interrupted for questions. Questions Without Notice COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. (12:00): I direct my question to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, representing the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education. Given that Country UC Limited has failed to produce a financial report or an annual information statement since it was registered as a charity and given that its 2018 financial report is now overdue, what administrative steps has the Government taken to ensure that it is complying with all its obligations and is fit to receive the $8 million in State funding? The Hon. (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:00): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, which has been asked of me in my role representing my colleague in the other place. The Country Universities Centre [CUC] was a topic of conversation yesterday and I can provide some information for the honourable member. I am advised that the CUC applied to the Department of Industry for funding to expand its successful Cooma-based model to other areas of regional New South Wales. I understand that the Department of Industry assessed the proposal and a recommendation was made to the Deputy Premier to provide $8 million for at least five additional centres. That is the money the honourable member referred to in his question. Direct negotiation is one means the Government uses in allocating grants such as this which deliver outcomes for the community. Risk is managed through application of due diligence, careful negotiation of funding deeds and close monitoring of implementation. I am happy to take on notice the specific questions about annual reports and the like. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 67

The Hon. ADAM SEARLE (12:02): I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister elucidate the part of the answer where she referred to the assessment undertaken by the Department of Industry and indicate to the House the positions of those involved in approving and making the recommendations? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:02): As I said, the information provided to me is that the Department of Industry assessed the proposal and the recommendation was made. I do not have the specifics to answer the supplementary question and I will take it on notice. The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: I have a further supplementary question. The PRESIDENT (12:02): As I indicated yesterday, I propose to deal with matters arising for the first time. Under Standing Order 64, as amended by the new sessional orders, at the discretion of the President one supplementary question asking for elucidation of an answer may be put immediately by the member who asked the question. One further supplementary question asking for elucidation of the same answer may then be put immediately by another non-Government member. In my view, the word "another" means that the person asking the first supplementary question is not in a position to ask a second supplementary question. The Hon. (12:03): I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister elucidate her answer in respect of her comment about direct negotiations? Will she provide the steps that the Department of Industry took to comply with the Independent Commission Against Corruption guide on direct negotiations? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:03): I refer to my previous answer. I said that that is the information given to me to update the House. In terms of any specifics such as those the honourable member raised in his supplementary question, I am happy to take the question on notice. NATIONAL SORRY DAY The Hon. (12:04): I address my question to the Aboriginal affairs Minister. Will the Minister update the House on the commemoration of National Sorry Day? The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (12:04): I will. I thank the Hon. Taylor Martin for his question. Sorry Day is a national day of healing for all Australians. On 26 May we commemorate the of New South Wales, who were forcibly removed from their families and communities as a result of past government policies of assimilation. By effect, these policies shattered the ongoing lineage of the oldest culture on the planet. We recognise the grief, suffering and loss endured by the Stolen Generations. But we must also recognise the resilience of individuals and their families as they heal from the past. On 26 May 1997 the former Australian Human Rights Commission released the Bringing them home report. A key recommendation of the inquiry was holding a national sorry day for the stolen children and their families. The first National Sorry Day was held the following year and it became the first public recognition of the Stolen Generations. This year I was pleased to participate in an acknowledgement ceremony hosted by the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation and NSW TrainLink at Kempsey train station. A very moving memorial has been placed there in recognition of the role the station played in bringing boys to the home. The event was attended by survivors of the Kinchela Boys Home, where the Government had pledged money to preserve the site and to create a truth-telling place for the local community. I am proud to be part of a government that is leading the way by providing $73 million in funding in response to the Parliamentary Inquiry Report into Stolen Generations reparations—Unfinished Business. This includes the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme, which commenced in 2017 and which provides monetary reparations to Aboriginal people removed from their families under official policies of assimilation. New South Wales remains ahead in its response and assistance provided to survivors of the Stolen Generations. The Stolen Generations Advisory Committee has been established, comprising survivor representatives nominated by the four New South Wales Stolen Generations organisations and government officials. Last week I met with the committee to hear from survivors about their aspirations for the future and what they need now. Our discussions reinforced the importance of understanding the history of Stolen Generations in New South Wales and that is why we have extended the term of the committee for another two years. [Time expired.] COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. (12:07): I direct my question to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, representing the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education. Given community concerns and that Country UC Limited is in competition with TAFE and that its managing director and chief executive officer Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 68

is also a member of the TAFE Commission Board, what administrative steps has the Government taken to ensure that there is no conflict of interest? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:08): I thank the honourable member for his question, again asked of me representing a colleague in the other place. I am happy to take the question on notice and come back with an answer. SCHOOLS WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK Mr (12:08): I direct my question to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. Given the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, why will the Government not require school principals to sight current working with children checks for priests, ministers and other religious figures before they are allowed to enter schools and to take control of children during scripture lessons? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:08): I thank the member for his serious question about working with children checks and the current requirements. As a relatively new Minister to the portfolio, I have undertaken a preliminary examination of the requirements. I have particularly examined the requirements that can be applied in government schools. The situation is obviously different in the Catholic system where we do not have that same oversight. Regarding the specifics of the question that the member has asked and what is in place, I will seek further advice so that I can be sure about the accuracy of the information I provide as to the current requirements. Mr DAVID SHOEBRIDGE (12:09): I ask a supplementary question. I thank the Minister for her answer. In the initial consultations that the Minister referred to, has she been made aware that the annual assurance reports that are to be provided by those religious institutions are often late or non-existent and that those annual assurance reports are meant to be the checks for working with children? The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order: Just referring to one word in the Minister's answer is not enough to constitute elucidation of an aspect of an answer. In fact, the member has asked a new question. Mr David Shoebridge: To the point of order: Whether it is one word, 10 words or 50 words, what matters is whether the question is responsive to the Minister's answer. The Minister's answer mentioned the initial consultation, for which I was grateful, and I was seeking elucidation of what that involved. The Hon. Niall Blair: To the point of order: The member has asked a totally new question that should be directed to a totally different Minister. In her answer, the Minister mentioned that she was not responsible for that process within religious schools. The member has asked about assurance reports that are directed to the Minister responsible for the Working With Children Check. The question should therefore be asked of the Minister responsible, not the education Minister. The PRESIDENT: I remind all honourable members, as I have indicated on a number of occasions, for a supplementary question to be in order it needs to satisfy three aspects. It must be actually and accurately related to the original question; it must relate to or arise from the answer; and it must seek to elucidate a part of the answer given. I agree with Mr David Shoebridge: Whether it is one word or many words is not the test to be applied. However, I am having difficulty in seeing how the supplementary question in any way satisfies the second part, that is, relating to or arising from the answer given. The supplementary question is out of order. COOTAMUNDRA HIGH SCHOOL The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX (12:12): My question is addressed to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. Will the Minister update the House on the opening of the Cootamundra High School science laboratories? Go, Cootamundra! The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:12): As the member said: Go, Cootamundra! I could not agree more. I was delighted to join the re-elected member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke—a fantastic local member; one of our best, without doubt—and Principal Leesa Daly to officially open the refurbished science laboratories at Cootamundra High School. I am pleased to update the House that the New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government invested approximately $730,000 in refurbishing the labs. That includes new cabinetry in each classroom; new gas, drainage and electricity connections; air-conditioning; televisions; cabinetry in the preparation rooms; new floor and window coverings, and new ceilings. The state-of-the-art refurbishment provides staff and students at Cootamundra High School with three modern, purpose-designed science laboratories and two preparation rooms, accommodating 90 students. The labs have been built in such a way that they can be converted to general classrooms if required. The principal and staff Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 69

at Cootamundra High School told me how amazing the new labs are, how dramatically they have improved the learning environment and how much they mean to staff and students at the school—particularly the head of science, former student Alasdair Sides. When he attended Cootamundra High School as a student, it was quite a different experience. The updated technology provides teachers with the opportunity for quality, flexible and versatile lesson delivery to meet the learning needs of students. It was certainly different to many science labs I saw back in the day when I was at high school. Bunsen burners are still the same; we got one out and had a demo. You cannot have a science lab without a Bunsen burner. The new technological space will make a difference for the children and engage them in science subjects. During the visit we talked about wanting to make sure that more students at that school are interested in science classes. The teachers certainly seemed to think that the new labs would be a great catalyst for that to happen. Since 2011 this Government has spent more than $1.4 million at Cootamundra High School on maintenance. The capital expenditure and allocation for the school in that time is also over $1 million. I am pleased to say that Cootamundra High School and Cootamundra Public School, which I also visited during my trip, qualify for funding under the Government's Cooler Classrooms program as well. Under the program, those schools will receive air-conditioning in classrooms and libraries to improve the indoor environment and comfort of our students. I thank the staff at Cootamundra Public School who hosted me for the visit, Principal Lucy Greene and the school captains. It was wonderful to look around and see the learning environment of their students. This Government is proud to deliver infrastructure to cater for the needs of our schoolchildren. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. (12:15): My question is directed to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, representing the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education. Do the advertised short courses provided by Country Universities Centre lead to any recognised qualification? The Hon. : Shameful. The Hon. Penny Sharpe: Asking about quality training is shameful, is it? The Hon. Mick Veitch: You have a fair bit to learn, Wes. You are right out of your depth here. You are better off to sit there and stay mute. The Hon. Scott Farlow: Point of order— The PRESIDENT (12:16): I do not need the member to take a point of order. I remind honourable members that if they have an issue with the question being asked or the answer being given, I do not require them to make comments from across the Chamber. As I indicated earlier this morning, if members wish to take a point of order they will stand, seek the call by saying, "Mr President!", wait until I give them the call and then make a comment. If they do not follow that procedure what will occur is a comment will be made and a counter comment, a further comment will be made and a further counter comment and it will continue until I have to call numerous members to order, which I am reluctant to do. I will not be reluctant to do so if it occurs again. The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:17): The member has asked a question—it feels so long ago I cannot remember it—in relation to the accreditation of certain courses at the Country Universities Centre [CUC]. During question time today a lot of questions about the CUC are coming from Labor. That is disappointing given that the CUC does such a great job delivering outcomes for kids in regional areas. The Hon. Penny Sharpe: Point of order: I take two points of order. The first is that the Minister is not entitled to debate the question. The second is that she is not being directly relevant to the question asked. The PRESIDENT (12:18): Firstly, the Minister should not be debating the question. If the Minister has a problem with the question she should take a point of order before commencing her answer. The Minister commenced her answer and that ends that; she simply proceeds. Secondly, the Minister has to be directly relevant. The Minister was not being directly relevant. She was either commenting on or criticising the question itself. The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL: Given that the member has asked a question about the accreditation of certain courses at the CUC, which obviously falls under the remit of a colleague in the other place, I will happily take the question on notice and come back to her with an answer in due course. EDUCATION SYSTEM The Hon. (12:18): My question is directed to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. In December 2018 the New South Wales Department of Education Secretary, Mark Scott, when addressing workload issues pledged the employment of 50 new literacy and numeracy support staff and Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 70

30 new curriculum support officers. Considering that these positions were previously scrapped under former Ministers Adrian Piccoli and Rob Stokes, will the Minister provide specific details on the rollout of those re-established positions, including time frames and locations? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:19): I thank the member for his question in relation to staffing positions. In his question, he refers to a statement that he says was made by the secretary. I have no reason to dispute that claim; I am sure his question is valid. Given that the member's question relates to a statement that was made at a time prior to my becoming Minister, I will seek clarification from the secretary and come back to the member with an update. BULLYING The Hon. WES FANG (12:20): My question is addressed to the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women. Will the Minister outline to the House the Government's response to bullying and the effect of bullying on mental health? The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) (12:20): I thank the member for his question. I know how strongly he feels about this issue, as he mentioned in his inaugural speech. The New South Wales Government does not tolerate bullying. As the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women, I care deeply about the mental health and wellbeing of the people of New South Wales. People are at the heart of mental health. One in five people experience a mental disorder each year. Another one in four are considered at risk of developing a mental illness. The people experiencing mental illness are our family members, our friends, our colleagues. They are us. I challenge anyone to find a person who has not been touched by mental illness in some way, either from personal experience or in support of loved ones and friends. Mental health is everyone's business. As the Minister for Mental Health, I am proud to lead the Government's vision for every person in New South Wales to have the best opportunity for good mental health and wellbeing. Every person deserves to be treated with respect. Bullying can increase the risk of developing mental health problems. No-one should have to put up with being bullied. There are many forms of bullying including verbal, such as putting someone down or threatening them or their family; social bullying, such as spreading rumours; and physical bullying, such as hurting someone or breaking their things. Bullies can often be driven by jealousy and low self-esteem. Unfortunately bullying is common. Almost a quarter of young people aged 14 to 25 report being bullied over 12 months. Bullying is not okay. It should not be considered a normal part of growing up. It should not be tolerated. Bullying, intimidation or harassment needs to be dealt with no matter where it occurs, whether it is in schools, workplaces, online, over the phone or in person. The Hon. John Graham: Point of order— The Hon. : Or in question time. The Hon. Walt Secord: But corruption's okay. The Hon. Scott Farlow: Point of order— The PRESIDENT: I will hear the Hon. John Graham's point of order, then I will hear the 's point of order. I find it very surprising that when an Opposition member takes a point of order and I direct the Minister to sit down that one of his own colleagues keeps screaming across the table. A call given to a member is given at the discretion of the Chair. Just as a call can be given it can be taken away. I would hate to have to take away a call from a member because one of his colleagues is acting inappropriately. The Hon. John Graham: My point of order is that I ask that the Minister be directed to make her comments through the Chair. The PRESIDENT: I was listening very carefully to the Minister and I am of the view that she was directing her comments through the Chair. As has been indicated by many previous rulings, a member does not have to look at the Chair when she is speaking. She merely has to direct her comments to or through the Chair. The Minister was clearly doing that. I do not uphold the point of order. I now turn to the Parliamentary Secretary's point of order. The Hon. Scott Farlow: While the Minister was making her speech and saying bullying is not okay, members opposite were interjecting. I would ask that those members be called to order. The PRESIDENT: I have already commented on that. I have made it very clear that it was also occurring when I had given the call to an Opposition member. I will not accept that behaviour in future. The Minister has the call. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 71

The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR: In 2017 the New South Wales Government committed $6.1 million to create the nation's most comprehensive anti-bullying strategy, with online resources being made available to all Catholic, independent and public schools. In 2018 this Government passed Dolly's law, which could see perpetrators of online bullying facing up to five years' prison time. No parent should have to go through the devastating experience that Dolly's parents went through, losing their child to suicide as a result of bullying. Every person has the right to a safe environment. No person should ever feel isolated or harassed. My message today is for every person who has experienced mental illness: Stand strong, reach out and speak up because you are not alone. FIREFIGHTER WORKERS COMPENSATION The Hon. (12:25): My question is directed to the Minister for Finance and Small Business. Is the Minister aware that late last year during debate on the Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment (Firefighters) Bill the Government gave a commitment to the House "to conduct an inquiry into the full cost of retrospectivity within the first 100 days following the coming election"? When will the Government act on the commitments it gave to these firefighters, some of whom are now battling life-threatening cancer without financial assistance or support because of the date their work-related cancer was first contracted or diagnosed? The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE (Minister for Finance and Small Business) (12:26): I thank the member for his question. The Fire and Emergency Services Levy is contentious and, in fact, the compensation to firefighters is a serious issue to be determined by the Government. I was not aware of the commitment to an inquiry by the previous Government. I undertake to come back to the member in relation to that inquiry. There is a significant issue in relation to the imposition and cost of this levy— Mr David Shoebridge: Point of order: My point of order is relevance. As I understood, the question was about the workers compensation scheme and the legislation thereof that went through both Houses at the end of last year, not the Fire and Emergency Services Levy. The PRESIDENT: I bring the Minister back to the question and ask him to be directly relevant. Does the Minister need to see the question? The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE: While I acknowledge the point of order taken, I would submit to the member that the payment of the levy is directly related to the payment of compensation because that is the manner in which we raise the funds to pay it. Notwithstanding that, I acknowledge the question was in relation to— Mr David Shoebridge: Point of order: The Minister is now cavilling with the Chair's ruling by going back to the point that was ruled to be in breach of the rule on relevance. The Hon. Don Harwin: To the point of order: While perhaps the honourable member—who is a new member of this House and a new Minister—may not have been aware of our tradition of speaking on points of order, that is in fact what he did in his answer. All he was doing was referring to why his answer was directly relevant. I do not think he should be precluded from concluding his answer. The PRESIDENT (12:28): The Chair accepts a statement made by a member. Put simply, I accept the word of a member unless there is something to the contrary to establish otherwise. It is appropriate for a Minister to indicate to me why he believes he is being directly relevant in his answer. I believe that that is what the Minister was doing. Whether the facts being stated by the Minister are correct or incorrect is not a matter for the Chair to determine. That is a matter that can be raised subsequently by honourable members. The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE: The Government funds those workers' compensation payments through the fire and emergency services levy. There are significant imposts on local councils in relation to the imposition of that levy. It is a very complex issue. This is something which was debated strenuously on both sides of the House. I understand the plight of firefighters and have great sympathy for their position; however, in respect of the substance of the question in relation to the inquiry which was going to be undertaken by the Government, I will get further details for the member. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. GREG DONNELLY (12:30): My question is directed to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning representing the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education. Was the Government aware, when it awarded the $8 million to Country UC Limited, that courses being offered to regional students at a cost of $1,100 were being offered for $479 in Sydney by the same teacher and that the Sydney-based course provides accreditation with the Project Management Institute? Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 72

The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:31): Once again the member opposite has asked a very specific question in relation to a particular course, using examples of a service in Sydney as well. Clearly I do not have that information with me. I will seek an answer on that from the Minister to which the question is referred, and come back to the member with an answer. The Hon. GREG DONNELLY (12:31): I ask a supplementary question. The Hon. Sarah Mitchell: Really, out of that? The PRESIDENT: Order! I do not need the Minister to comment. I will determine if a supplementary is granted. The Hon. GREG DONNELLY: Given the ventilation of this issue in the House in question time yesterday and today, what steps will the Minister take to make sure that the facts as outlined in my question are investigated, and provide a detailed response to this House as expeditiously as possible? The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order— The PRESIDENT: I do not need to hear from the member or from any other Government member. I remind all honourable members that I have indicated that I intend to take a little bit of extra time to address these matters. For a supplementary question to be in order—whether it is the first supplementary question or a second supplementary question—it needs to satisfy three aspects: It must be actually and accurately related to the original question; it must relate to, or arise from, the answer; and it must seek to elucidate a part of the answer given. The supplementary question in this case does not satisfy the second or the third aspect. It is clearly not a supplementary question. I remind honourable members of what I consider is probably the leading past ruling, by then President Burgmann in the year 2000: … supplementary questions are allowed, within reasonable limits, in order to elicit further information on a question which a member feels has not been effectively answered. Supplementary questions must be actually and accurately related to the original question and must relate to or arise from the answer given. They are not an opportunity to ask another question. REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT The Hon. (12:34): My question is addressed to the Minister for Finance and Small Business. Can the Minister update the House on how the New South Wales Government is supporting regional jobs in New South Wales? Is the Minister aware of any alternatives? The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE (Minister for Finance and Small Business) (12:34): The alternatives are very interesting. It might be the Labor alternative—no leadership. I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in New South Wales jobs growth. In my inaugural speech last night I indicated that New South Wales is the job hub of Australia. This is a Government driving jobs growth. It is a Government that knows that the best thing it can do is to create the right conditions for individuals and businesses to grow and for jobs to grow. The situation is not limited to one part of our State. The Government is delivering for city areas as well as for regional areas. According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] data, regional New South Wales is experiencing an employment boom, and nearly 15,000 jobs were added over the past year. The four-year jobs target for the region, of 30,000 jobs, as been exceeded and now rests at 95,600 jobs created since 2015. The unemployment rate for regional New South Wales is currently 5.2 per cent—a decrease of 0.5 per cent through the year. Whilst I acknowledge that there are some parts of regional New South Wales where additional work needs to be done, the Government is concentrating on those areas. I can give one example. In 2014 the unemployment rate in the Riverina was 5.9 per cent, and is now down to 4.2 per cent. [Opposition members interjected.] The Hon. Trevor Khan: Point of order: There have been repeated interjections by the Hon. Daniel Mookhey and by the Hon. Mick Veitch. I ask that they be called to order. The PRESIDENT: I uphold part of the point of order. I could not hear the Hon. Daniel Mookhey because he was drowned out by the excessive interjections by the Hon. Mick Veitch, even though the Hon. Daniel Mookhey was closer. I call the Hon. Mick Veitch to order for the first time. The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE: It is clear that the people of regional New South Wales form the backbone of this State—a huge part of the reason the New South Wales economy is so strong. One of the reasons the economy is so strong is that agriculture is the second greatest export of this country. We ought to be behind all those great people who contribute to the economy in the ways they do. In many respects it is a clear focus of this Government. There are almost 210,000 businesses across regional New South Wales, making it the largest Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 73

and most diverse regional economy in Australia. Regional New South Wales produces one-third of the total New South Wales gross State product, and has an economy larger than 's total economy. [Time expired.] WIRRINGA BAIYA ABORIGINAL WOMEN'S LEGAL CENTRE Ms (12:38): My question is directed to the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women. Given that the New South Wales Women's Alliance's Safe State platform recommended that an additional $4 million per year in funding is required for the Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre to ensure that no woman is turned away from assistance, how can the Government justify cutting funding to that centre by almost $30,000? The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) (12:38): I thank the honourable member for her question to me in my capacity as the Minister with responsibility for women. I am unsure about the particular case that she mentioned. It would concern me if there was a cut. I ask that she allow me to take the question on notice so that I can get more detail and get back to her at the earliest convenience. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. (12:39): My question is directed to the Leader of the Government representing the Premier. Given that the Hon. Bronnie Taylor attended the launch of Country Universities Centre [UC] in Broken Hill in May 2018 with the Deputy Premier and the then Minister for Skills, the chief executive officer and managing director of Country UC, what administrative steps has the Government taken to ensure appropriate use of public resources? The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (12:39): The Hon. Courtney Houssos has asked me a question about my responsibility leading the Government and therefore representing the Premier in this House. She has asked me about an event on a particular occasion at which the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women was present. I will take her word that is in fact the case. I will be delighted to speak with the Premier as to whether any information needs to be provided in response to the question, and indeed, whether any of the assertions that it is based on are true. The PRESIDENT: I ask honourable members to proceed to the table when asking questions. Order! The purpose of asking honourable members to proceed to the table and the lectern is that not only can I hear, not only can every member hear, not only can Hansard hear, but also members of the public watching us live can hear. There is no point in my asking members to come to the lectern to ask a question which results in the members of the Opposition interjecting before the question is asked. I call the Hon. Trevor Khan to order for the first time. SYDNEY METRO NORTHWEST The Hon. SHAYNE MALLARD (12:40): My question is addressed to the Leader of the Government. Will the Minister update the House on the opening of the Sydney Metro Northwest? The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (12:41): I thank the Hon. Shayne Mallard for his question and the opportunity to talk about this fantastic win for Sydney. I acknowledge the effort that the Premier and the Minister for Transport and Roads have put into delivering the project. I am pleased to report to the House that the Sydney Metro Northwest is here and running, and on Monday and Tuesday passed its test with flying colours. On Sunday it was heartening to see the way so many of the people of Sydney responded to this new mode of transport. People actually flocked to use it. We had to double the number of trains scheduled to allow people to enjoy the experience. The Hon. Sarah Mitchell: Point of order: I am sitting right next to the Minister and I am having trouble hearing him because of the interjections across the Chamber. I ask that members be called to order. The PRESIDENT: I call the Hon. Daniel Mookhey to order for the first time. I uphold the point of order. The Hon. DON HARWIN: Unlike previous governments, we are delivering projects. Not only is the Sydney Metro Northwest delivering on our promise but also we are doing so on time and $1 billion under budget. For months prior to its opening commuters on the northern line could see the driverless trains on their test runs. Well, now they can experience it. On Sunday, the first day, the metro hosted just under 140,000 passengers taking advantage of the free day of travel. By the end of Monday there were 66,000 trips and I am advised on Tuesday 72,000 trips. So far 138,000 people across 13 new metro platforms on services running just six to seven minutes Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 74

apart are experiencing this great new turn-up-and-go service that is busting congestion and making it easier to travel in Sydney. This is only the first stage of the expansion of the public transport network across Sydney. By 2024 we can look forward to a metro train running from Rouse Hill to Bankstown in the south-west with 31 stations and 66 kilometres of new metro rail. We are getting it done for New South Wales, with tunnelling already completed 10 months ahead of schedule building the infrastructure for an entirely new underground transport system in Sydney. The next stages will include new metro stations at Crows Nest, North Sydney, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Waterloo. By the end of construction there will be line capacity for a train nearly every two minutes in the central business district each way. The new Sydney Metro offers commuters the best because they deserve the best, and that is certainly what they are getting. WATER RESTRICTIONS Ms CATE FAEHRMANN (12:45): My question is directed to the Hon. Bronnie Taylor, the Minister representing the water Minister. Sydneysiders will be on level 1 water restrictions from this Saturday. Given that many Sydneysiders have already adopted these restrictions as part of the Water Wise Rules, how much does the Government expect to reduce water consumption per person by level one water restrictions? The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) (12:45): I thank Ms Cate Faehrmann for her question. As it is detailed and involves a member in the other House I will take the question on notice and get back to her as soon as possible COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. DANIEL MOOKHEY (12:46): My question is directed to the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women. Will the Minister guarantee that she did not discuss Country Universities Centre or any matter related to the company's interests with the Deputy Premier before the decision was made to award an $8 million grant to the company without going to tender? The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order: It is fairly clear from the question that it is not related to any matter with which the Minister is officially connected regarding the public affairs of New South Wales. According to Presidents' rulings in the past it is possible and permissible for a member to ask a question about the pecuniary interest declaration of a Minister, but there is no connection to the honourable member's portfolio in this question. The PRESIDENT: I will uphold the point of order. The question may be rephrased at a later stage. I am having difficulty seeing how it can be rephrased. As is, the question is out of order. WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY The Hon. NIALL BLAIR (12:47): My question is addressed to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. Will the Minister update the House on how the New South Wales Government is promoting healthy lifestyles in New South Wales school-aged children? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:48): I thank the honourable member for his question—and that great tie that he is wearing as well. The PRESIDENT: I remind the Minister to be directly relevant. I cannot see anything about the member's tie in the question. The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL: I apologise. This is a good opportunity for me to talk to the House about the importance of encouraging our kids to adopt healthy lifestyles. Our Government is a keen supporter of national Walk Safely to School Day, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary on Friday 17 May. I am sure many members across the Chamber were supportive of this great initiative. Members would be aware that this event is a national call to action to encourage primary school children to engage in active travel to school, whether walking or cycling, for some or all of the way. Across the State we are fighting a battle against obesity. Simply put, children are less active and have poorer diets than they did 20 years ago. Unfortunately, as with so many issues, this is a problem that is most apparent in our lowest socio-economic communities. According to the Government's own research, 22 per cent of children aged five to 16 are above a healthy weight. Only 26 per cent of kids get enough exercise, 43 per cent spend more than two hours per day watching television or playing video games and only 5 per cent eat enough vegetables. Combating childhood obesity is a whole-of-government issue. From health to transport to education, initiatives must be rolled out that encourage exercise and healthy eating. I am proud that Education is leading the way on this. Whether we are talking about the Government's Active Kid's rebate, our healthy canteens policy or our support for Walk Safely to School Day, we are working tirelessly toward reducing the childhood obesity rate. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 75

The support for Walk Safely to School Day is not just a once-a-year effort. It is important that we encourage and support students to be active every day and for our community to create and sustain a safe road user culture over the long term. We know that the pace of living, homes with two parents working and the numbers of parents undertaking a long commute have all contributed to more children being taken to school in cars. The Department of Education works with Transport for NSW to provide teachers with best practice professional learning focused on empowering our children and young people to be safe road users. Walking to school provides the perfect opportunity for discussing how to avoid the danger of moving vehicles, how to choose safe crossing places and to never assume that a driver has seen you. In the classroom, teachers are supported with quality teaching and learning activities and resources that address the vulnerabilities of children in traffic and highlight the Personal Development Health and Physical Education syllabus skills required to be a safe pedestrian or cyclist. A lot of hard work and thought throughout the year goes into making Walk Safely to School Day a safe, viable and of course fun day for students in which every participant family in the school community can play its part. I congratulate the Pedestrian Council of Australia on its long-running commitment to this day and for the work that it does. [Time expired.] WATER EFFICIENCY Mr (12:51): My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women, representing the Minister for Water, Property and Housing. In 2017-18, $30 million was invested by Sydney Water in water efficiency. This is the equivalent of about 6 per cent of the dividends that Sydney Water paid to the Government that year. Why is the Government investing so little in water efficiency considering the record low inflows into Sydney's dams, record high leakage rates from the pipes and warning from the Government's own assessments that climate change is making rainfall less reliable? The PRESIDENT: Can I have a copy of the question, please? I remind the Hon. Penny Sharpe that when a question is being asked she does not need to echo the question. The Minister has the call. The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) (12:52): I thank the member for his question directed to the Minister for Water in the other place. As it contains detail, I will take it on notice and will get an answer for him at the earliest convenience. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. DANIEL MOOKHEY (12:52): My question is directed to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. What inquiries has she made to determine whether there were any discussions between the Hon. Bronnie Taylor and the Deputy Premier before the decision was made to award $8 million to the company Country Universities Centre [UC] without going to tender? The Hon. Scott Farlow: Point of order: Mr President— The PRESIDENT: Can I have a look at the question? I am going to ask the member to ask the question again. I am well aware of the difficulty in providing me with a copy of the question and I am well aware that questions are written on the spot, but a little bit of work on handwriting would be of enormous assistance. The Hon. DANIEL MOOKHEY: For what it is worth, my mother would agree with you about my handwriting. My question is directed to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Skills and in her own capacity. What inquiries has she made to determine whether there were any discussions between the Hon. Bronnie Taylor and the Deputy Premier before the decision was made to award the company Country UC $8 million without going to tender? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (12:54): I thank the member for the re-asked question, which provided a little bit more clarity in that it is asked in my capacity representing the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education. I will take that question on notice and come back to him with an answer. INVESTING IN WOMEN FUNDING PROGRAM The Hon. TREVOR KHAN (12:54): My question is addressed to the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women. Could the Minister update the House on the New South Wales Government's Investing in Women grants for 2019? The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) (12:55): I thank the honourable member very much for his question and for his advocacy for women, which is well known. The Investing in Women funding program is a unique statewide program that funds projects which enhance the lives of women and girls living in New South Wales. Since 2013 Women NSW has delivered six rounds of the Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 76

program, providing more than $1.4 million to a diverse range of providers, including not-for-profit groups, businesses and leading universities. Interest in the program, as evidenced by the number of applications, has increased each year. Applications for 2019 closed on Sunday and a record 191 applications have been received. A share of $400,000 will be made available to successful applicants, with projects being funded according to their stage of development. Leadership training for female farmers, science, technology, engineering and mathematics workshops for young girls and career mentoring for rural women were among some of the important projects funded in previous years. I am passionate about this program as it is one of the few grant programs across New South Wales that funds projects that focus solely on women and young girls. It also identifies priority groups for funding, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and women living and working in regional New South Wales. As Minister for Women, my goal is to promote women's economic and social empowerment and improve their health outcomes in line with the NSW Women's Strategy 2018-2022. The successful recipients of the Investing in Women grants will help us achieve this goal by delivering innovative, evidenced-based, grassroots solutions to the issues facing women and girls. Earlier this month I visited a graduation ceremony for students of a program that was funded last year, which was run by CORE Community Services in Fairfield. CORE, which stands for caring, opportunity, respect and empowerment, is a wonderful organisation that has done great work for people of south-west Sydney over many years. The course partnered a newly arrived refugee with a female mentor of a similar age to guide them in social and workplace skills, including how to write a resume. Through this visit I was able to see firsthand the positive impact these grants can have in getting a project like this successfully delivered. By ensuring all women have opportunities, pathways to contribute and positive health outcomes we can increase women's participation in their communities and in the workforce. This is not just a women's issue; it makes a difference to individual families and our community as a whole. As Minister for Women, I am really proud to be delivering this wonderful program for 2019 and I very much look forward to sharing with the House details of the successful applicants' projects for this year's program when they are announced. POULTRY WELFARE STANDARDS The Hon. (12:58): My question is directed to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales. In 2017, as part of the process for developing new poultry standards, did the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries conduct a scientific review of hen welfare literature and why did the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries require not-for-profit organisations, Animals Australia and the RSPCA to pay $3,000 each to cover the costs of considering extra policy options for hen stocking densities? The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) (12:59): I thank the Hon. Emma Hurst for her question and I acknowledge her deep interest and commitment in this area. As the question is detailed and refers to a Minister in the other House, I will take the question on notice and get back to the member as soon as I can. NAPLAN TESTS The Hon. (12:59): I direct my question to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. Given that thousands of New South Wales students were unable to take the National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy [NAPLAN] tests due to online failures, and that the New South Wales Education Standards Authority [NESA] had promised to send paper backup tests, why were those paper tests not provided? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (13:00): I thank the Hon. Tara Moriarty for her inaugural question in this place following her inaugural speech yesterday. I am very happy to talk about what has happened with NAPLAN online this week and, in particular, what happened yesterday. Frankly, as I have said publicly in relation to this, I am really unhappy with what has happened with the glitches. They are not acceptable. Too many students have been affected in New South Wales. It is very stressful for the students, parents and the school communities to go through that. When I was advised of the initial glitches that happened on 14 May, I made it clear from day one that I want a clear outline and a report of what happened, what affected New South Wales schools, when and why. The member referred in her question to the resits that happened yesterday. The decision to allow resits was made by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], which is the national reporting body. The Government supported that decision. The Government thought it was important that children who were affected were able to resit. Yesterday I was given advice that most of the students who sat the test did so online. I know that the New South Wales Education Standards Authority [NESA]—which worked with Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 77

ACARA to administer the test in New South Wales—has worked and continues to work very closely with New South Wales schools to support the resit of NAPLAN online. In relation to the provision of paper tests for students who took part in the resit, the advice I received from NESA is that contingency paper tests were distributed to schools as soon as NESA was notified of the schools' intention to resit NAPLAN online. NESA is not aware of any schools that notified in time their intention to resit and did not receive the paper contingency tests. I know that NESA is continuing to provide follow-up support to those schools. I express my appreciation, particularly to the principals, teachers, parents and students that have been affected by this. Certainly there are issues that happened with NAPLAN online that I am very unhappy about as the Minister. Given this was not an issue unique to New South Wales there will be continuing discussions about what happened. Other States were affected. It will be a hot topic of discussion when education Ministers meet shortly. The Hon. DON HARWIN: The time for questions has expired. If members have further questions I suggest they place them on notice. SCHOOLS WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (13:03): I have a further answer in relation to a question asked earlier in question time by Mr David Shoebridge in relation to Working With Children Checks. I advise the member that, in relation to employees in New South Wales public schools, the Department of Education requires all paid employees in child-related roles as well as specified volunteers and child-related contractors to hold a valid Working With Children Check clearance. The department's Working With Children Check requirements directly reflect the legislative requirements of the Child Protection (Working With Children) Act 2012. The management of those requirements for providers of special religious education, including special ethics education, are outlined in the department's Religious Education Policy. Under the policy, it is the responsibility of approved providers to verify the Working With Children Check of all scripture and ethics teachers. Approved providers must submit to the school principal a written list of the names and contact details of the scripture teachers who will be working at the school, including confirmation that Working With Children Check clearances have been verified. On arriving at the school, each scripture teacher must present photo identification to enable verification of their name on the provided list and to allow the school to check the department's "not to be employed" database. With regard to the Working With Children Check annual assurance process for government schools, I inform the member of the following: The department sends the annual assurance by email to approved providers in term four. This must be returned before the start of term one the following school year. Approved providers will lose their approved provider status if the responsibilities outlined in the annual assurance are not addressed. Deferred Answers KANAHOOKA HIGH SCHOOL In reply to the Hon. ROBERT BORSAK (8 May 2019). The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning)—The Minister provided the following response: The Department of Education is currently addressing the issue of leaking roofs at Kanahooka High School. The department has already undertaken maintenance and seeks to undertake further maintenance in due course. MINISTERIAL PROBITY DISCLOSURES In reply to the Hon. ADAM SEARLE (8 May 2019). The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council)—The Premier provided the following response: All Ministers must comply with the Ministerial Code of Conduct, and I expect them to do so. All Parliamentary Secretaries must comply with the Ministerial Code of Conduct, as it applies to them, and I expect them to do so. All Ministers' staff must comply with the NSW Office Holders' Staff Code of Conduct, and I expect them to do so. THE HON. BRONNIE TAYLOR In reply to the Hon. WALT SECORD (8 May 2019). Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 78

The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council)—The Premier provided the following response: All Ministers must comply with the Ministerial Code of Conduct, and I expect them to do so. All Parliamentary Secretaries must comply with the Ministerial Code of Conduct, as it applies to them, and I expect them to do so. ERARING POWER STATION In reply to Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (8 May 2019). The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women)—The Minister provided the following response: Origin Energy, as the owner of the Eraring power station ash dam, holds an environment protection licence issued by the Environment Protection Authority. A requirement of the licence is to have a pollution incident response management plan in place. This plan sets out incident response procedures, including actions to mitigate risks of harm to the environmental in the event of a pollution incident. The Environment Protection Authority works in partnership with other government agencies through emergency management arrangements should the need arise. The Eraring power station ash dam is a prescribed dam under the Dams Safety Act 1978 and therefore questions regarding its safety should be referred to the Minister for Water, Property and Housing. LAND CLEARING In reply to the Hon. EMMA HURST (8 May 2019). The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women)—The Minister provided the following response: The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and amendments to the Local Land Services Act 2013 commenced on 25 August 2017 to support sustainable development and productive farming that responds to environmental risk. The reforms are supported by an investment of $100 million over five years in the Saving our Species program, and $240 million over five years, with an additional $70 million each following year, for private land conservation. The NSW Koala Strategy is also investing $44.7 million to deliver actions over three years that will provide more habitat for koalas, tackle disease, improve research and fix road-kill hotspots. Further information about these programs is available on the New South Wales Government's environment website. THE HON. BRONNIE TAYLOR In reply to the Hon. MICK VEITCH (8 May 2019). The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women)—The Minister provided the following response: Members of the public have the right to request government information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act). An agency is not subject to the direction or control of any Minister in the exercise of the agency's functions in dealing with an access application made to it under the GIPA Act. All applications for information are processed in accordance with legislative requirements. Questions Without Notice: Take Note TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: I move: That the House take note of answers given to questions this day. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. ADAM SEARLE (13:05): Today and yesterday during question time members heard a series of questions relating to the $8 million of public funds given to Country UC Ltd to expand its operations beyond Cooma just 40 days after the entity was registered. It is disappointing that the Government has sought to avoid scrutiny on this issue and sought to deflect debate onto the work the group does and not the hows and whys of how public resources came to be applied. Members heard that the funds were awarded by direct application, not by a tender. There has been no confirmation about whether the ICAC guidelines on direct applications have been met. There is no indication of the steps that have been taken by the Government to avoid a conflict of interest, given that the managing director and CEO of Country UC Ltd also is a member of the TAFE Commission Board. There has been no indication of the steps, if any, this Government has taken to ensure that Country UC Ltd has complied with all of its financial and legal obligations and is a fit body to receive those millions of Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 79

dollars of public funds. This is a matter of some significance as the entity has failed to produce a financial report or an annual information statement since it was registered as a charity. Importantly, according to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission portal, Country UC Ltd's 2018 financial report is overdue by nearly two months. At the time the $8 million was awarded, the responsible Minister for Skills was the Deputy Premier, who is a close friend and party leader of the Hon. Bronnie Taylor. Apparently, both attended the Broken Hill launch of the entity's operation in Broken Hill. We have not yet heard whether any public funds were used for the Hon. Bronnie Taylor attending that or whether she attended as a private citizen. The relationship between the entity and the State Government and the $8 million grant or award also is not reflected in the pecuniary interest disclosure of the Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women, the Hon. Bronnie Taylor. We have heard without explanation from the Government that people seeking to access the courses provided by the entity—the country people that The Nationals claim to represent—are paying more than double the fees paid by people in Sydney for the same course by the same teacher and that the Sydney course is accredited whereas the course provided by Country UC Ltd apparently is not accredited. Indeed, the entity does not appear to be a registered training organisation. This raises the question of what has motivated the Government to spend—note that I do not say invest— $8 million of public funds on this venture through this particular entity. There is no debate about providing country people with access to courses and training, especially if the courses and training articulate into a recognised skill or qualification. But the issue is: Do the courses provided by Country UC Ltd do so? We have not heard. I conclude my remarks by saying that I look forward to the Hon. Bronnie Taylor, MLC, making a contribution in this debate to clarify these matters, which she will be able to do at the conclusion of this take-note debate. ORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK Mr DAVID SHOEBRIDGE (13:08): I take note of the response by the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning to my questions regarding special religious education. I note that the Minister mentioned a number of matters in relation to how Working With Children Checks are dealt with. First I make the point that all employees and all volunteers who work with children in New South Wales public schools are required to show the principal a Working With Children Check, except those persons who are taking special religious education classes. For some special reason there is an exception for them and they are not required. Principals are not being provided with Working With Children Checks for those teaching special religious education. Why is this an issue? It is an issue because the organisations undertaking special religious education are expressly telling principals that they are not entitled to ask for Working With Children Checks for the ministers, priests and other religious people going into classrooms and dealing with children unsupervised. That is what happens with special religious education—it is unsupervised. I will provide one example from the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the Diocese of Parramatta. The organisation sent a letter to all principals in the region stating: As in previous years all SRE volunteers have their WWCC numbers verified by the Diocese of Parramatta and whilst SREs will show their IDs, they are not required to provide their WWCC number nor the 100 points of ID expected of other volunteers to the school. The diocese is insisting upon the right to get into classrooms and teach unsupervised without showing principals Working With Children Checks. To suggest that there is a protection for children through the assurance program is also wrong. Fairness in Religions in School [FIRIS]—which has done some really admirable work checking this—looked at the assurances being provided by those religious organisations, because those assurances are meant to guarantee to the department that the people going into the schools actually have Working With Children Checks. A report by FIRIS states: An audit of the annual assurances submitted to the department for the 2017 and 2018 school years … identified that:  Of the 107 religious organisations included in the department's list of approved SRE providers in NSW government schools, 3 did not submit an AA for the entire 2017 year and 23 failed to submit it by the due date. Of those providers, 6 submitted their AA more than five months after the due date.  Of the 107 religious organisations included in the department's list of approved SRE providers in NSW government schools on 24 January 2018, 27 failed to submit an AA by the due date and 45, including three who did not provide a URL at all, did not meet the requirement to provide online location of information regarding child protection training. There is no assurance. People are teaching unsupervised without Working With Children Checks. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. WALT SECORD (13:11): My contribution will be brief because the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Adam Searle, has canvassed this issue extensively and set out the Opposition's concerns. In the past two day we have asked 15 questions without notice about the Country Universities Centre, which is run Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 80

by the Hon. Bronnie Taylor's husband. This very clearly demonstrates that the Government, The Nationals and the Minister do not understand or refuse to understand probity. We have a situation where a company—which she claims is a charity—was set up as a charity. A mere 40 days later that same company received a grant of $8 million from the Deputy Premier. It did not go to tender. The Independent Commission Against Corruption has strict rules about how to conduct direct negotiations. Last week the Auditor-General pointed out that the Department of Education has the worst record in overseeing issues involving probity. It is no coincidence that this involves the Department of Education. The company involved, Country UC Ltd, was registered as an Australian public company on 18 February 2017. On 9 April, without a proper tender and without following any guidelines, the Deputy Premier granted that company $8 million. It is not a registered training organisation and it is providing short courses in areas around the State for double the cost of the very same courses run in Sydney. Again, the Opposition has asked 15 questions on this matter. I invite the Hon. Bronnie Taylor to spell out to the Chamber an assurance that she did not have any direct discussions or discussions through a third party with the Deputy Premier. It was $8 million. There are strict rules on how government contracts and tenders should occur. The Minister owes it to the community to spell out to the Chamber that neither she, her husband nor a third party had discussions with the Deputy Premier. It was $8 million. I thank the House for its consideration. The Hon. MARK LATHAM (13:14): I have seen some lame attacks by oppositions on governments in my time. In fact, back in the day, I led a few. But I have seen no lamer attack that what we have seen from the members opposite today. I like the Hon. Walt Secord—I immortalised him in The Latham Diaries, of course, with the "great Walt story". But did this attack not peter out yesterday when we found out that the Hon. Bronnie Taylor's husband was a volunteer? No information has been presented to contradict that. It petered out but the Opposition could not get to the end of question time with a full complement of questions. The only question that was relevant to the interests of the people of New South Wales was asked by the Hon. Tara Moriarty on the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy, which is an important issue. The Opposition can bring me in as a consultant. It should be asking questions about jobs, schools and hospitals—the things that matter—instead of these anti-scandals that do not go anywhere. The Leader of the Opposition piped up and said it was a problem because a report was supposedly two months late. It is dreadful to have something two months late. It has been more than two months since the State election but the Opposition still does not have a leader, with another two months still to come. If there is a report that needs to be filed it is the one on the Opposition's leadership circumstances. It has three leaders in here and three in the other place. The Hon. Adam Searle: Mate, you're not in any position to give us a lecture on leadership. The Hon. MARK LATHAM: You can chirp away about it but if you can complain about it being two months late—we all go, "Ohhh, two months late"—you should have a look at your own notes and your own leadership numbers and try to get them in order. The main point I make is that time after time these things will come up, but the people of New South Wales are interested in jobs. We saw that in the Federal election result. The main threat to jobs is in the Hunter Valley, where people want to apply mad renewable energy policies that throw working people on the welfare scrap heap. The Greens can scoff about it but a third or fourth generation coalminer living in Cessnock—where the sweat of their work is soaked into the ground, their kids go to the local school and they play in the local footy club—cannot move to Narrabri to do maintenance on a windmill or to western New South Wales to put a few solar panels on a bit of metal. They rely on those jobs and the communities in which they work. The Greens demonstrate their inhumanity and their small-minded callousness in their willingness to throw working people on the scrap heap in the name of something that might happen in 50 or 60 years. We should be talking about jobs, we should be talking about schools and we should be talking about hospitals. I like the big man opposite, Walt Secord, but if these scandals do not lead anywhere on the first day he should give them up. The old rule in politics—old Jack Lang was here once—is that if you nurse a mug long enough he dies in your arms. That is what happened to the Hon. Walt Secord's effort today. The PRESIDENT: Order! As this is the first take-note debate, I will use some of the time to make it clear how I will rule on points of order. Sessional Order 28 clearly states: That, during the current session: (1) Immediately following the conclusion of Questions, a motion may be moved without notice: "That the House take note of answers given to questions this day". (2) Debate on the motion may canvass any answers to oral questions asked that day and any answers to written questions received since the last sitting of the House. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 81

The sessional order outlines the 30-minute time limit and that a Minister will close the debate. The purpose of the take-note debate is to canvass any answers to oral questions asked that day and any answers to written questions received. It is not an opportunity for members to canvass the take-note debate contribution of a previous speaker, other political matters or what may or may not have occurred at an election. The purpose of the take-note debate is to canvass the answers given. I propose to rule on that basis if a member takes a point of order that another member has deviated from that. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. DANIEL MOOKHEY (13:18): I note the comments made by the Hon. Mark Latham. Members on this side of the House have once had the opportunity— The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order: The honourable member is completely flouting the ruling just made— The PRESIDENT: Correct. The Hon. Don Harwin: —by canvassing comments made by the Hon. Mark Latham. It is therefore out of order according to the ruling. The PRESIDENT: I uphold the point of order. I point out to the Hon. Daniel Mookhey that the take-note debate is based on his comments, his views and his objections to the answer provided by a Minister. He will proceed on that basis. I am not interested in hearing from a member any comments about what a previous speaker said. The Hon. DANIEL MOOKHEY: I of course accept that ruling. In the course of questions without notice, the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning made extensive reference to compliance processes that she said the department undertook in its direct negotiations. That has caused the Opposition to consider what are the requirements included in the Independent Commission Against Corruption guidelines. The 2006 guidelines, which were in force at the time, explicitly state that direct negotiations contain inherent corruption risk, and that a department must follow a set of procedures. Even then they state that great care should be taken before anything is done. The guidelines state that direct negotiations should be entered into only where there is uniqueness or a monopoly. That question must be addressed. They also state that should a department decide to embark upon direct negotiations with anyone it must follow a set of procedures. The first is that it must require the consent of a senior officer of the department. Who in the Department of Industry provided that consent and was the Minister notified? It must be borne in mind that the guidelines also state that notification must be provided to the Minister's office. It will be interesting to see how the issue of compliance develops. The guidelines also spell out that probity advisers must be involved. Which probity advisers participated in the tender process? Every official who participated must also sign a conflict-of-interest declaration confirming there is no conflict. The Opposition is looking forward to seeing the Government's answers to the 15 questions that have been asked. We want to know precisely whether every person involved in the direct negotiation signed such a declaration. The guidelines make it very clear that every step of the process and every communication must be documented and that due diligence must be undertaken with regard to the company involved. How is it possible for a department to do due diligence on a company that had been registered for only 40 days prior— [Time expired.] COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX (13:22): We have a couple of mudslingers opposite who have run out of mud. The Minister has been asked a range of questions today which have been taken on notice and which will be answered in due course. We are witnessing a confected Opposition campaign based more on smear and innuendo than any factual representation of the truth. The Minister made it clear that the questions will be answered in due course. When they are provided we can see whether there is any basis to the fabricated nonsense created by members opposite. It is clear to me that it has no basis. These issues are handled well by a government that understands probity, which members opposite still have trouble spelling. COUNTRY UNIVERSITIES CENTRE NAPLAN TESTS The Hon. PENNY SHARPE (13:23): I was going to welcome the new leader of the Coalition, the Hon. Mark Latham, given that the Coalition had not made a contribution to the take-note debate today. The Hon. Matthew Mason-Cox has now made one, which was great. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 82

The Hon. Don Harwin: Point of order: The honourable member is seemingly blissfully ignorant of the new sessional order, which states that the Minister has the opportunity to reply at the end of the debate. Therefore, to suggest that the Government was doing anything other than waiting to reply to all the comments at once is merely trifling with the House. The PRESIDENT (13:23): I will make this more clear. As I indicated, for a member simply to attack or to in any way to degrade a contribution made by another member in a way that has no relationship to the answer given by the Minister is clearly outside the scope of a take-note debate. However, I also make it clear that if a member appropriately comments on the answer given by a Minister it is open for another member to indicate whether they agree or disagree with that comment because we are still dealing with the issue of answers given by Ministers. The Hon. Penny Sharpe was not doing that. If she wants to disagree with a comment made by another member, she can do so. However, that is not what she was doing and she was well and truly straying from that. The Hon. PENNY SHARPE: I will raise a number of key issues. The questions being asked are very serious. They go to disclosure, proper probity and good government. It is legitimate for members on this side of the House to ask them, and we will continue to do so. I note that the Minister is entitled to take questions on notice, and I have no problem with her doing that. However, I know that the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning is capable of providing answers at the end of question time. Perhaps the Minister in the other place responsible for this matter could pay a little more attention to the desire of this House to get to the bottom of this matter and provide complete answers to this Minister tomorrow so that she can provide them to the House. These are serious matters that this side of the House does not take lightly, nor does it intend to stop to pursuing them. I will finally address the serious NAPLAN issue. Thousands of students and their parents have been mucked around and many problems have been created. I am very concerned by the Minister's answer, which appears to blame the schools for the fact that the backup papers were not provided because for some reason the schools did not request them. That does not matter. There is a stuff-up and the papers should have been provided for students. The PRESIDENT: A Minister is permitted to reply to the debate for no more than three minutes. However, if a Minister does speak, he or she will close the debate. Does a Minister wish to reply? TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (13:23): In reply: I will not take too much of the time of the House because a number of members have made points that I intended to make, including the Hon. Penny Sharpe in a latitudinal sort of way. It is correct that 15 questions have been asked. However, for the Leader of the Opposition to suggest, as he did, that the Government was trying to avoid scrutiny was simply wrong. The questions have all been taken on notice and referred to a Minister in the other place. There are established procedures and timeframes for a Minister to consider a matter and to reply to questions, and the Minister in the other place is doing that. For the Opposition to suggest something else or to make imputations about him or the Government is simply wrong and unfair. I will not deal with all of the assertions individually but simply say that these matters are being examined and replies will be provided to the House as soon as practicable. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to. The PRESIDENT: I will now leave the chair. The House will resume at 3.00 p.m. Members INAUGURAL SPEECH The PRESIDENT: Before I call the Hon. Mark Banasiak, I remind all members that the honourable member is about to make his first speech in this place. I ask members to extend to him the usual courtesies. I welcome into my gallery this afternoon Mrs Tina Banasiak, wife of the honourable member, Serena, Sofia and Luca, their three children, together with his mother, stepfather and mother-in-law, who are all here to hear the member's first speech. The Hon. MARK BANASIAK (15:02): It is with pride and honour that I enter this place, Australia's oldest Parliament, as a representative of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party. I have been a proud member, volunteer and State committee member of the party for more than 15 years and I am privileged to have been part of the party's greatest election result. Less than three years ago we had two members in this Parliament. Today Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 83

I am proud to stand alongside four party colleagues. Our electoral success was the culmination of four years of hard work and planning and it is an honour to have been part of this historic achievement. Everyone's background, family and personal experiences colour the lens they see the world through. Mine is no different. I begin with my family. Both sides of my family have had different experiences. My great-grandfather on my mother's side was one of the Rats of Tobruk. On the other hand, my father's parents were liberated from a camp at the end of the Second World War and travelled to Australia. They are what you would call the poster family for assimilation. I grew up in the seaside town of Kiama and lived there for more than 18 years with my mum, dad and sister. When I was not travelling the countryside playing representative soccer we would spend time with my grandparents who lived in Gerringong and we would go down to the boat harbour with our fishing rods and often come back with something for Sunday lunch. This is where my love of fishing probably started. Sadly though my father died when I was 17 years old and approximately four weeks out from completing my Higher School Certificate. It was my teachers who took the time and showed they cared which got me through these last few months of school and probably what inspired me to become a teacher myself. I completed my teaching degree at the University of and it was here that I was exposed to different cultures and people with different life experiences and opinions. Maybe I did not agree with my peers all the time but I have always respected the rights of others, their right to have a different opinion to mine. I am a proud Australian. I love the outdoors and I love to sit around a campfire with family and friends eating the fish or the food that we have just caught or talking about the big one that got away. This country has provided endless opportunities for so many, including me and my family. I am an ardent lover of history and a fervent believer that history does have a way of repeating itself, particularly in terms of attacks on culture. It is my own family background and my experiences growing up that fed my desire to pursue it at university. People choose to take a narrow view of what culture is, only attributing it to ethnicity or a country of origin. They cherrypick the aspects of a culture they find acceptable and attempt to apply that rule to everyone. Hunting and gathering is the perfect example of how cultural practices are treated in the mainstream. The fact is it is the oldest cultural activity and it transcends political and graphical borders and unites people from all walks of life. Yet there is this immense intolerance towards hunting and gathering that if applied to another culture would see widespread condemnation. The truth is we are all in this room today because our ancestors were successful hunters and gatherers. The fact that some of us have chosen to ignore what is inherently in our nature because of the modern convenience of shopping centres is not cause to discriminate against those who have chosen to practise and immerse themselves in this culture. Recreational fishing is another example of cherrypicking, as are the illegal and unprovoked attacks by extreme animal rights groups on our farming culture. It is this cherrypicking and the subsequent inaction from the major parties that in part inspired me to get involved in politics. I certainly did not picture myself standing here as an elected member. After completing my degree I walked into a teaching career, which I thought would see me through to retirement. I fell for the catchy billboards that were scattered along train stations reading "Teach and make a difference." For close to 15 years I believe I did. Teachers do more than teach. It is to our teachers that we collectively hand over our most precious resource for a majority of weekdays. They nurture and shape the future of our children and take care of them when we cannot. Regrettably our teachers are being used as political scapegoats, copping the blame for poorly thought-out and poorly implemented policy within the education system. While teaching I quickly discovered that as teachers our ability to make a difference was being hindered by a system so convoluted and confused that for 10 years it could not even decide what to call itself. It quickly became clear to me that government failings to adequately address issues such as mental health, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, crime in our communities and socio-economic disadvantage, manifest in our classrooms daily. Our students bring the impact of those failings with them alongside their backpacks. Unfortunately, in my 15 years of teaching the education system has become even more convoluted, with very little offered by way of solutions. Seeing the education system broken in so many ways is also what inspired me to see if I could make a difference but from a different angle. As I said, teachers do more than just teach and more than just deliver curriculum content. We deliver life lessons. I believe that the most important life lessons I have ever taught are, first, that we as people need to own our actions. We need to accept and take responsibility for both the intended and unintended outcomes of our actions and be accountable. Secondly, if we are a true democracy then the above is applicable to all, especially those in government and elected positions, such as ourselves. Thirdly, any criticism or feedback we do not like hearing is probably the type that we probably need to hear more of. My experience as a teacher and observing politics has highlighted an unwillingness by those in leadership positions to own their actions. Instead they play the blame game like young kids. If New South Wales is to achieve its potential in terms of responsible, active citizenship, then as leaders of this State we need to lead by example. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 84

I chose to run for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party because I was sick and tired of both major parties blaming each other for the mess this State is in. The truth is both major parties own it and both are equally accountable. Accountability was a theme that was certainly cemented as I travelled the State during the campaign. The general response was, "Can you bang their heads together and get them to just sort out the basics?" This is the feedback that both the Government and Opposition probably do not want to hear but they need to. I would like to share just a few of the basics with you from the people we represent. I will start in Goulburn, where I met Barbara, a new grandmother. It is an exciting and proud moment for any mother to see her grandkids brought into this world. Unfortunately, if you have gestational diabetes like her daughter does and you live in Yass you cannot give birth in Yass Hospital. There is insufficient staff, and patients must be transported to the Australian Capital Territory to give birth. Why has this Parliament created a situation where we have to outsource a basic function of health care to another State or Territory? We are responsible for this situation; it is time to own it and it is time to fix it. If we move a bit closer to Sydney you would think things would get better. In Wollongong a child who has had a seizure has to wait over a month to get an electroencephalogram [EEG] to diagnose the cause. Why? It is because on six out of seven days the machine has to sit idle due to a lack of qualified staff. As the administration staff of the hospital told me, "We need to make compromises." Yet 37 years ago this child would have had an EEG done on the day of presentation. So the next time we talk about health in this House, and the Government wants to give itself a pat on the back, I will ask: Can we not fudge the books by talking about more beds or fancy equipment? Beds and fancy equipment are useless without the staff to care for the people in the beds and to operate that equipment. Instead, let us talk about more nurses, more doctors and more specialists for our regional and rural areas, and with an actual plan to deliver it. This example in Wollongong, where we effectively had better services 37 years ago, is just one example among many. Patients and families suffer, and it is just not acceptable. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party is prepared to work with both sides of politics to fix this mess. Travelling up north to Kempsey I met Stuart, who works in law enforcement. He explained to me that in order to keep pace—with officers on leave for whatever reason—over 35 new officers would need to be recruited to adequately cover the northern region alone. Yet again the government of the day simply gives themselves a pat on the back for sending two or three police officers to a region. Where is the long-term strategic planning for frontline police resources? Why do we have to place our communities in danger? Once again the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party is prepared to work with both sides of politics to fix this mess that both major parties have created over many years. In Coffs Harbour I met Paul, who is a full-time carer of a former public school teacher who was the subject of horrific bullying to the point where she has attempted suicide. She received no support from either the New South Wales Department of Education or the NSW Teachers Federation. Paul runs the Bullied Teachers Support Network, a support group for thousands of teachers who left the profession because of workplace bullying. The fact that such a group needs to exist makes a mockery of our work health and safety laws. I have personally met some of these teachers; they are not an anomaly. They number in the thousands. Even last weekend we not only heard of the failings of Employee Performance and Conduct [EPAC] but also read of the comments of the Teachers Federation in the Sun-Herald choosing to side with and support EPAC in what is clear procedural unfairness over the teachers they are supposed to represent. The only question is: Why? For allowing such a culture to fester and for the EPAC unit failing to adequately address this, it is time that both the Government and the Opposition own it. Both major parties are responsible and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party are prepared to work with both major parties to fix this problem. In Condobolin I met Trish, who lives on her farm with her kids and grandkids. Trish suffers from farmers lung, a disease similar to mesothelioma. The only way she could possibly get respite would be to sell her farm and leave the work she loves, which would leave her kids and grandkids homeless. So she continues the work she loves, the work that is effectively killing her. However, what was of more concern for her was a feeling of neglect, a feeling of being taken for granted by both major parties. She said she was at the point of scaling right back and only farming enough to feed just her own family. She was not alone. This sentiment was echoed around the State by all the farmers I spoke to. Because of the policies of this Government, both major parties have pushed farmers to their limits and have created a situation where this State's food supply is threatened, all the while having to be dragged kicking and screaming and shamed into providing support by my party. Both major parties are to blame for allowing this situation to fester, and it is time to own it. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party are unashamedly biased for the bush. We will lend our support to fix the many problems you have created. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge my former colleagues and students, particularly those at my last school at . Late last year we experienced a tragic fire in the Industrial Arts block. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 85

We were offsite for the majority of the last term. Even during such a tragic event the rort that is the government procurement system with regards to building and maintenance works did not ease. If anything it got worse, with a $600,000 electrical bill to wire four demountable buildings and over $600,000 to remove soil because they found asbestos in the top layer of the soil. They thought, "Hell, why not go 15 feet deep. You never know your luck, you might disturb more." It cost reportedly $3,000 per hour for someone to monitor air quality in shorts and a T-shirt. All this work was miraculously completed and the site cleared just days before the traditional tradie shutdown around Christmas time. How amazing. Mr President and members of the House, I ask: Where are the checks and balances? Who is signing off and agreeing to such things? Just imagine what that money could have been better spent on. Three years ago at an Education Week dinner, secretary Mark Scott made a personal commitment to look into the government procurement system and why schools were being quoted upwards of $75,000 to paint three classrooms. Three years on and you have failed to deliver on that promise. That same night, to an audience of over 200 senior teachers and executives, you laid out your agenda to revolutionise the HSC and bring it into the twenty-first century, yet three years later you have delivered nothing in HSC reforms. To quote your bookmark titled "on us", well, it has been "on you" for three years. Under your watch, you have allowed money to be pillaged and wasted instead of being spent on resourcing our schools, professional development of our staff and supporting our students to their full potential. It is simply unacceptable that schools are allowed to be taken advantage of when it comes to maintenance. This rort needs to stop. Both major parties are equally responsible for this mess. It is time to own it. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party is prepared to work with both major parties to fix this mess. It would be remiss not to mention New South Wales firearm owners. As the Chair of the Federation of Hunting Clubs, I have been informed of and have personally seen the evidence of the mistreatment of firearm owners for many years. There are far too many examples of misinterpreting of legislation by New South Wales Firearms Registry staff and poor to non-existent delivery of service—for example, 16 months to approve a new club, while the Department of Fair Trading and the NSW Department of Primary Industries process their applications in a matter of a week. What other government department would deem these time frames as acceptable? Probably one of the most disturbing matters is in relation to pensioners. Apparently the policy is that as soon as a firearm owner applies for a pension they are immediately subject to an overzealous review of their ability to hold a licence, which in many cases they have held for decades. I am no legal expert but I imagine this borders on institutionalised discrimination based on age. Additionally, because the advice given is coming from a government department it must be true and correct, no questions asked. All these decisions are arbitrarily made with little or no reason given. Yes, firearm ownership is a legislated freedom, not a right in this country. However, there seems to be a belief at the New South Wales Firearms Registry that, because it is not a right, firearm owners therefore forfeit our most fundamental rights regarding procedural fairness and natural justice, like the right to know reasons for decisions or to receive those decisions in a timely manner. Under this Government's watch, they have allowed the New South Wales Firearms Registry to be staffed by people who have no demonstrable working knowledge of the firearm industry or legislation and they have allowed a culture of institutionalised discrimination against firearm owners to develop within the registry. It is time to own it and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party will work with both major parties to fix this problem. I must thank many people for helping me get elected into this House. First of all, my family: my wife, Tina, and kids Serena, Sofia and Luca. I could not have done this without you all. To mum, Therese, stepfather, Tony, and mother-in-law, Eva: Thank you for your support and for the additional childminding, school drop-offs and pick-ups you have done for me and will continue to do. To my sister, Laura, who is a brilliant environmental scientist: Thank you for your invaluable advice that has been offered to me on many occasions. To all my mates at the Hunting Club: You are like family and could not have been a bigger support to me. To the other 50 clubs of the federation that lent support during the campaign: Thank you. To all our branches that did the same: Thank you. To all our lower House candidates that we ran during the campaign: Thank you for your efforts. To our fantastic party team led by our State director, Filip Despotoski: Thank you for the work and hours you put in to successfully run the biggest campaign in our party's history. It was mind-blowing and I thank you all. A massive thank you must go to the thousands of volunteers who were out there on the ground—the shooters, the fishers, the farmers, the greyhound industry people, the taxi industry people, the miners and many others who value freedom and common sense. I would not be standing here today without your support and I will never forget that or you. To those in the party who have mentored and supported me through my 15 years: Thank you. To the members who came before me and achieved great things for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party— the late Hon. Roy Smith, the Hon. John Tingle, the Hon. Robert Brown and of course my colleague in the upper House, the Hon. Robert Borsak—I thank you. I stand here today on the shoulders of giants. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 86

In closing, I mentioned that people often ask when the government of the day and the Opposition will be made to own their actions and decisions; I do not intend to sit here idly for the next eight years. As a crossbench member and a member of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, I intend to hold both major parties accountable and will work with them in the interests of the people of New South Wales. I ask members of the House to close their eyes. I want to take you back to that child in the and I ask you: What would you be motivated to do to make people accountable if that was your child? One of us in this House was motivated enough to run for election to the New South Wales Parliament. Business of the House NOTICES OF MOTIONS Mr DAVID SHOEBRIDGE: By leave: Pursuant to Standing Order 71, I give notice that contingent on the second reading debate of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Amendment (Double Jeopardy) Bill 2019 being adjourned for five calendar days I will move: (a) that the bill be referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice for inquiry and report; and (b) that on tabling of the report by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice a motion may be moved without notice that the bill be restored to the Notice Paper at the stage it had reached prior to referral. Governor ADDRESS-IN-REPLY Debate resumed from an earlier hour. The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW (15:25): Today I speak in reply to the speech made by Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley, AO, QC, in this place on Tuesday 7 May 2019. I take this opportunity to congratulate the Governor on her appointment to the office of Governor after a stellar legal career. Her Excellency is an excellent recommendation of the Premier to serve in the gubernatorial role. Growing up in Hurstville with a father who worked as a milkman, the Governor attended St Declan's Catholic Primary School in Penshurst and St Joseph's Girls High School in Kogarah. The Governor achieved numerous feats prior to entering her new office, including serving in a variety of both Federal and State judicial roles before entering the New South Wales Court of Appeal in 2013 where she went on to lead the court as president until earlier this year when she accepted the role of Governor of New South Wales. Governor Beazley was a graduate of law with honours from the University of Sydney—my alma mater— in 1974. Her Excellency was admitted to the New South Wales bar in 1975 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 1989. I am proud that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II chose to appoint Her Excellency Margaret Beazley, QC, AO, as the thirty-ninth Governor of our great State of New South Wales. I am sure Her Excellency will perform her duties with distinction throughout her term, as she did with her first speech in this place. I wish Her Excellency and her husband, Mr Dennis Wilson, all the very best during their tenure in Government House. I take the opportunity to thank the former Governor, General the Hon. David Hurley AC, DSC, FTSE, and his wife, Linda Hurley, for their service to New South Wales. I had the good fortune to interact with Governor Hurley on several occasions through his role as patron of many associations throughout New South Wales, particularly mental health and veterans' organisations. I was pleased to see firsthand his deep and genuine care and commitment for all New South Welshman. I wish both he and his wife, Linda, all the very best for his new role as the Governor-General of Australia, which he will assume on 28 June this year. I have no doubt the Governor's wife, Linda Hurley, will make Australia a singing nation in her new role as well. As Governor Beazley urged, this Fifty-Seventh Parliament must never forget the honour that has been bestowed on us nor the trust that has been placed in all members of this House. On 23 March the people of New South Wales placed a great honour on and even greater trust in the Berejiklian-Barilaro Liberal-Nationals Government to get on with the job and "get it done" here in New South Wales. I thank the people of New South Wales for entrusting the Berejiklian Liberal-Nationals Government with a third term of government and assure them that we will not let them down. A third term is historic by any means. To be entrusted by the people of New South Wales for another four years means that our committed team of legislators, some of whom are assembled in the Chamber, are ready to carry us forward, to advocate for the people of New South Wales and, most importantly, to create an environment that is inclusive and fair for all residents of New South Wales. Government is about delivering on the promises made to the people of New South Wales, regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances or opinions or for whom they voted. It is a privilege to serve and one that is not taken lightly by members of the Berejiklian-Barilaro Coalition team. We will continue to deliver for the people over the next four years. We will ensure the growth, prosperity and harmony of every resident in New South Wales. This Government has never rested on its laurels and is not about to start now. We have continued to work Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 87

for and deliver on the fundamental and necessary infrastructure needed for New South Wales. One of those vital infrastructure projects, the Sydney Metro Northwest, opened on the weekend. It was a project that Labor promised and failed to deliver over its 16 years in Government, along with 11 other rail lines. Riding on the metro with my family on Sunday, I felt an immense amount of pride in what this Government has achieved and will go on to achieve for the people of New South Wales. The new metro delivers turn-up-and-go services every four minutes to commuters across the stage one network and is now operating at the station closest to me. The new rail line—its smell, its operation and its efficiency—is world class. With this metro, along with the west metro, we will see Sydney achieve its place as a world-class city, which is what we promised the people of New South Wales. That is a promise we will see through. The credit for the new metro squarely rests with Premier Berejiklian, who had the vision for the project and oversaw its delivery as the transport Minister, Treasurer and Premier over the last eight years. It was fitting to see it come to reality over the weekend. I am proud of the Premier for getting the job done and delivering this vital piece of infrastructure on time and $1 billion under budget. It is a project that is emblematic of what this Government is about: making this State the best it can be. Another project that will achieve for the people of New South Wales is WestConnex. During the election campaign I had the fortune of driving along the first stage of WestConnex every day from my duty seats in Summer Hill, Strathfield and Granville and seeing the project unfold and grow closer to reality. Now as I drive down to the entry of the M4 I can see that it is ready to go. In my inaugural speech in this Chamber I spoke of my pride in being part of the Government that was delivering WestConnex. It is a project that is very close to my heart. I grew up at the mouth of the M4 on Leicester Avenue in Strathfield. I literally lived less than 200 metres from the freeway. As I recount to my wife as she talks about her country upbringing—which Deputy President Blair would appreciate—the closest thing I had to bush was the nature strip next to the M4. The project was originally designed and planned in the 1950s to go from the CBD to the west. However it pulled up short and finished just outside of my family's street in Strathfield. I grew up on a main road and knew that thousands of cars spilled on to our street every day because of Neville Wran's decision to sell off the road reservation between Pyrmont and Strathfield. As a councillor and mayor in Strathfield I fought to ensure that we had a long-tunnel option for the M4 so cars would be taken off local streets and roads and could actually reach their end journey. Later this year the reality of the M4 East will come to life, with the twin M4 tunnels set to open to the public. This project will change the way Sydneysiders transport themselves for decades to come deep under Parramatta Road. I am proud to be part of a Government that has not only delivered the first stage of the largest infrastructure project in the history of Australia, but also been continually planning for the future growth and needs of this State. WestConnex is going to take approximately 10,000 trucks off Parramatta Road every day. The nearly completed M4 tunnels are all part of a seven-kilometre section of WestConnex. The M4 tunnels will allow drivers from western Sydney to bypass a significant section of stop-start traffic on Parramatta Road and instead connect directly onto the City West Link. Within two years approximately 67,000 trips are expected in the M4 tunnels every day. I know it will please the Hon. Taylor Martin that NorthConnex is soon to be completed— The Hon. Taylor Martin: And the Hon. Don Harwin. The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: And the Hon. Don Harwin, who is a soon-to-be or perhaps already resident of the Central Coast. The Hon. Don Harwin: I am not going to be a resident. The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: That project will also take thousands of cars and trucks off Pennant Hills Road, which also pleases the Hon. Damien Tudehope. When this Government makes a promise it delivers on it. When Labor was last in office it promised 12 rail lines and did not deliver a single one. It delivered half a rail line at double the cost. Now, as demonstrated during the last election, Labor wants to cancel the Sydenham to Bankstown metro upgrade, depriving Sydney's south-west of world-class metro services. Thankfully the people of New South Wales rejected that proposition. The entire 22-train fleet for the metro has been delivered and more than 35,000 kilometres of train testing has taken place throughout all 13 stations along the railway. Stage two of Sydney Metro, the City and Southwest line from Chatswood to Bankstown, is on track to have services running in 2024. These are just snapshots of our commitments to the people of New South Wales and the great city of Sydney. But our achievements cover more than just the building of infrastructure. The latest Commsec State of the States report released last week again highlighted New South Wales' exceptionally low unemployment rate, noting that in New South Wales the Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 88

unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent has not been bettered in monthly records going back to 1978. According to the report, economic activity in New South Wales was 25.4 per cent above its "normal" or decade average level of output in the December quarter. Notably, construction activity in New South Wales was 29.1 per cent above the decade average, reinforced by strong infrastructure investment and home building. The Government's $90 billion infrastructure program is about not only rebuilding the State, but also building jobs, fuelling the economy and helping protect the State against economic headwinds. We have reduced the burden of payroll tax on employers, raising the cap over the next four years so that businesses can focus on what is important to them and their employees. Over the next four years, the payroll tax threshold will be increased progressively from its current level of $750,000 to $1 million. The threshold will be $850,000 in 2018-19, $900,000 in 2019-20, $950,000 in 2020-21 and $1 million in 2021-22. By 2021-22 approximately 5,000 firms that would have paid payroll tax will be exempt, avoiding both the tax and the administrative costs of complying with the payroll tax system. During the election campaign the Opposition proposed a policy that would have seen those changes abolished— The Hon. Damien Tudehope: Reversed. The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: They would have been reversed, as the Hon. Damien Tudehope pointed out. The people of New South Wales—just as they did in the Federal election—chose lower taxes over higher taxes. Firms with a payroll greater than $1 million will also save up to $13,625 annually from 2021-2022. This measure will reduce payroll tax revenue by $881.0 million in the four years to 2021-22. The direction of the next Parliament will play an important role in ensuring the future prosperity and economic health of our State for decades ahead. I look forward to working with all members of this place over the next four years. I look forward to serving in my role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer and assisting the Treasurer in ensuring that New South Wales remains the number one place to do business, with the best environment for business tax payers and, of course, residential taxpayers. The Premier has highlighted that her focus over the next term of Parliament is to boost the quality of life for every citizen. She has laid out her plan for the future of New South Wales. The Premier's plan will ensure that New South Wales has a strong economy and quality jobs; that everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic or ethnic background, has access to the highest quality education; the better functionality of government; and that we break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage within our community. Recently we all competed in the festival of democracy and while we are all able to sit in these wonderful Chambers there are, unfortunately, those who worked very hard and gave great service to their communities who do not get to join us in this place. I pay tribute to the candidates who I worked with during the election campaign who were unsuccessful. The Hon. Taylor Martin: Name them. The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: I will name them, the Hon. Taylor Martin. My duty electorates for the election were Granville, Strathfield, Summer Hill and Charlestown. I commend the candidates for the Liberal Party and, of course, the successful members of those electorates for the campaigns that they ran. The former member for Granville, Tony Issa, was again the Liberal candidate for Granville at this election. He worked day and night and has been a tireless servant for his Granville-Parramatta community for many years. He has continued to put the people of Granville first. He outlined a positive vision during the election campaign, and I am committed to ensuring that that vision is realised. One of the wins we were able to secure on the campaign trail was the establishment of a Service NSW office at Merrylands, which I am sure the Hon. Victor Dominello will be keen to deliver in his role as the Minister for Customer Service. Tony and his family worked day and night during the campaign across many communities. Granville is a diverse multicultural electorate with Lebanese, Afghan and Chinese populations. It is a community that Tony Issa has been adept at representing in this Parliament and more broadly for many years. I also congratulate Ms Julia Finn, the member for Granville, on her successful election campaign and her re-election. We spent a lot of time together at the pre-polling booth in the former car park in Merrylands. It was fun from time to time and perhaps not so much at other times. I also pay tribute to Phillip Madirazza, who is a City of Canterbury Bankstown councillor and who was the Liberal Party candidate for Strathfield. Phillip was preselected only at the back end of January and immediately set to work. I have a lot of respect for the work he carried out, largely alone. I was directed to spend most of my time in Granville during the election campaign, but I did manage to spend some time with Phillip. He was in reality a one-man band and he did a fantastic job in flying the flag for the Liberal Party. He ensured that Strathfield is the Labor Party's fourth-most marginal seat in New South Wales as a result of his tireless work at pre-polling sites, doorknocking, and distributing material at train stations and local commuter hubs to spread the Liberal message and to fly the Liberal flag in Strathfield. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 89

The Hon. Damien Tudehope: And laid the groundwork for Fiona Martin. The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: I acknowledge that interjection. He did lay the groundwork for the Federal campaign. I again pay tribute to Councillor Madirazza for his strong campaign. I also congratulate the member for Strathfield, Jodi McKay, on her successful campaign, the work she did and her service in the community. I acknowledge the work of Leo Wei, the Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Summer Hill. Leo also nominated for the seat of Strathfield, but in the best interests of the party he decided to switch to the seat of Summer Hill to ensure there was a Liberal Party candidate for Strathfield without a preselection process and so that both candidates could wave the Liberal Party flag in the inner west. Leo worked diligently on the campaign and ensured that his army of volunteers manned every polling booth in Summer Hill. They were probably better manned than the booths in many other seats. In fact, it was probably the first time that every polling booth in the electorate was manned by the Liberal Party. I attended the pre-poll at Ashfield Town Hall a couple of times and Leo had more volunteers than any other candidate—not that it necessarily changed the outcome. He did a wonderful job as the Liberal Party candidate for Summer Hill, particularly in networking within the local Asian community. Leo is a person who can be assigned a task and it will be done. He was an exceptional candidate for the Liberal Party and I am sure he will continue to represent the party in the future in other spheres. Jennie Barrie was the exceptional Liberal Party candidate in the seat of Charlestown and achieved a swing towards the party. That might be a sign of things to come in the Hunter. Of course, we witnessed some large swings to the Liberal Party in the Hunter-Central Coast region in the Federal election, and I would like to think that her work and the work of other State candidates laid the foundation for those swings. Jennie has a strong connection in the local people having formerly served as the president of the of the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce and was a Federal candidate. I also pay tribute to the people behind the campaign, particularly Amanda Ghalloub, Tanya Raffoul and Stephen Issa in Granville; Sandra Blackmore in Strathfield; Thomas Carrie and Julie Passas in Summer Hill; and Kevin Baker, Jason Pauling and, of course, Graeme Rodgers in Charlestown, who does a fantastic job for the Liberal Lake Mac team. I am sure the Hon. Taylor Martin will have more to say about them all in his contribution to the Address-in-Reply. Of course, it takes all of us to be able to deliver for the people of New South Wales. This Government has a very strong plan as outlined by the Governor, and we are all committed to delivering it. Let's get it done, New South Wales! The Hon. LOU AMATO (15:45): I am honoured to stand with my fellow honourable members in congratulating Her Excellency on her appointment by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Governor of New South Wales. I thank Her Excellency for her address to the Fifty-Seventh Parliament of this State. I also congratulate her on her most impressive academic, professional and philanthropic achievements. We stand here today united in our loyalty to Australia and to the people of New South Wales. The people of this State have entrusted the Liberal-Nationals Coalition with a third term of government. In this great democracy we enjoy, the people have spoken wisely and have acknowledged the great achievements of the Fifty-Sixth Parliament. Indeed, the current economic prosperity that the State now appreciates had its genesis in the Fifty-Fifth Parliament with the election— after a long sojourn—of the Liberal-Nationals Coalition Government. Since first coming to office the Government's strong economic leadership has resulted in the creation of more than 500,000 new jobs, 300,000 of which were created in the past five years. During the same five-year period, the New South Wales economy has grown by almost $70 billion. As the top performing State in Australia, New South Wales contributes approximately one-third of the nation's total gross domestic product. To put that into perspective, our great State's economy is double the size of the New Zealand economy and larger than the economies of Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. The scale of our economy is exceeded only by its geographical size. At 800,640 square kilometres, New South Wales is more than double the size of Germany. Our State has approximately 7.9 million people, most of whom live in metropolitan areas. However, our people occupy all habitable areas, including many semi-arid regions. Our State's population distribution has and always will be the great challenge for any government. The role of any good government is to ensure equality of services to all, irrespective of location. The Liberal-Nationals Coalition understands that meeting this challenge can be achieved only by the building of infrastructure. The Government is keenly aware that building infrastructure must do more than act as a short-term Keynesian multiplier. Increased spending would boost the economy in the short term, but only targeted and well-planned infrastructure would have a lasting benefit for generations to come. Therefore, the Government sought to achieve two objectives: firstly, to kickstart the economy with increased fiscal spending and, secondly, to maximise utility by building long-term assets for New South Wales. 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When the Liberal-Nationals Coalition took office in the Fifty-Fifth Parliament, New South Wales was struggling. Our predecessors had largely failed to provide the necessary infrastructure to keep this State connected, moving and growing. Without necessary infrastructure, New South Wales stagnated and our State began to falter. The main objective of the Government was not only to play catch-up and right the failings of the past, but also to look to the future. For New South Wales to have a prosperous future, our highly skilled workforce must be supported by long-term investment. To this end we have been successful. Not only have we retooled our State to meet the challenges of the present; we have also looked to the future and provided the children of today with the promise of tomorrow. When Treasurer delivered the 2018-19 State budget, the Liberal-Nationals Government had already restored confidence in the New South Wales economy. The 2018-19 budget was not a catch-up budget, but a budget focused on the future. The budget predicted a healthy economy with a budget surplus of $3.9 billion in spite of record spending on schools, hospitals and major transport projects. Prior to the release of the 2018-19 budget, the Government's catch-up program was in full gear, with almost half of the entire nation's public engineering works occurring in New South Wales. The release of the 2018-19 half-yearly budget review confirms the Government's steadfast commitment to sound economic management. New South Wales currently boasts the lowest unemployment rate of any State and the highest labour force participation rate in New South Wales' history. The State is on track to remain in surplus over the next four years, averaging a yearly surplus of $1.3 billion. As of June 2018, New South Wales had a negative debt of $11.2 billion—the lowest net debt of any State and, indeed, the lowest net debt in our State's history. Budgetary forecasts have calculated negative net debt to be $7.7 billion at June 2019. In light of a budget that provides record fiscal spending on infrastructure to the tune of $89.7 billion, these numbers are impressive. The confirmation of our triple-A credit rating in September 2018 is testament to the Government's responsible fiscal management of New South Wales. New South Wales' strong fiscal position has made it possible for the Government to invest in families to ease the cost of living, provide drought assistance and deliver world-class health services. Education has received increased funding to provide better learning opportunities for our children to meet the challenges of the future. Increased funding to emergency services, including more police, will provide for a safer New South Wales. Since coming to office, the Government has invested $220 million in police stations and upgrades across the State. Nineteen new police stations have already been delivered to our State's communities. During the Fifty-Fifth and Fifty-Sixth Parliaments, the Government delivered more than 1,000 highly trained additional police officers. During this parliamentary term, the Government will invest in an additional 1,500 police officers. The Government's tough counter-terrorism and anti-bikie legislation has seen crime fall or remain stable across all 17 major crime categories across New South Wales. The Government's one-punch laws have been a major deterrent to senseless, cowardly acts of violence in the Sydney CBD. The great dream of every Australian is home ownership. The Liberal-Nationals Government is committed to providing every person of our State the opportunity to realise the dream of home ownership. The housing market is influenced by many factors outside government control. To assist first home buyers, the Government has introduced stamp duty concessions for first home buyers on existing and new homes valued at up to $800,000. The Government's stamp duty concessions has assisted more than 48,000 first home buyers. The Government has provided a $10,000 First Home Owner Grant to builders of new properties. To give local residents a fair go, the Government has introduced a foreign investor surcharge of an additional 8 per cent on stamp duty. In two terms of government, the Liberal-Nationals Coalition has changed the fortunes of New South Wales to be the top State in our nation. As a Government, we are proud of our achievements. However, there is much work to do. We do not have the luxury of resting on our past achievements. By electing the Coalition to a third term of government, the people have entrusted us with their home—New South Wales. In the next four years we have no certainty about the impact of world events that may provide many challenges and/or opportunities to make New South Wales even greater. Whatever the challenges that come our way, the Liberal-Nationals Coalition will meet them. Whenever an opportunity is before us, we will seize it. Our commitment is to provide every person in this State the opportunity to realise their potential and the confidence to know that New South Wales is the place where they can achieve it. The Hon. NATALIE WARD (15:56): I speak in support of the motion and I congratulate and thank the Hon. Shayne Mallard for moving it today. I am well aware that I am part of the Government that won the election, but equally—though not as a member—I have experienced losing elections. I thank our opponents for their hard work in running the ball up to us and putting a choice to the people of New South Wales. It is not easy to be on the Opposition benches; I know that they are trying their hardest and doing the best they can. It is important for the people of New South Wales to have a vocal and robust Opposition. Some members have served Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 91

in that capacity for some time and I thank them for their service. Some of them have also sat on this side of the Chamber. It is not an easy thing to lose an election so I thank them for their contribution. Under the Berejiklian Government, the future of New South Wales is in safe hands because the people have spoken and have elected a strong Government to keep our State number one by investing in the services and infrastructure our communities need. I congratulate all members who have been re-elected and I welcome new members to this place. In particular, I congratulate my colleagues in the northern area—which I am pleased to represent—who were re-elected, including James Griffin in Manly, Felicity Wilson in North Shore, in Ku-ring-gai, the Hon. Dr Rob Stokes in Pittwater, the Hon. in Hornsby, the Hon. in Wakehurst, Speaker Jonathan O'Dea in Davidson, the Hon. in Lane Cove, the Hon. Victor Dominello in Ryde, the Hon. Dominic Perrottet in Epping and, of course, Premier Gladys Berejiklian in Willoughby. They have all worked incredibly hard in their electorates. The people in their areas have acknowledged their hard work and acknowledged that they still have work to continue doing to make New South Wales the best it can be. We will continue to create more jobs than ever before. We will sustain our strong economy and set a better future for all in New South Wales. I also congratulate the on its re-election. In particular I congratulate the Hon. Paul Fletcher in Bradfield, John Alexander in Bennelong, Julian Leeser in Berowra, Trent Zimmerman in North Sydney and Jason Falinski in Mackellar. All of those members, Federal and State, have poured their hearts into their communities and because of that they were successful in securing their re-election. Of course, not everyone can be victorious. My colleagues have alluded to those who stood and were not successful. In that regard, has represented his community as the member for Warringah since 1994 with commitment and diligence. Mr Abbott leaves a proud legacy as both former member for Warringah and former Prime Minister of Australia. I thank him for his service and wish him well in his future endeavours. Who knows where he may end up? We have a number of emeritus Federal members in this place. They are proving to add some colour and light—and experience, which can only be a good thing. I am honoured to have been returned and elected in my own right to this place. Public service is a privilege and one which I am humbled to experience and to serve in while ever I may do so. I am cognisant that it was not so long ago that women were not only unable to vote but also unable to put themselves forward for this place. I am grateful to those who have gone before me and done the work that I continue, hopefully, to honour them for in this place. Now of course we have a woman Premier, elected in her own right for the Government's historic third term. We also have a woman Governor—a lawyer, no less. There cannot be enough of those in this place. The Premier outlined her priorities for the newly elected Government. They are to provide equal opportunities to the people of New South Wales, no matter what their circumstances, to improve the quality of their lives. In doing so the Government will focus on a strong economy, quality jobs and job security for workers of today and tomorrow, the highest quality of education, no matter where someone lives or what their circumstances may be, and well-connected communities with quality local environments. Might I hazard to say we are the party and the Government of jobs. We are the Government looking after our environment. Jobs and employment are not the purview of our opponents only, but we love that they remind us of those priorities. Making government work better by putting the customer at the centre of everything it does is an important priority of this Government and one I am wholeheartedly supportive of. At long last government is here to serve the people through its bureaucracy rather than make them slaves to the bureaucracy. While there are very good people working hard in our bureaucracy, it is pleasing to see that the ease with which the customer can use government services is at the heart of what we are doing. Breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by fixing problems that have been in the too-hard basket for too long is one of our priorities. The Berejiklian Government is committed to each of those. To do that we need to have a strong economy. It is the key to the success of the other agenda items and priorities that we would like to bring to fruition. As we continue to build our economy and ensure it is the strongest in the region and the country, we will provide the jobs and investment opportunities our State needs to thrive so that we can provide the other things as well. We have already managed to repair the budget, taking New South Wales from last to first. We now have the strongest economy in the nation. We inherited a $5.2 billion deficit from Labor. I was here when we dealt with it, as many members were. It was a tough job with some tough decisions to turn it around, but we did. We managed to record a $4.2 billion surplus in 2017-18, with a surplus of $1.4 billion forecast for 2018-19. That is a turnaround that I cannot manage to render in my own home budget, so I am in awe of that. New South Wales is now completely debt free and we are now focused on ensuring that our businesses can grow and prosper. We will achieve this by continuing to reduce taxes, encouraging the growth of local businesses and delivering strong economic growth. However, that does not come without hard decisions over many years. I acknowledge our Treasurers Baird, Berejiklian, Constance and Perrottet and our finance Ministers Pearce, Constance, Perrottet, Dominello and now Tudehope, who did the hard work to get New South Wales to Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 92

where it is today. Making difficult decisions and sitting in this Chamber until 3.00 or 4.00 in the morning to get reforms through to balance the budget was tough, but they did the hard yards so that we can now prosper as a State and have no net debt. The Berejiklian Government is committed to the highest quality education no matter where a person lives or what their circumstances might be. We want to ensure that we are committed to creating the most dynamic, qualified and skilled workforce in the world. In ensuring a flexible workforce through higher education and skill standards, New South Wales will appropriately adapt to the ever-changing external environment. That will help take New South Wales to the next level and ensure capacity to develop new industries. We will focus on the quality of lifelong learning whether it is preschool, school, vocational education or mature age retraining. We will identify and focus on areas where educational outcomes need improvement. I congratulate the Hon. Sarah Mitchell on her great work already in her role as Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. I acknowledge the Hon. Rob Stokes and Adrian Piccoli for their excellent work in that critical area that is so close to all of our hearts. As a mum of school-age children I am very interested in this critical time in their lives. Education is key, no matter who you are or where you are from. I am grateful that we have such an excellent education system. There is always room for improvement everywhere, but I think my children have the best opportunities available to them at this time. I am so proud of this Government opening 22 new schools. It has even re-opened the Premier's old school, Peter Board High School, which was sadly closed under Labor and John Watkins. The Berejiklian Government is committed to developing well-connected communities with quality local environments. Providing infrastructure that connects communities will improve the quality of life for the people of New South Wales. We will do that through our record transport infrastructure investment that will tackle congestion across the whole State; our record investment of $6 billion in new and upgraded schools; the world-class health services we are working towards; and our investment in sporting infrastructure, which is particularly close to my heart, through the Active Kids voucher. We will invest $200 million in regional grassroots sporting facilities—as we know, grassroots activity is the key to improving all of our sporting prospects; maybe not on the rugby field at the moment, but we will get there—and more than $100 million in greater Sydney. We are committed to delivering a greener environment. With the Hon. Matt Kean at the helm I am sure we will see an enthusiastic amount of work in that space. Those are only a few of the many infrastructure investments the Government has already provided to connect our communities. We will continue to build on those investments to ensure that our communities maintain a well-connected standard and have quality local environments. The Berejiklian Government is committed to making government work better for all of us by putting the customer at the centre of everything it does. Who would have thought the customer would be put first? The days of the silos, of ringing different phone numbers and getting the wrong person or department, of taking half a day off work and queueing up at the Roads and Traffic Authority and hiding behind the bulletproof screen filling in the wrong form to get your driver licence renewed, are over. It is a nightmare that is in the past. Thankfully it can now all be done online. Recently my son went for his driver licence at Service NSW and had a very good experience there. He went in, it was streamlined and it was done—he had a great time. I urge all road users to beware: He was successful and got his licence. Moving into a third term, the Government will modernise its methods of providing services to every citizen. I congratulate the new Minister for Customer Service, the Hon. Victor Dominello—the Elon Musk of the Parliament—on taking up that very important cluster portfolio that will focus on creating vast improvements in the quality and level of services in New South Wales. I also congratulate him on his work to have data centres and departments talk to each other and share information so that the customer can deal with government only once. People should not be asked to fill in their information 10 times for 10 different departments. The Government is continuing with the success it has achieved through the important initiative of Service NSW, where any citizen can conduct over 850 transactions in one place. Now the Government can expand that focus towards other services such as schools, hospitals and social services. That will profoundly improve the lives of many citizens, particularly those living in regional areas. The Berejiklian Government is committed to breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by fixing problems that have been in the too-hard basket for too long. The Government is not here to avoid tough conversations about the very serious and very real issues within some areas. The Government is not here to merely ignore those issues or to mark time. The Government is here to make the important and long-lasting differences that will drive change. That will involve continuing the work we have already begun in reducing the rate of suicide, providing permanency for all children in out-of-home care, ensuring social housing tenants have a pathway to independence, tackling Indigenous disadvantage, and reducing rates of recidivism and the prison population. This Government is here to make a difference. We will get the economy right in order to get the heart right. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 93

I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to serve and assist as Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General. As a lawyer I am honoured to bring my own professional practice skills—some may say it is my own baggage—along with my passion for advocacy and justice, to this place. As the Parliamentary Secretary, I am committed to ensuring that this Government always puts the people of New South Wales first and delivers on the commitments that were made in the 2019 election. They include more free legal help for domestic violence victims, a $3.3 million investment in Grace's Place, the expansion of the Canine Court Companion Program, and the establishment of a specialist Public Sector Prosecutions unit. They also include ensuring that correctional officers have the full protection of the law and establishing a two-year pilot of the drug supply prohibition orders program. A project that is particularly close to my heart is the additional security measures for Jewish schools. Last week $2 million was delivered to the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies for that project. I will speak briefly about each of the measures I have outlined because they are important to the justice program. Grace's Place has received an investment of $3.3 million. No amount is enough—this is a start—because no child should ever be subjected to the horrors of domestic violence and homicide. The reality is that some children are forced to witness and experience terrible injustices. The Government will not be turning a blind eye to that. It will be a priority to implement the strategies to support those families and the children who are forced to experience violence. The Government is committed to investing $3.3 million in Grace's Place, the world's first residential trauma centre for children aged between two and 18 who have been affected by homicide. I congratulate all those at Grace's Place on their great work in that area. Many heart-warming success stories have come about through the Canine Court Companion Program. It is not just a feel-good program; it makes a difference. Anyone who has been to court and is not a lawyer knows that it is extremely stressful. No matter the reason a person is at court, they find it distressing. Anything we can do to make it an easier experience and to reduce tension and stress will provide for better outcomes for justice and a better experience for those people. The Canine Court Companion program achieves that. An evaluation of the pilot was overwhelmingly positive, with 100 per cent of participants reporting reduced anxiety after interaction with a therapy dog. I know that when I go home from this place and see my dogs, suddenly I find that my heart rate has reduced and my stress has been lowered. The dogs do not care what I did during the day; they are just happy to see me and hope to get fed. There is something good about dogs, and this program is about putting some heart into the justice system. I am pleased to reiterate that the program will continue to be expanded to the Goulburn court house as part of the program to reduce the anxiety of vulnerable people. This Government is committed to ensuring that there is more free legal help for domestic violence victims. Victims of domestic and family violence will be among the 55,000 vulnerable people each year who will benefit from more than $40 million in funding for the State's community legal sector. From 1 July 2019, the Women's Legal Service NSW, Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre and South West Sydney Legal Centre will receive more than $6.7 million in funding over the next three years. Dozens of community legal centres [CLCs] across the State will also see an increase in their core funding for people who need free legal services, including victims of domestic and family violence. The announcement confirms that CLCs providing services to vulnerable members of the community will have their funding either maintained or boosted from 2016-17 levels, when the New South Wales Government committed to providing funding security to the sector. Additional funding has been allocated to establish new services targeting critical service gaps, including to a new law clinic and mediation service for seniors and their carers in the Hunter and Central Coast regions. My colleagues will be pleased to hear that. The Government will be funding free legal services in rural, regional and remote areas, particularly on the mid North Coast and in the Far West. There will also be targeted funding for disadvantaged people at the Prince of Wales Hospital experiencing health-related legal issues—we will bring the services to members of the public—and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the Sydney Local Health District. Very often the issues go hand in hand, and we are bringing together services to provide for the customer first. There is targeted funding for migrant workers experiencing employment exploitation across New South Wales. From 2019-20, the CLC sector will receive record funding of more than $14 million per year—these are not just numbers; these are real dollars going to real people—from the New South Wales Government and the Public Purpose Fund. Funding for the CLC sector has been prioritised by the New South Wales Government with the establishment of an innovative $44 million "future fund", the income from which can only be used for the benefit of the CLC sector. An independent evaluation panel was appointed to assess all applications for 2019-22 CLC funding against criteria which emphasised helping people with the greatest legal need and services that provide value for taxpayer's money. The Government will also focus on establishing a specialist Public Sector Prosecutions unit within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions focusing on confiscating assets and expediting complex criminal prosecutions relating to misconduct in public office. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 94

Finally, as I mentioned, the Government will be ensuring that correctional officers have the full protection of the law. Few jobs are as difficult, demanding and dangerous as those done by our Corrective Services officers. I, alongside the community, have a deep respect for them and the work they do. Our Corrective Services officers are worthy of the protection of the law and they deserve to work in a safe environment. With that being said, I am pleased to work with the Attorney General and the Government in ensuring that correctional officers have the full protection of the law and that their safety is enhanced. This Government cares about our communities and their safety. We will do everything we can to ensure that people everywhere will feel safe in their homes and neighbourhoods. As a result, under a two-year pilot, police will get tough new powers to search the homes and vehicles of convicted drug dealers. The drug supply prohibition orders will allow an application for an order to be made in relation to any person convicted of a serious drug offence, such as supply or manufacture of an indictable quantity, in the past 10 years. The pilot will operate across four police commands, including Bankstown, Coffs-Clarence, the Hunter Valley and Orana Mid-Western Police District. The drug supply prohibition orders will be subject to oversight by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission. This Government is committed to the rolling-out of additional security through closed-circuit television cameras and has established the $5 million Community and Small Business CCTV Fund to support community organisations and small businesses in western and south-western Sydney. The fund will provide up to $5,000 for each organisation towards the supply and installation of CCTV systems. At least 1,000 community organisations and small businesses will benefit from this funding. As I mentioned, the additional funding for Jewish schools is particularly close to my heart because it will ensure, through additional CCTV systems, that their communities are kept safe. I will also acknowledge our contributions to sport. I have been speaking of areas where there is a lot of work to do. Women's sport needs more funding and support, but I acknowledge the great work of this Government and its commitment to promoting women in sport by offering equality in sporting facilities. Easts Rugby Club will build female change rooms with the $1.8 million funding that the Government has pledged. Women are leading the way in Australian rugby. That is no reflection on the blokes but this funding will facilitate more women playing, more women winning and ultimately more women wearing Olympic medals for rugby—as they should. I thank the Government of New South Wales for this initiative and Easts Rugby President John Murray. In conclusion, I am humbled to have been re-elected to the Fifty-Seventh Parliament of New South Wales. It is an honour to represent my community in the northern province. I briefly acknowledge some members alongside whom it was my privilege to work during the campaign. Lee Evans, the hardworking member for Heathcote, was returned. I can now get to his electorate without my sat nav, which is good to know. He has clearly received the endorsement of his community. He has worked very hard and will continue to do so. Bruce Notley-Smith was equally hardworking as the member for Coogee. Although he was not returned, he came very close. It was a pleasure and privilege to work alongside Bruce, who is well- known in this place for his commitment and passion. Shane Bitschkat was the Liberal candidate for Shellharbour and Zachary Fitzpatrick was the Liberal candidate for Wollongong. It is no mean feat putting yourself forward for a seat that you know you probably have very low prospects of winning, but they did it nonetheless. I thank them for their commitment and hard work in those areas and for providing the people in those electorates with a choice. I thank our volunteers, most importantly. Our prospects are only heightened by them. We do not have a union machine behind us. Frankly, we do not have very much behind us. We have some volunteers who have real jobs and real lives who give up their weekends and weekdays for nothing to assist us. They are not promised anything other than the pleasure of seeing us returned. We thank them for their tireless work and for continuing to support us. We do not have much but we do have them. They are fierce in their support of us. Finally, I thank the Premier for delivering the very best birthday present one could ever receive. On my birthday the Sydney Metro Northwest opened. It was pretty difficult for my husband to compete with that present, but it was a great pleasure to see the arrival of something that we had heard about for so long. It was eight years in the making and was delivered on time and on budget. Typical of this Government, it was delivered even better than we could have expected. As with children, you cannot promise something and not deliver it. That is what this Government has been true to since it was elected. The community expects us to get things done, and we do. I very much look forward to working with all members in this place in the Fifty-Seventh Parliament. I thank them for the privilege of being able to do so. Let's get it done, New South Wales. I commend the motion to the House. The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (16:22): I thank my colleagues for allowing me to speak at this point so that I can keep some commitments I have later in the day. I make some remarks in response to the address of Her Excellency the Governor in this Chamber on our first day of sitting, not so very long ago. I say first how delighted I am that Her Excellency has taken up her appointment. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 95

She was a very fine lawyer, a great judge and a pathfinder for women in the law. She had an exceptionally distinguished period serving as President of the Court of Appeal. In that role she was frequently called upon to be Administrator of the State, as holders of that position are, in the absence of either the Governor or the Chief Justice or in the case of their incapacity to serve. It was evident that Margaret Beazley would be a very good choice to become the new Governor of New South Wales. Many members and others have commented on Her Excellency's legal career but, as arts Minister, I note her strong support for the arts sector. In particular, I recognise her service as President of the Arts Law Centre of Australia. I am indebted to Arts Law Centre of Australia Chief Executive Officer Robyn Ayres, who was able to clarify a few matters this afternoon so I could make some remarks about the Governor's service there. I am sure Robyn would want me to note that, in her view, Her Excellency did a wonderful job in promoting the incredible services provided by the centre. Her Excellency was the president of the Arts Law Centre from 8 August 2011 until finishing up in February 2019 just prior to accepting her new position. She was an amazing advocate for both the work of the centre and Australian artists. In particular, she was a forthright advocate for First Nation artists and the work of the centre to empower them and their communities through its Artists in the Black program. Under Her Excellency's presidency the Arts Law Centre became a stronger and more sustainable organisation with a greater focus on stronger governance and the establishment of working board committees. She understood the need for the centre to grow additional independent income streams and focused the board and organisation's attention on fundraising in order to commit the investment that this Government makes through Create NSW and that other governments make as well. Her Excellency also appreciated the need to raise the centre's profile not only within the legal community, in order to attract pro bono and philanthropic support, but also within the broader community. Under Her Excellency's tenure the centre significantly increased its fundraising income from both events and donations. Her Excellency also established the centre's young professionals and fundraising committee, named Hearts for Arts Law, which would hold a couple of events each year, not only to add to the centre's bottom line but also to nurture support for it among the younger members of the legal community. The quality of her service as a volunteer to that organisation speaks volumes about the commitment and great dedication and integrity of the person who now serves us as Her Majesty's representative in the State of New South Wales. I thank the Hon. Shayne Mallard for his comments when moving the motion this morning. I was delighted that he commenced with a historical reference because I am a great lover of the State's political history and have delved into that a little bit myself. I was pleasantly surprised when he referred to the 1971 election. That election— as I am sure most members on this side of the Chamber know—was the last time that a New South Wales Coalition government was elected for a third term. He went on to say that the parallels between then and now probably stopped there. The Askin Government, in my view, was a very good government but some question marks have emerged over time about some aspects of its administration. As I said in my maiden speech, I think its record still stands up very well as a government that achieved a great deal. Certainly Premier Askin was a colourful character. It is a matter of record that the 1971 election was a very close scrape for him indeed. He was benefited by a redistribution of electoral boundaries in 1969, which made his tiny win possible. After the 1968 election the Coalition parties had 53 of the 94 seats. After the redistribution it had 56 of the 96 seats. While there were two new seats, the Liberal Party and the Country Party, as it then was, got the equivalent of both of them through boundary changes. There was also another seat that flipped, as it were. So they had a bit of an unexpected buffer but the challenge was very real because in September 1970 there was a by-election in the seat of Georges River. As it happened I was a resident of Georges River; I was six years old. I cannot say that I really remember it or handed out how-to-vote cards. I think I was on the verge of my political consciousness at the time. The 1972 Federal election was my first big political memory when I was eight years old; at six I did not have that same degree of consciousness. The Georges River by-election resulted in a very severe swing against Askin. The Liberal Party's primary vote fell from 58 per cent to 40.3 per cent and we lost the seat. It had been held by the Liberal Party for a very long time but at that point Frank Walker was elected as the member for Georges River and was the member for a very long time. We were on notice but Askin was very worried that we were going to lose. Askin never was a believer in leaving anything to chance. This excellent book, volume 3 of a series, The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in Twentieth Century New South Wales, edited by Michael Hogan and a very senior former staffer of our library David Clune, records it in an excellent chapter written admittedly by myself on the 1971 election. At the time, people were a bit surprised that Askin won but subsequently a fellow called Geoffrey Reading wrote an otherwise forgettable book. Geoffrey Reading was Askin's former press secretary. I have read his book High Climbers: Askin & Others, which really does not have a lot to recommend it. That book has a chapter which talks about Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 96

something that hitherto was unknown but because the book was so bad I do not think it even got into wide political currency until I picked it up and included it, as I will mention in a minute. In that chapter Reading blew the whole thing sky-high. Reading's chapter contained revelations about a strategic leak from the Labor campaign in early January 1971 that provided Askin with full details of Labor's campaign strategy, themes and messages. Labor's advertising account for the 1971 State election was held by a firm called Hansen Rubensohn-McCann Erickson. The firm's founder, Sim Rubensohn, was described as the "father of Australian political advertising" and the firm had held Labor's State and Federal work for some time. Reading claims that while holidaying at Kiama, Askin dispatched his driver to collect Sim Rubensohn from Sydney and bring him to Kiama. He arrived at about 10.00 a.m. and stayed until 10.30 p.m. Reading in the book writes: He had with him a carton of documents and a pile of posters and notices of various kinds. His parcel comprised the whole of the Labor Party's campaign material provided for the forthcoming State election. This was quite an extraordinary revelation. When my chapter was eventually published—and there was quite a big launch in the Legislative Assembly of the release of all three books, which are all in the library and I encourage all members to read them as they are worth reading—I was told by Johno Johnson that there was quite a stir within the Labor Party because it was not widely known that Sim Rubensohn had done that. In fact, Johno told me that Gough Whitlam had rung him and said, "It all makes sense now." The 1971 election was extraordinary but I can assure members that the parallels absolutely finish there. There were no strategic leaks to the Coalition's campaign; certainly none to the Liberals and I doubt to The Nationals either. Graham Richardson has a great saying, which is "The punters always get it right," and they certainly did at this State election. We are delighted to be back for a third term but most importantly we are back because New South Wales wanted us to get it done. We have five key priorities. They formed the basis of Her Excellency's Speech, which is the subject of this Address-in-Reply debate, appropriately of course, because while Her Excellency did not adopt the traditional and conventional use of the term "my government" in Her Excellency's Speech, we are, as a matter of constitutional law, her government and our priorities are of course her government's priorities. Our priorities are of course, as was also mentioned in an excellent inaugural speech by my colleague the Minister for Finance and Small Business yesterday: a strong economy, quality jobs and job security for workers of today and tomorrow; highest quality education no matter where you live or what your circumstances may be; well-connected communities with quality local environments; making government work better for you by putting the customer at the centre of everything we do; and breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by fixing problems that have been in the too-hard basket for too long. That is exactly what we are going to do. It is a matter of great pride that I have been asked by the Premier to be the Leader of the Government again in this Chamber and also to serve in the Premier and Cabinet cluster with the responsibilities of Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations and also Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts. The Employee Relations function is very like the old Industrial Relations Ministry but we are moving to a different way of seeing things now. The industrial relations jurisdiction in this State largely is confined to public sector employees, and, frankly, we have had a pretty good relationship with the State public sector and the public sector wage policy that is in operation. It has provided a comfortable basis for State public servants in the period since it was instituted. As Special Minister of State I will also take on responsibility for the Heritage function that was formerly part of the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment. I am looking forward to all of those jobs, in particular, the Aboriginal Affairs responsibility, which is at the heart and centre of what government must be about in the future. I feel very strongly about our First Peoples. I made it a priority early in my term to listen. I think that is the most important thing for me to do at this stage; not talk about what I think should happen but just listen, because too often governments do not listen to what our First Peoples think about their situation. That is what I am going to do for some time yet, listen, because I want our Government to get it right, as the Premier's Priorities say—and this is certainly applicable to Aboriginal Affairs—breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by fixing problems that have been in the too-hard basket for too long. Sadly, there is intergenerational disadvantage amongst our First Peoples. I do not need to tell the Minister for Education that. She had a particularly fine two-year term as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs preceding me and has an excellent legacy she can look back on with pride. I am sure the Minister would not mind my saying there is still a great deal more to do. The Hon. Sarah Mitchell: Absolutely. The Hon. DON HARWIN: I look forward to getting on with the job. Other than being leader of this Chamber, as Leader of the Government the only continuing function that I have is with regard to my new responsibilities as Minister for the Arts. It has been a tremendous privilege to be the New South Wales arts Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 97

Minister. For the past two years I had 10 key priorities. They continue to be priorities in this term. It is due to a strong economy and a solid budget position that the State Government already has made significant progress towards achieving the 10 priorities. Now that the Government has been re-elected it will focus on getting them done. The first of those priorities is renewing Australia's icon, the Sydney Opera House. We have already completed a major upgrade of the Joan Sutherland Theatre, rebuilding the orchestra pit, replacing stage machinery, improving accessibility for the disabled and improving the acoustics. In 2020 we will commence a two-year project to transform the Concert Hall with dramatic improvements to the acoustics and a major reconfiguration and extension of the stage. The total cost will be $228 million. The second priority relates to our libraries. I am proud to be the Minister that has overseen the largest single injection of funds into public libraries since the Library Act 1939 was introduced. From the next financial year the New South Wales Government will allocate an additional $60 million over the four years of the forward estimates for public libraries. All councils will receive an increase in annual library funding of between 40 and 50 per cent by 2022-23. I am proud to say that funding will be highest in disadvantaged and remote communities. In particular, public libraries in regional New South Wales will be very big winners. A third priority is making sure that every regional community gets its fair share of spending on arts and culture. The Government's $100 million Regional Cultural Fund, announced two years ago, has been a game changer in regional communities. There have been 127 projects funded across regional New South Wales. More recently, I have increased the regional touring program spending by 50 per cent. This will ensure that regional communities have access the best concerts and performances. The fourth priority—and of course I am tremendously proud of this—is that we are building Australia's greatest art gallery. The Sydney Modern Project will double the exhibition space at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, making a great gallery even greater. I want to pay great respect to the extraordinary generosity of passionate art lovers within our State and around Australia who are supporting this project. At the last count, $105 million has been donated in support of this project. I make it clear that regional galleries also will benefit due to the support of the Regional Cultural Fund. Some of them include a new regional art gallery in the Southern Highlands, major upgrades in regional galleries in Grafton, Orange, Lake Macquarie, Mudgee, Singleton and Nowra, and other improvements to galleries in Taree, Muswellbrook, Grenfell and Forster. But I would be remiss if I did not mention the very significant new gallery and collection storage at Bundanon on the Shoalhaven River, with a commitment of funds from the State Government of $9 million, to house the collection given to the nation by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd. I am also delighted to note that during the recent Federal election campaign the Federal Government made a very clear and unimpeachable commitment to fund the rest of the master plan that has been developed by the Bundanon Trust. I will be delighted to work with my good friend and new colleague, the Federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon. Paul Fletcher, to make sure that happens and to make sure that the whole master plan is delivered. The fifth area of priority is more theatres and performance bases in Sydney and across New South Wales. Past governments of whatever colour have let too many of our theatres disappear. This Government has turned that around in Sydney and in regional New South Wales. The $207 million redevelopment doubles the size of the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. The plan is to provide seven new or upgraded performance spaces. This Government saved the Theatre Royal. There are negotiations at the moment to lease the theatre for 45 years from its owner to ensure there is a third venue for Broadway-style musicals in Sydney. This will ensure that there is significantly more work for performers and offstage technicians in our theatres. The Government is not stopping there. Planning is underway for a fourth theatre in the Ultimo Creative Industries Precinct and a fifth in the redeveloped Riverside Theatres complex at Parramatta. There is good news for regional communities as well. From the Regional Cultural Fund this Government is supporting a new performing arts centre for Goulburn, a new multipurpose arts and culture centre for Batemans Bay and a new studio performance space for Taree. There are major upgrades to theatres and performance spaces in Leeton, Lithgow, Griffith, Lismore, Bellingen and Lennox Head. There are improvements to theatres and smaller multi-use spaces used for performances at Brunswick Heads, Tenterfield, Robertson, Bowraville, Junee, Batlow, Casino and Murrah Hall near Bermagui. A further priority is revitalising the State's museums. All three State museum trusts have funding for very significant projects to ensure they remain number one in Australia. The Australian Museum has just commenced a $57 million expansion of its touring exhibition halls. It will open with the largest and most impressive Tutankhamen exhibition to ever leave Egypt. Sydney Living Museums is planning a major renewal project for the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Last year the State Library of New South Wales completed a significant expansion of its exhibition spaces for its incredible Australian history collection and literary holdings. The Museum of Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 98

Applied Arts and Sciences also is being transformed. There is funding of $645 million for the new museum at Parramatta and expansion of the Museum Discovery Centre at Castle Hill. Planning is underway for a museum of design and fashion in the Ultimo Creative Industries Precinct. For the first time there is very significant funding for smaller regional museums, primarily supported by volunteers, from the Regional Cultural Fund. Recipients include museums at Binnaway, Barraba, Gulgong, Berrima, Kyogle, Guyra, Comboyne, Lockhart, Condobolin and Wingham. Larger projects at the Old Dubbo Gaol, the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum and the Museum of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga also have received very significant funding. The State Government is working with Museums & Galleries of New South Wales as well on a study into a whole-of-State approach to digitising the collections of museums across the State. This will ensure that the stories of communities everywhere in this State are not lost. This is absolutely crucial. Inevitably some will see that I have been very focused on the brighter future for the National Art School [NAS] as a priority. I make absolutely no apologies because of its critical role in the visual arts ecosystem. I am absolutely thrilled with everything that has already been achieved. The threat to the National Art School's future from political and bureaucratic indifference is gone. The school has received the secure tenure of a 45-year lease over the historic Darlinghurst Gaol, which has been the school's home for almost 100 years. We have also guaranteed its funding, designating NAS as a "state-significant organisation" like Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The response has been absolutely extraordinary and I thank everyone who has sent me messages saying how much they appreciate everything I have done for NAS. We also put an emphasis and priority on producing film across the State. Over the past two years our $30 million Made in NSW and Regional Filming Fund incentives have leveraged 5,000 film jobs to boost the State's economy. In the past two years the funds have supported the production of films such as Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit 2, Pacific Rim: Uprising and a new Marvel Studios film. It is important that New South Wales continues to lead the nation in screen and television production. The Liberal-Nationals Government has driven more than $1.2 billion in film production expenditure. We will ensure that New South Wales remains the number one place for film and television production in the nation. Music matters, which is why we have made it a priority. I pay tribute to the focus that Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 6—Planning and Environment gave to music last year. The Government has been active in the music space. Following on from the huge success of our Live and Local program we have established the Music Now—Contemporary Live Music program. That program will provide annual funding of $1 million to support the presentation of live contemporary music by New South Wales-based musicians. There is more to do in the music area and I know there is considerable interest in the House. I look forward to music being one of my priorities over the next few years. Finally, my tenth—but still very important—priority is the creation of a cultural and creative industries precinct in Parramatta and dramatically increased support for the arts in western Sydney. Like regional New South Wales, under previous governments western Sydney has missed out. As a matter of cultural equity I see it as an absolute priority to redress the balance, preferably through new funding. I am pleased to say that in the past four years we have increased funding to western Sydney arts organisations by 40 percent to develop new arts practitioners and new audiences and make the arts more accessible in the city's west. Parramatta, our second CBD in the geographic heart of Sydney, is being transformed with a cultural and creative industries precinct based around the new museum and the planned re-development of the Riverside Theatres. We are also very hopeful that we will secure a cultural and creative industries hub based around the Parramatta Female Factory precinct, although the final use of that site is still being debated within government. If secured, the precinct will offer the chance to co-locate a range of western Sydney arts organisations with spaces to create, rehearse, perform and exhibit. I look forward to working towards that goal. I am proud of my record and I look forward to building on it with the support of the House, my colleagues and, in particular, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts, the Hon. Ben Franklin. I was delighted to read of his appointment by the Premier and Deputy Premier and look forward to working with him. As I have told the House on many occasions, the advice of the Hon. Ben Franklin has ensured that we have an excellent record on regional arts. More than a couple of the projects I referred to during my remarks in the last couple of minutes have received advocacy by the Hon. Ben Franklin. He has brought excellent community applications to my attention and when I have seen them the merit has been obvious. I am pleased to say that recommendations have always came forward to support them and I have been delighted to tick them off. The job is ahead of us but I am very motivated and delighted to be part of a third term for the Government. It is an historic term. Should we proceed and reach the end of this term as a government, which I am sure we will, we will be the longest-serving coalition government in the history of the State. I see that not as a matter to celebrate, but as a sign of recognition for all the good work that we are doing. This is a Government that is focused Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 99

on the people of New South Wales and what they need. They recognise that and that is why they have given us this opportunity. We are not going to let them down. The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) (16:54): I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to the Governor's Speech. It was a privilege to be appointed the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning in April. I congratulate Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley AO, QC on her appointment. I have had the opportunity to meet Her Excellency a couple of times and she is a remarkable woman. Her story is inspiring for women, particularly young women, across the State. She was a great choice and I wish her—as I am sure all members do—the very best for her term as Governor. The Coalition Government is getting on with the job of delivering for our communities. The previous speaker, the Leader of the Government, made a lot of fine statements about the work that the Government will do now it has been returned for its third term. I congratulate Premier Gladys Berejiklian on her historical achievement of not only leading our Government to re-election but also becoming the first elected female Premier of New South Wales. She is another wonderful role model for women, particularly young women, across the State and nation. I congratulate all of my new and re-elected colleagues in the upper House. While we have our moments in the Chamber some days, I think we all know that it is a real privilege to be elected to serve in this place. That is something that we should all remember every day when we walk into this Chamber. I have enjoyed the inaugural speeches that have been delivered so far—I know there are more to come this afternoon. They are a great way to learn about where all the individual members come from and their journeys to get to this place. I often find I learn a lot about people I did not know before by listening to their inaugural speeches. I look forward to the inaugural speeches to come. The Governor's Speech outlined the Government's election commitments to the people of New South Wales, including more investment than ever before in schools. We want to give all children in New South Wales the best possible start to life. Having worked in the early childhood portfolio since the beginning of 2017, I have seen firsthand how vital it is for our children to get a strong start no matter what their background is. That is why the Government has reformed and refined the governance arrangements in this area by including education with early childhood learning under my ministerial responsibilities, and skills and tertiary education with Minister Lee within the cluster. It is our aim to shape and support life-long learning and positive economic outcomes for all. As the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning I am committed to continuing to improve the education system in New South Wales so that all children can access quality education. I do have one experience that I suspect may be quite rare for new education Minister: my appointment came just weeks after my eldest daughter started kindergarten at our local government school. As a new parent in our public education system, I find that the commitments being made by the Department of Education in its strategic plan really resonate with me. The department is committed to ensuring that every child and young person is: known, valued and cared for; improving every year through engaged learning; and quickly set on the pathway to be an independent learner, confident in their ability to learn, adapt and be a responsible citizen. Our schools often stand in the place of the parent because they are trusted to provide that care, support and commitment every day to every child. I felt the weight of that trust as my daughter went into her classroom on the first day of school and met her friends and lovely teacher. She has had a great and exciting beginning to her school journey. I enjoy being the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning but I also enjoy being a school parent. It is exciting to be involved and I am keen to volunteer. I am due to do canteen duty next term; I am on the list and I have made a commitment to be there. Fridays are busy at our local school, so that is probably when I will help out. The Hon. Mick Veitch: What about classroom reading? The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL: Yes, I definitely want to be involved in that. Our school is also part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation program, which provides an opportunity to cook with the children every couple of weeks. I am excited to be able to do that and I am looking forward to it. I am pleased that the school principal is relaxed about having me there in my capacity as a kindy mum and not as the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning. I will briefly address some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of us in the education sector in New South Wales and identify some areas that I will focus on in the future. I have retained the Early Childhood Education portfolio and I am excited about that. As members know, particularly those who served with me in the previous government, I am extremely passionate about early childhood education. Last year the Government was able to introduce some substantive reforms, including increased funding for three-year-olds to attend community preschools. We have seen that investment roll out and provide capital funding to create more preschool places in areas of high demand. That will be a game changer for the next generation of young children. It has been valuable Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 100

to have experience in the early childhood education area prior to taking on the full Education portfolio. I know that the results emerging from our schools reinforce the need for continued investment in the early years of education, and that will remain one of my priorities. This Government understands the practical demands of modern family lives. As parents we juggle the complexities of work and family. It is imperative that we provide further high-quality, reliable and affordable before- and after-school care. The Government has announced that it will invest $120 million to provide working families with greater access to affordable, convenient and flexible services. It is providing funding for infrastructure improvements and rental relief for providers and a special fund for support provision in smaller schools and regional and rural communities. We will work closely with schools, parents and the before- and after- school care sector to achieve the best outcomes. Obviously the Government is proud of its record-breaking investments in great infrastructure, and I will address that later in my contribution. However, it is also important to note that while new and improved buildings are important, the real magic that happens in classrooms is the result of great teaching. All the educational research agrees that it is as a result of great teaching that children flourish. I am committed to supporting our principals and teachers across the State with outstanding, relevant and rigorously validated professional development and by lifting unnecessary administrative demands. I know that that has been a burden and that a great deal of work has been done in that space but more must be done to address those demands. We must also bring evidence of great practice to every school by showcasing what works best. As Minister, I want to be a champion of teachers working everywhere in New South Wales. I have a great and sincere respect for the profession. My sister is a primary school teacher, although she is not working in the field now. I also have a few cousins and many friends who are teachers. I see their dedication and the effort they put into their students and I certainly want to support that. I will also try to spend as much time as I can in schools. Members know that during my time as the Minister for Early Childhood Education I visited many preschools and early learning centres, and I will be doing that again as Minister for Education. I have already visited a number of schools in the two months that I have been the Minister. I thank the schools that have welcomed me, including those in the Upper Hunter, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone, Willow Tree, Armidale and Cootamundra, which I mentioned during question time earlier today. Here in Sydney I have visited schools at Neutral Bay, Castle Hill, Russell Lea and Penrith. Visiting schools gives me a great opportunity to listen to teachers and to hear about what we can do to support them as they support learning in our schools. I talk to principals, school leaders, students and parents. Representatives of parents and citizens groups have been involved in many of the visits I have made. That is fantastic because it is important that I get the perspective of mums and dads about what is working in their school and what else they would like to see happen. As Minister I am committed to keeping children and young people at the centre of decision-making. We must support them because they are the focus of our work in the education sector. We must support their learning by supporting their teachers. The Government is continuing to prioritise supporting school principals as a key strategy in helping them to lead schools that continue to improve engagement and learning outcomes for all students. It is fair to say that more could be done in the preparation of school principals. The New South Wales School Leadership Institute offers an opportunity for us to deliver high-quality, professional and relevant leadership development programs for current and future generations of school leaders. The Government will continue to back strong local decision-making by principals, who know their schools best. Under the Gonski funding model funds will be available to allocate to address local needs and priorities. I have already had an opportunity to meet with a number of key stakeholder groups in the Education portfolio area, and I have reacquainted myself with early childhood learning key stakeholder groups. I look forward to working closely with all of them because they bring significant and important insights to the lived experience in our schools, preschools and other early learning facilities. One area of staffing that I will focus on is the provision of education in rural and remote schools. Given that I am a country member and a product of regional schools, members will understand why that is a deep personal commitment of mine. Traditionally it has been harder to get experienced leaders and teachers into roles in rural and regional locations. Principals I have spoken to have talked about the challenge of getting the permanent and casual teachers they need to make a school work well. We have more work to do in that area and I will focus on it. I also want to play my part in seizing opportunities in Aboriginal education. As the Leader of the Government said, he has now taken on the role as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. I had that portfolio for two years and I was proud and felt privileged to serve in that role. As Minister for Education, I now have the opportunity to focus on this key area. Wherever I went in the State and spoke to Aboriginal elders, leaders and community members, they mentioned education as a core area in which we could work together to invest in their Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 101

young people and particularly the next generation. I am looking forward to continuing to make a contribution in that space, albeit with a different portfolio responsibility. Because of this Government's sound management of the State's finances it is delivering record amounts of needs-based funding to our schools. Over the next nine years until 2027 the Government will provide an additional $6.4 billion for schools, bringing the State's total investment over that period to $148 billion. That is unprecedented. It must be stressed that this level of needs-based funding is possible only because of some of the decisions that this Government made in an effort to get the budget back under control when it first assumed office in 2011. That was incredibly important and it will now see the benefits flow into schools across the State. Equity lies at the heart of our education system. Every child is important regardless of what type of school they attend. It is no secret that the challenges faced by students, parents, teachers and school communities in regional New South Wales can be unique and varied. As a proud member of The Nationals, that is a perspective I will be able bring to this portfolio. As a government we believe that all students, regardless of where they live, have the right to use the same learning tools and resources. Over the next four years alone the Government is investing $6.5 billion to upgrade and to build more than 190 schools. It will also invest record amounts in teachers on the frontline, which I have referred to in the House already. The Government is also setting new standards for teaching quality by creating the Teacher Success Profile, which will ensure that the teachers we hire are the very best. The Government will deliver a great deal in the education space. It is ploughing full steam ahead in delivering on its election commitments. I will highlight just a few of its key priorities. It is clearing the school maintenance backlog and hiring at least one full-time psychologist in every high school, which is an important initiative in response to the increased pressure facing some school students. With funding of $10 million, we are empowering students to create more sustainable schools by investing in practical programs to help students make their school environments cleaner. We recognise that we must get back to the basics and declutter the curriculum, so we are undertaking the first comprehensive review of the curriculum in more than 30 years. We have also developed new, modernised syllabuses in English, science, technology, maths, history, geography and languages. We intend to continue governing for all students in New South Wales, equipping them with the best possible tools to enable them to be productive and engaged twenty-first century citizens. As Minister, it is an incredible privilege to be able to do this work. I believe in the remarkable promise of education for every individual to overcome socio-economic disadvantage, to open the door to life's opportunities, to underpin our civil society and to build the future of our communities, our cities and our nation. There is no more important work that a society does together than raise its future generations. With all of the challenges and complexities evident across the world and in our own society, there is no more important time for educational leaders to deliver on the promise of education. This will be our mission together. I look forward to working with all in the education community to achieve great things for the young people in our care. Finally, I thank the people of New South Wales for placing their trust in the Coalition. To those people I say that we will continue to get on with the job of delivering for them and their families. I will continue to fight to ensure that every single person across the State, no matter where they live or what their circumstances may be, has access to a world-class education in New South Wales. The Hon. TAYLOR MARTIN (17:11): I congratulate Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley, AO, QC, on her appointment as Governor of New South Wales. I speak in reply to her address in this Chamber to mark the commencement of the Fifty-Seventh Parliament. It is with great pleasure that I contribute to this debate as a member of the re-elected Berejiklian Government and the Liberal-Nationals Coalition, which has now been elected to Government in this State for the third consecutive time. Two years ago when I gave my inaugural speech in this Chamber I said: It is clear that today it is the Liberal Party who are on the side of the workers. We are the ones who back those families—families like mine. We want them to succeed, we want them to contribute and we want them to thrive. We should be unashamed as Liberals, as conservatives, to stand up for the values and traditions that made New South Wales and Australia into the place that we know and love today. It is those workers and families who have entrusted us with our third term. We asked them to join us to get it done and that is what they have entrusted us to do. They looked at the activity happening around our State and saw that we were getting on with the job that we had committed to do and they supported us in our commitment to get it done. I am very proud to be part of a government that has transformed the State since being elected in 2011. We are getting on with the job of building a stronger New South Wales to take the pressure off families. We have worked hard to balance the budget and because of that effort New South Wales has no net debt. We have created Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 102

more new jobs than ever before and we are making the investments in infrastructure and frontline services that our community needs. As the Governor said in her speech, prior to the election the Government set out a plan for New South Wales to lock in the State's strong economy, keep the budget in surplus and help business continue to create jobs; take the pressure off families by helping ease the cost of living and delivering better services; fix our roads and transport network to ease congestion and make it quicker for people to travel around our city and our State; invest more than ever in health so that every person has high-quality care when they need it most; and invest more than ever in schools to give all children in New South Wales the best start in life. Together we have worked hard to repair the budget and build the strongest economy in the nation. We have no net debt and we have protected the State's triple-A credit rating. We pledged that 250,000 jobs will be created in New South Wales over the next four years. This Government has the credibility to make that commitment: Almost 400,000 jobs have been created in New South Wales since 2015, compared to our pledge of 150,000 at the start of that period. Achieving our commitments is not a fluke. It requires unrelenting effort to ensure that New South Wales remains the economic powerhouse of the nation. First and foremost, the $89.7 billion to be invested in infrastructure over the next four years is an important part of our plan. As someone from a regional area, I can see my community benefitting from the jobs and infrastructure boom across the State. Last year in this place I spoke about the Government's actions to revitalise the Gosford CBD following the release of the Government Architect's final report, as well as the State environmental planning policies review, the development control plan and the Special Infrastructure Contribution levy for the Gosford CBD. The Government has already committed $52 million for infrastructure and public domain improvements in the Gosford CBD, including upgrades to unseen infrastructure so that any future growth in the region does not put strain on vital systems such as stormwater and sewerage drains. The direct result of this funding is the reduction in the Special Infrastructure Contribution levy to 3 per cent. We hope this will incentivise development in the Gosford CBD in order to kickstart the activation of the CBD and, more importantly, to improve housing supply and affordability in the region. Prior to the election the Government announced that Gosford would be the location for the new Central Coast Education and Employment Precinct, which will be a catalyst for continuing the revitalisation of the city and region. The new education and employment precinct will stimulate the local economy and create jobs as well as provide more choice for locals who are currently forced to travel every day for work and study. This announcement builds on the collaboration with key partners and leverages investments already made by Federal and State governments to create further opportunities and drive investment in the region. The Northside Medical Precinct that was unveiled earlier this year is an unbelievable show of confidence in what is happening in Gosford: $350 million of private investment in health facilities that the graduates from the Central Coast Medical School will surely all want to work at after they graduate instead of heading to Sydney for work. As a comparison, that is the same amount that the State Liberal Government has invested in Gosford public hospital, which shows the scale of what is now being proposed off the back of that initial investment. This kind of project demonstrates that the Government's revitalisation program has created the right type of environment at the right time to ensure Gosford is on its way to realise its enormous potential. The Liberal candidate for Gosford, Sue Dengate, put it best when she said that Gosford would be "the shining gateway it is supposed to be". I could not agree more. I take this opportunity to thank Sue and the Gosford State Electorate Conference for their tireless campaign efforts and to acknowledge that Sue knocked 5 per cent off Labor's margin in that electorate. Earlier this year the Government announced a suite of pioneering planning measures to help the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council better utilise its land. That is another goal of the Central Coast Regional Plan that has been achieved. The Darkinjung Delivery Framework brings greater self-determination for the Darkinjung community and encourages better social and economic results from its land holdings. The measures align the planning system more sympathetically with the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, stimulating improved governance, empowerment, strategic planning and more efficient land use. The Darkinjung Delivery Framework includes statutory planning measures to enable preparation of strategic plans for land owned by the land council that will inform planning and development decision-making. As the largest private landholder on the Central Coast, Darkinjung is an ideal pilot to implement such sweeping planning reform, which will benefit the entire Central Coast region and remove unnecessary roadblocks in front of our local land council. This is indeed a momentous agreement. I acknowledge Minister Roberts for his efforts in seeing it reached. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 103

In the Hunter the Government is funding a transformational defence, aviation, aerospace and technology precinct outside Newcastle Airport. The investment will capitalise on the existing economic strengths of the region, securing 76 hectares of special-purpose land committed to defence- and aviation-related industry and employment. This funding from the Coalition Government will contribute to the cost of establishing services such as water, sewerage, gas, electrical and broadband connections as well as the construction of a major access road. These are the types of futureproofing projects that the Governor said "are expanding New South Wales' diverse economy and are a significant investment in creating the jobs of the future". This Government recognises that easing the cost of living will have an enormous impact on many people across New South Wales. This was also a priority for the Liberal candidate for Swansea, Dean Bowman. I know Dean as an advocate for working families and a voice for common sense in the area. Dean said to me that cost of living was the equal number one campaign issue along with the foul state of Lake Macquarie's bins. From July this year families will be able to access two $100 Active Kids vouchers per child each year. This will mean that parents will have access to a voucher for winter and summer sports. This is in addition to the $100 Creative Kids vouchers to reduce the costs of activities such as drama, theatre, music lessons and coding. From 1 July 2019 drivers who spend $15 or more a week on tolls will be eligible for half-priced car registration. Drivers who spend $25 or more a week on tolls will continue to receive free rego. When it opens, from day one users of NorthConnex will not only be saving travel time but will also be eligible for free rego should they meet those thresholds. We also have plans to reduce the weekly cap on Opal cards to $50. Currently commuters can travel as much as they want on metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services within the Opal network and never pay more than $63.20 a week. The plan to cut this to $50 per week is going to be of great benefit to those who commute long distances, especially from the Central Coast and Hunter. Another initiative that will come into effect from 1 July this year is the introduction of a $200 rebate aimed at taking cost-of-living pressure off our seniors. For the first time, around 130,000 self-funded retirees will be able to claim $200 a year to help with their power bills. The rebates will be available to customers who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card through Service NSW centres and online. This is on top of our current range of energy rebates, including the $285 Low Income Household Rebate and the $110 Gas Rebate, which help pensioners and veterans with their electricity and gas bills. The Government is also investing more than ever in schools to give all children in New South Wales the best possible start in life. We are supporting our schools and teachers so that our children get the best education. I know the Liberal candidate for Charlestown, Jenny Barrie, was running for Parliament because she wanted to see a better future for children in her region. We are providing before and after school care for every primary student in every public school. We are hiring an extra 4,600 teachers so children are getting the education and attention they need. We are upgrading local schools, clearing the entire school maintenance backlog in every public school and delivering air conditioning for classrooms that need it. We are delivering more mental health specialists in schools to take the pressure off students and combat the impact of cyberbullying. Earlier this year the Liberal candidate for Lake Macquarie, Lindsay Paterson, and I announced that tenders had gone out for major upgrades of Wangi Wangi and Speers Point public schools. These upgrades will deliver improved facilities for students and teachers. The upgrade at Speers Point Public School will include five new air-conditioned classrooms, two refurbished air-conditioned classrooms, a hall, a canteen and new administration and staff facilities. The upgrade at Wangi Wangi Public School will include six new air-conditioned classrooms, an administration building, a canteen and a hall. I am pleased that building works at both schools have now commenced. We have also committed to removing demountables and building new permanent classrooms at Brooke Avenue Public School, which is great news for the students at The Entrance. The Government has made significant progress in reducing the school maintenance backlog, which was well over $1 billion when we entered government in 2011. In just over a year's time this backlog should be at zero. This is an incredible achievement of the Government. The Government is continuing to fix our hospitals across New South Wales and is making health care more accessible. We are hiring 5,000 more nurses and midwives and more than 1,000 more doctors and health professionals so people can get the best care when they need it most. We are building new and upgraded hospitals across New South Wales. We are delivering an extra 100 palliative care nurse and we are delivering an extra 8,000 surgeries for children. I know that the news that the Government will invest $780 million redeveloping the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle was well received in the Hunter. The project will result in a significant expansion of the existing site and incorporate new emergency medicine, cancer care and surgical services. It will also mean a jobs boom for the Hunter by creating more than 7,800 jobs. This is in addition to the $470 million the New South Wales Government is investing in building the new Maitland Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility to meet the growing health service needs for the surrounding communities of the Hunter Valley now and into the future. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 104

The new hospital will offer a wider range of services with significantly more beds and treatment spaces. It will include emergency care, chemotherapy chairs, surgical services, critical care, maternity services, paediatric care, cardiac catheterisation, inpatient beds, mental health, rehabilitation services, palliative care and outpatient clinics. The first sod was turned for this project in February—with the Liberal candidate for Maitland, Sally Halliday, there—marking a significant milestone for the project. I know the Maitland community is extremely excited about this new hospital. It has been a long time coming and I look forward to it opening early in the next decade. We are also upgrading Wyong Public Hospital. Progress is occurring there, with the plans having been through a public exhibition this March. The redeveloped hospital will be an amazing facility that will feature the latest in technology for the comfort of patients, staff and visitors alike. I know that the Liberal candidate for Wyong, Ying Shu Li-Cantwell, was very excited to tell people about the redevelopment during the election campaign. The hospital redevelopment is significant as it will better serve the existing population and position itself for future population growth. When complete, the redevelopment will deliver an increase in overall service capacity. It will include both the development of a new services building and the refurbishment of some areas of the existing hospital, including a new and enhanced emergency department, intensive care services, medical imaging, paediatric outpatient and short stay unit, additional car parking and increased medical day unit ambulatory services. Over the next four years the Government will also undertake some major road upgrades that will make it easier and safer for locals in my area to get around. Planning for stage five of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass between Rankin Park and Jesmond has progressed, with the environmental impact statement being approved. The Liberal candidate for Wallsend, Nick Trappett, was especially keen to see this progress as it would mean less traffic on local roads in the electorate. The bypass will mean motorists will avoid up to 11 sets of traffic lights and will reduce congestion on Lookout Road, Croudace Street and Newcastle Road. It will also provide safe paths for cyclists and pedestrians and a direct interchange with John Hunter Hospital. We have commenced work on the next stage of the duplication of the Pacific Highway at Lisarow. More than 30,000 motorists use this road each day and it is significantly congested in peak hours. We have committed $387 million to the duplication of the Central Coast Highway between Bateau Bay and Wamberal, which will be a massive relief to the 26,000 motorists who use this road each day. This is a project that the member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, MP, has been working on for some time now. I know that he was excited to see that funding announced. I take this opportunity to congratulate my friend Adam Crouch on his appointment as Government Whip in the other place. The Government has also committed $205 million to finish the duplication of the Nelson Bay Road between Anna Bay and Williamtown. This will mean faster journey times for the 25,000 people who use that road each and every day. I know this road upgrade was extremely important to the Liberal candidate for Port Stephens, Jaimie Abbott, and the funding commitment is in no small part due to her advocacy. I thank the Port Stephens State Electorate Conference, Jaimie and her family for their hard work in the campaign. The Liberal-Nationals Government is investing $1.9 billion over the next five years to deliver the Road Safety Plan 2021. This includes $640 million for saving lives on country roads and $180 million for livable and safe urban communities. Specifically, $182 million will be invested in road upgrades across the State during the next financial year, which includes the delivery of 224 new projects. A significant portion of that $182 million will be spent on safety upgrades at Wilfred Barrett Drive between The Entrance North and Norah Head. As the Liberal candidate for The Entrance, Brian Perrem, highlighted when this project was announced, there have been seven separate fatal accidents on this stretch of road in the last nine years alone, which is a frightening statistic for locals. These road upgrades will include intersection upgrades, turning lanes, new wire rope between each lane and W-Beam barriers, which should result in lives being saved in the future. In the last couple of months the Government has completed some of the large-scale projects that it had been building in the last term of Parliament. The first of these in my area is the Newcastle Light Rail, which was opened on 17 February. The light rail was one of those projects that attracted criticism from the Opposition but we knew that a significant amount of Novocastrians were looking forward to the beginning of its operation, knowing that it would transform the city, which was previously divided by the railway line. The light rail has been embraced by Newcastle and is being used heavily—well above what was forecast—which is excellent. One of the biggest supporters of the light rail was Blake Keating. His passion for this project, and his desire for Newcastle to benefit from it, was one of the catalysts for his deciding to be the Liberal candidate for Newcastle. The next major project to be completed was the new western Sydney stadium at Parramatta. This was another project heavily criticised by those opposite. Despite this, Rugby League and football fans eagerly awaited its opening, and the first match last month attracted a near sell-out crowd of more than 29,000 people. Reviews of the stadium were outstanding, which is great news for locals and tourists alike. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 105

Finally, just this week the new Sydney Metro Northwest has opened, linking north-west Sydney to Chatswood. The extension, under the city through to Bankstown, is already under construction. Yet again, this project was heavily criticised by the Opposition but those people who lived nearby—they sat in traffic as the extension took shape—were quietly counting down the months until its opening. Now they can use it every day to get to work. They turned out in their tens of thousands to give it a test run, and despite a couple of opening-day jitters, the line is operating well and commuters have given it the big tick of approval. Can members see a trend here? Every major infrastructure project that has been opened by this Government has been subject to complaint by the Opposition, but the silent majority—perhaps some might call them the "quiet Australians"—have patiently waited and looked forward to the things that this Government has been building. I know that the same optimism exists in the community for NorthConnex, WestConnex, Sydney Light Rail and even the new stadiums. Together, the people of New South Wales are saying, "Let's get it done." The PRESIDENT: It being 5.30 p.m., according to resolution of the House this day, proceedings are now interrupted to enable the Hon. Anthony D'Adam and the Hon. Emma Hurst to make their first speeches without any question before the Chair. I remind all members that the Hon. Anthony D'Adam is about to make his first speech in this place. I ask all members to extend the usual courtesies to this member. Members INAUGURAL SPEECH The PRESIDENT: On behalf of the entire Chamber I welcome into my gallery members of the Hon. Anthony D'Adam's family, including his parents, Maureen and Bruno; his partner, Kelly Livingston; and their children, Samuel, Inez and Atticus. His siblings are also here, and they include Katherine, Paul and his partner, Maeve, and Joanna. The Hon. Anthony D'Adam's family are all here in the House this evening for the member's first speech. They are all most welcome. The Hon. ANTHONY D'ADAM (17:32): I want to start by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land, the Gadigal clan of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This Parliament is a place steeped in tradition but the history of this land and its people precede it by over 40,000 years. The world's oldest continuing culture is something to be celebrated. I want Australia to come to terms with its past and to reconcile with its first nations through treaty, truth-telling and makarrata. I hope that throughout my time in this place I will be remembered as a friend to Aboriginal Australians and their struggle for self-determination. While we cannot change the past we can chart a different future by acknowledging the past wrongs and by together taking steps to overcome their legacies. It is a great honour to take a seat in this Parliament and to be given an opportunity to serve the people of New South Wales. I am a student of history. I have loved history since I was a child. I know that our constitutional framework was forged through centuries of struggle. Our democracy and its attendant freedoms are precious. Each generation must seek to deepen and strengthen our democratic institutions. We have a sacred duty to defend these liberties and resist their erosion. Strong institutions are the difference between successful societies and those that fail to deliver the basics to their people. These are the true foundations of our nation's prosperity. A true democracy not only requires our Parliament to be representative and democratic but also requires our institutions to have democratic values embedded in their frameworks. Our universities, schools, health system, public service, work places and political parties must embody democratic values. Citizens need to be given opportunities actively and meaningfully to participate in the governance of these institutions. And within these institutions there must be space for dissent, disagreement, discussion and debate. I am concerned by the trend toward a decline in party political activism that afflicts our political system. Parties, in particular our relatively stable two-party system, have been the ballast of our democracy but our political system is becoming more fragmented. I come out of a current in the Left of the Labor Party that holds as fundamental a belief in the sovereignty of the branches and the members. Over the years I have had the benefit of observing many of its key practitioners—Laurie Ferguson, Paul Lynch and Daryl Melham—build and maintain strong branch structures that have sunk deep roots into their communities. It is an approach that is in stark contrast to the prevailing trend in political parties, particularly the Labor Party, where the centralisation of authority has led to a reduction in the influence of ordinary members in the governance of parties. It is a trend that needs to be reversed if Labor is to reconnect to its base. Reform of our political parties as a key institution of our democracy is necessary to ensure that major parties continue to be representative of the broadest cross-section of our society. Our public funding system should ensure that parties are incentivised to maximise citizen participation and adhere to basic democratic norms in their internal governance. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 106

It is a convention in first speeches to commence with an explanation of one's life but, to be honest, I am generally uncomfortable talking about my personal life and background. I think that in society and public life too many people spend too much time talking about themselves. The increasing focus on personal narrative in politics is corrosive. Our politics has become egocentric, leading to increasing presidential tendencies in our political system. This has been to the detriment of the strong Westminster traditions of cabinet government and collective responsibility that have served our nation so well. I believe this flawed emphasis on individual character, which is encouraged by the media industry and social media, is the single greatest contributing factor to the last decade of volatility in our national leadership. Our society has become increasingly self-centred and narcissistic, and this is eroding the basic courtesies, civilities and skills of cooperation that are essential to keeping our society cohesive. Public discourse has a tendency to overstate the role of individual agency. I have always been a collectivist and have considered the most important factor in sound decision-making is the structure and process for arriving at the decision. In truth few things in the world are achieved through individual striving. The greatest achievements in political life are achieved collectively. Yet across the globe we can see a misplaced yearning for strong leaders. I subscribe to the view of the legendary civil rights leader Ella Baker, who said that "strong people don't need strong leaders". We as a society need to invest more in ensuring our citizens learn the skills of self-government and collective action. I am the youngest of five children. I have one brother and three sisters. I was raised a Catholic. I went to Catholic schools and attended mass on a weekly basis. It was often joked in my household that according to Catholic tradition the youngest boy was always destined for the priesthood. I rejected Catholicism in my late teens but around the same time I found a new religion in the cause of Labor and the trade union movement. Although I am no longer a Catholic, it is impossible to avoid the impact of being immersed in a particular culture. My political outlook has been influenced by Catholic social teaching. The centrality of the parable of the good Samaritan, the optional preference for the poor and the concept of subsidiarity, are all foundational elements in my world view. As I have grown older I have also come to recognise the role of faith in binding and sustaining community, particularly in my own community in western Sydney, where both church and mosque are the gathering points for many new migrant communities. Faith is important in our society and freedom of conscience is the foundation of all other freedoms. This is why I believe the state must be strictly secular. Indeed the only guarantor of the freedom of conscience is a state that remains neutral on matters of religion. My grandfathers were a significant influence on me despite both having died well before I was born. My siblings had known my grandmothers but both had died by the time I was aware of what grandparents were. I felt a sense of having missed out on something special. It prompted a search for knowledge of who these people were and as I discovered more about them it triggered an interest in politics. My maternal grandfather, John "Jack" Collins, was also a political activist. A committed Catholic, he was active in the movement. He served in the First World War—a boy when he enlisted in the Light Horse. He was a participant in the charge of Beersheba. He was barely 18 at the time. He hated war and rarely spoke of his war service. He grew up in a working-class family in Newtown. He had little education as a child. He gained his education as an adult, trained as an accountant and went on to rise to a senior level in the Commonwealth Public Service. He was a great admirer of Ben Chifley. My paternal grandfather, Antonio D'Adam, came to this country in 1922 as a refugee from the rising fascism in his native Italy. He was a socialist, an admirer of Giacomo Matteotti, the Italian socialist leader and martyr. Antonio was involved in a fight with supporters of Mussolini in his home town of Caltrano. He was told they would kill him. He fled his home. He travelled to Genoa and got on the first boat he could. His intention had been to go to America but the ship he obtained passage on was destined for Australia. He never saw his father, his mother or his home country again. Had he arrived today he might have been considered an unauthorised maritime arrival. His story is not dissimilar to so many of my own community in western Sydney who have fled their countries and sought refuge in Australia. Our country must always be a place where those fleeing persecution can find safety and build better lives for themselves and their families. My father, Bruno, was born in 1933. His early life was shaped by the Great Depression and the war. Growing up as an Italian-Australian when our country was at war with Italy was difficult. Many family friends were interned in prison camps as enemy aliens, irrespective of whether they had opposed the government in Italy. To be Italian in that time was to be the other, to be subject to fear, suspicion and prejudice. When I look at the misplaced hostility that some in our community direct towards Muslims, many of whom have come to Australia fleeing war and oppressive regimes, I think this must have been how Italians felt during the war. When my father married my mother in the late 1950s it was a little controversial on my mother's side of the family. My mother was from an Anglo-Irish background and by marrying the son of migrants she crossed a Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 107

type of colour line in place at the time. But their story is part of the great Australian melting pot. This is the source of the great success of Australia's experience with multiculturalism, as second and third generations of migrants forged new, blended, multicultural identities. When I hear the hand-wringing angst of the ultra Right fretting about the loss of culture, I think: How can they get it so wrong? Culture is dynamic and ever changing, constantly interacting with its environment. So too are identities fluid and shifting. There is no single Australian culture. We are plural and diverse. I was fortunate to come into the employ of Bob Gould while studying at the University of Sydney. The legendary bookseller took a shine to me and offered me a job at his King Street book shop. Over the course of many nights I was introduced to the canon of the Left. Working at Gould's was my real university education. I discovered writers and ideas that I have continued to draw on. It transformed the way I think and, in particular, I embrace Bob's hostility to authoritarianism. Bob was a Trotskyist for most of his life. He recognised the threat that Stalinism had posed to the viability of a genuine Left. Stalinism was the murderous consequence of the excessive centralisation of power, the erosion of democratic norms and the monopoly of a single dogma in a political system. I have opposed these tendencies wherever I have found them. Across the globe authoritarianism is on the rise. In Turkey, the Philippines, Russia, Brazil and even in the United States we see attempts to hollow out democracy with electoral manipulation, the erosion of media freedom and the unnecessary centralisation of power in presidential strongmen. In China the Communist Party is forging an alternative model of authoritarian capitalism that poses a challenge to the form of liberal democracy that has prevailed in the West since the Second World War. We take our democratic institutions for granted at our peril. Stable government, where power alternates through peaceful and democratic elections, is a precious thing. In our own country authoritarian opinion is also on the rise. The increasing appeal of parties of the far Right is disturbing. It reflects a reaction to the expanding arc of freedom in our society. The Right is hostile to those who represent the "other". They reaffirm the dominant view in society. They deliberately ignore historical imbalances in power. They denigrate the struggle of women for social and economic equality. They ridicule the LGBQTI community. They foment hatred towards Muslims and immigrants. The authoritarian Right trade in fear and attacking minorities. They use the label "political correctness" to attack ideas of tolerance and pluralism. They claim the mantle of defenders of Western civilisation and the enlightenment, while at the same time they give succour to the anti-science of climate denial. They defend the freedom to say hateful things on the basis of religious freedom but they are silent when a public servant is sacked for tweeting about refugees, or a union worker is sacked for calling someone a scab on a picket line. They yearn for Australia to return to a monoculture. They claim they are outsiders but in truth they are always the voice of the privileged and the powerful. These views cannot go unchallenged. Pluralism and tolerance are at the heart of the success of our multicultural society. In my late 20s I got a job working with a group training company associated with a forest industry structural adjustment package, working with timber workers who had lost their jobs because of the Carr Government's policy of expanding the national park reserves. Many of these workers faced unemployment for the rest of their lives. They were the collateral damage of decisions made by people in a distant place whom they were never likely to meet. With any significant economic structural change the question is always: Who pays the price? In my experience the poor and the least powerful carry the bulk of the pain. In the timber industry the employers were compensated and they were able to reinvest in different industries. The workers, on the other hand, had more limited options. The world faces significant environmental challenges in coming years. It is easy to talk about just transitions in this place without having to come face-to-face with the workers and communities that will be left poorer as a result of that change. Labor, as the party of the working class, must learn to reconcile its competing duties to serve its working-class base in the present, and its obligations to future generations to leave them an environment that is fit to live in. I worked for a number of years for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union [CFMMEU] in its forestry division. It is an experience that shaped me like no other. It was my first job working for a union and I owe my start there to an amazing trade union leader, Gavin Hillier. He was a working-class man who had risen from the shop floor to take over his union from a tired and lethargic incumbent. He had an innate understanding of politics and had leveraged his union influence to achieve a path-breaking package for workers affected by the then government's forest policy. Gavin was a believer in the power of education. He believed anyone could do anything with the right training. His faith in the human capacity to learn has left its mark on me, which I hope to translate into my approach to policy problems in this place. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 108

My work for the union took me to many parts of rural and regional New South Wales. I was a young man who had spent my entire life in the city. I had lived a sheltered life. I remember travelling to the North Coast one day to assist a mill worker who had been unfairly dismissed. He had been injured at work and was suffering from poor health. His employer had dismissed him for excessive absenteeism. I had arranged to meet the affected member at his home to discuss the proceedings, scheduled for the following day. I arrived to discover his home was a caravan in a caravan park. It was not the kind of place where people took holidays. When I entered his home I discovered that he was living with his wife and three children in this tiny caravan. It was poverty the likes of which I had never encountered before and it shocked me that this was possible in a country as wealthy as ours. Some of the poorest electorates in this State are located in rural areas. Whilst in this place I want to find solutions to rural poverty. I would hope that, on this issue, common cause could be found with those on the other side of the Chamber. Our society remains an unequal one. We have become afraid to talk about class. Labor is about ending class distinction in society. But those on the top of the class system do not want to talk about class. They want to pretend that class does not matter. Some in our society do not want to admit that there are deep-seated structural inequalities embedded in our society. When Labor talks about these inequalities our opponents say we are engaging in class war. But how can we solve a problem if we are denied the language to describe it, to analyse it? I want to bring a class perspective to policy debates in this place, to ask: What are the implications of any initiative in changing the balance of class power in society? It is not class war. It is just the unending struggle for justice in a society blighted by inequalities of wealth, power and opportunity. Some in my party might be prepared to raise the white flag in this so-called class war but I am not content to surrender—at least not until live lives as long as non-Indigenous Australians; not until workers enjoy safe, fair and equal treatment in the workplace; not until the poor can get their teeth treated without having to go on a waiting list; and not until our disadvantaged public schools get funding to equalise the ledger of opportunity. For 17 years I worked for the New South Wales Public Service Association [PSA]. It is an extraordinary union with a rich history. It is the union that represents this State's public servants. We are lucky in this State to have such a fine public service. It continues to be a fine service despite the best attempts by the Government to erode its capacity and sap its morale with constant cuts. Staff cuts have facilitated a hollowing out of the expertise of the sector and a greater reliance on contractors and the major consulting firms. These firms bring to the policy process advice tainted by their ongoing commercial interests. I am for a permanent, professional and independent public service capable of delivering frank and fearless advice in the Westminster tradition. There is a saying that to a person with a hammer every problem looks like a nail. That is the modern Liberal Party with its fetish for market-based solutions. It is why it is obsessed with privatisation. I am sceptical of market-based solutions to public policy problems. Governments must always be conducted in the public interest. The difficulty with private sector involvement in the provision of public services is that private corporations are structured to serve both private interests first. Inevitably there is a conflict of interest and these conflicts are often resolved out of the public view. In my time at the PSA I worked closely with our prison officers during the Legislative Council inquiry into the proposal to privatise prisons. During the course of that process I was convinced that some functions of government should never be ceded to the private sector and incarceration is one of them. Incarceration is a necessary evil. In a liberal democracy the denial of a person's liberty must always be the last resort. We need to make sure the incentives in our system are structured to try to reduce the number of people in our jails. In the United States we have seen what can go wrong when for-profit companies have an interest in subverting the justice system. I want to see all our correctional centres returned to direct public ownership and control. I am a supporter of federalism and oppose the trend towards a more centralised form of government with most power and functions vested in the Commonwealth. Government services are best delivered closest to the people and by a level of government that can be easily accessed by its citizens. I believe State government is also the level of government best placed to innovate. Many landmark achievements were first legislated at a State level, such as annual leave and anti-discrimination legislation. I am a unionist. I have worked for three unions and each has expanded my perspective on different sectors of the economy. My period of service in the union movement has occurred at a time of great change and challenge. As unions have grappled with a period of decline there has been considerable thought invested in the reinvigoration of the tradition of organising. The core dilemma of the organiser is how to engage workers to take action. An organiser sets about solving this dilemma through identifying and nurturing organic leadership. The organising tradition provides fertile ground for a rethinking about how we engage citizens in society. It is a process that is central to much of the community engagement work undertaken by various levels of government. In public Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 109

health, in education, in emergency management and in sport development we know that stronger community engagement leads to better outcomes for communities. In my preparation for this speech I have read many of the inaugural speeches of members in this place. I was shocked by the number of members from the Liberal Party who identified a hostility to unions as a formative part of their world view. Hating unions seems to be an article of faith in the Liberal Party. It seems that those opposite will not be content until workers are left with no voice to speak for their interest. George Meany once said that the only voice is the organised voice. Who will speak for workers if the Liberals succeed in finishing off the union movement? Worker voice is a public good. Unions are a public good. They are essential to bringing fairness to workplaces. Frederick Douglass said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." Employers have no incentive to pay their workers more. A dollar in the worker's pocket is a dollar out of the employer's pocket. Power in the workplace is always asymmetric. The employer always has the whip hand. Sometimes workers can combine and force an employer to do something that they are not inclined to do. But this is a rarity. How can we have a balanced and fair society if the other side of politics continues to use State power to attack unions? I am a believer in direct action unionism. I believe workers should be empowered to solve issues themselves at the workplace together. It is a simple concept; the right to refuse to do something at work because it is unsafe or it is unfair. It is a basic human right. It is a check on the arbitrary exercise of power in the workplace and the preservation of that right is fundamental to ensuring that the rights of people prevail over the rights of property. I want to pay tribute to the CFMMEU as the union has been made a target of the conservative forces in this country because this union refuses to surrender this very basic right. Politics is a collective endeavour. Many people have contributed to the process of bringing me to this place. In my political activism I have been sustained by my family, friends and comrades. That support has been political, emotional and intellectual. I would firstly like to thank my comrade, formerly of this place and now in the other place, the formerly "the Hon." Lynda Voltz, MP. I am confident she will be "the Hon." again in the future. Lynda is a lion of the Left, a fierce advocate for social justice. She will leave her mark in the Legislative Assembly as she has in this House. She has been a great support to me and I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future. I thank Laurie Ferguson. There is no greater practitioner of community engagement in this State than Laurie. Over many years I have watched and learned from Laurie what real constituency work looks like. I also acknowledge Maurie Campbell, who for many years worked with Laurie. No-one is more formidable in the hand-to-hand combat of Labor Party credentialing than Maurie Campbell. I thank Andrew Ferguson, who gave me support at critical junctures on my journey here. He has always believed in me and helped me when I needed it. I thank Rita Malia and Darren Greenfield from the CFMMEU, Construction Division, for their support. I am so proud to have an ongoing association with this great union. I acknowledge Daryl Melham and Paul Lynch, MP, both strong advocates of a party that is firmly grounded in its rank and file. I acknowledge Rodney Cavalier, who carries the torch for the "party below" and who has taught me through his columns in the Southern Highland Newsletter, and sometime conversations on the fringes of conferences, what good government should look like and what the Labor project should be. I thank my friends and comrades from the Sydney University Labor Club. I met a lot of smart and passionate people in my time there. What started as political friendships have evolved into so much more as we have gotten older. To Rose Tracey, Verity Firth, Alice Murphy, Julia Finn, John Graham, Jenny McAllister, Maya Stuart-Fox, Tim Ayres, James Carleton, Anastasia Polities, Andrew West, Phil Davey, Emma Maiden and Chris Siorokos, thank you. Thank you to my Labor Party friends and supporters in my local area, particularly Barbara Dundas, Robert Jones, Fahad Mahmood, Michael Spicer, Caroline Staples, Martin Byrne, Ali Ulutas and Councillor George Campbell. I pay special tribute to my friend and comrade Vince Roach, who died earlier this year. He was a tireless worker for the party in my area and I had hoped he would be here to help me, as there is so much more to do. I thank the former member for Auburn, Barbara Perry, and her husband, Michael, for their friendship over the years and for all the work they have done for our community. To my friends from my time at the PSA—particularly Jessica D'Arienzo, Valerie Morales, Aaron Jones, Steph Cunio, Steve Turner, Maria Cirillo, Andrew Holland, James Shaw, Thane Pearce and Alex Grayson—thank you. I also take this opportunity to recognise the work of the parliamentary staff, particularly all the PSA members in the Parliament. To all my comrades from the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance [MEAA] who made my time there so rewarding, thank you. I make a special shout-out to the MEAA members in Hansard. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 110

Thank you to my family, my brother, Paul, and my sisters, Catherine, Genevieve—who I understand is watching today from Corfu; it is nice for some!—and Johanna, and my mum and dad, Maureen and Bruno D'Adam. I hope I can do you proud. I have had a fortunate and happy life largely thanks to your efforts and sacrifice. I love you all. To Kelly's family, my mother-in-law, Elizabeth, Kelly's sister, Sian, her husband, Kendal, and their daughter, Lily, you have been a great support to Kel and me over the years. To my children, Samuel, Atticus and Inez, I love you more than words can express. To my darling Kel, no person has had a greater influence on my politics than you. Kel is a feminist, a political activist, a trade unionist. She knows the personal is political. She has taught me how to live according to our values. Every day she gives her all for public education. You are my best friend and comrade. Thank you for your love and support. Rulings THE HON. PETER PRIMROSE NOTICE OF MOTION The PRESIDENT (18:07): During the giving of notices of motions this morning the Hon. Peter Primrose gave notice of a motion concerning the emergency services levy. As the motion is lengthy, the Hon. Peter Primrose read the first paragraph only. As he resumed his seat, the Leader of the Government took a point of order in which he suggested that I review the notice of motion to check its compliance with the standing orders. I have reviewed the notice of motion. I am of the view that it complies with the standing orders. The only word that could possibly be problematic is "belatedly", which appears in the sentence, "Last November the New South Wales Parliament belatedly passed laws to provide workers compensation coverage for firefighters who are diagnosed with one of 12 specific work related cancers." Standing Order 91 (1) provides that "A member may not reflect on any resolution or vote of the House unless moving for its rescission." While it could be suggested that the inclusion by the Hon. Peter Primrose of the word "belatedly" in his notice of motion reflects on a previous decision of the House, past Presidents' rulings indicate that for a reflection on a vote of the House to offend against Standing Order 91 it must involve a "gross abuse of a past decision" of the House and reflect "in a poor way on such a decision". I do not believe that the use of the word "belatedly" crosses that threshold. The notice of motion will appear in the Notice Paper as given by the Hon. Peter Primrose. Members INAUGURAL SPEECH The PRESIDENT: I ask members to extend the usual courtesy to the Hon. Emma Hurst, who is about to make her first speech in this House. I welcome into my gallery Sandra and Kevin Hurst, the parents of the Hon. Emma Hurst. The Hon. EMMA HURST (18:09): I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which this Parliament meets, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and recognise their continuing connection to land, animals, water and culture. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. I thank all my family and friends, and all the volunteers, staff and supporters for their work, support and dedication. I recognise my friend Paula Wallace, who was not able to be here tonight as she is picking up an eight-year-old dog named Buddy from a medical research facility in New South Wales. Buddy's is another life saved as a result of the Animal Justice Party's Right to Release campaign to get animals out of medical experimentation facilities. I thank Paula. Buddy, you are home now; you are loved. I stand here humbled to be voted by the people of New South Wales to be a voice for animals in this Parliament. I am grateful for the trust bestowed on me to build a future focused on kindness and compassion. However, this is not my victory; this is not our victory. This victory belongs to the animals in this country who are currently in crisis: who are locked in cages, who are routinely subject to painful and cruel procedures and whose needs for survival are often ignored if there is money to be made. But this victory for animals is not about the cruel acts of humans; it is about the change we seek. This is our chance to make that change. I am well aware of the enormity of the task that lies ahead and recognise that it is the greatest of our generation. The road will be long and there will be challenges, obstructions and pitfalls. But with three representatives now elected to Parliaments in Australia on an animal justice platform, I have never been more confident that we will get there. We have shown that when we stand together for the animals, we win. I will speak briefly on how I came to be here. I never aspired for a career in politics. In fact, as a child, I thought I might be different. When some might have seen a rodent, pest or dirty mouse, I saw something else. I saw a small, terrified animal whose heart beat against her chest as she cowered in a corner and whose life was as precious to her as yours is to you. I cared not for the labels others had given her. They were irrelevant to her ability to feel pain, irrelevant to her ability to feel fear and irrelevant to her ability to suffer. As it turns out, I am Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 111

not so different after all. Many residents in New South Wales voted for the Animal Justice Party because they care about that little mouse as much as I do. Like many children, growing up I developed a strong bond with a companion animal. For me that was my rescued cat, Flush. One day when I was a young girl I sat hugging a hen and noticed that she was purring. I realised she showed joy in the same way as my cat. I thought that if I could not eat my cat, I could not eat the hen. Many years later a simple flyer handed to me on the streets led me to discover that the egg industry macerates all male chicks and that male calves in the dairy industry are sent to slaughter. That night I went home and researched further. I still recall that night with great clarity. As I read about what happens in industrialised farming facilities it was like someone turned the lights on. Overnight I became vegan, and since that day I have been driven by a single, prevailing, powerful dream: that I will be part of a great movement of change that will see the cruel treatment of animals come to an end. I began my advocacy career working at Animal Liberation while I completed my master's degree in psychology. We were a small but united team. We had setback after setback and defeat after defeat. At times we found ourselves disillusioned and disheartened as we attempted to move our message against the wills of powerful and wealthy people who profit from animal suffering and who use their influence to try to silence us. But we would not allow others to tell us "You can't" and we would not accept "You won't". We persevered. On the night of 30 May 2011 the fight for animal justice changed forever. Never has the collective compassion of a nation been so clear. It was the night the ABC Four Corners program exposed the horrors of the Australian live animal export industry. Animals Australia documented the story of Australian animals and their fate in Indonesia. Dudley, one of the animals filmed, was an Australian steer who refused to move into the knocking box where he would be killed. Five men had a rope tied around his neck. They pulled and fought him, trying to move him up the chute. By the time they had him on the line he was exhausted. Dudley stumbled and fell on the ramp on his way to the knocking box. Workers jumped on his back and stabbed him with sticks to try to get him up again. They poked him in the eye and broke his tail. Each action caused Dudley to wince in pain, but he did not have the ability to get up. Eventually, six men dragged Dudley into the restraint box with the rope around his neck. Tommy, another Australian steer, was taken to the slaughter line and left to watch his fellow cattle killed in front of him. We saw Tommy's eyes wide with fear and his large black body trembling in terror as he watched, trapped and utterly helpless. As workers pulled him down onto the kill floor Tommy knew and had witnessed his fate. His fear is something I never want to imagine. Those scenes left a wound in the hearts of all Australians—a wound that remains open to this day. Those scenes of violence opened up Australians' eyes not only to the cruel treatment of animals overseas, but also to the cruel practices in our own backyards. We saw expose after expose of cruelty filmed at our own local slaughterhouses, and of the common and often lawful cruel treatment of animals on many farms around New South Wales and across Australia. The veil of secrecy we had fought against was lifted and change was within sight. We are at a defining moment. Australian people, regardless of their political beliefs, are making changes in their own lives to defend animals. People with different political affiliations are standing up, speaking out and demanding better animal protection laws. Animal cruelty is not a Left or Right issue. But, sadly, it is one that the Government has failed to respond to. This is why I decided to become part of this Parliament. I believe New South Wales can do better. I believe we can be a more compassionate Parliament. I believe that through cooperation we can move beyond the wounds of the past and build a pathway that advances peace. As I speak millions of hens are being imprisoned in battery cages, female dogs are being held in squalid conditions on puppy farms and greyhounds are facing bullets to their heads because they do not run fast enough for profit. Somewhere a mother cow is crying for her newborn baby. She will cry out for him all night until her voice goes hoarse and she can no longer bellow. Soon she will be impregnated again so she continues to produce milk. Her little boy was sent to slaughter as he is useless in the dairy industry. Last year on a BBC documentary a dairy farmer broke down in tears and admitted that some mother cows cry for days when their calves are taken. Somewhere a pig bites at the metal bars of her cage. She recently gave birth on the cold metal flooring. She cannot interact with her young because her cage will not allow such movement. She is more intelligent than the dogs we have in our homes. Given the chance, she could learn how to play soccer or video games and show us that she is capable of love and friendship. Instead she repetitively rocks against the cage bars that are creating welts on her skin. She has gone mad. Somewhere a chicken has just fallen, her legs too weak to hold her obese body any longer. They now splay out in front of her. She sits in the build-up of six weeks of faeces from tens of thousands of other chickens. The faeces will soon start to burn through her feathers and then her skin. She would stand to avoid the pain, but she is no longer able. She has been bred this way and she will be in chronic pain for the last days of her life. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 112

I recount this miserable reality because I want to explain why the Animal Justice Party is in Parliament. This suffering is the reason the people of New South Wales elected representatives for animals. These are the stories the people of New South Wales no longer want to hear because they want us to work together to end this suffering. Today I implore everyone to work with me to change this. The world is changing already. Now it is our turn to ensure that government makes changes to protect animals too. Together we can change the future for animals. Together we can change the story for these cows, pigs and chickens and every other animal that is suffering today. Let's free animals from cages, review the laws that are failing to protect non-human species and speak out against all injustice. The fate of each of these animals rests in our willingness to choose kindness over greed, respectability over indifference and to be leaders instead of being led. For the many people who speak on behalf of animals, we are powerful. Any industry that profits from the suffering and abuse of animals is terrified of us because we know the truth, we speak the truth and we have taken this truth all the way to Parliament House. My friends, you are the reason I stand here today—because so many of us stood up and spoke out, even when our voices shook, even when threats to personal safety came our way. This is a defining moment; the result of our standing together, not only with purpose but also with hope. There are businesses that make money out of the suffering of animals. No-one wants to silence us more than they do. They have money, power and secrecy on their side, but the animals have you. They have people who will stand up and speak out against abuse. In this numbers game it is you who will ensure the animals gain freedom. Now we have a chance to change the world. If you feel the same urgency as I do, the same passion for change, and if you feel the same hopefulness, then together we will break down barriers and build bridges in their place. This is the moment. This is the time for change. Let's transform, let's dare to hope, let's dissolve the cages and shackles that have enslaved animals and caused them great harm. I encourage you today to move past anger and, instead, join me in building this great movement of change. There is power in hope. There is power in who we are. It was hope that saw the women's movement win the decades-long fight for the right to vote. It was hope that ensured that civil rights movements gained equal rights under the law regardless of skin colour. It was hope that changed our laws recently so that civil marriage would be available, without discrimination, to all couples, regardless of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. It is hope that drives us today. I believe. I believe we can do this because I believe in you. We are guided by a powerful idea—one that sets a new course for this great country, one where equality and compassion extend beyond our own species and recognise that animals also have their own sentience, their own place, their own desires, and their own reason for existence. Our movement may be relatively new and our ideas of change may be considered idealistic, but the values we fight for—kindness, non-violence and freedom—are values that history has shown will always win. The Australian people showed how much they care about animals when they elected the Australian Justice Party's first politician, the Hon. Mark Pearson. Now, together, my friend, we will fight to end the cruel exploitation of animals. My promise to the animals is this: You have all of me. The lioness in the circus, I see you. The pig in the sow stall, I see you. The mouse in the medical experimentation facility, I see you. The fish crushed at the bottom of the trawler net, I see you. I know your suffering and I will never be silent. I will push forward no matter what life throws my way because the cruelties inflicted on you must end, and I will do all I can to see that happen. No matter if you have skin, scales, fur or feathers, no matter your supposed financial worth or lack thereof, native or non-native, rodent or fish or cow or dog, I will protect you. I stand by you. I will fiercely defend you. It is our party that will keep that promise and we will never ever let you down. You have all of me. Thank you. Committees JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON SYDNEY'S NIGHT TIME ECONOMY Establishment and Membership The PRESIDENT: I report receipt of the following message from the Legislative Assembly: The Legislative Assembly informs the Legislative Council that it has this day agreed to the following resolution: That: 1. A joint select committee, to be known as the Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night Time Economy, be appointed. 2. That the committee inquire and report into Sydney's night time economy, including any measures required to: (a) maintain and enhance community safety; (b) maintain and enhance individual and community health outcomes; Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 113

(c) ensure existing regulatory arrangements in relation to individuals, businesses and other stakeholders, including Sydney's lockout laws, remain appropriately balanced; and (d) enhance Sydney's night time economy, and any other directly relevant matters. 3. The committee will consult with key stakeholders as required. 4. The committee to consist of five members of the Legislative Assembly, including three Government members and at least one crossbench member, and five members of the Legislative Council, including two Government members (one of whom shall be chair) and at least two crossbench members. 5. The Hon. Natalie Ward, MLC, be appointed to serve as chair of the committee. 6. All Legislative Assembly committee members be nominated in writing by the Government and Opposition Whips to the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly by 4.00 p.m. on 29 May 2019. 7. That at any meeting of the committee six members shall constitute a quorum, provided that the committee meets as a joint committee at all times. 8. The committee have leave to make visits of inspection within the State of New South Wales. 9. The committee report by 30 September 2019. 10. A message be sent to the Legislative Council requesting the Legislative Council agree to the resolution, nominate five of its members to the proposed committee, and to fix a time and place for the first meeting. Legislative Assembly JONATHAN O'DEA 29 May 2019 Speaker The Hon. NATASHA MACLAREN-JONES: By leave: I move: That standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow the consideration of the Legislative Assembly's message relating to the Joint Select Committee on the Night Time Economy forthwith. Motion agreed to. The Hon. NATASHA MACLAREN-JONES: I move: 1. That this House agrees to the resolution in the Legislative Assembly's message of Wednesday 29 May 2019 relating to the appointment of a Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night Time Economy. 2. That the representatives of the Legislative Council on the Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night Time Economy be Mrs Natalie Ward, Mr Ben Franklin, Mr John Graham, Ms Cate Faehrmann and Mr Mark Latham. 3. That the time and place for the first meeting be 4 June 2019 at 9.00 a.m. Debate adjourned. Governor ADDRESS-IN-REPLY Debate resumed from an earlier hour. The Hon. NIALL BLAIR (18:35): I contribute to the debate on Her Excellency the Governor's speech and I commend the Hon. Shayne Mallard for moving the motion. At the outset I apologise to Hansard—due to the fluid nature of this debate I do not have a prepared speech. I apologise also to members of the House because my contribution may be lengthy. Previous speakers have reflected on the return of the Berejiklian-Barilaro Government following the March election. Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley spoke about the views, goals and aspirations of this Government as we head into the new term of Parliament. I want to acknowledge Her Excellency the Governor and congratulate her on her appointment. The Hon. Don Harwin, in his contribution, noted her background prior to being appointed Governor of New South Wales. Once again, I congratulate her on the appointment. I take this opportunity to thank the Hon. David Hurley, the outgoing Governor of New South Wales, as well as Mrs Hurley. I congratulate him on his appointment, which he is soon to take up in Canberra, as the Governor-General of this great nation. Those of us who have served as Ministers will have spent some considerable time with the former Governor, particularly as we headed down to Government House to attend Executive Council meetings. After meetings were completed, we would usually have a light breakfast with His Excellency. I enjoyed his company and appreciated the fact that he took an interest in the plight of regional and rural New South Wales, particularly our farming communities. This overlapped with my time as Minister for Primary Industries during the last Parliament. His Excellency shared a passion of mine—beekeeping—and he reintroduced bees to Government House. The former Governor named his honey "Isabella", which is the name of the ship that brought the first honey bees to the colony of New South Wales. Every year he was a very proud entrant of his honey in the Royal Agricultural Society competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. My son and I had the opportunity to tend his Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 114

bees. That was a very proud moment that I was able to share not only with my son, who also enjoys beekeeping, but also with the Governor of the State. We went around the back of the shed where the bees are kept at Government House and tended to the bees together. I am being brutally honest when I say that the honey that is produced from those bees is not the greatest honey you will ever taste. That is largely because of the abundance of flora at the Royal Botanic Garden and around Government House. There is too much of it. That is probably why His Excellency never took out a blue ribbon at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. He was competing against honey that was produced from our native species. Hives of bees that forage solely on a crop of box trees, yellow box or ironbark, have a consistency within their honey. Bees that forage throughout the botanic gardens bring back pollen with a lot of different scents. Unfortunately, with all that going on, it is not great for the quality of the honey. Members are learning something tonight about what it takes to make good honey. I know that Retired General Hurley will make a wonderful Governor-General of Australia and that Mrs Hurley will relish the opportunity to lead many a singalong at Yarralumla, as she did at New South Wales Government House. She got great joy from entertaining guests at Government House. The PRESIDENT: As the member has indicated, his lack of notes will make it for difficult for Hansard. It is also difficult for Hansard when members continually interject. For the benefit of Hansard, I ask that members do not interject while the member is speaking. Debate adjourned. Committees JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON SYDNEY'S NIGHT TIME ECONOMY Establishment and Membership Debate resumed from an earlier hour. The Hon. NATASHA MACLAREN-JONES (18:42): I put on record the collaborative approach taken by the Leader of the Opposition and members of the crossbench. The House has just today been dealing with the establishment of this committee and I acknowledge the Opposition and crossbench members for their collaborative approach to this important issue. I commend the motion to the House. The Hon. ADAM SEARLE (18:43): The Opposition supports the message from the other place and of course the motion of the Government Whip. This is indeed a very important issue. We note the unusual nature of the committee, whereby the composition would have five Government members, three crossbench members and only two members from the official Opposition across the two Houses. Ordinarily this is not something with which we would agree but the cross-House nature of the proposed committee and what I will refer to as the need for diversity of representation of the parties and interests across both Houses who are not in the Government or the Opposition, has necessitated more crossbench membership than would ordinarily be the case. On the understanding that this does not set a precedent and is specific to this issue, the Opposition will agree to these proposals. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to. The Hon. NATASHA MACLAREN-JONES: I move: That a message be forwarded to the Legislative Assembly advising of the resolution of the House. Motion agreed to. Message The PRESIDENT: I report receipt of the following message from the Legislative Assembly: MR PRESIDENT The Legislative Assembly desires to inform the Legislative Council that Mr Kevin Conolly, Mr Geoff Provest and Ms Felicity Wilson have been nominated as Government members, Mr Guy Zangari has been nominated as the Opposition member, and Mr Alex Greenwich has been nominated as the crossbench member to serve as Legislative Assembly members on the Joint Select Committee on Sydney's Night Time Economy.

Legislative Assembly JONATHAN O'DEA 29 May 2019 Speaker Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 115

Adjournment Debate ADJOURNMENT The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR: I move: That this House do now adjourn. REGIONAL MATERNITY SERVICES The Hon. WALT SECORD (18:46): As the shadow Minister for Health, I speak in support of the Yass Valley local government area mothers demanding low-risk maternity services at Yass District Hospital. Currently mothers are forced to travel more than an hour to give birth across the border in Canberra, or even further away in Queanbeyan or Goulburn, because of a lack of maternity services in Yass. Since the 1990s the number of maternity units has halved in Australia. Unfortunately, this is part of a trend which has seen a reduction in regional maternity services. Independent data shows that over the last 20 years there has been a 47 per cent increase nationally in the number of babies born before arrival at hospital. It is one thing to be heavily pregnant and know the nearest hospital is some suburbs away but knowing it is some hours away is an entirely different prospect. Not surprisingly, in recent years the Rural Doctors Association of Australia has spoken out about the risk. This is particularly so in regional communities that are growth centres. Yass Valley is one of these. It is growing and the demand at the hospital is increasing by the year. Yass District Hospital is already a very busy regional hospital and its hardworking staff help more than 6,000 patients a year through its emergency department. This is a heavy load on this small facility and represents an increase of approximately 21 per cent on the number of admissions just four years ago. It is no wonder the issue of maternity and birth services is becoming a critical concern for families and mothers in this region. On 22 April I went to Yass to hear their concerns again firsthand. I met local mothers Ms Jasmin Jones, Ms Lindsay Hollingsworth and Ms Bec Duncan, all from the region, along with my Queanbeyan-based Country Labor parliamentary colleague the Hon. Tara Moriarty and the Federal MP for Eden-Monaro, Dr Mike Kelly. These women were the driving force behind a 2,000-person petition last year to restore maternity services there. At the meeting I gave a commitment to continue to support their campaign. Indeed, this was my third time meeting the Yass Valley mothers this year. I note that in his inaugural speech the new Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP, the Hon. Mark Banasiak, referred to the lack of maternity services in Yass. I congratulate him on that. I dare say that if any other member in this Chamber met these women and heard their stories they would support their efforts too. The process of labour and the timing of labour in particular is unpredictable from mother to mother and from birth to birth. It can progress more quickly than expected, creating immense pressure on mothers and their families if there is a great distance to cover. Ms Jones and Ms Hollingsworth each gave birth on the side of the Barton Highway trying to reach maternity wards in Canberra. Ms Hollingsworth's daughter's birth certificate actually notes that her place of birth is the Barton Highway. Ms Jones has described that what had been an otherwise straightforward third labour instead became a traumatic, dangerous birth in the company of complete strangers. Thankfully these births went okay but that is hardly the point. Under the Coalition's leadership, NSW Health maintains that there is not enough to justify maternity services in Yass. However, the community believes otherwise and the Australian Bureau of Statistics data suggests the community is right. Currently, there are about 200 births a year in the Yass Valley, which has a population of around 17,500 and is growing by 2.9 per cent a year. By 2036 it is expected to grow to almost 28,000 people. Yass valley is a growing community and it deserves to have health and hospital needs in tune with the needs of the community. Both sides of this Chamber agree that investment in our regional centres is economically vital. But where is the Berejiklian Government on this issue? If members of the Government listened to the Yass community they would know that calls for a low-risk maternity service have steadily intensified. But they are not listening. On February 26 health Minister Brad Hazzard and newly elected Goulburn Liberal member Wendy Tuckerman rejected the calls. What is even more surprising is that Ms Tuckerman has said that the restoration of maternity services at Yass would "put lives at risk". Mr Hazzard and Ms Tuckerman maintain that restoring maternity services at Yass District is dangerous. I think that giving birth on the Barton Highway is, as a rule, a lot more dangerous than giving birth in a maternity service at Yass District Hospital. It seems that the Yass valley mothers agree. I urge the Minister for Health and Medical Research and the local member to listen to the concerns of the community, not to the bureaucrats in the local health district. I know that that might be painful for Minister Brad Hazzard but I am sure the mothers of Yass could give him some good advice on how to push through that pain! I thank the House for its consideration. Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 116

FOOD WASTE The Hon. NIALL BLAIR (18:50): Today I will be speaking about a huge problem. It is a global problem and an Australian problem that is devastating for our communities, our natural resources and our environment. The problem is food waste. Globally we produce enough food to feed the entire population, yet in Australia nearly four million people experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months. A large majority of those were children. Every month over 710,000 people rely on food relief to feed themselves and their families. Despite the abundance of food produced in New South Wales, there are thousands of people in our communities who will be unable to afford their next meal. Presently only 36 per cent of food relief charities are able to meet the needs of the people seeking their assistance. In addition, half of these charities have reported an increase in the amount of people seeking assistance. However, the average New South Wales household throws away approximately $3,800 worth of food per annum. That is food that could be used to help people facing food insecurity and money that could assist charities to provide for those who are struggling. Instead, the majority of this waste will sit in landfill, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions as it breaks down. In fact, if one listed the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters in order it would read: China, the United States of America, food waste, then India. While the majority of our food is grown and produced in regional areas, these are the communities that are suffering the most. People in regional and remote communities are a third more likely to experience food insecurity than those living in capital cities. Yet those of us who do not worry about where our next meal will come from are throwing away 34 per cent of what we buy. Earlier this year the Federal Government released the findings of a national food waste baseline study. This study determined the extent of our food waste problem and its impacts and provided a benchmark to measure the success of waste reduction initiatives. According to its findings, in 2016-17 Australia produced 7.3 million tonnes of food waste. The majority of this waste is produced in our households. Furthermore, New South Wales households produced the most food waste of all the States— 668,000 tonnes—with the majority of this waste ending up in landfill. More than a third of the waste in household bins is food waste, despite 60 per cent of this waste being preventable. We are throwing away tonnes of food which could be used to improve food security for those who are struggling or to produce more food and energy, while reducing the impact on our environment. The use of our natural resources has been a constant topic of discussion in recent years. Land, water, energy and fuel are all key components of food production and distribution. When food is thrown away so are significant amounts of these natural resources. Worldwide 28 per cent of agricultural land is used to produce food which is then lost or wasted. In the drought conditions that continue to plague New South Wales, it is no surprise that there is significant strain on our fresh water resources. These water resources are vital to keep agricultural industry functioning efficiently and successfully, yet food waste consumes nearly a quarter of all water used for agriculture. A substantial amount of this water wastage is avoidable. At a time when this resource is so limited we should be taking all necessary steps to reduce our water waste. Food waste is a huge problem in our State. It is a problem that affects every single person, from its influence on the climate or our environment to the strain on our resources and impact on food insecurity. It is also a problem that we can begin to fix in our own homes. Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to initiatives to reduce food waste. There has been a deterioration in the debate in this country about the production of food and no-one is talking about how much food we are wasting. How many of us fail to eat the entire loaf of bread, tip out the milk from the bottom of a cereal bowl or buy fresh fruit and vegetables only to allow them to go off on the bench or in the fridge? How many of us have turned our attention to the impact that such waste is having? I will be talking more about food waste because there are some very simple things that Australians can do. Australia is lagging behind other jurisdictions in the world. By paying attention to this matter we can address a number of issues in relation to energy, the impact on the environment and the impact on our natural resources. There is more to be done, and members will hear more from me about this. ABORIGINAL CULTURE AND HERITAGE Mr DAVID SHOEBRIDGE (18:55): When I was at school I never learned about the fish traps at Brewarrina. The Ngunnhu traps on the Barwon river are probably the oldest surviving structure of human origin in the world. Colonisation meant that the Ngemba and Wailwan people were taken from their lands to live at Brewarrina mission where they could no longer access these traps. At school I never learned about how First Nations people ground kangaroo grass to make what is probably the first bread in the world. These omissions were not accidental. Colonial myths about First Nations people have been used to justify dispossession and the theft of land, not just in this country but across the globe. When I studied law I learned about terra nullius, the legal concept that because the land was allegedly unfarmed it was said to be unoccupied Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 117

and therefore open to being claimed by the British. The distinction between the colonial farmers with their sheep and crops was held in stark contrast to the First Nations people, who were wrongly categorised as hunter gatherers, despite all evidence to the contrary. Those who have read Bruce Pascoe's incredible book Dark Emu know that Aboriginal people not only farmed this land but also built permanent villages and extraordinary aquaculture systems that are some of the most complex and oldest structures made by human beings. There were astronomy, mathematics, navigation and calendars here long before colonisation. First Nations people also managed forests and fields with fire in a way that we are still learning about and learning from. Not only were grains farmed in systematic ways thousands of years before the rest of the world, with production of clear surpluses recorded, but, as Bruce Pascoe says, "the science of baking developed alongside the seed harvests". Aboriginal people grew native millet, kangaroo grass and Coopers clover. Grindstones found at Cuddie Springs near Walgett were used to grind seeds more than 30,000 years ago. As Bruce Pascoe says: This makes these people the world's oldest bakers by almost 15,000 years as the Egyptians, the next earliest, didn't bake until 17,000 BC. Extensive farming by Aboriginal people of murrnong—native yam—was well documented by settlers and explorers. I urge members in this place to go on the Bundian Way to get a sense of that. When Charles Sievwright, who was the so-called Assistant Protector of Aborigines in the Port Phillip District, tried to introduce the European theory of farming to local Aboriginal people they intervened and, according to Pascoe, "immediately hoed the soil across the slope of the land and broke down all the larger clods. They'd been farming this land for thousands of years and weren't about to allow erosion to ruin the land." This is not a recent discovery. Colonial records are brimming with detailed observations of extraordinary built achievements. In his 1856 memoir on the settlement in Port Phillip, John Batman describes following a small creek up from the bay: The creek here was from fifty to sixty yards wide. We passed many dams of stones across the creek, made by the natives for the purpose of catching fish during the summer months. These dams were from four to five feet high and excellently contrived. Three or four of these stone walls were built in succession, with floodgates formed of sticks and bushes. We found at least a dozen of these dams or weir in different points of the creek. First Nations people were not only digging wells but also building houses of significant complexity and longevity. In the region of the Darling River explorer Thomas Mitchell reported a small town with huts that could accommodate up to 15 people each, with houses and other places of stone that could hold up to 40. There are many references to townships of 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 people. While in much of the rest of the world trade routes and wars of possession have tracked together, in Dark Emu Pascoe says: In all the archaeology and all the investigation done to date, there has been no time identified when those trade routes were used for wars of possession. The Grecian and Roman frescoes and ceramics feature war and torture as an element of dominion; but while individual acts of violence are depicted in Aboriginal art, there is no trace of imperial warfare. We have so much to learn from investigating Australia's past. While Aboriginal culture lived in harmony with this place, we on the other hand are largely farming the land in a way that is little more than soil mining. We are plundering the oceans so that many fish and shellfish stocks are unlikely to ever recover. We are cutting down native forests and creating perfect conditions for hot, dry and dangerous bushfires. We are at war with this planet, and each other. Understanding the real history of this country is essential, not just for reconciliation but to tackle climate change and learn to sustainably manage the country. We need to be learning it in our schools, reflecting it in our workplaces, and making sure it guides our decisions in this place. But it all starts with knowing this extraordinary history. As our good friend and Gamilaroi Elder Don Craigie says: We gotta know where we come from to know where we're going. STATE ELECTION The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS (19:00): In my first adjournment speech in the Fifty-Seventh Parliament I begin by thanking the many Labor and Country Labor members who put themselves forward as our candidates on 29 March. We have heard the inaugural speeches of our newly elected Labor members of Parliament—both here and in the other place—and I give them my sincere congratulations. But tonight I place on record my thanks and pay tribute to those candidates who did not make it here: Lauriston Muirhead in Albury, Asren Pugh in Ballina, Elly Howse in Balmain, Darriea Turley in Barwon, Beau Riley in Bathurst, Ryan Tracey in Baulkham Hills, Leanne Atkinson in Bega, Sally Quinnell in Camden, David Ager in Castle Hill, Trent Gilbert in Clarence, Tony Judge in Coffs Harbour, Mark Douglass in Cootamundra, Teressa Farhart in Cronulla, Joe Von Bornemann in Davidson, Tom Hore in Drummoyne, Councillor Stephen Lawrence in Dubbo—such a clever campaigner. I also thank Cameron Murphy in East Hills, Alan Mascarenhas in Epping, Ursula Stephens in Goulburn, Peter Reynolds in Hawkesbury, the incredible Maryanne Stuart in Heathcote, Charishma Kaliyanda in Holsworthy, Katie Gompertz in Hornsby, Andy Higgins in Kiama, Amanda Keeling in Ku-ring-gai, Jo Smith in Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 118

Lake Macquarie, Andrew Zbik in Lane Cove, Natasha Phillips-Mason in Manly, Jen Armstrong in Miranda, as well as the hardest working candidate and my dear friend Bryce Wilson in Monaro. He is an Energizer Bunny, a champion baker and an indefatigable champion for his community and region. Also, Councillor Todd Carney in Mulgoa, Alan Purtill in Murray, Dr David Keegan in Myall Lakes—an incredible grassroots campaigner— Aunty Norma Ingram in Newtown, Michael Lester on the North Shore, Debra O'Brien in Northern Tablelands, Lucy Mannering in Oatley, Luke Sanger in Orange, Susan Jenvey in Oxley, Liz Scully in Parramatta, councillor Karen McKeown in Penrith—and our truest of true believers, Jared Turkington in Pittwater. I also thank councillor Peter Alley in Port Macquarie, the amazing Dr Annemarie Christie in Riverstone —the most fun I have ever had at pre-poll, even in the rain—Mayor Jerome Laxale in Ryde, the delightful Durga Owen in Seven Hills, Annette Alldrick on the South Coast, Jo Holder in Sydney, Steve Mears in Tamworth, Jeff Sundstrom in Terrigal, Craig Elliot in Tweed—an amazing police rescue there in the middle of the campaign—Melanie Dagg in Upper Hunter, Lenore Kulakauskas in Vaucluse. I thank our amazingly dedicated councillor Dan Hayes in Wagga Wagga, who stood in the by-election in September and backed up in March. Thanks also to Chris Sharpe in Wakehurst, Justin Reiss in Willoughby and Jo-Ann Davidson in Wollondilly. These hardworking and incredibly committed men and women made immense sacrifices to stand as candidates for Labor and Country Labor, some of them for months, most of them for longer. I want to especially thank those candidates who were endorsed more than two years prior to the election. All of our candidates spent time away from their families and made financial and other sacrifices to represent Labor and Country Labor in their local communities. There were forums and fundraisers, printing and press conferences, corflutes and calls, bunting and, well, more bunting. Whether the margin was 2 per cent or 20 per cent, local communities and voters still demand to know their local candidate, and although it is a privilege, it is also an immense burden. Each candidate did it in their own way, sharing their own story, in their own community. We are a better party because of the diversity and range of experiences in the people who stand to represent our broad movement. I sincerely thank each and every one of them for their hard work and sacrifice, their time and effort and, irrespective of the result, I am deeply grateful. The true measure of their success is not the result, but the campaign they ran. I stand here on their shoulders. Despite the disappointing election result, for those of us privileged to be Labor members of Parliament and members of the Legislative Council, I thank and pay tribute to the men and women who do not have the same opportunity that we do but who worked so hard and made immense sacrifices for us to be here. We sincerely thank them, and we will not forget them. In fact, we will see them back on the hustings very soon. HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE The Hon. NATALIE WARD (19:05): On Monday 29 April 2019 I attended a holocaust remembrance commemoration where the words "Never again" were reiterated as more than just a phrase. As Elie Wiesel once wrote: Never again becomes more than a slogan: It's a prayer, a promise, a vow. Through "Memorials and Memories" I watched as survivors of the Holocaust here in New South Wales lit six candles to represent the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. Together we gathered to commemorate the memory of the lives that were taken and worlds that were torn apart by an ideology of hate. And together we reiterated the promise—"Never again". One month later across Australia and here in New South Wales, during the very heart of our Federal election, the hate we promised to never forget, the crimes we vowed to never look past and the suffering we prayed was relegated to the realm of "Never again" was showcased on an unprecedented scale. At a time when Australians had the opportunity to come together and debate with mutual respect, we witnessed the return of this ideology of hate. Josh Frydenberg—the first Jewish Treasurer of our country—had his posters vandalised with a Hitler moustache drawn on them. Julian Leeser, the member for Berowra—another Jewish member of Parliament—had his posters vandalised with swastikas as well as dollar signs across his eyes, similar to the anti-Semitic propaganda of 1930s Germany. Jason Falinski, the member for Mackellar—who lost members of his family in the Holocaust— had his posters vandalised with swastikas. Dr Kerryn Phelps, the former member for Wentworth, had emails sent across her electorate claiming she was "disqualified from election" because "she is a Jew and entitled to automatic Israeli citizenship", and claiming that Jews were spreading disease. Non-Jewish Greens candidates Adam Bandt, Larissa Waters, Steph Hodgins-May and Andrew Bartlett all removed election banners in Melbourne and Brisbane after they were defaced with swastikas. This is the darkness we pray is relegated to "Never again". As members of the New South Wales Parliament we put our heart into our State. With every commitment, with every speech, with every constituent we meet we put our heart into making our State a better and safer place for all. That is why we are so passionate and rejoice when we manage to support the people we serve, and it is also why we grieve when such horrible acts, Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Legislative Council Page 119

fuelled by hate still occur. Irrespective of religion, race or gender, all Australians living in this country have the right to walk our streets with security. Unfortunately, for the Jewish community this has not been the case. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry released a 278-page report on anti-Semitism in Australia from 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018—278 pages of anti-Semitism. I could go through it page by page, but all we have to do is read the news from a week ago to see that a convicted terrorist, lhsas Khan, had bought a knife specifically to attack Jewish students at the University of Sydney. All we have to do is open Facebook to see that when the Government steps in to make a change and gives $2 million to security funding for Jewish schools, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies is subjected to disgusting comments on their Facebook posts, so disgusting that I cannot in good conscience repeat them out loud. It is a parent's worst nightmare. They send their child to university, to an intellectual Nirvana, to work hard, focus on their future and the mark they will leave on this earth, only to find out that here in Sydney they are under threat for their beliefs. Last week every Jewish student at the University of Sydney read that they were a target. And so I repeat: "Never again" is not just a phrase. "Never again" is bringing awareness here in this Chamber to the growing anti-Semitism in our State and calling it out. "Never again" is the Hon. , and Gabrielle Upton providing $2 million to the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies to increase security. "Never again" was amending section 20D of our anti-discrimination laws to ensure inflicting of violence against any group will not be tolerated—a landmark piece of legislation which was passed after a three-year campaign led by the Keep NSW Safe coalition and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. We do not just say "Never again"; here in the Parliament it is our obligation to bring "Never again" to life. The PRESIDENT: The question is that this House do now adjourn. Motion agreed to. The House adjourned at 19:11 until Thursday 30 May 2019 at 10:00.