Legislative Council

21507 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Wednesday 17 March 2010 __________ The President (The Hon. Amanda Ruth Fazio) took the chair at 11.00 a.m. The President read the Prayers. WASTE RECYCLING AND PROCESSING CORPORATION (AUTHORISED TRANSACTION) BILL 2010 CASINO CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL 2010 Bills received from the Legislative Assembly. The PRESIDENT: Is leave granted for procedural motions for the first readings, printing, suspension of standing orders and fixing of sitting day for second readings to be dealt with on one motion without formalities? Leave not granted. WASTE RECYCLING AND PROCESSING CORPORATION (AUTHORISED TRANSACTION) BILL 2010 Bill read a first time and ordered to be printed on motion by the Hon. John Hatzistergos, on behalf of the Hon. John Robertson. Motion by the Hon. John Hatzistergos agreed to: That standing orders be suspended to allow the passing of the bill through all its remaining stages during the present or any one sitting of the House. The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS (Attorney General, Minister for Citizenship, Minister for Regulatory Reform, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) [11.04 a.m.]: I move: That the second reading of the bill stand an order of the day for a later hour of the sitting. The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK [11.05 a.m.]: I move: That the question be amended by omitting "a later hour of the sitting" and inserting instead " Tuesday, 20 April 2010". Question—That the amendment be agreed to—put. The House divided. Ayes, 20 Mr Ajaka Mr Gay Ms Parker Mr Brown Ms Hale Mr Pearce Mr Clarke Dr Kaye Ms Rhiannon Mr Cohen Mr Khan Mr Smith Ms Cusack Mr Lynn Tellers, Ms Ficarra Mr Mason-Cox Mr Colless Miss Gardiner Reverend Dr Moyes Mr Harwin Noes, 17 Mr Catanzariti Mr Obeid Mr Veitch Mr Della Bosca Mr Primrose Mr West Mr Hatzistergos Mr Robertson Ms Westwood Mr Kelly Ms Robertson Tellers, Mr Moselmane Mr Roozendaal Mr Donnelly Reverend Nile Ms Sharpe Ms Voltz 21508 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 17 March 2010 Pairs Mr Gallacher Ms Griffin Mrs Pavey Mr Macdonald Question resolved in the affirmative. Amendment agreed to. Question—That the motion as amended be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative. Motion as amended agreed to. CASINO CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL 2010 Bill read a first time and ordered to be printed on motion by the Hon. John Hatzistergos, on behalf of the Hon. Ian Macdonald. Motion by the Hon. John Hatzistergos agreed to: That standing orders be suspended to allow the passing of the bill through all its remaining stages during the present or any one sitting of the House. Second reading set down as an order of the day for a later hour. HISTORIC HOUSES AMENDMENT (THROSBY PARK HISTORIC SITE) BILL 2009 Message received from the Legislative Assembly returning the bill without amendment. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Formal Business Notices of Motions Private Members' Business items Nos 240, 241, 242 and 247 outside the Order of Precedence objected to as being taken as formal business. PETITIONS Adoption Laws Petition requesting that the Parliament reject any proposed legislation or amendments to adoption laws that would take away the fundamental human right of adopted children to be raised by both a mother and a father, received from the Hon. Marie Ficarra. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Withdrawal of Business Private Members' Business items Nos 4, 15, 25, 33, 44, 45 and 56 outside the Order of Precedence withdrawn by the Hon. Robyn Parker. Private Members' Business item No. 31 outside the Order of Precedence withdrawn by the Hon. Greg Pearce. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Postponement of Business Business of the House Notice of Motion No. 1 postponed on motion by Ms Sylvia Hale. 17 March 2010 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 21509 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Order of Business Motion by Ms Lee Rhiannon agreed to: That standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow a motion to be moved forthwith that Private Members' Business item No. 240 outside the Order of Precedence, relating to Carramar Nursing Home, be called on forthwith. Order of Business Motion by Ms Lee Rhiannon agreed to: That Private Members' Business item No. 240 outside the Order of Precedence be called on forthwith. [Interruption] The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Jennifer Gardiner is placed on a call to order. Mr Ian Cohen has kindly drawn to my attention the fact that it was his mobile phone that was ringing. He is placed on a call to order, and I apologise to the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner. CARRAMAR AGED CARE FACILITY, LEETON Ms LEE RHIANNON [11.20 a.m.]: I move: 1. That this House notes that: (a) at a public meeting held in Leeton on Friday 5 March 2010 motions were passed that: (i) condemned the Government's proposal to sell the beds in Carramar Nursing Home to a private provider, (ii) called on this facility to remain in public hands, (iii) called on the Minister for Health to delay any further decision on the sale of beds in Carramar Nursing Home to a private provider until she meets with representatives from Leeton Shire Council and the Carramar Carers' Group to discuss their concerns and the effect the sale would have on Leeton and the surrounding district, (b) for the past year Carramar Carers' Group have expressed their concerns to the Government about the plan to sell off this facility, (c) the Government's plan to sell beds, if implemented, will detrimentally affect residents and jeopardise the future of Leeton Hospital, and (d) the community raised $750,000, half the cost of the Carramar Nursing Home, and that local groups supplied this facility with furnishings, fittings and equipment for the wellbeing and comfort of the residents. 2. That this House calls on the Minister for Health to delay any decision on the future of Carramar Nursing Home until she meets with representatives from Leeton Shire Council and the Carramar Carers' Group. Today we are joined in the public gallery by more than 30 people from the Leeton region who have travelled to Sydney on a lengthy bus trip—some of them told me it took about eight hours—to inform Parliament why Carramar Nursing Home needs to stay in public hands. I thank members for allowing debate on this motion to proceed as a matter of urgency. The Carramar Carers' Group has worked tirelessly on this issue, and I congratulate all its members and their supporters on their work. They have alerted us to a most worrying development: this Government's increasing tendency to privatise a number of health facilities. Experience teaches us that when such facilities are privatised the users of those facilities and their loved ones, and indeed the staff, lose out. Public services should be precisely that: about providing a service to the public, not about making money. The Greens strongly support the motions I have referred to that were passed at a public meeting in Leeton on 5 March, to the effect that Carramar Nursing Home must stay in public hands. It is worth noting how much this facility is very much based within the community. The facility has received incredible support from the very point when it was first devised. The community raised half the cost of the building—which I understand amounted to more than $750,000—and local groups and local residents have continued to put many 21510 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 17 March 2010 resources and much of their time into ensuring that the facility is run in a way that gives top priority to the wellbeing and comfort of residents. For the Government to bail out at this stage is simply unacceptable. I hope that when we hear from the Government representative on this motion he or she gives us a clear indication that the Government has listened to local residents and that it will do the right thing. I understand that Minister Carmel Tebbutt has arranged for some of her representatives to meet with the Carramar Carers' Group and that the Minister may make some time to meet the group. I urge the Minister to meet the group in person. Obviously travelling from Leeton to the New South Wales Parliament is not something that people can do regularly, so some time on the part of the Minister is clearly warranted. I again place on record the Greens' position that any move by the Labor Government to privatise Carramar Nursing Home beds will detrimentally affect residents and jeopardise the future of Leeton Hospital. Unfortunately, there is a pattern here. As recently as late last year members of this House debated a motion concerning a Wallsend health facility. In that case the Government did the right thing: it listened to the concerns of local residents. I pay great credit to the people of Wallsend for their efforts in working with members of the Carramar Carers' Group and talking about their tactics and how they went about saving that important facility in Wallsend. I also congratulate the Nurses Association, and particularly Rita Martin, on the support they are giving this campaign. It is very much a broad-based campaign, and I believe it deserves the support of all members of this House so a clear position can be sent to the Government that this facility needs to remain in public hands. We need to ensure that the Government today hears the voice of the local residents. Their voice is strong; now our voice has to be strong in support of them. I commend the motion to the House. The Hon. SHAOQUETT MOSELMANE [11.26 a.m.]: I concur with what Ms Lee Rhiannon has said in relation to the Minister meeting with representatives from Leeton Shire Council and the Carramar Carers' Group.

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