pegielnf &esemblg

Wednesday, 12 September, 1984

Mr Speaker (The Hon. Lawrence Borthwick Kelly) took the chair at 2.15 p.m. Mr Speaker offered the Prayer.

PETITIONS The Clerk announced that the following petitions had been lodged for presentation: Homosexual Laws The humble Petition of citizens of Australia, New South Wales, respectfully sheweth: That we urge the immediate repeal of Mr Wran's private mem- ber's bill to amend the Crimes Act, for the following reasons. Mr Wran's bill, which deals with serious social, legal, moral and religious issues, was rushed through Parliament without adequate com- munity debate concerning its far-reaching implications, as stated by the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, who said, "Notwithstanding the very sensitive nature of the issue, provision was not made for adequate community discussion of the bill's implications." This was published in the Catholic Weekly of 23rd May, 1984. There was no widespread community support for Mr Wran's bill: in fact, the opposite is true, as is testified by many members of Parlia- ment who received hundreds of opposing letters and petitions, and not one supporting letter. The main effects of Mr Wran's bill, that is, the legalization of sodomy for males over 18 years, in private, and in public, and the legalization of adult male soliciting, are a serious threat to public morals and health, and not in the public interest. Mr Wran's public threats to remove the conscience vote clearly undermined the historic right of members of Parliament to exercise their conscience vote on a private member's bill dealing with the controversial issue of homosexual acts. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray that your honourable House will take urgent steps to repeal Mr Wran's private member's bill to amend the Crimes Act. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Petitions, lodged by Mr Beck, Mr Davoren and Mr Rogan, received. Petitions-12 September, 1984 735

X-rated Video Cassettes The Petition of concerned citizens of New South Wales respectfully sheweth: That it is the right of adult citizens to see, hear, view or watch any material that the Australian Government see fit to classify and allows to be imported into thih country, and that the rights of adult citizens of New South Wales should not be limited as against citizens of Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. Legislation to ban the sale of X-rated videos will not protect minors from such material, and their very illegality will make such material more interesting and attractive to them. Any film which can be shown in public should be available for viewing by adults in the privacy of their homes. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray: That your honourable House will take no steps to ban X-rated videos and that legislation should be uniform throughout Australia, after consideration of the report of the Select Committee of the Australian Parliament into the classification of films. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Petition, lodged by Mr McGowan, received.

Moral Standards The humble Petition of the undersigned citizens of Australia, New Scuth Wales, respectfully sheweth: That we, the undersigned, having great concern because of the spread of moral pollution in our State call upon the Government to introduce immediate legislation: (1) To provide strict controls over video cassettes with the open sale of only G-, NRC- and M-rated video cassettes so that R-rated films can only be viewed in an adult theatre by persons over 18 years of age. We totally reject the concept of X-rated video cassettes which would allow the legal sale of hard-core pornographic films for screening in the homes of our nation. (2) To tighten up the standards used by the New South Wales Indecent Publications Classification Board so as to include the total pro- hibition of any pornographic publication, video cassette, or film con- taining child pornography, bestiality, sodomy or violent sex acts against women, such as rape and pack rape, sadism and torture, et cetera. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray: That your honourable House will protect our society, especially women and children, from moral pollution and its harmful effects. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Petitions, lodged by Mr Amery, Mr Bannon, Mr Beck, Mr Caterson, Mr J. A. Clough, Mr Crawford, Mr Cruickshank, Mr Greiner, Mr Hatton, Mr Jackson, Mr Landa, Mr Langton, Mr Mack, Dr Metherell, Mr Park, Mr Peacocke, Mr Phillips, Mr Price, Dr Refshauge, Mr Rogan, Mr Schipp, Mi- Sheahan, Mr Webster, Mr West, Mr Whelan and Mr Yabsley, received. Recyclable Resources The Petition of concerned citizens of New South Wales respectfully sheweth: That for the removal of sewage pollution from our beaches, the rehabilitation of impoverished soils, the careful use of our resources and for the maintenance of the health 01 our citizens, measures be taken to put an end to the waste of our recyclable resources so that our used water is treated, purified and recycled for maximum use; so that our sewage, sludge and selected garbage is combined to make hygienic soil improving compost; and so that this compost is available for sale and use on farms and gardens. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray: That your honourable House will take all steps necessary to set up a commission of inquiry to determine the best methods of accom- plishing the above. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Petitions, lodged by Mr Beck, Mr Cleary, Mr Davoren, Mr Greiner, Mr Mack, Mr Neilly, Mr Peacocke, Mr Petersen. Mr Price, Dr Refshauge, Mr Rogan, Mr Smith and Mr Webster, received.

School Staffing The Petition of Manly-Warringah district council of the parents and citizens' association respectfully sheweth: That the Department of Education should urgently carry out a review of its staffing policy to ensure that the system of staff alloca- ti011 satisfies the educational and administrative needs of individual schools. rather than the present practice of continually reducing staff levels by using a strict number formula. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray: That your honourable House will ensure that the Department of Education takes the above action. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Petition. lodged by Dr Metherell, received.

Moral Standards The Petition of members of the congregation of St Saviour's Anglican Church, Canterbury Road, Punchbowl, New South Wales, respectfully sheweth: That we have great concern over the decline and decay of moral standards in the State of New South Wales and call upon the Govern- ment to make immediate amendments to the Indecent Articles and Classified Publications Act; to find the guidelines for classification of videotapes or discs for sale or hire, as set out by the Film Censorship Board, completely and totally unacceptable; to prohibit the sale, hire, screening and possession of all videotapes or discs coming under the X classification; to prohibit the sale or hire of videotapes or discs coming under the R classification and to prohibit from sale or hire videotapes Petitions-Questions without Notice-12 September, 1984 737

or discs containing material depicting acts of rape, acts of homosexuality, the use of hard drugs, gratuitous violence, sexual or otherwise, whether they be discreet or not. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray: That your honourablc House will look after the spiritual welfare of every man, woman and child, foster a high moral standard in our society, and protect us from this immoral material. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Petition, lodged by Mr Davoren, received.

Homosexuality at the Australian Broadcasting Cornmission The humble Petition of citizens and residents of Australia respectfully sheweth: That we support your efforts to strengthen family life and protect marriage under God's holy word. Therefore, we wish to register our firm opposition to the ABC decision to recognize partners of homosexual staff as being equal to marriagc partners of heterosexuals. We are horrified that the ABC felt it could offend the accepted community standards with impunity, and use taxpayers' money to do so. This perk is thc inevitable immoral consequence of the decriminalization of homosexual behaviour, which we firmly denounce according to God's word. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray: That your honourable House and the Law Reform Commission will take appropriate measures against the arrogance of the ABC by rudely disgracing the public in their inconsiderate action. Petition, lodged by Mr H. F. Moore, received.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE APPOINTMENT OF MAGISTRATES Mr GREINER: My question is addressed to the Premier and Minister for the Arts in the absence of the Attorney General. As the Attorney General has criticized Mr Briese and his deputies for saying they were unwilling to give evidence to disciplinary hearings against certain magistrates, will the Premier say under what sections of the Public Service Act and on what charges it was recommended to proceed against magistrates who were unsuitable? What reasons did the three senior magistrates give for not providing evidence in these cases? Was their advice provided in writing, and, if so, will the Attorney General table the correspondence in order to refute the unfair suggestions that their refusal was in any way improper. Mr WRAN: I shall refer that question to the Attorney General, who wi return to the House as soon as he is well. No doubt he will give a complete answer.

MEDICARE Mr MAIR: Is the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health aware of a statement made in Albury recently by the Deputy Leader of the federal Liberal Party to the effect that if elected to government his party would abolish Medicare? 47 738 ASSEMBLY-Questions without Notice

Mr Singleton: Dr Blewett will be able to have the doctor of his choice. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier needs no help from the honourable member for Coffs Harbour in answering the question. Mr MULOCIC: I am grateful to the honourable member for Albury for asking a question that I believe is topical and shows clearly some division between what is being said by the Leader of the federal Opposition, Mr Peacock, and in this case by the Deputy Leader of the federal Liberal Party, Mr Howard. Certainly it comes as no surprise to me that Mr Howard, on behalf of the conservative parties in Canberra, should be advocating the dismantling of a system of quality of health care. Medicare is a tax based, universally free health system and as such has provided equality in the delivery of medical services.

Mr MULOCK: If anyone really wants to know whether Mr Howard was speaking on behalf of the conservative parties, he only need to listen to the prattle coming from the opposite side of the House today. Mr Punch: Dr Blewett does not agree with the Deputy Premier. Mr MULOCK: Dr Blewett does agree with me. We have one thing very much in common, and I shall come to it now. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Coffs Harbour to order. Mr MULOCK: It relates to statements made by Mr Howard raising the nationalized medicine bogy. Some few months ago in the course of the dispute that arose between the Government and the medical profession about visiting medical practitioners in New South Wales, one of the most propagated theories at that time was that the Hawke Government was about nationalized medicine, and that that was what Medicare was about. The federal Minister for Health made it clear that what the Commonwealth was supporting was both a public and a private hospital system; a public hospital system that enabled patients to be treated as public hospital patients or as private hospital patients according to whether they held private medical insurance. The federal Minister for Health made that position abundantly clear. Before the negotiating body entered into negotiations with the New South Wales Government I stated that that was the clear and unqualified position so far as the New South Wales Government was concerned. Nevertheless, the nationalized medicine bogy continued to be peddled as a basis for rallying elements of the medical profession. That call of nationalized medicine was based on fear. It was a false fear and is a dangerous fear upon which to base any argument such as the claim about nationalized medicine. During the negotiations the interim report of the Penington inquiry established by the federal Minister made it clear to the medical profession that that inquiry was conscious of the need to ensure that there was not a move towards nationalized medicine. I quote from a letter that Professor Penington wrote prior to bringing down the interim report, and in response to a claim about nationalized medicine in the Age, the Melbourne newspaper: The Federal Government is custodian of the public interest and has an obligation to control effectively payments of medical benefits and to secure accountability for funding and of medical practice in the public system . . . The legislation and agreements very specifically provide for such a continued role. The Committee is of the view that the profession is ready to accept accountability to government. Questions without Notice-12 September, 1984 739

I believe that the medical profession as a whole is ready to accept accountability to government, because of the huge amount of public money involved in the delivery of medical benefits and hospital benefits in this country. In the course of his visit to Albury Mr Howard sought to reopen the doctors' dispute in New South Wales. I believe that he should be condemned for trying to do so. It is obvious from the comments made by Mr Howard that he would support the reintroduction of a wasteful system based upon wasteful private health funds. It is interesting to note that the administration of some 60 funds in existence prior to the introduction of Medicare was costing $164 million a year. It is appropriate to sound a deliberate warning at this time that a movement away from Medicare would result in the trade union movement pushing to cover medical benefit payments, and that would be justified. This would give fresh impetus to inflation and therefore amount to an attack upon the federal Government's prices and incomes accord. That accord has enabled the Australian nation to see genuine benefits flowing from its maintenance, as inflation decreases, interest rates decrease, the economy expands. A fact from which one may take comfort in relation to what Mr Howard said in Albury is that he will not have the opportunity to carry out his threats. Mr Singleton: That is the end of a Dorothy Dix answer. Mr SPEAKER: Order!

ILLEGAL CASINOS Mr PUNCH: I ask the Minister for Police and Emergency Services a question without notice. Is it a fact that the Minister, in answering a question yesterday, was unaware that allegations raised by former Special Gaming Squad Chief, Merv Beck, referred to events that occurred before his appointment as Minister for Police? At that time was Assistant Commissioner Bill Allen in charge of gaming and betting? Will the Minister now ask the Commissioner of Police to interview Mr Beck to establish whether the senior politician allegedly involved in putting pressure on Mr Allen to keep police away from casinos was the Premier? Mr ANDERSON: I cannot confirm exactly the dates on which Mr Allen held positions prior to my appointment as Minister. Perhaps it is worth recalling for the information of the House that since the end of 1981 the Opposition persistently and deliberately has misled the public of New South Wales with regard to what happened to Mr Allen at that time. As I have indicated to this House and publicly, the Allen inquiry did not come about as a result of any questions asked by the Opposition, because at that time it had not asked any. Mr Punch: You are joking. Mr ANDERSON: If the Leader of the National Party listens he might learn something. The Allen inquiry did not come about as a result of Malcolm Fraser writing a letter. The reality is that within a matter of minutes of former commissioller Jim Lees ringing me, he came to my office and informed me of the information he had, and I-not Fraser and not the Leader of the National Party-directed that an inquiry be set up. It was that inquiry that I directed be set up that resulted in the section 45 tribunal hearing. That was the first time that there had ever been a section 45 tribunal hearing, because as I have said before, when the Opposition parties were in Government they were not prepared to introduce mechanisms that dealt with police disciplinary matters. It was this Government that in 1979 introduced the Police Regulation (Allegations of Misconduct) Act, which is regarded throughout the length and breadth of Australia as the definitive legislation in terms of the control of the police. That is the reality of the situation with regard to Mr Allen. 740 ASSEMBLY-Questions without Notice

The honourable gentleman asked me about Mr Beck. In all the time I have been Minister for Police and Emergency Services I have never attacked Merv Beck, for this reason: as I indicated to the House yesterday, at my request Merv Beck was brought back as superintendent; I created the special gaming squad, put him in charge, gave him the manpower he ncedcd, gave him his choice of men, gave him a complete and open charter, gave him a direction as to what to do, and he did it. He acknowledged that in report after report that he submitted. On the last occasion that I spoke to him prior to his retirement he thanked me, and he has publicly acknowledged that. He thanked Mr Lees and Mr Abbott and everybody else who helped him. Let us look at the reality of this matter. Let us compare two men, both of whom were involved with Allen. The first is Merv Beck who was a superintendent of police, a commissioned oficer, and a senior one at that. In the whole time that he was in charge of the gaming squad while I was Minister, up to his retirement, he never came to me and complained of these matters. Why did he not complain to his Minister, in whom he apparently had this great confidence? That confidence was apparent because he did everything I asked him to do and because he had acknowledged the support I had given him. Why did he not go to Lees? Why did he not go to Abbott? Why did he not do what a junior member of the service called Molloy did? Molloy was a sergeant, not a superintendent, who had made complaints abo~~tthis man Allen. What did Molloy, a lowly sergeant, do? Why could not the superintendent do what that sergeant did? 1 will tell honourable mcmbers what Molloy did. He went to two other police offict~sof lesser rank than any of those I have n~entioncdso far in this response. One cE them was Avery, who is the present commissioner, and the other was Ernie Shepsrd I am pleased to say that recently the Governor approved my proposal that Shepard become the new superintendent in charge of the police internal affairs unit, a most important body. Why could not Beck go to men such as that? They were there. When the matter was brought to their notice they responded and action was tnken. I want to know why these allegations have been made after he left the policc force and why it has taken him so long to make them. Why are there discrepancies-discrepancies that I pointed out to the House yesterday-between the comments made on the "PM" radio programme a fcw weeks ago and those made on the television programme "Four Corners"? Mr Punch: Ask him.

Mr ANDERSON: I can tell the Leader of the National Party that I do not proposc to ask the commissioner to do that. I suggest that the Leader of the National Party go back to his sources and ask them why they have not done the things that more lowly members of the service were prepared to do and that were acted upon. Then perhaps the House will determine the bona fides of those who seek to assert certain things. The basic tenet of British justice is that he who asserts must prove. He ha3 not made his assertions during the time that I have been Minister.

Mr Punch: He made them publicly, though. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of the National Party to order. Mr ANDERSON: The Leader of the National Party should read what he said. The honourable gentleman has had great difficulty in telling the truth in this House on many occasions. The Hnnsard record shows how repeatedly the Leader of the Nptional Party has not even been able to quote correctly from documents. I do not believe that has occurred because he cannot read; I believe it is the innate nature of the man that he has considerable dtfKculty telling the truth. Questions without Notice-12 September, 1984 741

Mr Punch: Why do you not answer the question? Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of the National Party to order.

RACE FIXING Mr H. F. MOORE: Is the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Tourism aware of a claim made in a column in the Szu-Herald written by Kevin Perkilts on 9th September, 1984, that since the Fine Cotton rort, Totalizator Agency Board takings in Queensland have dropped by about 10 per cent? Will the Minister advise the House of the current position in New South Wales? Mr CLEARY: I thank the honourable member for Tuggerah for his question, particularly in view of some of the allegations that the honourable member for Pittwater seems to be promulgating within New South Wales concerning racing in this State. Like otter comments he has made, his comments on that matter are not taken too seriously and are not regarded as having much substance. The honourable member's quesibn concerned the Totalizator Agency Board in New South Wales. Because of the bungling that has occurred in the racing industry in Queensland following the allegations involving the Fine Cotton ring-in, the TAB'S takings in that State have declined to the tune of 10 per cent. Investments in New South Wales on Sydney, Melbcurne and Brisbane races have increased substantially. I have figures for the three week pcriod during which the controversy surround- ing the Fine Cotton racing allegations took place. Those figures show that on Saturday, 25th August, 1984, investments in New South Wales on Sydney races increased by 3 per cent, on Melbourne races they increased by 18 per cent and on Brisbane races by 33 per cent. On Saturday, 1st Scptember, 1984, investments in New South Wales on Sydney raccs increased by 14 per cent, investments on Melbourne races remained static, and invcstments on Brisbane races increased by 3 pcr ccnt. On Saturday, 8th Septernbe~, 1984, investments in New South Wales on Sydney races increased by 4 per cent, on Melbourne raccs they increased by 11 per cent, and on Brisbane races by 19 per cent. That makes a total increase in TAB turnover in New South Wales of 12 per cent on Saturday, 25th August, 1984, 3 per cent on Saturday, 1st September, 1984, an6 9 per cent on Saturday, 8th September. 1984. I inform honourable members also that in money terms the TAB last year had a record turnover of just on $1.4 billion. The percentages I have just given the House indicate that this year invcstments on the TAB in New South Wales are $5 million ahead of those for the same period last year. So there is confidence in the racing industry in New South Wales. The industry is flourishing in New South Wales. The TAB is handling its responsibilities well. It is about time that people stopped knocking the New South Wales racing industry. If the honourable member for PiUwater has any substantial facts, as a member of Parliament he has a responsi- bility, instead of seeking headlines, to produce evidence either to the Australian Jockey Club or to the police so that the necessary inquiries can be undertaken. He should not make allegations of the sort that he has been making. A number of inquiries have been held into the racing industry in New South Wales. The honourable member should not lean forward in his seat; he will have his chance to respond. He should produce the evidence. Mr Smith: I hope I do have the chance. Mr CLEARY: No one is holding the honourable member back, except himself. If he has some evidence, he should produce it. He should not make allegations that have no substance, thus bringing discredit to an industry which is providing pleasure 742 ASSEMBLY-Questions without Notice to the people of New South Wales and which is an important industry so far as employment is concerned. The racing industry does not need a dill like the honourable member for Pittwater putting forward unsubstantiated allegations.

Mr Smith: 011 a point of order. I take exception to the Minister's comments and T ash him to withdraw them. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Pittwater has taken offence at the words used by the Minister and asks that those words be withdrawn. Mr CLEARY: I withdraw it, but it is the truth. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr CLEARY: I just repeat that to the honourable member because what has been printed in the papers has now also been denied by the trainers' association, which has 1 800 members, and they regard him in thc same category as I have just men- tioned. Not only that, but when he was the shadow Minister, because of his mentality and his unstable comments, and also his integrity and ability---- Mr Smith: You want to get back to shovelling manure. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr CLEARY: I think that comment proved that I was right. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister might come back to the question asked of him by the honourable member. Mr CLEARY: If there is any substance in the allegations he is making he has a responsibility as a member of Parliament to present those allegations. If they are substantiated, it will be obvious that they have some substance. But there is no sub- stance in what he has said. I have had reports on it. If he has proof, he can give it to the police or the Australian Jockey Club and the necessary inquiries will take place. If he does not come up with the goods, it could affect some of the TAB turnover in New South Wales. At the moment we are going all right because not many people take notice of what the honourable member for Pittwater says.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Mrs FOOT: I address my question to the Minister for Health. Did a report, commissioned by his predecessor as Minister for Health, submitted to him on 3rd April by the management consultants Urwick International Pty Limited, severely criticize his department? Were officers of the Department of Health criticized for their lack of understanding of the role of teaching hospitals and for the adversary stance which the department has adopted in industrial relations with hospital staff? What action has the Minister taken to improve the performance of the department since receiving this report? Mr MULOCK: In answer to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition I noted that after her speech yesterday she put out a press release on this subject. I also noticed that it did not get a run, so I presume she now asks the question today in an endeavour to get some coverage on an issue that really does not support the statement that she made. The statement that she made referred to a report that I received on 3rd April, 1984. If the honourable member was to go back through the Hansnrd records she would see that there was a leak of a draft interim report prepared by Urwick Inter- national Pty Limited back in April of this year. At that time I indicated that prior to that matter being made public I had asked the secretary of the department, who Questions without Notice-12 September, 1984 743 headed a steering committee that was established for the purpose of monitoring that consultation, to take up certain issues with the consultants. The most basic of those issues was that they had dealt with a number of matters which were outside their terms of reference. I also indicated that the format of the draft interim report would cer- tainly not be acceptable to me if it came forward in that form at the time that they provided me with the final report. At this stage I still have not received a final report. Certainly that draft interim report did contain some comments, and they were not quite in the inflammatory language that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has used today. The comments that were made, as I understand it, were never the subject of discussion between the consultants and the steering committee. They were never the subject of reference from the people who passed those comments on to the consultants. They were never the subject of reference by the consultants to the Department of Health. In many instances they were outside the terms of reference. Apart from having noted them because of the fact that they were outside the terms of reference, and seeking comment from the secretary of the department who headed that steering committee- which indicated to me that there had been no discussions with him as the chairman of that steering committee, or with his secretary, or with any senior officers of the Department of Health on matters on which one would normally have expected the consultants to refer if they got that information from some third parties-I have not taken any real notice of what was said there. In general terms in all administrations that I have held on behalf of this Government I have always sought to ensure that there were smooth relationships between the bureaucracy and myself as Minister, and between the bureaucracy and the various arms of the administration that that bureaucracy was responsible for. The same thing has happened in the first seven months that I have been Minister for Health. During that period there has been an election; there has been a period of some three weeks when I was Acting Premier whilst the Premier was overseas, followed by a lengthy dispute with the medical profession. Notwithstanding the considerable amount of my time and energies that have been taken up by this sequence of events, I have nevertheless at all times ensured that there were smooth relationships between the bureaucracy and the various arms of responsibility. It was, of course, a very difficult period for the Government and the Depart- ment of Health when the doctors' dispute arose, but even in that period anybody objectively looking at it would see that my efforts as Minister, involving the Depart- ment of Health in negotiations with the negotiating body of the medical profession did, in fact, bring about a result. The legislation that was agreed to in those negotiations passed through the upper House yesterday. That represents an accom- modatior; of many of the objects that had been expressed by the medical profession, and 1 am continuing to meet with the negotiating body to resolve a few outstanding matters. But as has so often been the case so far as the Deputy Leader of the Opposi- tion has been concerned in whatever be her shadow portfolios, she has never really done her homework. This is now another case where she refers to what was a draft interim report as if it were holy writ. It is a document that did not reach me until after the leak appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this year, and I still await the fine; report.

Mr MULOCK: I did not hear the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. It would be as irrelevant as most of the things that she did. As I said at the outset, yesterday she gave a speech on the Address in Reply. I presume she believed that the most important item in what she said yesterday was the one in which she put out a hand-out. 744 ASSEMBLY-Questions without Notice

Mrs Foot: The most important item I have yet to discuss. Mr MULOCK: The most important item she set out in her speech yesterday of half an hour was this item. It was so important it did not get a run, and that is about the level of criticism that she can bring to the system. She brings it in the circum- stances of a draft interim report; she brings it in the circumstances that it was not a report that was received by me. I believe the comments were outside the terms of reference. I am also certain from the advice that I have been given that comments of the nature that were referred by various people at the hospitals they visited were not the subject of checking or challenge, or permitted challenge, by the Depart- ment of Health. I say to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that I stand ready, willing and able to justify my administration of the health portfolio for the last seven months.

TREASURY CORPORATION Mr J. H. MURRAY: My question without notice is addressed to the Treasurer. Will he inform the House how the New South Wales Treasury Corporation is perform- ing in comparison with similar economic organizations throughout Australia? Mr Dowd: On a point of order. The question seeks an opinion from the Minister rather than some matter pertinent to the administration of his office and, I submit, is out of order. Mr Mulock: You sought an opinion from the Minister for Police yesterday. Mr Dowd: I sought the facts. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I did not hear the question in its entirety. I ask the honourable member for Drummoyne to repeat the question. Mr J. H. MURRAY: My question alludes to the performance of the New South Wales Treasury Corporation. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I ask the honourable member for Drummoyne to repeat the question. Mr J. H. MURRAY: Will the Treasurer inform the House how the New South Wales Treasury Corporation is performing in comparison with similar organiza- tions throughout Australia? Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the Treasurer answers the question by way of statistical example, I am sure that will satisfy the House that he is not being asked for an opinion. Mr K. G. BOOTH: In answer to the question asked by the honourable member for Drummoyne, whom I congratulate for his continuing interest in this matter, I point out first that although the House resumed sitting in August not one question has been put to me concerning financial aspects.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr K. G. BOOTH: The Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the National Party and his deputy ask questions con- stantly of the Premier, the Attorney General and the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. The rest of us might as well go home. Questions without Notice-12 September, 1984 745

Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr K. G. BOOTH: The Opposition promised to come here with bread and butter issues. Mr Singleton: We will be over there soon. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Coffs Harbour to order. Mr K. G. BOOTH: He should be sent to Blacktown. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr K. G. BOOTH: I am pleased to be able to announce that according to a recent survey the State's central borrowing authority, the Treasury Corporation, has the highest credit rating of any financial institution in Australia. In Survey of Interest Rates, a publication put out by Investment and Econometrics Research, the Treasury corporation premier notes were ranked as first. This is a fine performance, particularly when considering that Telecom Australia ranked third in the list and the Australian Wheat Board dropped from first place to second. The corporation has proved highly successful in raising loan funds for semi-government a~~thoritiesand electricity co-cmty councils. In the six months to the end of June, more than $1 billion in term loans was raised. These loans were raised at a fine margin to the corresponding Commonwealth bond rate and, on several occasions, at less than the Commonwealth rate. This illustrates the high regard and marketability of the Treasury Corporation's stock, and confirms the timeliness of the Government's decision early in 1983 to establish the corporation. Honourable members will recall that legislation was passed in 1983 to incor- porate all statutory authorities' domestic borrowings in this central borrowing authority. In the light of its success it is interesting to note that other States are now following this model. So much for the Opposition, which opposed this aspect of the corporation and, indeed, moved an amendment to have the Electricity Commission of New South Wales excluded from the legislation. The measure of public support has been gratifying. Approximately 6 000 members of the public invested more than $75 inillion in the last loan. In its first year of operation the corporation raised the largest ever institutional support. The premier bonds have carved an important niche in the finance market. The deregulated environment in which the New South -Wales Treasury Corporation operates poses exciting challenges for the future and, with strong public and wide- ranging institutional support received from lenders, the corporation is well placed to embark upon another highly successful year.

FORMER POLICE SERGEANT PHILIP ARANTZ Mr HATTON: I ask the Premier, without notice, in recognition of the gross injustice inherent in the treatment of former police sergeant Philip Arantz and, second, the overwhelming support within the community and the Australian Labor Party for his reinstatement to the police force at a rank commensurate with that which he would have achieved had he remained in the police force, and also in respect of compensation, what is the level of the Premier's personal support for Philip Arantz in his battle and what action has he and the Government taken to bring about Mr Arantz's reinstatement and payment of compensation? 746 ASSEMBLY-Questions without Notice

Mr WRAN: While I was overseas this year Mr Arantz saw the Deputy Premier, who has the matter in hand. I should like to make it clear that although the matter of compensation is an option and, it seems to me, a proper option, the matter of reinstatement is not an option.

FIREARM LICENCES AND SURRENDER

Mr WADE: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. In the light of the Minister's statement last night that all the people who have applied for shooters' licences since 1st September, 1984, wilI have to reapply when proposed legislation comes into operation, will the Minister inform the House whether arrangements will be made for those people who do not want to renew their licences to surrender their firearms?

Mr ANDERSON: I thank the honourable member for Newcast!e for his question. It is true that last night I intimated that following an increase in the number of applications for shooters' licences since the Government's intention to strengthen the firearms laws was announced, those persons who applied for or obtained licences from 1st September will have to reapply when the new legisletion comes into opcration. Those who are lawfully holding a licence, probably issued prior to that date, will be covered by transitional arrangements. As for the surrender of firearms, a number of inquiries have been made at police stations by members of the public who do not wish to renew their licences or retain possession of certain firearms. For that reason, today I have approved of a firearms amnesty in New South Wales. The amnesty starts from today, 12th September and will extend to 29th November of this year. The terms of the amnesty will include the voluntary surrender of firearms, including pistols and long arms and any other dangerous or offensive weapons, including explosives. The effect of the amnesty will also guarantee immunity from prosecution to persons who surrender unlicensed weapons of all types. Persons who wish to surrender any item may remain anonymous if they so desire.

The history of amnesties regarding firearms in a number of places would suggest that there are occasions upon which people in possession of certain firearms who no longer need them and yet otherwise retain them in their homes where accidents or theft might occur, are willing to surrender them to the police. In that context I should hope the Opposition will give the amnesty support, though it would be difficult to be sure of the Opposition's stance on this matter. On 9th March this year, which is not long ago, the Leader of the Opposition, on behalf of the Opposition parties, in a letter published in newspapers, stated that the Opposition's policy was to oppose com- plicated, costly and unnecessary regulation on the ownership of firearms and, certainly, the Opposition did not consider that stricter gun control would do anything to achieve objectives regarding a reduction in crime. The coalition, the Leader of the Opposition said, was opposed to adding a further complicated layer of regulation and registration to the existing system of issuing shooters' licences. If one had listened to the Leader of the Opposition in recent days one would see how he has changed his mind yet again on that matter.

Mr Schipp: You ought to read the Premier's record on that.

Mr ANDERSON: I have read the Premier's record on it.

Mr Schipp: Read it all. Questions without Notice-12 September, 1984 747

Mr ANDERSON: For the information of the honourable member for Wagga Wagga, I tell him that if he really wants to do some reading he should read articles in the Daily Mirror of 3rd August, 1983, and the Daily Telegraph of 4th August, 1983. In the Daily Telegraph article, it was said: The Opposition leader, Mr Nick Greiner, and the Leader of the National Party, Mr Punch, issued a joint statement yesterday opposing addi- tional registration and regulation of firearm owners. The article in the Daily Mirror of 3rd August stated: Mr W. T. J. Murray: Read all of it. Mr ANDERSON: I am not going to read all of it. I can show you the headline. This is what the Daily Mirror headlined on 3rd Aumst last year, "Lighter Gun Laws Urged-Shock Move by Greiner." I shall read the first two paragraphs: Gun laws and regulations should be eased, State Opposition Leader Nick Greiner said today. Launching the Liberal and National Party's policy on gun control he lashed out at plans by the State Government to tighten gun regulations. I assure the honourable member that when the proposed legislation is introduced in this Parliament the people of New South Wales will be able to determine the Opposi- tion's policy or, rather, what the policy of the Leader of the Opposition concerning firearm's laws is. or happens to be, on that particular day.

GLENBAWN AND SPLIT ROCK DAMS h4r FISHER: I direct my question without notice to the Minisier for Natural Re~ources.Hzve unions involved in the contract to enlarge Glenbswn Dam now been on strike for fifteen weeks? Have these unions demanded pay scales in excess of those normally paid for the type of machinery being used and do these demands flow on from the acquiescence of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales to pay overaward rates7 What action hes the Minipter prorose to take to resohe this iwl-. to emwe that the important Glenbawn and Split Rock Dam projects proceed forthwith? Mrs CROSIO: At least the honourable member for Upper Hunter acknowledges that the Glenbawn and Split Rock Dams are important construction projects. Though the industrial dispute at Glenbawn Dam has been going on since May of this year I appreciate the honourable member bringing it to my notice now. In April 1984 four of the on site unions filed with thc Industrial Commission of New South Wales a joint zpplication for a $3 an hour site allowance. They also requested the payment of $15 a day as a travelling allowance. Subsequently three of these unions withdrew from the hearing before the Industrial Commission of New South Wales and through the Labor Council sought the contractor's agreement-the contractor on that particnlar site being Citra-to broadbanding wages as established in the electricity generation projects in the Hunter Valley. A11 work on the Glenbawn Dam, which is the extension of the walls of the dam, ceesed on 19th June. Probably there was little wcrk done between May and June. On numerous occasions Citra requested the Water Resources Commission to take an active role in the negotiations. I was not wil!iog to have the Water Resources Comm;ssion involved because to do so would have moved outside the obligations of the contract. The Water Resources Commission could also have been seen as breaching the economic policy accord. Doubtless that would lead to pressures for similar wage agreements in other Water Resources Commission projects. 748 ASSEMBLY-Questions without Notice

I then had questions raised both through the Public Service Board and the 'Premier. On lSth July the Industrial Commission of New South Wales awarded a $1.70 an hour site allowance to plant operators only; no travelling allowance was awarded. The members of the Federated Engine Drivers and Firemen's Association were unable to benefit from this site allowance of $1.70 because of the strike action being taken at the time by the other three unions. The Minister for Industrial Relations and I have had meetings with the Labor Council organizers to discuss this dispute. Further meetings are envisaged and negotiations are proceeding. The Government must be quite definite but it also must acknowledge that some of the reasons put forward by the unions in this dispute may have merit, particularly the fact that the workers are now earning less money for doing the same type of job than they were when working with the particular contractor three years ago. I am not talking about what happened during the electricity generating boom in the Hunter Valley. What concerned me was that the contractor had been awarded a contract by the Water Resources Commission. The Water Resources Commission was paying that contractor, but the contractor was the employer. In the first place the contractor should have negotiated, in an effort to resolve the issue, but the contractor has not done much to help in that regard. I am continually concerned that the Government's job creation programmes are being delayed. No doubt following further negotiations and with commonsense being exercised by both sides agreement will finally be reached. Deputy President McMahon of the Industrial Commission will be holding discussions in the future in order to reach agreement between the parties inbolved in the dispute.

The contract for Split Rock Dam has only just been awarded. The people concerned are aware of what is happening and why it is happening. As I have said, had the original contractor who won the contract for Glenbawn Dam shown a little more initiative rather than charging like a bull in a china shop the Government might now have been able to state when the Glenbawn Dam project will be completed.

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND Mr WALSH: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Industry and Decentralisation, and Minister for Small Business and Technology. Now that one year has passed since the Advanced Technology Development Assistance Fund was announced, will the Minister advise on progress in assisting industry? Is the Minister in a position to advise on the type of technology being assisted? Has the assistance resulted in increased employment opportunities?

Mr BEDFORD: I thank the honourable member for Maitland for his question and for his continued interest in the application of advanced technology in industry in New South Wales. It is true that in February 1983, a little more than twelve months ago, the Premier made one of the most significant announcements which has been made in New South Wales with respect to assistance to industry. It was the establish- ment of the Advanced Technology Development Fund. The fund is applicable to all parts of New South Wales and many country industries are making successful applica- tions for assistance. I use this opportunity to mention that the honourable member for Murray had much to say in his local newspapers about the Country Industry Assistance Fund and the Government's activities associated with it. The fund for advanced technology, as well as the Small Business Development Fund, is applicable to all of New South Wales and many country industries are availing themselves of both funds. The figures show that a bigger proportion of applications for assistance for small business are from the country than the city. Questions without Notice-Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 749

After the announcement by the Premier on 14th February, 1983, all of the necessary arrangements were made to establish the Advanced Technology Assistance Fund. There was a need for this Parliament to appropriate the funds to have them available. The necessary bureaucratic establishment also had to be put into place. By December 1983 the first of the applications was being processed by the people associated with that fund. So far the fund has been highly successful. I shall take this opport~mityto mention just a few of the many industries which have been assisted. I will not mention the amounts involved, though the sums involved are not confidential. The figures show the range of the areas in which this assistance f~indhas made it possible for these industries to be established or to continue their roles on the world market and not only in Australia. Assistance was provided to Australasian Training Aids Pty Limited of Albury, which is involved in automatic training equipment for military purposes. Digital Electronics Ply Limited of Pymble, which is involved with computers and computer hardware, was also assisted. Another company that received amstance was Hazletts Dunrobin Poultry Stud Pty Limited, which is involved with chicken genetics. Assistance was provided for Applied Communications Pty Limited of ICirribilli, which is involved with data telephones. Intra Optics Laboratories Pty Limited of Seven Hills, which is involved with lens cataract surgery was assisted. Hi-Tech Control Systems Pty Limited, of Lismore, which is involved with the electronic scarecrow was also provided with assistance from the fund. J. N. Almgren Pty Limited of Chatswood, which deals in computer hardware and software and telephone interchange systems, and Macawber Engineering Pty Limited of Wyong, which is concerned with pneumatic conveying systems, were assisted. I have given honourable members but a small sample of the range of industries assisted by this most exciting, and, I believe, well-established fund which has a big future in development of industry in New South Wales. As a result of the fund's operations many more people have been employed in those industries. What is more important is that those industries show a growing market and an ability to employ more people in the future. Again, I thank the honourable member for Maitland for his question and for his continued interest in advanced technology.

BILL RETURNED The following bill was returned from the Legislative Co~lncilwithout amend- ment : Supply Bill

GOVERNOR'S SPEECH: ADDRESS IN REPLY Seventh Day's Debate Debate resumed (from 1lth September, vide page 656) on motion by Mr Carr: That the following Address in Reply to the Speech which His Excel- lency the Governor has addressed to both Houses of Parliament on opening this Session of the Parliament of New South Wales be now adopted by this House : To His Excellency Air Marshal Sir JAMESANTHONY ROWLAND, Knight Com- mander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, upon whom have been conferred the decorations of the Distinguished Flying Cross 750 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

and the Air Force Cross, Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, Governor of the State of New South Wales in the Conzrnonwealth of Australia. May it Please Your Excellency- We, Her Majesty's loyal and dutiful subjects, the Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales, in Parliament assembled, desire to express our thanks for Your Excellency's Speech, and to affirm our sincere allegiance to Her Most Gracious Majesty. 2. We beg to assure Your Excellency that our earnest consideration will be given to the measures to be submitted to us, that we will faithfully carry out the important duties entrusted to us by the people of New South Wales, and that the necessary provision for the Public Services will be made in due course. Mr WEST (Orange) [3.11]: I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. I congratulate my Opposition colleagues who became members at the last elections and have made their maiden speeches in this debate. I congratulate particularly my colleagues in the National Party, the honourable member for Byron, the honourable member for Clarence, the honourable member for Oxley, the honourable member for Goulburn, and the honourable member for Murrumbidgee. They made magnificent speeches. I am confident that they will prove to be effective representatives of their electorates and will leave their marks on this Parliament. This is my first speech in the House since the polls and I wish to thank my constituents for the confidence that they have once again shown in me by electing me to represent them in this Parliament. There is much to be achieved. However, with the tired approach of the Government in New South Wales, particularly in respect of health, education and housing, it will be difficult to put in train many of the developments that are so urgently needed. In preparing His Excellency's Speech the Government commenced by praising itself for what it is doing in creating jobs. One must examine just how many new jobs have been created and how many of them are permanent. The frightening fact is that so many of the jobs being created are temporary only. I wonder how long this situation can continue before those people are returned to the unemployment list. The Labor Government has been re-elected for what is obviously its last term on the Treasury benches, for it is becoming so dependent on the same tired old rhetoric, and takes no new initiatives to match the needs and aspirations of the people of New South Wales. That rhetoric is evident in the drafting of His Excellency's Speech. Traditionally the Governor's Speech is meant to be an outline of the Government's programme for the forthcoming session of Parliament. Lately it is becoming more notable for its omissions rather than its inclusions. For example, no mention is made of the proposed legislation that the Government has talked about so freely to control the sale and hire of X-rated video cassettes. If appropriate legislation is not implemented as a matter of urgency to control the sale and hire of these videos, a ludicrous situation will develop in this State whereby the gate will be closed after the horse has bolted. On a number of occasions the Government has announced through the news media that it proposes to introduce appropriate measures, but in the meantime, because of the policies of the federal Government, this material is flooding into the country and will become freely avail- able in this State even after the laws proposed by the New South Wales Government are implemented. It is time that the Government gave effect to the plans it has announced on so many occasions. The majority of people throughout New South Wales have made it known that they are strongly opposed to such filth being available, particularly when children are able to view it. Where is there mention in the Governor's Speech about what the Government will do to clean up crime in this Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 751

State? Crime is increasing so rapidly that this State is now regarded as the crime capital of Australia. This has been brought about because of the Government's lack of action. People round Australia are recognizing New South Wales as the crime capital and are stating that New South Wales criminals are under the patronage of the Labor Party. I turn to some of the comments made in His Excellency's Speech about sport, recreation and tourism. The Government's continuing programme to upgrade sporting facilities in Sydney is to be commended, not only in respect of major sports but also many of the minor sports. This is evidenced by the Government's project in con- structmg the international sports centre at Homebush. Most people throughout New South Wales have a firm commitment to and a support for that project. The whole scene in sport has changed. In recent years, the commitment by Australians to sport has grown significantly. The result of this commitment by Australian sportsmen and sportswomen can be seen in the success achieved by all our competitors at the recent Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Though it is fair to say that our medal tally at those Gamcs was excellent, it is more important to refer to the spirit with which our competitors approached the competition with sportsmen and sportswomen from all over the world and the fact that Australians were able to hold their heads high and were able to compete so freely and at such a high level. This enabled Australia to be recognized as a major sporting country. It is not just a matter of being able to compete at the Olympic Games; it is also a matter of being able to compete in so many different sporting arenas. No matter what the sporting endeavour may be, our sportsmen and sportswomen are able to h~ldtheir heads high because they achieve so much and compete with a spirit that is not seen in sportsmen or sportswomen from any other country. All Australians would wish to congratulate sportsmen and sportswomen on the job they do not only for their sport, but for our country because they are really acting as ambassadors for Australia. The emphasis in sport has changed and more people are participating in it. More people are willing to strive for a higher degree of excellence. We must be able to provide facilities and an infrastructure to help those people participate and achieve their desires In the past most of the sponsorship and support given to competitors has been from private enterprise. Many private firms throughout Australia are willing to put forward sponsorship money to enable people to be involved in various sporting endeavours. That is an important aspect and is continuing. It must be recognized that the Government has an important role to ulay in developing an infrastruct~rreto enable many of the people who wish to participate to do so. Provision must be made for the growing number of spectators who wish to be involved in various sporting endeavours. Millions of dollars are being poured into sport in Sydney. I am not denying the worth of that amount of money. However, there are a number of smaller projects throughout the State, particularly in country areas, that are being denied assistance because of insufficient government funding. Small towns wishing to construct a tennis court or a new cricket pitch have been unable to obtain approval for the necessary funds. I understand that the nurnlxr of applications made for Government funds each year will always exceed the funds available. As more money is being allocated to sporting bodies in the Sydney region, it is obvious that the Government is unable to approve the number of applications for funds made by sporting bodies in country areas. Commitment by local communities and local government is increasing all the time, but one cannot expect those people to continue to put their money up front, and to devote time and effort unless in the future the Government is able to provide worthwhile assistance at a much higher level than has been given in the past. Country people are disadvantaged in sport. I do not suggest that those who live in major 752 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply towns, or even some of those living in smaller towns, do not have opportunities. Sporting facilities are provided. Many country people have to travel great distances to obtain the competition that is essential if they are to improve in their selected sport or to have maximum involvement in that sport. I refer particularly to swimmers in country districts. It is all very well to have a local swimming pool available for training, but if one wants to strive for higher sporting achievement and be able to gain selection in a State team or an Australian team, one has to be able to attend regional and State meetings, which are usually held in Sydney. That means that those who come from the country carry enormous financial burdens because they must make these journeys regularly. In many cases thc ~mrentsof young people drive them to Sydney to compete or make other arrangc- ments for them to get to thc meetings. Some scheme should be established in New South Wales to enable talented young people who have a chance of gaining selection in n major team in the future to apply to the Department of Sport and Rccreatioi~ for reimbursement, on an ongoing basis, of costs incurred. I understand that the Gove~nmentalready makes financial assistance available to talented young persons to help defray their costs. However, the amounts involved are minimal and in the long term do not go far towards meeting the costs involvcd. I make brief reference to the Fine Cotton ring-in scandal that occurred in Queensland. I do not intend to debate the various matters that are being investigated by the Australian Jockey Club and the Queensland Turf Club, but simply to debate what should happen to the money held by bookmakers and the TAB as a result of the horse's disqualification. It is obvious that a lot of money was invested on the horse Fine Cotton. Some of that money was invested by people who were, or may have been, involved in the actual switching of horses. A lot of that money was invested by regular punters, whether they be professional punters who engage in that activity as their main occupation or pastime, or the small-time punter who has a wager on the weekend or at some of the midweek meetings. Those people outlayed their money; for whatever reason, the amount invested was considerable. During the inquiry con- ducted by the Queensland Turf Club it has been revealed that bookmakers at Warwick Farm on that day held $120,019 on Fine Cotton. That is a large amount of money, apart from the TAB investment. After the race the stewards disqualified the horse and bookmakers were able to pocket the punters' money without having taken any risk. The punters obtained no dividend. Many punters are now asking why they should not be able to get their money back. The rules do not allow for that to happen when a horse is disqualified. The bookmakers have that money freely available to them and did not have to take any risk. I agree that there should be an investigation into whether the money invested should be put into a fund, such as the Racecourse Development Fund, and used for the benefit of the industry. I shall raise that matter with the appropriate officials. I do not believe that the bookmakers have a legitimate claim to the money, as punters were given no chance to obtain a return on their investments, the bookmakers did not have any commitment in respect of the horse involved and yet have a free claim to the money invested with them. While speaking about racing I should refer also to claims that have been made by the honourable member for Pittwater that most Sydney races are fixed. As the Opposition's spokesman on sporting issues I dissociate myself and my party from the claims made by the honourable member for Pittwater. His claim that most Sydney races are rigged is reckless and is damaging to the racing industry. It is fair to say that occasionally Sydney races may be fixed, that they may not all be clean. A lot of those have been substantiated already. I have every confidence in the standard maintained by the Australian Jockey Club and the stewards who control racing in Sydney. Their record in the racing industry in Sydney shows clearly that they have the ability to control racing and have uncovered most of the Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 753 illegal activity in that sport. To suggest that race fixing occurs in most Sydney races is to talk absolute nonsense. So many facts point to the contrary. Very few races are rigged, and those that are have been detected. The Leader of the Opposition said that he supports the establishment of a special police racing squad. Most honourable members would support such an establish- ment, as I believe would the Australian Jockey Club. All honourable members will be aware that the powers of the Australian Jockey Club stewards are limited in the action they can take. It is obvious that if a special racing squad were introduced, and police were present at most race meetings, it would be able to undertake inquiries, and lay charges if that were deemed necessary. The honourable member for Pittwater has made allegations of race fixing. He said that his evidence comes from people in the industry. Those people in the industry are the punters. A lot of other people are involved in the industry. Before the honourable member went public the evidence that he claims to have should have been presented to the Australian Jockey Club so that it could make inquiries and establish facts. Such statements do a disservice to the industry and destroy public confidence in a well-conducted, efficiently supervised, multimillion-dollar business. If this matter is not cleared up quickly, the industry will suffer enormous damage, I shall deal now with tourism, which has been referred to in His Excellency's Speech. Tourism is the new growth industry. It has been heralded by governments at the State and national levels as the industry with the major potential growth. Recently the federal Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism, and the New South Wales Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Tourism have said that New South Wales is undergoing major growth and will win a big slice of the tourism boom. Such statements are easy to make, but it is difficult to agree with them when one realizes the actions of the federal Labor Government are directly contrary to producing any boom or growth. What happened in the last federal Budget? New South Wales is now set to market tourism and is going to extend its promotion to Japan and North America to encourage tourists to the shores of this State. In its Budget the federal Government increased the excise charges, which led to an increase of 2% a litre in the cost of aviation fuel. That increased cost, together with all the other increases in operating costs, has led to an average 3.5 per cent increase in domestic air fares. That action alone will mean that when visitors from Japan and from North America come to our shores we will have to tell them that they had better stay in the centre in which they arrive because our domestic air fares will inhibit their seeing the rc:t of Australia. They will have to be told that they had better stay in the city in which they arrive, be it Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, and that they should not try to travel to any of the other major capital cities or to any of the country area^. How can tourism in this country survive in those circumstances? How are more jobs to be created and how are business opportunities to be provided if the federal Government takes that sort of restrictive action? Mr Aquilina: They could visit the Orange art gallery. Mr WEST: How are they to get to the Orange art gallery? They will not be able to afford the air fares to get there because the honourable member's colleagues in Canberra are increasing the cost of travel within this country. Involved in the tourisrr, industry is not only the cost of aviation but also the cost of wages. The tourism industry is a unique industry. It operates 7 days a week and virtually 24 hours a day. Because of the wage structure in this State and in this country, many people are paid at a rate higher than the hourly rate. They are being paid time and a half, double time and triple time. These costs are being paid by the consumer 754 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply of to~irism,the person who moves about the country. Most of those people want to move about the country on a weekend. Internal tourists are employed during the week znd want to travel on the weekend. Consequently they have to pay these additional costs. Federal Ministers in Canberra have already said that they are willing to look at the matter of penalty rates, but that is as far as the matter has gone at this stage. hTo similar proposal has been put forward in New South Wales. If this Govern- ment i5 fair dinkum about promoting tourism on a major scale, it is about time that it tackled this single major issue, because the tourist industry is unique in that it operate; during hours that other industries do not operate. 11, the minutes remaining to me I wish to raise a couple of matters of special concerti to my electorate. First, I refer to what I suppose has been commonly called the army land grab. The Premier could have put a stop to this matter when it was raised, a long time ago, but he has continued with it and he has introduced new areas into the debate. Orange was one of the areas that was originally identified in that triangle incorporating Orange, Bathurst and Mudgee. After a considerable number of people in the Orange area made it clear to the Premier, the Government of this State and the federal Government that they did not wa~ta bw of this army land grab in that are;, the Government said that it would examine some other areas. It excluded the Ororrge area from the study. Now, unfortunately, the Ora-~pecity council, claiming to repicsent a number of peop!e, is hanging in and will not let go of the original proposal. There is a great division between country and city people over this matter. The Premier and the State and federal governments have made it clear that Orange is no lonzer under consideration. Only yesterday the mayor of that city camc to Sydney to ses the Premier about this matter. 1 wish the Premier would make it clear that the Orange zrea is not suitable and is no longer under consideration by the Goveri-i- ment aq a site for the relocation of army facilities in the central western region. The main problem is that a small area surrounding such cities as Orange and Bathursi is densely populated by people with small rural holdings. Fewer people would be disturbed if such a facility were to be located in any other part of the State. The honourab'le member for Broken Hi!l may be interested in having the facility located in his area. 1 will not venture a comment about whether he needs an army establish- ment in his area. I think it is a matter of getting our priorities right. It seems that Canberra has millions of dollars to spend on relocating an army base, when only a few months ago it refused financial assistance to the navy to buy an aircraft carrier. Now it proposes to spend a similar amount of money to transfer an army base from Singleton and to move the artillery section from North Head. The federal Government should get its spending priorities right for the defence of this country. It should leave the army base at Singleton, and it certainly should not locate a firing range in a closely settled area of the State. It should be situated in a part of the State where it will not affect the livelihoods of a large number of people. I know that many of my colleagues believe that such a facility should not be located in the areas they represent. They have their reasons for holding that belief as well. Another matter that concerns me is the augmentation of the Molong water supply scheme. Molong is a small town with a population of only about 3 000 people. If the proposed water supply scheme goes ahead, the water rates paid by most of the ratepayers in that local government area will treble. Most of the people in Molong are low income earners. Many of them are pensioners. The imposition of such an additional cost will have a horrendous effect on them. Financial assistance over and above that offered under the country water supply scheme has been sought through the community employment programme. Applications to that effect have been put Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 755 forward on a number of occasions but each time they have been rejected. State members of Parliament could make appropriate representations to their colleagues in Canberra in an effort to obtain greater financial assistance for this scheme. Members of the Labor Party often talk about their desire to help underprivileged people and those who cannot afford these sorts of facilities. Surely a regular water supply is a basic necessity. I do not believe that people who live in country towns shodd be penalized by the imposition of additional costs. I hope that the Minister for Employ- ment and Minister for Finance who is responsible at the State level for the administra- tion of this programme will take action in the near future to ensure that the assistance required is provided to the people of the town of Molong. Mr AQUILINA (Blacktown) [3.38]: I congratulate the honourable member for Maroubra and the honourable member for Balmain on moving and seconding the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply to the Speech of His Excellency the Governor. Although both gentlemen have been members of the Parliament for only a relatively short period, each has already made a worthwhile contribution to the machinery of government in impressing upon other honourable members on both sides of this House their personal philosophies and dedication to the Labor cause. I take this opportunity to extend my congratulations in particular to the honourable member for Maroubra for the role he has played as chairman of the P~~blicAccounts Com- mittee, of which I am deputy chairman. The honourable member for Maroubra has fulfilled his role with personal dedication and initiative and already has made his stamp as a watchdog of the public purse. Additionally, I extend my congratulations to all of those honourable members who have made their maiden speeches during this Address- in-Reply debate, particularly those honourable members on the Government benches. If their maiden speeches are any indication of the contributions they will make during their terms as members of this and subsequent Parliaments, I am sure that the people of New South Wales will be very well served. In this speech on the Address in Reply I wish to focus my attention in particular on what I regard as being one of the greatest social evils of our time. I speak of none other than the evil of unemployment, a matter of great concern to all of us. For as long as I have been a member of this House, and certainly for a long time before that, governments and opposition parties at all levels have focused their attention on this fearsome phenomenon. Millions of words have been spoken and written by politicians. Thousands of research papers have been prepared by academics and hundreds of theories have been advanced as to the causes of our present level of unemployment and how to overcome it. Certainly, if one felt so inclined, each and every one of us could spend more than our lifetime studying both cause and symptom of this social evil and advancing yet another suggestion on how to overcome the problem. Fundamentally, the issue is a federal one, as irrespective of how powerful and how economically viable any State government may be, there are still grave limitations both in a legislative sense and in the economic sense to just how effective the State Government can be. On the federal scene, during the last decade, we have seen two alternative strategies proposed. Clearly, both from events which took place at the time and fro^ an historical perspective, the strategy of Fraserism was a blatant failure. In attempting to keep down inflation at all costs, the Fraser Government succeeded only in retarding the economic recovery of this nation and in so doing, in maintaining the high level of unemployment at unacceptable levels. In relation to the Government's direct impact on the economy, its strategy was self-defeating in that on the one hand the Government attempted to cut back its expenditure on public works, while on the other hand this economic madness resulted in the escalation of a welfare bill unprecedented in the history of this country. At the same time, the large numbers of unemployed deprived it of the tax revenue they would have provided had they been working. 756 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

If any one word could sum up the theme of that Government, it is con- frontation. Indeed, so dominant was this theme and so aggressive was the Government in implementing this policy, that the Fraser Government succeeded in smashing all economic theories advanced since the Industrial Revolution, and, in a period of the highest rate of unemployment in post-war years, still succeeded in having one of the worst records of industrial disputes this century. New South Wales, being the largest State in terms of both its population and economy, felt the full brunt of this insanity and many of the initiatives of this Government, substantial as they were, were success- fully undermined by the Fraser philosophy. Conversely, today, as opposed to the Fraser policy of confrontation, we have the consensus of the Hawke Government. The economic recovery, which has been going to come for so long, is finally with us and instead of prices and wages chasing each other in a frenzied spiral, we now have the prices and income accord providing the structural fabric around which the material of economic recovery can be woven. Significantly, for the first time in a decade, employers and employees are talking to each other instead of shouting at each other or ignoring what the other is saying, and, just as importantly, both are talking to government. As opposed to the diverging policies of the past we now have the con- verging strategies aimed at uniting us in a common goal and getting us all working rogether.

No doubt there will be those who will do their utmost to belittle the signi- ficance of this achievement and to belittle the role played by the concerned Labor governments both federal and State, in bringing it about. Such persons, and the sentiments they espouse, should be readily dismissed. Only if and when they advance an alternative blueprint as opposed to the destructive criticism of the strategy presently being implemented should any consideration be afforded to them. Certainly, since I was elected to this Parliament, I have heard no such strategies being advanced by the members on the Opposition benches, and that is precisely why they will remain exactly where they are, forever yearning to govern. Since March 1983 the New South Wales Government has been ablc to plan ahead within the framework of a federal economy guaranteed to bring lasting and substantial achievements for the people of this State.

Although I do not propose to go through the details documented in His Excellency's Speech, even a casual glance will reveal the outstanding achievements of this Government and the many projects which are in the pipeline and which are being proposed for our continued growth and development. I have noted that almost every member of the Opposition who has spoken in this debate has thrown cold water on the initiatives announced in that Speech. Each has described it in terms that are synonymous with dull, boring and lacking in initiative. Yet not one member, from the Leader of the Opposition down, has been willing to advance an alternative pro- gramme or an alternative strategy for this State's economic recovery. The Opposition has no strategy, has no blueprint for economic revival and for the elimination of the evil of unemployment. Instead, it attempts to deflect the attention of the population at large from it own inadequacies by the raising of spurious allegations, mostly obtained from illegal sources and pimps of dubious character. This is the bread and butter Opposition which, in terms of policy, is offering us crust and dripping. [Qzlorum formed.] I thank the honourable member for Gordon for giving me this audience. As I said earlier, this is the bread and butter Opposition which, in terms of policy, is offering us crust and dripping. If the debate so far on the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply has revealed anything about the Opposition, it is that it performs its function of criticism so expertly as an Opposition that it is guaranteed permanency in that role. When Opposition members can come up with something better, that is when the populace will start to give them credibility as a viable alternative. Mr Aquilina] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 757

In precise terms, in relation to unemployment, only when they can advance an alterna- tive strategy for economic recovery will the population take them seriously. Confronta- tion crashed disastrously, whereas consensus appears to be a viable conception. The only persons who are the odd ones out, and who are being left out, are the Opposition. As I said at the outset, unemployment with its associated evils is by and large the most awesome challenge for governments both federal and State in post-war years. I have chosen to highlight this issue as, accordingly, it is by far the most important single issue affecting my electorate and the western area of Sydney. Our problem, and here I speak on behalf of all members representing electorates in the western area of Sydney, is one of both quantity and intensity. For us, the ramifications of unemployment are not something that we read in in-depth reports and academic studies. They are the sum of human misery that we perceive from our daily contacts and visits to our electorate offices. The western area of Sydney has both the largest percentage of persons unemployed, particularly youth, and also the largest quantity of people unemployed. In areas like Blacktown, Fairfield and Mount Druitt, it is not uncommon to find people who have been out of work for in excess of three years. Many young people who left school two or three years ago have never been able to find work. Furthermore, one cannot define the indignity experienced by people who, having worked and provided for their families for twenty or thirty years, suddenly find themselves totally dependent upon government welfare and the understanding and charity of relatives and friends. How does one begin to sum up the social conscquences and the long-term cost to society of young people who have never been able to find work and those whose self-esteem and identity have been submerged by their total dependency on welfare and family? A recent leading "Column 8" paragraph in the Sydney Morning Herald began, "Westie bashing is alive and well". Ironically, the very people who are most in need of support from government and society as a whole are also the ones most open to its ridicule. It is easy to dismiss the unemployed as second-rate citizens or, in those now infamous words quoted by the honourable member for Coffs Harbour, as drones, drongoes and idiots. How easy it is to scoff and criticize and how easy it is to mis- understand. Sometimes I wonder what other members of Parliament say to their constituents when a husband and wife come to their office to say that a finance company is repossessing the home they have lived in for the past 15 years because, at the age of 52, the husband has been retrenched and neither the husband or wife could find employment to keep up the repayments on the house. I wonder what other members say when a tearful mother comes to their office with her three young children and tells a story of how unemployment has made a significant contribution to the breakup of her marriage and that she is now being evicted from her home because no one knows where her husband is and she cannot keep up the mortgage payments. These are not hypothctical cases. These are not textbook cases. They are daily occurrences, showing what unemployment is all about. How does one look at a group of young people and tell them how fortunate they are to be living in the lucky country when society, having let them down so badly, appeases its conscience by tagging them as bludgers and delinquents. To my way of thinking, we owe the greater majority of these people a lot more than the dole they receive. They have been deprived of what is the basic right and expecta- tion cf every individual, the right to work and to live independent of welfare and handouts. The economic recovery that has been coming for so long is with us. There is a glimmer of hope that, through dialogue and consensus, economic revival will come to pass and bring with it the increased benefits of improved employment opportunity, 758 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply individual financial viability and social mobility. If anything has been spelled out at all in the prices and incomes accord and in the strategy of consensus, it is that the respol~sibilityof bringing about economic revival does not fall on any one person, group of persons, or on any one organization or group of organizations. It is a challenge for each and every one of us. The challenge is there for each and every citizen of this State and nation. The federal Government is playing its role. The State Government, as outlined in His Excellency's Speech, also plans to do its bit. Hut the real thrust of the revival will not come from governments, in the long run it is not the initiatives that count but the response of the economy to those initiatives. The Commonwealth employment programme and other such projects have had outstanding success. They have injected a large amount of funds into the economy and have substantially increased the opportunities for employment irrespective of sex, race or age. But such programmes can, in reality, do little more than act as a catalyst. The real improvement in employment opportunities will come from the real growth in our economy. The western area of Sydney has a population of almost 1.3 million, being greater than the population of either South Australia or Western Australia and three times that of Tasmania. The population of the local government area of Blacktown is larger than that of the city of Hobart. As I stated earlier, the social problems experienced by the western suburbs are great, both in quantity and degree. Furthermore, the consequences of a social and economic phenomenon such as unemployment are more quickly felt there than in other areas. Although very little research has been done on this matter one may possibly also argue that, conversely, any recovery may bring about consequences quicker there than elsewhere. From the hub of industrial and commercial activity presently evident in the western area of Sydney it would appear that this realization is starting to dawn on our industrialists and corporations. I have always regarded it as one of my most important responsibilities to ensure, as an individual, that I do my utmost to carry this message. The western area of Sydney has been regarded as many things. One thing, however, which all parties have been slow to appreciate is that it is also an area of great opportunity. Some quite significant pioneers took the bold step of locating their industries in the western area of Sydney. To the best of my knowledge, none has ever had regrets. In 1981, when I was mayor of the city of Blacktown, the Premier launched an industrial promotion campaign aimed at highlighting the outstanding advantages that existed for industrialists and commercial undertakings locating in the western area of Sydney. So far as I am aware, this was the first such campaign undertaken by any local government area in the western suburbs and the results were outstanding. Among the pioneers who made the bold move to the west were such major undertakings as Kelloggs, Humes Pipes Limited, Armstrong-Holland, Pure-Pak, Rank Arena, Sunburst and Brown Boveri, to name but a few. Most of these major companies had official openings about five or six years ago, performed either by the Premier or the Minister for Decentralisation. Additionally, thousands of other small businesses have either been resurrected or established, adding further employment opportunities. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The advantages that such firms have discovered in relocating in the western area of Sydney can be appreciated many times over by other firms adventurous enough to make the move westwards.

These companies were the pioneers. They took the gamble and are now reaping the benefits. Other industrialists and corporations are now benefiting from their experience and, in the future, more will follow. Gradually the message is getting out that the industrial plains of the greater western area of Sydney are paved with dollars. Local councils have not only been quick to respond but also, in many cases, Mr Aquilina] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 759 have undertaken bold initiatives in this regard. The Council of the City of Blacktown whose second industrial promotion campaign was recently launched by the Premier, as well as the councils of the cities of Panamatta, Penrith and Fairfield, immediately come to mind as leaders in this regard. However, although I and others like me have been saying such things for many years, we are now not the only ones making these remarks. Recently the metropolitan sales manager of L. J. Hooker, Mr John Barron, explained the decision of his company to open a regional headquarters in Macquarie Street, Parramatta by saying, "Western Sydney is so large that it has not been getting the emphasis it deserves". In what is a probable parody of the sentiments of most industrialists and corporate managers, Mr Barron went on to say that it had taken a long time for his executives to take their own advice about the importance of being close to the market. "The industry has always been very conservative and very slow to change" he said, and then went on to say that most industries were now accepting that moving west would give them something more important than just cheaper land; it would put them in the centre of one of Australia's largest markets. Another company that recently made the adventurous move to the western area of Sydney is Tandy Electronics. Formerly, that company had been operating from three rented buildings, two of which were on opposite sides of Victoria Road, with the third down the street and around the corner. Tandy required a 4.5 to 7 hectare estate for its current building plans and for plans for expansion over the next ten to fifteen years. In order to relocate its existing premises, the company discovered that it would have cost at least $6 million to purchase the land it required and in any case, it could not find a parcel big enough that was for sale. After a lot of searching, Tandy purchased a five hectare site in the Mount Druitt industrial estate which cost only $1 million to buy. After buying the land, the company built a three-level administration building with 4 000 square metres of office space as well as a 12 000 square metres centre to accommodate the warehouse, spare parts and quality control headquarters. However, as a bonus, it still had enough space to double these premises in future years and be left with plenty of open space. It was anticipated by Tandy that, following relocation, at least 20 per cent of its staff of 200 would leave the company. However, as it turned out only two left and most found that by travelling against the normal run of traffic it took them less time to get to and from work. Now other electronic companies are starting to follow suit in their track to the estate and Tandy sums up its bold move by saying, "We would not be surprised if Mount Druitt turned out to be a little Silicon Valley".

Another major undertaking that has in no way had regrets about its location in the western area of Sydney is the top-rating radio station 2WS. I can well recaII many meetings held with the late Keith Graham, the former general manager of 2WS who recently passed away in such tragic circumstances, and the enormous vision that he had for the western area of Sydney. On the first interview I had with him while I was mayor of Blacktown, Keith had travelled from Gosford on that day. It had been his first visit to our area. I recall specifically how enthusiastic he was about everything that he saw and the great potential that he realized lay in the western area. His company had carried out extensive feasibility studies and had thoroughly researched the whole venture. However, it was not so much these that Keith put his faith in, it was more the gut feeling he had from what he observed personally.

In those early years from 1978 through to 1980, the number of problems which 2WS experienced were far greater than most commercial undertakings would want to handle. However, operating out of a very modest fibro cottage, relocated to a block of land at Seven Hills formerly the property of then State Planning and Environ- ment Commission, 2WS became an overnight success and within four years had topped the metropolitan ratings. What better example can anyone have of what potential 760 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply exists in the western suburbs and how readily that potential can be realized in economic terms and in providing improved employment opportunities? Radio station 2WS has been a great advocate for the west and the people of the western suburbs have responded to the station accordingly. The number of jobs the station has generated by its general involvement in the community cannot really be estimated. As a specific project, 2WS this year has undertaken its "Jobs 2 000" promotion whereby each day it advertises free of charge a job vacancy in the western area of Sydney. To date, more than 1600 such jobs have been found and the station is well ahead of meeting its target of finding 2 000 jobs for the year. Recently, the station also sponsored on behalf of the Western Sydney Regional Organization of Councils Industrial Promotions Committee, chaired by Alderman John Newnham of Blacktown city council, an industrial promotion aimed at drawing attention to the industrial advantages to be found in Sydney's growing west. The key figure in this promotion was the Premier, who took the opportunity to confirm this Government's commitment to the continued expansion of employment opportunities in the west. In conjunction with the promotion by 2WS and the Western Sydney Regional Organization of Councils, the Premier announced that the Government is prepared to spend more than $2 million in the 1984-85 financial year in assistance to private industry and commerce for the establishment, expansion and relocation in western Sydney by way of loans, grants and subsidies and further added that the level of assistance that could be provided to individual firms in the scheme is to be raised from the present limit of $100,000 to a new ceiling of $250,000. Additionally, the Government has committed a total of $650 million to new capital works in western Sydney with the total value of new and existing capital works now exceeding $2 billion. Priority is being given to proposals which create employment opportunities for semi- skilled or unskilled workers and particularly for young people.

The Premier also itemized the Government's commitment to relocate offices to the western area of Sydney and made specific references to details given in His Excellency's Speech of office blocks currently being constructed or proposed for Black- town, Parramatta and Liverpool. It was fitting that an industrial promotion sponsored by 2WS should have been used by the Premier as the venue to highlight these bold initiatives. Wesgo Communications Pty Ltd, the parent company of 2WS, is also presently embarking upon a bold move to establish a western Sydney regional television station to be known as Greater Western Television (G.W.T.). I take this opportunity of wishing the company every success with this initiative and of publicly indicating my personal support in any way possible. I am sure that other members representing Sydney's greater west would also raise their voices in support.

Another recent promotion highlighting the advantages of the western industrial estates is a special survey conducted by the Sydtzey Morizing Herald, printed on 14th August, 1984, and entitled "Western Sydney in Focus". The leading article in this 20-page survey is headlined "West Lures Family and now Industry" and sig- nificantly, opens with the question "Just where is Western Sydney?" have often found that providing an answer to this question is in reality overcoming the largest hurdle anyone has to face in coming to understand and appreciate the advantages of the west. Those who are the quickest to criticize Sydney's west and its people are also those who live a stereotyped existence and have never come face to face with the reality of why we from the west are who we are and are so proud to be what we are. Unfortunately, the same is often also true of industrialists and corporate managers. The best way to find out where western Sydney is, is to see it for yourself and talk to its people. In using this as a basic theme in its survey, the Sydney Morning Herald has succeeded in getting across a very important message. I congratulate it on the depth of research and the facts contained in its supplement. I congratulate Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 761 also 2WS on its "Jobs 2000" promotion and Cumberland Newspapers on their in- dustrial promotion activity, including the issue of the first volume of the fortnightly magazine known as Sydney West Business.

On the Government side of things, as well as continuing with the various initiatives I have already stated, there are many other ways in which assistance can be given to western industrial expansion, not the least of which is to increase substantially expenditure on the upgrading of western roads. The present Minister for Roads, the Hon. L. J. Brereton, is to be thoroughly complimented in this regard. In the short time he has been in charge of this portfolio, he has shown his ready willingness to bite the bullet and take drastic decisive action. The priority presently being allocated to the completion of the Western Freeway is not before its time. The implementation of an efficient road network linking the west with the rest of Sydney, as well as providing cross-regional links, is an essential feature of the overall strategy for the industrial expansion of the west. On the negative side, it would have to be the most important factor militating against industrial development.

Public transport also needs substantial attention. The proposed completion of the quadruplication of the western railway line-not before time-will provide sub- stantial assistance. There is still much to be done. The Minister for Transport, the Hon. B. J. Unsworth, would have already received several items of correspondence from myself and my friend, Richard Amery, the honourable member for Riverstone, urgently requesting duplication of the Riverstone railway line. The townships of Riverstone, Windsor and Richmond already have substantial industrial estates. Furthermore, the proposed development of the northwest sector by the year 2000 poses enormous challenges for the Government, primary among which is the Government's capacity to provide adequate public transport facilities to and from this sector as well as to service the sector with adequate industry. The duplication of the railway line between Blacktown and Riverstone is an urgent necessity today and should be provided for as a matter of priority. Bus services in the major western Sydney centres also require urgent atten- tion and improved co-ordination. More emphasis and priority needs to be placed on the construction of bus-rail interchanges as well as the introduction of intermodal ticketing. Finally, the problems associated with cross-regional transport on a north- south axis also need to be looked at as these are providing a substantial hindrance to the general development of, and mobility within, the area. There are many other issues I could speak about in relation to the promotion of employment opportunities in the west. On this occasion I shall only mention tourism. I have already given notice to the Western Sydney Development and Planning Committee that I should like to treat tourism as a major area of its concern in 1985. Western Sydney is an area where money can be invested for substantial gain and in the process unemployment may b-, reduced substantially. My final message to all industrialists is that much is happening in the west and if they are not part of it that will be their own fault.

Mr SMILES (Mosman) 14.81: I rise to speak on a matter of great concern to the citizens of Mosman and to the citizens of this State. Death and maiming are occurring in this State, not beca~~sewe do not have enough resources, not because we do not have the trained manpower, and not because we arc not spending enough money, but because this Parliament has not effectively done its job. Unless this Parlia- ment successfully seeks the changes necessary we quite rightly will deserve to be called murderers. We quite rightly, at very least, will deserve to find ourselves guilty of manslaughter. Last year 998 people died on our roads. Last year thirty-nine people died in industrial accidents. Last year more than 400 people were dead on arrival at our hospitals. On overseas research findings at least 10 per cent of these people 762 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply may well have died unnecessarily. At least 10 per cent of them may have been alive today if Ministers of police, emergency services and health had effectively done their jobs in the past. Despite some well-meaning attempts at reforms, this State still does not have an efficient, integrated and effective general emergency service facility. In emergencies, speed and suitability of service are critical. Most victims of road accidents die quickly, probably about half of them in the hour following the accident. Overseas and Australian studies show that 10 per cent of head injury patients reviewed who subsequently died could have been saved. Shock resulting from blood loss alone may constitute up to a third of potentially reversible deaths occurring immediately after an accident. The Royal Sussex County Hospital in England, in a massive study of 500 patients monitored within one hour of the onset of a heart attack, found that such monitoring increased the survival rate by some 50 per cent. The cost of road trauma in New South Wales alone exceeds $1,000 million a year. The Institute of Economic Affairs in Melbourne estimates that the current value of an adult lost in an accident is in excess of $300,000. Even if we put aside tragedy, even if we put aside the distress of loved ones, our current loss of life in this State due to accidents cannot be tolerated. The issue then is to provide high quality action and emergency care with the emphasis on speed and suitability of service, not vested interest groups, demarcation and petty power plays. I am most critical of the current situation in emergency services generally in this State. Ambulances, fire engines, police resources, helicopters and hospitals are not being used to their maximum effectiveness. I do not believe that it is beyond this State's resources to identify accurately patient needs, to despatch suitable rescue vehicles and to deliver patients to the most suitable medical reception centre. My topic today in this my maiden speech is one of great distress to me. I owe it to my predecessor, Mr David Arblaster, and his predecessor, Mr Pat Morton, both men who served this Parliament with distinction; I owe it to my wife, Ruth, who has so loyally supported me; I owe it to my mother and father who gave so much to pro- vide me with the education and background to enter this Parliament, as I have; I owe it to the good citizens of Mosman and. indeed, the citizens in every electorate of this State to make this plea for reform. If I save one life with these words, I will have justi- fied my being here. But the horrifying thing is the reform, so necessary, that I advocate today could well save in excess of a thousand lives during the next decade. Bad planning, empire building, lack of ministerial direction, personality conflicts, ignorance and dis- regard for the necessary integration are the order of today's emergency services in New South Wales. This year well over a hundred people will die unnecessarily in this State. Our key elements for these services are the New South Wales fire brigade and volunteer bushfire brigades, the police, the ambulance services, the Surf Lifesaving Association, helicopter services and major public hospitals. Unfortunately attempts made by the Minister for Police and Emergency Services at this time last year, and again in October, have come to no avail. The squabbling between services continues. The lack of direction within services continues and lives are unnecessarily lost in this State. I turn now to fire services. As we have tragically seen, fire kills. We generally read in the newspapers of tragic incidents involving firefighters and members of the general public caught in bushfires and house fires. However, the less publicized reality is that cars also catch fire. Last year, in a period of two months, twelve people were burnt to death at the site of road accidents. Every motor accident is only a spark away from a fire. According to the director of intensive care at one of Sydney's major inner city hospitals. the New South Wales fire brigade is the best for extraction work of injured Mr Smiles] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 763 people from their motor vehicles. Despite the fact that fire engines are essential at the scenes of road accidents both to extinguish fires and to cut people from the wreckage, we have a situation in New South Wales where police generally get to the road accidents first. Police get there first because, they are notified and respond before the New South Wales fire brigade is even informed of the accident. Not only is the New South Wales fire brigade in conflict with the New South Wales police, but it is also in conflict with its sister organizations. Turning now to the volunteer bushfire brigade, I inform the House that while acknowledging the wonderful work of this group of volunteers, there are aspects of senior management that should concern all members of this House. The brigade is controlled by a twenty-person bushfire brigade council, which is too big and certainly lacking in leadership. With fire control officers stationed at the regional level, cmploped by local councils, supposedly responsible to the bushfire council, no one from either organization is employed to manage those officers. Though the bushfire brigade council has introduced basic training courses over the past three years, the council is yet to complete the development of its proposed eight-module course. The council has covered an area of this State of some 18 million hectares only out of a total of 80 million hectares with these training courses. The lack of co-ordination, the lack of co-operation, lack of training and demarcation disputes can hardly give people confidence in the New South Wales fire services. I speak now with regard to police. New South Wales is unique in that the police are involved in general rescue work. In other States the fire brigade controls rescue services. In ,the United States of America services are provided by the fire brigade or a combination of the fire brigade and ambulance paramedics. In New South Wales there is a challenge to our perception. Is it really an emergency service role thal the police have embraced, or an inappropriate opportunity, using high speed vehicles, the police hierarchy and an extremely expensive police air wing to exercise a public relations function? I have lectured at the New South Wales Police Academy and to senior police officers in in-service development courses. My remarks today in no way should be taken as indicating anything less than respect and affection for the many police officers I have known and gratitude for the sterling job the New South Wales police force does in crime detection and prevention. However, I question the increasing tendency since the early 1970's for the New South Wales police to become the dominant autocrat among the emergency service organizations in this State. In the 1956 amendment to the Police Regulations Act the role of a member of the police force was and continues to be defined as: To protect persons from injury or death and damage from property whether the person or the property are engaged in criminal acts or otherwise. The later Lusher report recommended: From the point of view of government administration, it is essential that areas of police function and responsibility are not in conflict with, or a duplication of those of other government bodies. Despite the general thrust of these recommendations, we see police cars responding before ambulance and fire vehicles, driving past their stations-for example, in the Sutheriand area. Fire brigade services are being ignored with their five-minute response time, while police rescue vehicles from Marrickville have been called, taking 20 to 40 minutes to get to the site of the accident. Yet with all this madness, it is ironic that during a hearing of the Public Accounts Committee on 7th August the honourable member for Ryde indicated that members of the police rescue branch in an area where they were not on operational duties had been asked to go out to execute 764 -ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply warrants. I turn now to the New South Wales Ambulance service. Unfortunately, all is not what it should be. The Deputy Premier and Minister for Health at the official opening of the 15th annual convention of ambulance officers on 25th August stated: More efficient organization and better training are both essential if the New South Wales ambulance service is to be able to continue to provide the sort of service that our citizens have come to expect. Indeed, that is so. What the community has come to expect cannot be achieved, in reality. The Gleeson report recognized that the ambulance service had suffered due to a failure to define its proper role and function. Poor communication, inconsistencies in operational practices adopted by various regions, and delays in implementing policy decisions necessary for the efficient administration of the ambulance services were noted. Many of the problems noted in the Gleeson report are still existing today and arise from the integration of the ambulance service into the Health Commission during the 1970s. This integration was very badly handled. Added to these problems, the operational staff requirements report of March this year indicated that there were two major problems associated with the paramedical services offered by the New South Wales ambulance service. First, they were limited to Newcastle, Wollongong and the central district of Sydney; and second, the central district stations did not have sufficient staff to allow full paramedic staff on all crewing. This has occurred due to the non-existent training programme of paramedics by the Health Commission over the past eighteen months. Only as recently as 14th May a new group began training. The committee of review into the paramedics services report deserves consideration. It recommends strongly the introduction of further levels of training for ambulance officers generally. Although the committee reviewing the responses to the paramedics report are rumoured to be going to recom- mend the establishment of a working party, one must ask: how long will this process take? In May 1984 the road trauma committee wrote to the Minister for Health: Ambulance officers should have discrction as to which hospital they take emergency patients to. At present they are limited to taking them to the nearest hospital, regardless of the appropriateness or inappropriateness of treatment facilities. Unfonbnately, this practice had led to unnecessary deaths. One example occurred in April this year when an unfortunate motor cyclist who had sustained multiple injuries was taken to Marrickville Hospital, a hospital which was not equipped to service such a patient, and only ten minutes further away in travelling time is the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with full facilities. Because of the parallel existence of paramedical services and general duties ambulance services, the general duties officers attend fewer emergency cases, and this reduces the opportunities available to them to gain and maintain their esseniial skills. At a local level, in the Sutherland shire, despite the rescue co-ordination committee indicating that there will be regional exercises involving ambulance semices and other services, there has been none. There has been none becausc no roster has been available in any of these services and no management staff have been provided from the Police Department. How can the general public maintain its traditional confidence when there is such lack of foresight, mismanage- ment and failure to grasp appropriate opportunities for improvement? I turn now to deal with the helicopter rescue services. In 1973 the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia pioneered the introduction of rescue helicopter services. In Sydney this has evolved with the well-known Westpac service. That service operates on 365 days a year; is equipped with resuscitation and intensive care equipment; has two helicopters available; whenever it flies, a medical practitioner qualified in emergency medicine is one of the three-man crew; and the service is on three minutes Mr Smiles] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 765 stand-by between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., with 20 minutes stand-by at other hours. However, that service is at present operating at far below its work capacity. There are two major reasons for that: first, the lack of familiarity by many of the ground service personnel. Yet, at the Granville rail disaster medical review seminar in January 1977 lack of familiarization with the capacity of helicopters by ground personnel was noted as a major concern in the ensuing report. That lack of familiarization led to such ridiculous things as patients being left on the ground for some three hours while a helicopter remained parked 50 metres away. Industrial action in 1980 led to the establishment of the New South Wales Department of Health's monitoring committee on helicopter usage. That committee consists of representatives from the department, ambulance services, Health and Rescue Employees Association and the Surf Life Saving Association. It is interesting to note that ambulances are now calling helicopters in 60 per cent of trauma cases, compared with the former rate of 0.05 per cent of such cases. However, that kind of co-operation is not available currently between the Westpac service and the Police Air Wing. In the Police Air Wing-the second reason for the Westpac service being underutilized-a total of three helicopters are provided, ostensibly for law enforcement and surveillance duties. In fact, the Police Air Wing frequently relocates helicopters from such activities to fly to accident locations. This is done in spite of the fact that due to the AugustSeptember Budget cuts only one helicopter is on stand-by, no trained medic is on board, no trained diver is on board, the service is limited essentially to operating from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and no blood is carried on board. Motivated by the advantages perceived in the Police Air Wing emergency related public relations exercise, the Westpac team now listens to both scanners and responds to the central control invitations for action, as police helicopters tend to attempt to take the majority of emergency calls. With the introduction of a $50,000 communications package for the Westpac facility recently, police were reluctant to give permission for additional frequencies to be used unless the Westpac team signed an agreement that it would respond only to police calls. Westpac refused. Unresolved conflict between a senior police officer's attitude, interpreting the Police Act to mean that police facilities must be used first, as opposed to the Lusher reports' recommenda- tion that police have to use community resources, dogs the efficient use of helicopters in emergency services in this State. At the May 1984 emergency co-ordinating committee meeting the Westpac group cited fifteen examples of inappropriate use of police helicopters. On 20th and 21st August at North Head, Manly police requested a helicopter to assist in saving a 19-year-old youth from potential suicide. That call was made at 1.25 a.m.; at 1.49 a.m. Polair, the Police Air Wing, confirmed that its estimated time of arrival would be one hour and twenty minutes hence. At the same time Westpac was flying back from an interhospital transfer, with an estimated arrival time of twenty minutes.

In the United States, the Maryland Shock and Emergency Care Centre has calculated that 25 per cent of road accident victims die from loss of blood. Westpac carries six pints of blood on board its helicopter. The Police Air Wing carries none. This conflict must be resolved. The request of the Westpac team for the setting up of a committee comprising the Police Air Wing, the police disaster and rescue branch, a representative from the office of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and Westpac has been refused by a senior officer in the police force. So serious has this problem become that in April and May of this year the Health and Research Employees Association proposed the establishment of a joint committee to control the situation. It sought also that Westpac be given priority for medical reasons. The issue that precipitated this trade union action revolved around police using their 766 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

helicopter to transport patients on their own without medical, paramedical or ambulance trained officers on board. Clearly this practice must stop, as the facility is available to provide such a service. I turn now to the concept of hospitals and the importance of trauma hospital facilities. In the April 1979 edition of the Jourrznl of Archives of Surgery there appeared a study by three United States doctors. That study compared cases of motor vehicle trauma victims who died after arrival in hospital in both Orange county and San Francisco county in the United States. In San Francisco ninety-two victims were taken to a single trauma centre. In Orange county, ninety patients were transported to the closest receiving hospital. The study examined what happened to these patients. It was judged that two-thuds of the non-central nervous system related deaths and one-third of the central nervous system related deaths in Orange county were poten- tially preventable, while in San Francisco one death was so judged. Consequently, the study suggests, and the experience of senior medical officers associated with the road trauma committee in New South Wales supports, the concept of the trauma facilities. What are the problems? Ambulance officers being directed to take their patients to the nearest hospital, plus the frequent need to transfer the patient, the existence of hospitals depleted of medical and nursing staff for their intensive care wards, and hospitals that cannot compete with the needs of an appropriate trauma casualty depart- ment, leads to the existence of hospitals such as that at Marrickville. Such hospitals, which have junior resident staff, certainly cannot compete with hospitals that have doctors at registrar level, third year post-graduate and better, x-ray facilities on a 24-hour basis and nursing sisters trained in emergency care. Sooner or later the bullet will have to be bitten, and preferably sooner for the sake of the lives of many involved. The vested interests of administrators, doctors and ambulance personnel threaten every day the lives of accident victims. This situation will have to be circumvented. What are the solutions? A rationalization and avoidance of duplication of fire services is essential. Co-ordination of major bush fires by nominated persons most familiar with the local area should occur. Such people may well come from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the water board, the New South Wales fire brigade or the bushfire brigade. With regard to non-fire emergency situations appropriate recognition should be given to the fact that there are forty-one fire stations in the Sydney metropolitan area, all of which are fully equipped so that they have a response time of five minutes or less. I turn to the police. Police involvement in emergency services and patient retrieval should be phased out. The only appropriate role for the New South Wales police should be that of traffic and general public supervision at the site of accidents. The current bias of the 000 telephone system to direct calls to the police should be eliminated. The present normal response to direct such calls to the police leads to unnecessary delays in notifying the appropriate emergency service. Telephonists manning that service must be capable of asking such questions as: is the patient breathing? Is the patient unconscious'? Is the patient sitting? The police academy at Goulburn when not being used by police trainees should be available for training emergency service personnel in general. The six response rescue vehicles of the police rescue squad should be reallocated to the New South Wales fire brigade. With regard to the ambulance service, an ongoing training school should be established. Ambulance officers should be given the right to decide whether they can take an accident victim to a trauma centre rather than the local hospital. Ambulance officers should be assigned full-time to the specialist units and be available for backup assistance. At the scene of an accident, no action should be taken to rescue injured persons without con- sultation with the senior ambulance officer present. Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-1 2 September, 1984 767

With regard to helicopters, obviously a complete appraisal of the helicopter rescue service in the Sydney metropolitan area is essential. The helicopter monitoring committee of the Health Department, should it be expanded, initially should include a representative of the police air wing. In the long term, the police air wing should concentrate on traditional police law enforcement and surveillance activities, such activities, first, to be supplemented with search and rescue operations and, second, on the invitation of a medically oriented helicopter service, to provide purely backup support with regard to accident injuries. There should be acceptance by all other emergency services that in a situation where a suspicion emerges that the use of a helicopter is appropriate, such usage should be requested automatically. There should be an end to helicopter services picking up patients in such places as the Royal National Park and an end to helicopters flying directly over the Prince of Wales Hospital to the Royal North Shore Hospital. Trauma centres should be established in hospitals. Appropriate trauma centres are now essential and should be established, or existing facilities upgraded, at Liverpool, Concord, Westmead, Prince of Wales, North Shore and Hornsby hospitals. If the necessary extra funds are not available from our current State resources, hard decisions must be faced and consideration given to either the conlplete closure or the disband- ment cf casualty departments at South Sydney, western suburbs, Marrickvillc, Lewisham, St Joseph's at Auburn and Ryde hospitals. Such closures are politically and socially unpalatable, but far worse is the unpalatability of lives being lost unnecessarily. I have a vision. I have a vision that such improvements can be achieved without spending one extra dollar of the money of the New South Wales taxpayer. In this my maiden speech I seek to save the lives of more than one thousand people in the next decade. If eve11 the life of one of the people who live in the electorate of Mosman is saved, 1 will have served my electorate. If only one life from each electorate in New South Wale3 is spared, I have served this Parliament. My vision must become a reality. Mr PAGE (Waverley) [4.38]: In that part of the Governor's Speech where he dealt with planning and environment matters, he made two simple statements that cover policy areas of utmost significance. One such statement was: The Government has nominated the North Coast Rainforest national p;rh for World Heritage listing. That is a simple statement but a profound one. In the Governor's Speech of 1983 it was indicated on behalf of the Government that in nature conservation, the Govern- ment is proceeding with the dedication of national parks and reserves. Implementation of the Government's rainforest policy has seen additions to the national parks estate in the Border Ranges, Washpool, Nightcap, and Black Scrub areas. Further additions are under consideration in the Washpool, Hastings, and Barrington Tops areas, and, of course, the Government has honoured its undertakings on these issues. It is interesting to recall the proceedings on 23rd May of this year when the Premier moved to support the nomination of rainforest national parks for World Heritage listing. The Premier's motion was carried, of course, but to its unending shame, the Liberal Party could not make up its mind. Four members of that party voted against the motion; others squibbed the issue by leaving the House. They would not declare themselves. In the election campaign of this year the National Party had a clear policy of cutting down every tree it could see. In country areas the Liberal Party members avidly supported the National Party policy. In the city they masqueraded as environ- mentalists, but they were found out. No person with any sensitivity about the environ- ment in which we live was hoodwinked by the crass operations of the Liberal Party in this matter. When it came to the crunch and the Liberals were called upon to vote they did not want to stand up and be counted. 768 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

The second statement in the Governor's Speech to which I refer is that the Government will continue its programme for the protection of the State's coastal and wetland areas. An essential element of any responsible, enlightened conservation policy is the preservation of examples of all existing major ecosystems. Wildlife habitats have a special value and are an essential component in such a programme. Wetlands, though representing only a minor proportion of the environments of New South Wales, are an important part of the Government's nature conservation programme as they represent one of the more diverse Australian ecosystems and are essential for a large numher of rare and endangered species, and international migratory birds. Wetlands have four major functions: they act as sponges, absorbing large quantities of water in times of excess flow, and slowly releasing them in times of low flow, serving as natural flood mitigation; they absorb, internally cycle, and release nutrients, functioning as a sink not only for these nutrients but also for any water- transported substances from the surrounding catchments; they provide habitats for an enormous diversity of birds, animals and fish during normal conditions and are a strategic refuge area in times of drought; and they are renowned water filters with great capacity to improve water quality, and from the human point of view water leaving wetlands is cleaner and, therefore, of greater value and potential use.

In the past wetlands, unfortunately, have been considered as nuisances; some- times identified as health hazards; suggested as being breeding grounds for malaria and ye!fo\v fever; presenting obstacles to travel, and have been regarded as haunts of ghosts. Of course, these suspicions hardly form the rational basis for intelligent management. Even h~ghthese suspicions have largely gone, negative attitudes still remain. Wetlands are considered flat, nasty, boring, smelly places of no positive significance and possibly useful only to esoteric groups such as bird watchers and duck shooters. Consequently, as any value is unperceived, there is no great pressure to utilize wetlands in their current form but to change them to some more socially acceptable we. With the increasing range of land use options for wetlands and alternative uses for water resources, the cost of purchasing wetlands has greatly escalated.

The development of alternative uses of wetlands has greatly increased. Threats to wetlands include sugar cane development in the north coast area, water diversion at Great Kumbung, industrial reclamation as at Kooragang Island, urban canal estates at places like Foster, Tweed Heads, Gosford, Port Macquarie and Yamba and, of course, the most disgusting prostitution, in my view, of wetlands is in the Gold Coast area of Queensland where they have been built on and altered in a very major way. I have no doubt that nature in its own good time will do something in the Gold Cwst area, because the wetlands and the topography were built up over centuries because of the dictates of nature, and I do not believe that what has been done in the Gold Coast can be sustained at some stage if, say, a major cyclone comes down to that area. Another threat to the wetlands is cropping, both as direct competition for land and as competition for water as at Narran Lake and the Macquaries marshes. Threats to wetlands generally, and to some types of wetlands in particular, have greatly increased the urgency of taking the initiative to preserve at least the more important wetlands in this State. It should be recognized that the more important wetlands of Australia are associated with the higher rainfall sections of the Northern Temtory, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. Recently I was up in the Kakadu National Park and saw the Yellow Waters area. Certainly there are no wetlands with which I have been more impressed than those. Anyone who has been there could not help but be tremendously impressed and, hopefully, converted to the cause of the maintenance of a significant number of wetlands in this State. Mu Page] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 769

New South Wales has a significant role to play in the conservation of Australian wetlancis. The Australian Government itself has entered into a number of treaties and corrventions which have special relevance to the wetlands of New South Wales. These treaties and conventions place obligations on the Australian Government and, given the State's responsibility for conservation, place special obligations on State governments, and obviously on the Government of New South Wales. Examples of such treaties and conventions include the Japan-Australian treaty and the Ramsar Convention. The Japan-Australian treaty, or, to give it its full title, the Agreement Between the Government of Australia and the Government of Japan for the Protection of Migratory Birds, Birds in Danger of Extinction and Their Environment, is a bilate~altreaty relating to the conservation of wetland habitat important to migratory bird species that undertake seasonal migration between Japan and Australia. Coastal estuarine wetlands are especially important under this treaty, including Towra Point, Kooragang Island and the Clarence River estuary near Grafton. The Ramsar agree- ment is an international convention to which Australia is a signatory. It places an obligation on governments to take decisive action to preserve specified important wet- land areas.

For convenience of description, wetlands can be divided into two distinct groups-estuarine and fresh water. A substantial proportion of the estuarine wetlands of Neu South Wales are Crown owned. Several of the larger and more important wetlands, however, are, or were, privately owned. These include Towra Point, and this was purchased for $4 million by the Australian Government for conservation purposes. A further $6 million to $10 million will be required to purchase the balance of the surrounding wetland. Kooragang Island was purchased by the Public Works Department for industrial reclamation. An area of 670 hectares was later transferred at no cost to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. There is Hexham Swamp, which iq privately owned. It is a proposed nature reserve, and its estimated value is between $5 million and $10 million. Rileys Island was purchased by the Department of E~~vironmentand Planning for $1.5 million to prevent development, and Nicalo Island, which again is privately owned, is proposed to be purchased as a nature reserve at an estimated value of half a million dollars. Despite the fact that the majority of estuarine wetlands are Crown owned only a few very small areas have so far been reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. Freshwater wetlands occur mainly as smaller coastal wetlands or as large inland wetlands watered by the inland rivers such as the Macquarie marshes. As a general rule, most freshwater wetlands are privately owned. Private ownership in the past undoubtedly stemmed from the value of freshwater wetlands for seasonal grazing and as drought refuges.

Changes in land use and land values have resulted in wetlands being seen in a variety of ways and as occupying land with potential alternative development, including cropping, which I have mentioned, and the growth of sugar cane and grain. Alternative uses are land reclamation, waste disposal, effl~~entstorage and so on. Consequently, it is no longer possible to rely on the common interest of a landowner for the preservation of wetlands; the inherent grazing values of many types of freshwater wetlands and the increasing use options for wetlands would probably preclude that. The purchase of these lands as a means of protecting them is proving to be a particularly expensive proposition. As often happens, people outside Australia are aware of the significance of Australian resources, including the environment, sometimes before those of us who live here. In 1974 the New York Tifnes noted that a proposed factory development at Kooragang Island would imperil the winter habitat of 190 bird species. Ten years later Kooragang Island is still in- volved with the news even though last year the actual island, including Fullerton 770 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

Cove, was made into a nature reserve. However, the privately owned land bordering Fullerton Cove is not proclaimed and is needed to provide nesting areas for the birds when the mudflats are covered. In July of this year Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Limited announced that it was to auction 767 hectares of the land bordering Fullerton Cove. In 1983 great interest was aroused, and ornothologists from all over Australia flocked to Kooragang Island near Newcastle in response to the reporting of the first-ever sighting in Australia of the Hudsonian godwit, a marsh bird similar to the curlew but with an upturned bill. This event was not unnoticed by BHP which ran an advertisement in the Newcastle Herald, accompanied by a picture of the bird, with the caption, "Like BHP the birds have discovered something very special in Newcastle." Broken Hill Proprietary CO. Limited is well known for its awards for the pursuit of excellence, and one of those categories concerns the environment. No doubt because of this express interest in the subject, BHP has withdrawn the land from private sale and is negotiating with the National Parks and Wildlife Service for the acquisition of the property. A second issue I wish to raise concerns employment. Since my time in this Parliament the Government has been virtually pathological in dealing with problems of unemployment in our society and, in my view, has left no stone unturned in seeking to increase employment opportunities in this State. As outlined in the Gover- nor's Speech in 1982 the first objective of the Government was the creation of jobs and the reduction of unemployment. In 1983 the Governor said the creation of jobs and the restoration of economic growth would remain the Government's first priority. This year the Governor said: The creation of jobs, the reduction of unemployment, the restoration of growth to the New South Wales economy and the welfare of the under- privileged remain the central tasks of my Government's programme. Many members of the Opposition still propagate myths alleging ineffectiveness of the New South Wales Government in dealing with unemployment. When they do, I wonder where they were between December 1975 and March 1983 when their Government was in control of the economy in Canberra. One needs no rhetoric to point out the devastating job that was done; one merely needs to quote the statistics. The number of unemployed in December 1975 was 274 500. After a large dose of Fraserism, by March 1983 that figure had nearly trebled to 733 900. The percentage of the work force out of a job had risen from 4.5 per cent to 10.4 per cent, and the ratio of the number of unemployed to the number of job vacancies had gone from 5.3 to 42.9. In other words, when Fraser came to office there were 5.3 people competing for every job advertised and, by the time he was throw~lout that statistic had risen to almost 43 people scrambling to fill each job vacancy advertised. The rationale was that inflation had to be controlled; that was the sole justification for this massive dislocation of the work force. It was said that if inflation were controlled everything else would fall in line. What happened with inflation? In December 1975 the rate of inflation was 11.2 per cent but in March 1953 it was 11.4 per cent. The only change had been a minor increase. Certainly those in the work force who had paid with dislocation of their homes and lives had done so in vain in furthering the policy of the Fraser Government. What is to happen with unemployment in Australia? We must accept this truth: a post-industrial revolution is under way. What we are experiencing is not some passing disturbance of the world economy; we are feeling the advance traumas of a coming seismic shock that will completely alter our industrial landscape. Jobs being lost in factories and offices may well be gone forever. It may be true that there are no new jobs to be had simply by propping up what has happened in the past. The second revolution we now confront may be every bit as profound as the first. Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 771

However, it may be even more difficult to control because it has come upon us at a far greater rate. In July of this year a Sydney economist, Graham Larcombe, in a seminar on employment in southeastern Sydney, pointed out that though the Australian economy had grown at a record rate approaching 10 per cent-the highest rate of growth among any of the advanced industrial countries-it had been insufficient to make a major dent in unemployment. In fact, in the past month the unemployment rate has actually increased. There is ample evidence that fundamental changes have taken place in advanced industrial countries. This structural change is hastening the decline of old industries and making old skills redundant. In the advanced industrial economies the official unemployment figure is of the order of 30 million, which does not take account of massive hidden unemployment. The story in the underdeveloped countries is far more horrific. Where have all the jobs gone? As a whole, the international economy has been experiencing a severe economic recession for more than a decade. Declining profitability in particular industries, inflation, the energy crisis and the lack of major investment opportunities have brought cutbacks in production and employment. Unfor- tunately, the reduction in employment has particularly affected young people, migrant women and unqualified older males. Moves have been made to reduce labour costs. Though this has brought about company savings, it has created significant unemploy- ment. The major job losses have been in the manufacturing sector where 22 500 jobs were lost in the past 10 years. On present trends it is predicted that manufacturing is following the same direction as agriculture did earlier. Agriculture was once a significant employer. In Britain 200 years ago 60 per cent of the population toiled in the fields and there was enough food to go round. Today, less than 2 per cent of the population produce far more food than was ever dreamed of then. The stage has been reached where additional investment now destroys more jobs than it creates. Australia is particularly vulnerable, owing to the considerable influence on our economy of the transnational companies. Manufacturing employment, as a percentage of total employment, is 45 per cent in West Germany, 35 per cent in Japan, 31 per cent in Sweden, and 33 per cent in the United States of America, as compared with Australia, where the figure has fallen to 19 per cent. As transnationals have a global strategy, their operations in Australia are merely to profit from the domestic market and no effort is made to undertake local research and development, export to adjoining markets, or to compete with companies owned by the same parent. Consequently, as the federal Minister for Science and Technology, the Hon. B. 0. Joces, has pointed out, foreigil iilvestnrent in this country has developed truncated industries. This imposes an extreme limitation on many areas of the Australian economy; in areas such as the production of automobiles, electronics, plastics and chemicals. There is no reason to believe that this trend can be reversed. Two areas where employment is growing in Australia are in the finance and tourist industries. There is no doubt that technological change will in the near future reduce employment numbers in the finance area. The current move by this Government to broaden the financial infrastructure in this city should, however, not be denigrated, as the initiatives that have been taken will in the long run create some employment opportunities that would not have arisen if the State Government had merely remained a spectator. Unfortunately, the history of the tourist industry is that most of the jobs that are created are seasonal, casual or unstable. Nevertheless, expansion of the tourist, entertainment and catering industries can still create many thousands of new jobs. This inevitable pattern of change in employment must be squarely faced to minimize the impact on society. In the Industrial Revolution those responsible, the bankers, the manufacturers, the governments, turned their backs on the human and social despair they set in train. 772 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

Mr Cruickshank: What has this to do with the Industdal Revolution? It is irrelevant. Mr PAGE: Poverty and misery were the allocated lots of the working class. The Victorian work ethic was promulgated by the entrepreneurial class purely to institu- tionalize the enslavement of the toilers. Mr Chickshank: What is happening today? Mr PAGE: Prosperity of the traders and industrialists was based upon the working class who, though they literally contributed their very lives to that prosperity, were savagely excluded from its benefits. Mr Cruickshank: Now it is the other way around. Mr PAGE: For the vast majority work was a four letter word. It was unre- warding, alienating, demeaning and destructive. New prospects and insights are needed to ensure that in the future the changes in the employment pattern are organized in society for the general good and not for the profit of a few. Mr Cruickshank: Goodness me. Mr DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Murrum- bidgee to order for the first time. Mr PAGE: Society therefore will need to develop a system of allocating the work that will be available. Those who do not work or who only work part time must be regarded as much a productive part of society as those who choose to work and can work. All of us will need to be educated to use an extended leisure time in recreational and cultural pursuits to provide purpose in our lives. Fortunately, at the moment, a more realistic and compassionate view is being taken of those who, through no fault of their own, cannot find employment. It is rare these days for the unemployed to be viewed as undesirable non-conformists and be called dole bludgers. I would hope that in the future the dignity of all citizens is appreciated and acknow- ledged. It is interesting to note that the working week in Australia at present averages 27 hours. This takes account of holidays and part time work arrangements. At one stage our forefathers worked a 70-hour week and if the reduction from 70 hours to 38 or 40 hours had not been made, there would be jobs for only about a third of the current work force and the unemployment rate would be more than 60 per cent and not 8.9 per cent as it is at the moment. Society is moving in the right direction but &viousIy psychoIogicaIIy people will have to cease regarding themselves as being tied to the treadmill of the work force; that there could be a greater future, a more person- ally productive future available for the human race by investing intelligently in leisure, in sharing out work in a rational way so all of us can live with greater purpose and with more dignity, and hopefully approach this new revolution in a more humane and sensible way than the last one was handled. Mr HATTON (South Coast) [5.5]: I should like to congratulate all of those members who have made their maiden speeches in this House. It is the beginning of an opportunity for all of them to serve the community in a unique way as a member of Parliament. I want to take this opportunity to raise once again the matter of unemployment. It is a matter that I have raised on a number of occasions in this Parliament by way of substantive motion, and I have debated the matter at every opportunity. Everyone acknowledges that it is the most damaging social problem of the decade. It is present everywhere. Nowhere is it more diEcult, however, for the unemployed than in isolated country areas. Many people will contest that statement, Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 775 but just to survive in country areas where there is a high cost of transport, a lack of industry and a lack of training opportunities is extremely difficult. During the past quarter in the Nowra Commonwealth Employment Service office area there were 4 076 unemployed, and in the Bega area there were 2426 unemployed. A high percentage of those, right throughout the electorate of South Coast are young people in the 15 to 19 years age group. In Bega 370 are in the 15 to 19 years age group. In the 20 to 24 years age group there are 639 unemployed. I want to dwell on one aspect of this unemployment that I think is self- defeating in policy, and that is the fact that the unemployed on full-time unemploy- ment benefits are not encouraged by way of financial assistance to undertake part-time training. I am well aware that for full-time training there is a subsidy. I regret that people over the age of eighteen years get no subsidy to attend technical colleges quite often great distances from their homes at Moruya, Nowra or Milton-Ulladulla. In some areas, for example in Eurobodalla shire, Ron Prior actually admits these people on to his bus as a public service and charges them nothing. This is a sacrifice that he should not have to make. I am proud of the fact that in the northern area decentralization has been extremely successful. The Minister for Industry and Decentralisation, and Minister for Small Business and Technology opened twelve factories in the Shoalhaven area. Many of these factories employed only one, two or three employees; one employs thirty-five people. This is classic proof of what can be done when the council and the State Government and the federal Government join together in a job creation programme by encouraging small business. It is a tribute to the many people in small business in that area and the Shoalhaven Manufacturers Association. Their policy of self-help, sincerity and courage results in a good deal of investment in the area. I contend, however, that there should be a number of separate approaches. As I have said in the past-and I have recorded in Hansard my comments on the high social cost and the loss of self-esteem and so on for the unemployed-politicians at any level of govern- ment are not being fair if they say that the position will get significantly better in the 1980's. It will not get significantly better. This is because of the structure of the capitalist economy, the high labour costs, and the fact money is not being diverted to where it ought to go. There are two areas into which money can be diverted. There is a need to redeploy money into the small business sector. Though there were many aspects that I strongly support in the recent Hawke Budget, I was most disappointed that no specific allocation was made to small business. The economy is recovering. Many small businesses are growing; many will now survive and some will die. I recognize that four out of five small businesses go to the wall in the first three years. That is an unfortunate statistic. Assistance is now critical to the survival of many small businesses. More important, it is critical to employment. I advocate that payment equivalent to the dole be granted to small businesses for the first twelve months, to be reassessed after that period for an additional twelve months, on the understanding that they employ people over and above their present component and do not sack employees to enable this to be done. When one considers the amount of money being spent on Commonwealth employment programmes and what ends up in the pockets of the underprivileged who are out of work, one finds that extraordinary waste is occurring. The reason for this is that in Canberra there is a large bureaucracy administering the funds; there is another bureaucracy at the State level, which is not as large and is more efficient, administering the funds also. Then the payment for long service leave, holiday pay, workers compensation, must be added to these administrative costs and the cost of materials. The proprietors of small businesses will pay all of those costs. It will cost the federal 774 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

Government no more to ask a person to employ a man who has a wife and two children on the basis that the employer will be paid the equivalent of that person's dole payment for a period of twelve months. This would be on the understanding that a training factor would be involved, that the person would be paid the award wage and that industrial agreements and conditions pertaining to that particular job would be abided by. There are problems, and one business will obtain an advantage over another. There will be abuses and failures. Can any honourable member tell me that there are not enormous numbers of abuses under the present system, that there is not a great deal of social and administrative failure and misery? If the Government were to adopt my suggestion, the result would be a much greater economic use of government funds and a stimulus to the economy would be provided at a time when it is needed. The scheme would involve an area of skills training. Despite my strong support for the present Minister for Finance and his statements in support of the short-term com- munity employment programmes and the short-term State Government employment programmes, the fact is that if one employs people for a period of six months or less, they will not be given the same sort of encouragement or work experience, and work patterns of the same depth will not be established. The same opportunity will not be provided to bring about an economic recovery as would occur if that money were spread over a longer period. At least three times as many jobs can be created in this way. The small business sector is the area in which all this is happening. Employment must be made available in that sector. Something should be done to encourage that employment and it should be commenced in the areas of greatest need, namely, in the western sub~~rbs of Sydney where the misery is great and in country areas where incentive must be provided because of the high costs that must be borne by small business enterprises in order to survive. The most important aspect is the human element of giving people experience, giving them hope, reinstating pride and self-esteem. In this way they will be given something to which to look forward. I do not decry the community employment programme. It is doing a good job. I praise the E~irobodalla, Bega Valley and Shoalhaven councils for their enthusiastic embracing of this works programme. I praise the Government for its assistance to Aboriginal training and employ- ment programmes, as well as the wage pause programme. They arc working well, but they are too short term. I shall suggest an alternative. I suggest that we give some effect to the Prime Minister's comments about building up self-sufficiency and survival skills. I read with interest of events occurring in the electorate of Earlwood and the vital part that the honourable member for Earlwood is taking in building up survival skills and hope among the unemployed in his electorate. Those comments were of great encouragement to me. I live in an area in which people adopt an alternative and positive lifestyle. I refer to the Bega Valley, and the Shoalhaven and Euro- bodalla areas. Contrary to the usual propaganda and misunderstanding that is spread in the community by people who have never spoken to these residents, those persons have high community values, high personal behaviour values and high family values. Those attributes sbould be encouraged. I should like to see the establishment of survival skills centres to train people to build their own houses on Crown land. These people should be taught to use alternative materials. The structural tests are available. The designs are available and acceptable. All that is needed is a programme. The survival skills are available; a trainir~k:programme should be commenced and people should be encouraged to take part in it. The next stage of the programme would be the allocation of Crown land so that those persons are able to put those survival skills into effect and are able to Mr Hatton] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 775 live a useful existence. The third positive suggestion I make is that there is no doubt that in the 1980's we will have to make better use of the welfare dollar. This can be done by directing the welfare dollar into employment and using it for the employment of people in what traditionally have been areas in which people are not paid. In this respect I refer to helping one's neighbour, working in one's community among the aged, the young, the handicapped and the infirm. In the 1980's and the 1990's that will become an area of growing employment, whether steps are taken in this regard or not. In the immediate future there can be a rapid re-deployment of government funds in such a programme, which would provide economic benefits to the State. Bearing in mind the costs involved in unemployment, hopelessness, vandalism, broken marriages, drugs, anti-social behaviour and many other vices, I am confident that a proper economic study would reveal that the avenue I suggest is a way in which greater hope could be injected into the community.

I have taken a keen interest in handicapped children and adults. I make a plea for funds to be given to the Noah's Ark handicapped children's centre, which is a community based centre that receives funding for occupational therapists for 24 hours a week, physiotherapists for 12 hours a week and a counsellor or a child psychologist for 6 hours a week. The services staff for the developmentally disabled at Baringa in the Wollongong area recommend that all of those employees should be engaged full time. The centre provides those facilities for the whole of the Shoalhaven area. Children with severe mental and physical handicaps are being turned away from the centre. There is a meci to provide appropriate premises for the centre. The Department of Youth and Community Services declined to make available a rental subsidy to enable the centre to retain its present premises. A11 approach has been made to the federal Government for assistance to enable the centre to obtain premises-preferably its present site in Nowra-that are serviced by public transport. The programme conducted at the centre is one of self-help, as is the programme conducted in the Milton and Ulladulla area at the Mallala school. With no assistance from the Government the community built a live-in unit to cater for the whole region. That is the only live-in unit in the South Coast and Southern Tablelands areas. A community based self-help programme catering for children in the Eurobodalla areas was established. After a great battle centring on the Moruya Public School, accommodation, teachers and staff assistance is now available for handicapped children in that area. Following the establishment of that facility the need has grown rapidly. Con- sequently, there are now ten children who need washing facilities, toilet facilities and, above all, space. They are too cramped. Application has been made for assistance for accommodation. I have taken a special interest in handicapped adults in the electorate. Many private organizations in New South Wales cater well for handicapped adults. Emmaus House in Milton is one such establishment. Many peopIe think about handicapped children but are not aware of the problems of handicapped teenagers and adults. When handicapped people reach those stages in their lives their parents usually are getting on in years and are not able to care for them adequately. Through- out New South Wales live-in centres are required for handicapped adults. Such a live-in centre is required in the Milton-Ulladulla area. More important, the Govern- ment must get off its backside and do something about implementing the recommen- dations of the Richmond report. The federal Government has made available funds for staffing, but it is essential that funds be allocated to assist mentally handicapped adults so that they can live a normal lifestyle in outpatient care or crisis care centres in the community. Several handicapped people and people with intellectual problems live in the small village in which I reside. At first, there was a lot of misunderstanding and resistance in the community. I am pleased to say that that has been overcome and 776 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply people now understand that there is nothing to fear. Recently I was involved in exposing a situation concerning a private enterprise establishment called Ferndale, which has been closed down by the Department of Youth and Community Services. Handicapped adults in that establishment, which was in an area with a cold climate, had to use blankets with holes in them; hot water pipes had been provided, but never connected, and the residents received inadequate medical care. On a couple of occasions they were subjected to assaults. Their pensions were used for unauthorized purposes. The problem stems from the fact that the Department of Youth and Community Services has not assumed its responsibility to license such premises in New South Wales so that it can impose proper standards. The reason is that if premises had to be licensed a lot of them would have to close down. Those persons who did not meet the criteria for gaining accommodation in schedule 5 hospitals would be taken into other establishments.

No government facilities are available to take up the slack, and consequently the licensing procedure has not been introduced. That is a disgrace. Handicapped people, who are absolutely helpless, and also their families are living under the threat of blackmail. People in charge of places such as Ferndale tell parents that if they are not satisfied, they should remove their children from the establishment, when they know well that it is not possible to find alternative accommodation; the parents cannot look after their handicapped children twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and so they keep quiet. The abuse of handicapped people continues. Funds should be provided urgently for the implementation of the Richmond report, as many psychiatric patients, especially those living in isolated country areas such as the South Coast, require live-in accommodation.

The Wollongong Hospital has a psychiatric ward, but there is no such ward at Shoalhaven. The Shoalhaven area does not have any live-in facilities. Shoalhaven Hospital has been given an opportunity to employ a psychiatrist and an occupational therapist. Federal funds were provided for that purpose through the State Govern- ment. The Health Commission has co-operated with the hospital in the purchase of the old Osborne House nursing home. I thank the Minister for Health for his assistance in that regard. However, no funds are available to implement programmes or to renovate and manage the premises. The whole thing has ground to a halt. The fact is that one in twenty people in the community needs psychiatric treatment. The extra stress caused by high unemployment, alcoholism and drug abuse and the increas- ing number of single parent families and marriage break-ups have addcd to the problem. The recommendations made in the Richmond report should be properly and urgently funded. For years the Shoalhaven Hospital has been pressing for financial recognition of its requirements. A detailed brief has been submitted to the Health Commission. It is a large hospital and in some respects acts as a base hospital. The hospital has 125 beds, of which sixty-eight are general beds, twenty-eight pediatric, and twenty-nine obstetric. Last year 734 babies were born in the hospital; there were 5 976 inpatients, 31 442 bed days, and 41 526 attendances for non-inpatient services. Yet the hospital has an inadequate operating theatre. The hospital is too small to undertake complex orthopaedic work. Patients have to be wheeled through a public corridor, involving the risk of cross infection, to get to the recovery ward. The intensive care unit is smdl also. The recovery unit is separated only by a glass partition from the intensive care unit, once again involving great danger from cross infection. The intensive care unit itself is small and has no toilet facilities for staff or patients. The hospital has no central sterilizing unit, and each ward does its own sterilization. One section of the hospital has a building containing tweny-eight beds; it is a 1951 de Haviland aluminium clad, Scandinavian hardboard-lined shack with an iron roof. It is a total disgrace Mr Hatton] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 777 and constitutes a fie risk. That part of the hospital caters for general medical patients, and surgical patients at busy periods, especially during the holiday season when a large number of people visit the area. The Shoalhaven Hospital urgently requires funds for renovation work. The hospital needs also a rehabilitation and palliative care unit for geriatric patients. That unit could be provided in addition to redeveloping the horrific west ward to which I have referred. It is a great tragedy when people for whom medical science can do no more are condemned to die away from home and relatives and cannot be accom- modated in a bright, well appointed, caring environment. That situation applies throughout the entire South Coast region. There is no place for these people to enjoy their final contact with their families in proper surroundings. The South Coast has an extremely high percentage of retired people. That adds to the need for that type of service.

Another matter of concern to me is police supervision. Because of the increasing population, additional police are required in the Shoalhaven shire, Eurobodalla shire and in some seations of the Bega Valley shire, for example Bermagui. An increase in police establishment has been made at Nowra police station, and I commend the Government for the work being done there. However, there is a crisis in relation to the policing of outlying areas, particularly fast-growing districts of the Culburra region-Orient Point, Greenwell Point, Callala Bay, Callala Beach and Currarong. All of that area has experienced phenomenal growth. One policeman cannot deal with the enormous number of calls and the high workload in the Huskisson-Vincentia district, as he is expected to cover the whole of the St George's Basin, which recently has been water and sewerage connected and undoubtedly will undergo the explosive growth that has occurred following provision of those services in the Culburra sub- region. One officer is stationed at Huskisson-Vincentia and Sussex Inlet, but unfor- tunately there is none at St George's Basin or Culburra. In districts with a single police oficer, the officers are in a difficult and dangerous position, especially in times of crisis at weekends. There is a need to rebuild the police station on the acquired site at Ulladulla to cater for the villages of Brawley Point, Kioloa, Burrill Lake, Tabourie and Durras. Crime is moving out of the city areas into the country areas. Many people now acknowledge that weekenders and unattended houses are particular targets. People living in country areas are not as alert as their city brethren to the dangers of daytime robbery. Boats in particular have been targets. The whole approach to combating theft is changing. I am pleased with the initiatives taken in the setting up of the anti-theft squad and the regional crime squads. However, those squads will not have an effect in areas south of Nowra unless more personnel are attached to them.

It seems anomalous to me that private security firms are the sole recipients of signals emitted by burglar alarm systems. The police force has its mobile units, and it has expertise. Why are security alarm systems not connected to police stations? Why is it that so many people who are burgled get the same response from the police, that they cannot come out immediately, that they will look at the problem in the morning. The police say that there is not much point in attending the scene that night, but that they will go out the next day or the day after. Persons who have been burgled are horrified when the police appear to do nothing practical on the spot.

Encouragement should be given to the formation of a partnership between private security services and State-based services, or between State-based services and the householder or the business person. If households and businesses were hooked into a State-based system they would benefit by more offendersbeing caught. On many 778 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply occasions the burglar is not aware that the alarm has been raised at the central moni- toring point. Follow up procedures should be pursued to find out why the crime has been committed and what types of crime have been committed. That information should be fed into a computer to try to get at the basic cause of crime. The purpose of that would be to try to effect crime prevention rather than just attending the scene of a crime after the event. The construction of a new police station at Batemans Bay situated on the southern part of the South Coast is also needed. It was to be built at the same time as the Batemans Bay court house was constructed. Sufficient capital f~~ndswere not available, so only the construction of the court house went ahead; the police station still consists of demountable buildings. The lock up is an absolute disgrace. The Batemans Bay area is experiencing great growth and caters for people who live in a large area of the northern Eurobodalla shire. The Batemans Bay police station is undermanned, as is that catering for the Moruya area, incorporating all of the villages of Mossy Point, Broulee, Tomakin and Tuross Head, as well as the areas north of Batemans Bay. Detailed submissions have been made on all of these matters. Proposals have been put forward for the supply of Eaglefones, additional personnel, additional mobile units and more accommodation. A detailed submission has been made in respect of the Bermagui area. In the last couple of minutes available to me I wish to raise a matter that I raised earlier today in the House, and that is the matter of former police sergeant Philip Arantz. I am informed that the Premier received a recommendation almost a week ago that some recompense be paid to former sergeant Philip Arantz for the injustice that he has suffered. It is not true to say that this is a matter for the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health. It is now a matter for the Premier. I hope and expect that the Premier will act on it. I am aware that on 5th February the State electoral council in Newcastle carried a resolution to the effect that the New South Wales Government reinstate Philip Arantz at the rank he would normally hold in the police force and that he be compensated for all that he has lost. It said further that the resolution should be circulated to the other ninety-eight State electoral councils throughout the State, that it be placed on the agenda of the annual June conference, and that it go to the parliamentary branch of the party. I am well aware of the strong grassroots support in the Australian Labor Party that Philip Arantz receive justice. I stand firmly behind that support. The Government is procrastinating over this matter. An answer should be provided quickly. Philip Arantz has gone through a difficult time for many years, particularly in the past twelve months. The proposition that Philip Arantz might be reinstated or compensated has been bandied around in both Opposition and Government circles and in newspapers. He does not know where he stands. He does not deserve that sort of treatment. He deserves the best treatment, and to me that means reinstatement in the New South Wales police force. Mr ROGAN (East Hills) 15.351: I join with other honourable members in congratulating the mover and seconder of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply to His Excellency's Speech. Indeed, I congratulate all of those honourable members who have made their maiden speeches during this Address-in-Reply debate. I was absent from the Parliament for most of those speeches. Together with the honourable member for Willoughby, I was occupied with other important parliamentary matters overseas, the full details of which will be made known to the Parliament in due course. An examination of the Hansard record reveals to me that all honourable members have made constructive contributions to the debate. During the two1 and a half years I sat on the Opposition benches I was of the view that no wisdom resided in those who sat on the Government benches. Now that I sit on the Government Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 779 benches, I consider that most wisdom resides with honourable members on this side of the Chamber and not all that much resides with members of the Opposition. I am showing my partiality somewhat when I say that I thought that the contributions made by members on the Government side were significant. I compliment the Governor and the Government on the programme that they have put before the people of New South Wales. I notice that the Government is making a concerted attack upon the scourge of unemployment and is doing everything within its powers to cope with that problem, which has affected not only New South Wales and Australia but also the whole of the western world. I notice also that the Government proposes to do as much as it can to help children, families, the disabled, the disadvantaged, the elderly, ethnic communities, and Aboriginal people. All of these groups are fairly well catered for in the Government's programme. Things have not changed much. Upon my return from overseas I almost thought that there was an election in the air, bearing in mind the stream of allegations being made, and so on. The State Government together with the federal Government is committed to the establishment of a national crime authority. The appointment of the Commissioner of Public Complaints, it is hoped, will abate some of the scandalous allegations that are being made both in this Parliament and in the national Parliament. I simply say that we as members of Parliament-these words are directed in particular to both the State and federal Oppositions-must be careful to ensure that attacks being launched upon those involved in the judiciary do not carry with them the risk that the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary and the overall court system will be undermined. Great care needs to be taken by honourable members who have the right of free speech in the Chambers of this Parliament to ensure that they use that right of free speech in the most responsible way. A report in the 9th September edition of the Sunday Telegraph states that the Deputy Premier indicated that the State Government was to revamp the Medical Practitioners Act to help speed up investigations of complaints against doctors. Refer- ring to a particular case-I shall not go into it here though I shall touch upon another case-the Deputy Premier said that that case raised doubts about current legislation being able to deal quickly and efficiently with complaints of this nature. He asked the Department of Health to recommend changes to the Act to ensure that delays that had occurred in that particular case were not repeated. I place before the House today the circumstances of another case. I do so because I believe it highlights the need for action to be taken in this regard. I raise the case of a constituent, a Mr Barry Hart. He has battled against the forces of entrenched interests as they represent an epic struggle which would have destroyed persons of lesser endurance and tenacity physically and mentally in the pursuit of the right of every individual, and that is for justice and equality. What I shall put before the House is a chronicle of injustice, disinterest, despair and neglect by people in positions of responsibility who, by all appearances, turned their backs on thei~responsibilities and the responsibilities with which they were entrusted. I shall first refer to a press report which appeared in the Weekend Australian of July 1980, which is headed "$60,000 awarded in test case". The report reads: A psychiatrist is being investigated by health authorities and a pro- fessional organisation following a court case in which a former patient was awarded $60,000 damages. The patient, Barry Hart, sued Dr John Herron and Fairfield Heights Community Hospital Pty Ltd, claiming that he suffered brain damage caused by temporary deprivation of oxygen while under-going "deep sleep" treat- ment when he was kept under sedation for 10 days 780 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

The treatment, which has been used mainly for patients with a long history of depression, has been seriously questioned by most medical experts in the field mainly because of the large drug dosage used and the high risk of infection: patients must be fed intravenously during the treatment. Dr Tony Williams, the chairman of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists-the qualifying body which governs the conduct and quality of psychiatrists-said the college would examine the transcripts of the case. "The college is very concerned about standards in psychiatry," said Dr Williams. "We would have to consider action if it were shown someone was negligent in their work." The chairman of the NSW Health Commission, Dr Roderick McEwin, said the commission would also study a transcript of the case, which ended this week. Dr McEwin said: "The Health Commission has responsibility to ensure proper care for all the people of NSW. "We will examine a copy of .the transcript to see if we have to alter any legislation."

A statutory declaration was prepared by Mr Hart and has been forwarded to the Medical Disciplinary Board, the investigating committee which is constituted under section 27~of the Medical Practitioners Act. The statutory declaration reads: I, Barry Francis Hart of 16 Woodburn Avenue Panania in the State of New South Wales do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows: I was the plaintiff in a recent Supreme Court case against Dr John Herron, psychiatrist, and a private psychiatric hospital Itnown as Chelmsford Private Hospital, 2a The Crescent, Pennant Hills, in which I won a jury verdict against the hospital for false imprisonment and against Dr Herron for false imprisonment, assault and battery and negligence. The evidence shows that without consent (and after refusing treat- n~cnt)and after making a request to see Dr Herron and telling a nurse that I didn't intend to stay at the hospital, I was sedated, strapped down and kept in a heavily drugged or comatosed state for ten days. Massive amounts of drugs of all kinds and in all sorts of combina- tions, were administered through a tube extending from my nose into my stomach in dangerous and potentially fatal dosages. A current of electricity was passed into my brain on six occasions. I went into shock and became cyanosed. As a result of these repeated assaults and batteries I developed double pneumonia and pleurisy, deep vein thrombosis, a pulmonary embolus and according to medical experts, anoxic type brain damage. The electrical assaults continued to occur whilst I was ill with pneumonia and no muscle relaxant was given during their administration. (As proof I refer you to the transcript of the case in particular the evidence of Dr J. Smith, psychiatrist, Professor D. Wade, professor of clinical pharmacology, Dr John Corbett, neurologist, and Mr Peter Todd, psychologist) Mr Rogan] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 781

The assaults and batteries occurred because I arrived at Chelmsford Hospital complaining about a disfigurement of my appearance as a result of plastic surgery to correct an eyelid condition, was very angry towards the surgeon who performed the operation and according to a male psychiatric nnrse was trying to get some sort of satisfaction.

I might add-and this is not in the statutory declaration-that Mr Hart was at that stage a part-time actor and male model and he was having the operation conducted so that it would cure his eye problem. The statutory declaration continues: Repeatedly throughout his evidence Dr Herron assured the court that the amount of drugs administered to me (although they could be considered a suicide attempt and potentially fatal if taken in a home environment) were safe, because they were being administered in a hospital situation at Chelmsford by a skilled and competent nursing staff, with a high level of general nursing expertise, who were trained in the maintenance and resus- citation of unconscious patients and who were the type of staff that you would have at the nursing level in an intensive care situation. The lack of such highly trained staff, I might add, was the reason Dr Herron gave as to why his dangerous and "novel" procedure (i.e. narcosis) which he agreed had "grave" and "inherent" risks to both the "health" and "life" of his patients wasn't carried out at the public psychiatric hospital, where he worked as a Superintendent. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. The highly "skilled" staff who "treated" me, did not have these qualifications at all- Mr Dillworth, the "psychiatric nurse" in charge of the sedation ward (and responsible to a matron who wasn't a Sister) had received less than twelve months general nursing training; didn't know very much at all about the medical side of nursing, didn't know what a gag reflex or a base line for taking blood pressure was; had worked for about twelve months at Chelmsford; had seen Dr Herron about once in that time and could not recall ever speaking to him; had picked up the "novel" and dangerous pro- cedure from other staff at the hospital and didn't even know if they knew anything about what they had taught him. Mrs Beattie, who worked in the sedation ward, administered drugs and wrote up nursing notes; wasn't qualified at all. She had received only eighteen months training as a nurse-thirty two years before!! Nurse Adams qualified in nursing in 1936, had then worked for about three and a half years as a nursing sister, hadn't worked very much since then, and was working in the sedation ward at Chelmsford as a nurses aid. This was the highly "skilled" and trained staff who administered Dr Herron's "novel" and dangerous procedure to me whilst I was in the sedation ward at Chelmsford. When it was put to Dr Herron that because of the massive amounts of drugs he administered he was running a grave risk of killing me Dr Herron replied "No",-"he (I) was in a situation (at Chelmsford) where all the facilities for nursing a person with that dose of barbituate in them was available and was able to be used competently by the staff". I received an average of 1,900 mgs of barbiturate daily for ten days. An average of over twice the lethal dose of barbiturate every day!! 782 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

Mr Hart claimed that evidence was given that deaths occur from about 800 milli- grams of barbiturate. In other words it was in excess of twice the dangerous rate. The statutory declaration continues: There was no x-ray apparatus at Chelmsford. Nor was there any blood gas equipment to determine if patients were hypoxic from lack of oxygen in the blood. Basic, common sense nursing practice was ignored. Patients were sedated for ten days and given no exercise during this period. They were incontinent of urine and faeces most of the time and were left laying incontinent of faeces "until they woke up". There was no attempt made to maintain a fluid balance. Patients wet the bed and remained lying in the urine until the sheets were changed. The staff made an approximation of whether the patients were actually passing urine (i.e. a fluid output) by seeing how wet the bed was. (When put to Dr Herron that by departing from the basic safety precautions layed down for carrying out such procedures he was significantly increasing the risks to his patients Dr Herron replied, "No,-we had adequate staff and equipment (at Chelmsford) to cope with any problems that would have arisen from that".) There were no doctors in attendance in case of emergencies. On the 2nd of March, 1973 (the second day after my arrival at the hospital) I was critically ill from over sedation and pneumonia. The staff, after I become cyanosed, had distressed breathing, a pulse rate of 120, a respiratory rate of 24, had a fall in blood pressure and bad gone into shock, notified Dr Herron of my condition at 4 p.m. (pages 151, 372). (A stali-'I might add that Dr Herron said (pages 895-6) were "very competent on making decisions whether the patient needs the service of a doctor".) Dr Herron arrived at Chelmsford at 1.30 a.m. the next morning- nine and a half hours later!! Dr Herron had no idea of the reason for his delay in attending at the hospital (page 771) and despite the fact that a physician should have been called and I should have been placed, because of my condition, in a general hospital under the care of a physician (Dr Smith pages 151-2, Professor Wade 371), Dr Herron continued on with his "novel" and dangerous pro- cedure. Of course Dr Herron was employed by the Public Service and as a consequence, could only visit this private hospital where his "novel" and dangerous procedure was being carried out, after he had finished work. He generally arrived at Chelmsford very late at night (pages 771-3). Dr Herron had been reprimanded in 1970 because of alleged breaches of the Public Service Act concerning his involvement in private practice and had been warned that if it was reported again further action would be considered (page 767). Yet when he subsequently applied for the right of limited private practice as a psychiatric consultant at the rooms of Dr Harry Bailey, 187 Macquarie Street, Sydney, had, on his own testimony, no intention to abide strictly to the terms of the Public Service Circular which limited such practice to only three hours per week outside of working hours with the Public Service (pages 766-8, 776-9, 781-3). Mr Rogan] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 783

Dr Herron's sedation patients were not told, that because of his employ- ment with the Public Service, he would not be available, no matter what the emergency, during his working hours at the North Ryde public psychiatric hospital (pages 769-771); he was not a specialist physician (page 716); was "experimenting" in the combination of drugs he used in his sedation "treatment" (page 728), and knew virtually nothing about anoxic type brain damage (page 944). He and Dr Bailey's dangerous and "novel" procedure was possibly not being carried out anywhere else in Australia (page 727) or perhaps the world (873) and if you are to believe Dr Herron's evidence he didn't even know the quality of the staff he employed to carry it out. There is a provision in the Medical Practitioners Act which states that if a medical practitioner employs or assists an unregistered or unqualified assistant or person and allows such persons to engage in medical or surgical practice, he may be guilty of misconduct under the Act. 1 submit that not only does the evidence show that Dr Herron was in breach of the McdicaI Practitioners Act and the Public Service Act, when he committed the wrongs against me, but by him deliberately placing his patients in a dangerous and potentially fatal situation at Chelmsford Hospital without proper medical supervision or care, and by his clearly demonstrated lack of concern for the welfare of his patients, he is guilty of infamous conduct. I refer the Investigating Committee to the overall evidence of the case, which I contend shows gross and criminal negligence on the part of Dr Herron, and to my previous correspondence Re Medical Practitioners Act: Re Appeals of Johrzsor~and Anderson (1967) 2 N.S.W. 357 concerning gross negligence of the kind that Dr Herron caused being capable of con- stituting misconduct in a professional respect. I request the Investigating Committee to urgently act on my complaint.

That is the statutory declaration Mr Hart submitted to the investigating conlmittee in July last year. Mr Hart has received replies from the investigating committee but, in view of the restricted time left to me, I shall not read them. What has happened is that since 1980, when the former Health Commissioit should have taken up this case, for Dr Rodney McEwen said publicly he would take up the case, nothing has been done. It was left to Mr Hart in 1983 to take the case up for himself. This also represents a trial of courage for this man. The matter has been dragging on fur about eleven years. Throughout that period he had to endure a complete lack of inrerest by those who should have shown some consideration for his case. Indeed, the legal profession does not emerge well from this. I wish to read from a letter Mr Hart wrote in May 1983 to Mr Justice Kirby, as Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission, when he referred to his case and said: It is difficult to know just where to start when writi~lgabout medical- legal reform. I feel there is so much wrong with the present system, that when one tries to put down on paper the matters in need of attention, you a.re overcome with feelings of helplessness and despair. The problems begin in the first instance in trying to find Solicitors willing and competent to handle such cases. It took me seven years to get my case to court doring the course of which I saw, or had acting for me for various periods of time, ten Solicitors and six Barristers. 784 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

The most prevalent attitude I encountered was that of apathy and negativism. I have had Solicitors who had not even known relevant medical case law. When I quoted to one of my Solicitors (after he had the case for two years) a leading medical case, Smith v. Auckland Hospital Board, he got up from behind his desk, looked up the case in his law books and said, "You should be a Solicitor". I complained, on advice from the N.S.W. Law Reform Commission, to the Law Society about the way another one of my Solicitors handled the case. It was a complete waste of time. The Law Society weren't interested in the Solicitor's competence. I was told, to use their words, that they couldn't help it if my Solicitor was a "fool". Another Solicitor gave me wrong legal advice as to my rights in regard to a medical examination and then tried to coerce me into following his wrong advice. (I had to check with the Supreme and District Courts to find out the true position.) I have encountered Solicitors who couldn't reason or draw valid conclusions from given premises. Solicitors who had absolutely no under- standing of people or their motivations, who couldn't communicate or under- stand the simplest of matters. One Solicitor couldn't understand why an actor (I was an actor), bad to have an imagination. A Barrister to whom I was referred for advice told me to forget about the matter, another Barrister who had an English accent and referred to Australia as "the colonies" told me that I wouldn't receive any more than seven thousand dollars in damages. 1 was sent by a Solicitor to a Doctor for an examination and report and when I arrived at the Doctor's office, he hadn't been briefed as to what was required of him. When the person from the Solicitor's office who accompanied me was asked by the Doctor the grounds of the action, he replied, "I don't know, unfortunately the Barrister is away and has taken the documents with him7'. I could go on and on. Evidence I was told was "irrelevant" was, when the case got into Court, of the most important relevance. I was not listened to and generally treated as a cross between the village idiot and a naughty child. It was not until I found an academic lawyer-barrister, who was interested in this area of the law, years after I saw my first solicitor, that my case began to make progress. I found this lawyer, not through a Solicitor, but by being introduced to him by a Lecturer of Law at a Sydney University, whom I contacted as a result of an article that appeared in a newspaper. (Unfortunately, this lawyer was not, because of other commitments, able to continue with the matter.) In December of 1979, (my case went to court in February, 1980), I was advised by my Solicitor that I should have a Queens Counsel to advise and represent me in court. When my parents asked the Solicitor to brief a Queens Counsel they were told that he couldn't help them and that he didn't know a Queens Counsel. Although I was under extreme stress and almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I had to try and find a senior Barrister myself. I can see absolutely no point in having a divided legal profession. The absurdity of this fact was clearly demonstrated to me by the problems 1 encountered and enforced in court where, if I wanted a question asked, I had to fkst of all write it on a piece of paper and hand it to a Solicitor Mr Roganl Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 785

sitting at a small table in front of me, who read it, and then passed it on to junior counsel sitting at the bar table. Junior counsel then read the note and then he tried to bring it to the attention of senior counsel. Sometimes he was successful and sometimes he was not successful. And so Mr Hart continued. It is interesting to note that the reply from the former Chairman of the Law Reform Commission included the following statement: Thank you very much indeed for your thoughtful and thought pro- voking letter of 9th May. I am afraid that the story you tell, though not atypical, brings no great credit on the legal profession of this country. Of course, yours was a somewhat unusual case. Just as doctors find it difficult to diagnose and treat unusual or exotic conditions, so your quite proper insistence upon the pursuit of your legal right was out of the ordinary for lawyers caught up in routine and profitable activities. What was needed was somebody who would just sit down and calmly look at the evidence and examine the law and determine whether you had a case. Unfortunately, the routine approach to the law often impedes original attention to unsual cases. Thus Mr Justice Kirby responded. He was clearly most sympathetic to the case that Mr Hart had put before him. Again I emphasize that this man Hart, suffering as he now is from permanent brain damage, for seven years had to hawk his case around ten solicitors and six barristers before he could get one to deal with it, and even then that was the result of a mere coincidence. Mr Hart has a lot to say also about the manner in which the jury was instructed by the judge at the trial. He informs me that in conversation afterwards the foreman of the jury indicated that the members of the jury clearly did not understand the points of law that were put to them. Despite the fact that they were out for something like four hours and asked for various points to be clarified by the judge, they were informed after four hours that they had only six hours in which to make a decision because this being a civil case that was the limitation of time. As a result, it has been indicated to my constituent that he was only awarded $60,000 whereas perhaps, on the basis of the injuries he has snffered, an award of something like $200,000 to $500,000 would have been more appropriate. Of course, the case does raise a lot of questions. These are, why was no formal complaint laid by the old Health Commission to the investigating committee constituted under section 27~of the Medical Practitioners' Act, despite statements to the contrary which I have referred to in the papers of 14th March, 1982? Second, why has the A~~stralianPsychological Association's standards and ethics committee been dragging its heels in initiating action as to the competency and ethics of the psychological tests carried out by Dr Evan Davies, which were the basis on which Mr Hart was admitted to the hospital? Hart alleges these are fraudulent and phoney. Though I am not competent to make such judgments and assessments, I should have thought that a body as concerned as the Australian Psychological Association would be with the conduct of one of their members, would have most expeditiously examined the evidence in this case. It did give as the reason for not pursuing the matter that there was some sub jzldice aspect because of an appeal being heard. After a long time it was finally told by its legal advisers that it could pursue the matter. One wonders why such self-disciplinary boards do drag their heels so greatly with these matters. The third question is what happened about alleged complaints by a nurse to the Health Commission in 1970 regarding Chelmsford Hospital? She expressed concern about the unusual and experimental treatment being carried out, treatment which it is said went out of practice because it was considered dangerous and ineffective in the early 1950's. Apparently Chelsmford Hospital was the only known place in the world at that time where such deep sleep treatment was being given. This nurse is alleged to have made the complaint back in the early 1970's. Fourth, what answer does the 50 786 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply legal profession by way of their professional bodies offer to people such as Mr Hart who found it practically impossible to seek to pursue claims he was justified in having conducted on his behalf. I have just dealt a little with this aspect. Fifth, does a case like Mr Hart's call into question the need for the Government to reappraise completely the effectiveness of what are essentially self-disciplining bodies in the medical and legal professions? Sixth, Mr Hart states that legal aid will not fund an appeal despite what I would consider to be a totally inadequate figure of compensation. That does not reflect well upon the court system and upon what should be proper legal aid for people like Mr Hart. Seventh, why was not Mr Hart's complaint urgently and expeditiously heard so that if action should be taken it may be taken to ensure the proper processes of law are followed. Eighth, an inquiry should be held in accordance with Mr Hart's request. He has made a request to the Attorney General. I would hope that will be-- Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member has exhausted his time. [Mr Speaker left the chair at 6.5 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m.]

Mr PARK (Tamworth) [7.30]: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate following the motion moved by the honourable member for Maroubra for the adoption of the Address in Reply to the Governor's Speech and seconded by the honourable member for Balmain. I congratulate those honourable members who have made their maiden speeches during this Budget session of the Forty-eighth Parliament. The Governor's Speech gave the creation of jobs, the reduction of unemployment, the restoration of growth to the New South Wales economy and the welfare of the underprivileged as the central tasks of the Government's programme. The programme approved by the people at the State elections this year and mentioned by the Governor included a promise by the Australian Labor Party in the Tamworth electorate to reopen the Manilla to Barraba section of the Tamworth to Barraba spur railway line. On 13th October, 1983, I spoke about this matter during the grievance debate. Since August of last year two truss bridges have been closed on this line. I have written numerous letters to the Minister for Transport and his predecessor about this matter. I received evasive answers ~lntilthe present Minister wrote to me on 14th August and said, among other things, that it would cost about $1 million to replace the two bridges. The Minister referred to the total deficit of the State Rail Authority in New South Wales and suggested that it might not be economical to replace these bridges. My answer to those two comments is: first, the overall rail deficit in New South Wales is incurred largely from operations that are carried on in the Sydney metropolitan area; second, the line about which I am speaking is mainly involved in the movement of grain, particularly wheat. There is no doubt that the State Rail Authority makes a profit from hauling wheat. The Minister said that he had referred the matter to the Minister for Roads to obtain his comments on the effect of moving grain and other freights by road. My answer to that suggestion is there is no doubt the line is needed for the carriage of wheat and, to a lesser extent, barley. The silo at Barraba has a capacity of 23 000 tonnes. If the asbestos mine at Barraba reopens, as is expected, up to 40 000 tonnes a year of containerized asbestos will become available. In addition wool. other heavy freights and livestock are transported. I have received strong support from the Bingara, Barraba, Manilla and Parry shires, from the Tamworth city council and from branches of the Livestock and Grain Producers Association as well as from the rail unions. If the freights to which I have referred are to continue to be moved by road to Werris Creek, serious damage will result to 90 kilometres of trunk road 63 and up to 55 kilometres of main road 130. Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 787

These roads were not built for this sort of heavy traffic. This would involve the safety of hundreds of workers who work in Tamworth and live out of town and are required to travel into the city and home again daily. I call on the Government to replace or repair these bridges. I understand that the bridges are repairable and that the repair bill in this year would be much less than the cost of replacement. However, replacement would be the most economic in the long term. If either of those suggestions is adopted, the Government would honour an election promise made in March. The Governor spoke about industry and decentralization and emphasized the maintenance and growth of the manufacturing industry. About two months ago I was advised that Australia Post had awarded a $6 million contract to the Ford Motor Company to supply 464 mail vans to be manufactured in England. The supply of these vans under schedule CP 1755 was tendered for by the decentralized Tamworth company, Jakab Industries Pty Limited. I understand that Australia Post advised Jakab that its specifications were not up to its standards. Jakab has claimed that its specifications complied with Australian design rules and were thus better than those of the oversea company that had been awarded the contract. In view of the proven record of this decentralized company and because the effect of winning this contract would have meant the creation of a hundred valuable jobs, I wrote to the Minister for Industry and Decentralisation and the Hon. J. S. Thompson, A.M., M.L.C., seeking their assistance. Also, I wrote to my federal member for New England, the Rt Hon. Ian McC. Sinclair, the Leader of the federal National Party, seeking referral of this problem to Australia Post, to the federal Minister for Industry and Commerce, Senator the Hon. J. N. Button, and the Minister for Communications, the Hon. M. J. Duffy. I pay special tribute to the Hon. J. S. Thompson who has been most helpful and has really gone into battle for the members of the Vehicle Builders Employees Federation of Australia. On 15th August the honourable member spoke at length and with great understanding on this matter in another place and said that the contract had been let as a result of what he termed the export credit facilitation scheme that has recently been applied. I appreciate the efforts of the Hon. J. S. Thompson and I hope that through his efforts and those of the Rt Hon. Ian McC. Sinclair the contract for a further 115 vans will be let to Jakab in the event that the major contract cannot be relet to that company. The coal industry in New South Wales is worth upwards of $3,000 million a year; however, this great industry rated a mere five lines in the Governor's Speech. Mention was made that for the past year the New South Wales export tonnage reached a record high of 33.5 million tonnes. Several years ago industry and some government spokesmen were confidently predicting that by the year 2000 our coal exports would reach 100 million tonnes a year. It is now clear that there is no way in the world that this figure will be reached at that time under the administration of the present New South Wales Government. Nowhere near that figure will be reached with the present high level of royalties, rail and port charges. Loud and clear economic messages and warnings understood by just about everybody have resulted in a minimum of waterfront industrial stoppages in the past year, but the irreparable damage to our oversea image as a reliable exporter has already been done. It will take a long time for the spectre of Wran's navy-scores of empty coal ships standing off Newcastle, Port Kembla and Balmain at great unnecessary cost-to be wiped from the memories of our oversea customers. The Government did nothing about those lunatic industrial disputations. In the end economics solved the problem, for the time being at least. But New South Wales is the loser because our major customer, Japan, is negotiating with the United States of America, Canada, South Africa, Russia and even China before negotiating with Australia as contracts expire. At present two separate and significant major issues confront the New South Wales coal industry. The first is the decline in world demand for coking coal, reduced steel demand and a subsequent 788 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply drop in world coking coal prices, which is directly responsible for the retrenchments occurring in the underground south coast coking coal mines. Unions and the Govern- ment have been aware for at least a year that the retrenchments were inevitable. Mining companies have been withholding any action on reducing work force levels pending some market improvements or new contracts being let. Unfortunately neither of those has occurred. Though retrenchments dismay everyone concerned, it is imperative that neither the unions nor the State or federal governments take any precipitate action. Industrial retaliation in attempts to placate unions will jeopardize the remaining mines and ultimately the so-called wages accord. Further, there is little point in subsidizing unprofitable mines just to keep a small number of jobs. This only delays the inevitable. Recently Kembla Coal and Coke Pty Limited announced that it proposed to close the Coalcliff mine, reduce production drastically at Darkes Forest mine, and lay off some 600 miners. Jack Taylor reported this story in the Sydney Morning Herald on 18th August. He said: The Company says the mines have become uneconomic because half their market has disappeared as a result of a decision by Japanese industrialists to buy from what they see as more reliable suppliers in Canada, the USSR, China and Queensland. We are told also that a further 170 miners are likely to lose their jobs under a proposal by BP Coal Australia to reduce operations at four of its mines. The present position is that the Government and the companies concerned are still negotiating. It is best to direct all efforts to gaining alternative employment for those for whom retrenchment is inevitable and ensure that the rest of the industry remains economic- ally sound. The second issue is the survival of existing mines in New South Wales. I believe that the Government and certainly the industry and unions have been con- structively addressing the problem of government charges. However, no positive action has been taken by the New South Wales Government. An overall reduction by at least 10 per cent in rail freight charges across the State would assist the industry in coping with the present situation. Mining companies are losing money for every tonne of coal they mine. There are good prospects for New South Wales steaming coal, but the price must be kept competitive and the supply stable. The Governor's Speech did not mention compensation for former coalowners whose properties were confiscated in January 1982 under the Coal Acquisition Act of 1981. The effect of this act of piracy was graphically portrayed in an article by David Tomlinson published in the Weekend Australian of 18th and 19th August. That article was entitled "The great coal grab". The article said, "And after two and a half years not a cent has been paid in compensation". Mr Tomlinson wrote further, "Mr Wran has chosen the path of a tyrant". The Government allocated $20 million for coal compensation in its 1982 Budget and $15 million in its 1983 Budget, but as yet no decision has been made. Thousands of former owners and the members of the Freehold Rights Association who claim that their former properties are worth hundreds of millions of dollars are waiting to be paid. Perhaps the Freehold Rights Association will force a twentieth century Magna Carta upon this modern day Ali Wran and his forty thieves. The Governor's Speech mentioned a wide range of subjects, most of which were glossed over, apparently to give the impression that the Government is superactive, that the State's economy is sound and that the people of New South Wales are happy with their Government. The fact is that the Government has become tired and indifferent to the people. It is preoccupied with proceeding to socialize New South Wales by stealth. One only has to consider health care to realize those facts. The New South Wales Government is in cahoots with the federal Government in a shabby attempt to socialize medicine. Two aspects have emerged: first, the standard of future Mr Park] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 789 medical professional services is under threat, and second, the cost of Medicare is already out of control. Advisers to the federal Government and the State Government have forecast that the cost will rapidly become unbearable. There is only one way the cost of Medicare can go, and that is up. If the State's coffers are healthy, they are healthy only at the expense of those at the helm of primary, manufacturing and service industries and commercial undertakings, whether they be small business or larger corporate enterprises. Those people are paying dearly for licence and registration fees and a whole range of Government charges. The cost involved is holding back develop- ment and the creation of jobs. The Governor's Speech refers to unemployment. In August the unemployment level was 8.4 per cent of the work force, compared with 10.4 per cent in August 1983. I understand that according to the latest figure for New South Wales, unemploy- ment has increased and is 8.9 per cent of the work force. I am concerned particularly about unemployed youth, young people who have not been able to get a job since leaving school, and especially about unemployment in country regions. Reference was made in the House today to the shortage of jobs in the country. The honourable member for South Coast mentioned the high cost of transport in country districts, which makes it more difficult for young people even to live. In 1984-85 private enterprise organizations and employers face a future full of challenges. Those chal- lenge; include productivity, cost effectiveness, product or service quality, competitive- ness an6 marketing efficiency. Those principles relate to all enterprises, whether in country towns, cities or metropolitan area. The same principles can be applied more effectively by private enterprise than by governments. The role of government should be to give leadership and encouragement towards achieving a satisfactory economic climate, to provide efficient basic services and the best practical comm~mications. It is the responsibility of government also to uphold, and amend when necessary, the laws of the State. In recent years under the present Government the people of New South Wales have become overgoverned, overcontrolled and overregulated. The system must be freed up. The citizens of New South Wales are burdened with the highest State taxes in Australia. There is an urgent need to limit the cost of government. Recently there has been a disturbing tendency when a brcakdown in the law occurs to add to the already overburdened licensing system. Licences have become a major source of revenue, and hence an added cost. There is a real need for the Government to reconsider the licensing system and retain only those that are absolutely essential. If the Government were willing to consider the foregomg matters and to effect changes in favour of the people, I have no doubt that private enterprise would react predictably to the genuine benefit of everyone. On occasions when our laws have been relaxed in the past few years, un- fortunately they have been watered down to the detriment of OLI~moral standards. If the population of New South Wales is to continue to grow and the State is to continue to develop and retain a sound economy, the people of New South Wales must meet the challenges, display ingenuity and initiative, utilize research and employ the findings of science. During the past financial pear we had demonstrated graphically the importance of Australia's agriculture to the national economy. The breaking of the drought and the subsequent rise in the value of agricultural products was a major contributing factor to the improved economic situation. That applies to New South Wales just as much as, if not more than, it does to Australia. The way ahead is not without its dangers and its difficulties. Most important, we must become more efficient and more competitive. This will place demands on all of us, collectively and individually. A readiness on the part of everyone to work together for country and family will result in lasting benefit for the whole State and the nation. The New South Wales Government cannot escape its responsibilities to 790 ASSEMBLY-Go,vernor's Speech: Address in Reply become more cost effective, to ease the burden of taxes such as land tax and payroll tax, and to do something positive about the cost of workers' compensation insurance. When I took part in the special adjournment debate on 24th May, I referred to the previously established Joint Select Committee upon Workers' Compensation Insurance. Of course, that committee lapsed when Parliament was dissolved for the last State general elections. During that debate I suggested that it was a pity that the Govern- ment had not seen fit to re-establish that select committee to enable it to continue inquiring into this problem. I said that the cost of workers' compensation insurance was still of major concern to all employers in New South Wales, and that the rate of workers' compensation insurance in this State was among the highest in Australia. In reply, the former Minister for Planning and Environment, the Hon. T. W. Sheahan, said that the reason the Government decided not to re-establish the select committee was that the Government regarded workers' compensation insurance as a major problem that should be dealt with as expeditiously as possible and at the highest level. He asserted that the best way to ensure that that would happen in the shortest time was to have this complex matter dealt with by a Cabinet subcommittee. That is what the Government proposed to do in an effort to find a solution to this problem. I make the point that to date nothing has happened. I hope that the Government does something positive about high workers' compensation insurance premiums in this State. It needs to act quickly because the cost of workers' compensation insurance is crippling when coupled with all the other costs that employers have to bear. It is a cost that inhibits the availability of jobs. I was delighted that the main contract for the construction of Split Rock Dam, worth almost $15 million, was awarded about three weeks ago by the Minister for Natural Resources to Abignano Limited. Mention was made of that in the Governor's Speech. The dam is scheduled for completion by November 1987. Direct employment on the project will build up to an average of 230 during the two-and-a-half years of peak construction activity. The Government faces a major problem at Glenbawn Dam, where the main contractor, Citra Constructions Limited, and the earth moving sub- contractor, Reef Wood contracting Pty Limited, have been unable to proceed for fifteen weeks because of union demands for overaward payments. Today the Minister said she hoped that commonsense would prevail and that eventually the problem would be resolved. She expressed the hope that the dispute would not spread to the Split Rock Dam construction site. The demands currently being made at Glenbawn Dam stem from the so-called broad banding payments agreed to some two years ago by the State Electricity Commission and currently being paid by Elcom on its project at the Barnard River. That project involves water being diverted to the Glenbawn Dam on the upper reaches of the Hunter River. The Government now has a direct responsi- bility to resolve this impasse and to stand firm against similar demands and delays in the construction of Split Rock Dam. In the few minutes remaining to me I wish to refer to a trip that my family and I madc in July to the little country of Sri Lanka. That country is about the size of Tasmania and has a population similar to that of Australia, about fifteen million people. It is a most interesting country, steeped in history and culture, and rich in traditional crafts. I mention Sri Lanka because one or two matters covered in the Governor's Speech apply to a situation in Australia that is similar to that in Sri Lanka. During the dark days of 1942 I spent three months in Ceylon, as it was then known. For some of that time I was involved with the local territorials who were known as the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corp. For a time I had charge of an armed train that used to run from Colombo south along the coast within easy range of the sea front. It was there that I learned to drive a steam locomotive. In those days-it is still the situation today-the main industries of Sri Lanka were tea, rubber and coconuts. At that time those industries were largely in the hands of private enterprise planters who were Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 791

mainly British. Today those industries are in the hands of the Government. They were nationalized or socialized in about 1974, approximately ten years ago. The interesting point is that during the past ten years production from those important industries under government control has fallen to approximately 70 per cent of its previous level. Perhaps there is a message in that for us, namely, that the way to efficiency and productivity in industry is through private enterprise, not socialism. Sri Lanka has some magnificent water conservation and irrigation schemes which by world standards, cost a lot of money. It is certainly a lot of money for a small and relatively poor country like Sri Lanka. What has been achieved in that country can be used as an example of what we ought to be doing in this country. That country can show us how things should be done. We should take a leaf out of its book and undertake more water conservation projects and do more than we are in the way of soil conservation. Today the federal Minister for Primary Industry announced the allocation of $4 million for soil conservation. The figure allocated should be $400 million. If we had recourse to those sorts of funds we would be able to do something positive about a major problem such as that. We in this State also should be doing more to overcome these problems. Dr REFSHAUGE (Marrickville) r8.01: I congratulate the honourable member for Maroubra and the honourable member for Balmain upon their fine contributions to this debate whilst moving and seconding the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply to the Governor's Speech. In the Governor's Speech he spoke of the Govern- ment'; commitmcnt to education. As the problems facing the world today change, so too do the requirements we put upon our educational institutions. One such require- ment that is now becoming more obvious is that of teaching ways of resolving conflict. To this elid I see the need for the establishment within the Department of Education of a resource centre for peace studies. By just reviewing some of the recent events both here in New South Wales and elsewhere it is obvious to us all that many people are unable to productively solve conflicts. Whether we look at the events recently at Milperra, or the escalating arms race, we are faced with horrifying results of inappropriate responses to conflict. At this point it is worth while noting that, despite all the assurances we have been given before about a first strike nuclear response, now George Schultz is admitting that the United States' President is able to push the button without referri~gthe decision to Congress as a first strike procedure. That sort of horrifying ability thrrt we have in the world needs to be not only counteracted but we need also to develop much more effective ways of solving the conflicts that we face. 111 his we!l researched and presented first speech to the Parliament the honourable member for Granville recounted a most shocking history of violent deaths involving firearms both in Anstralia and overseas. He lucidly demonstrated the direct link of deaths and other violence associated with lax gun laws. Furthermore, he showed to the House the benefits to society of the introduction of stricter gun control and, to its credit, this Government is soor, to introduce more stringent gun laws. The Opposition's headline-grabbing approsch, however, was noted earlier today when this House was shown and reminded of the about-face of the Leader of the Opposition in his policy on our guil laws. A year ago the Opposition wanted less control; now it wants more control. Such a wishy-washy approach is further indication of the inability of the Opposition to make effective policy, let alone be entrusted to responsible government. The people of New South Wales voted that way earlier this year. Selective gun control as advocated by my colleague the honourable member for Granville, and as proposed by the Government, is certainly required. But we need to go further. We need to turn our attention to the people involved. If we had a need for people with medical qualifications, we would train more doctors. If 792 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply we had a need for more science and mathematics teachers, we would train them. The Minister for Education has seen that need for science and mathematics teachers and is instituting a rapid course for qualified people to learn the basics of education to become teachers of these most important subjects. If the level of our literacy and numeracy among school-leavers is lower than required for effective participation in society we will put more emphasis on the three R's. When, for the bulk of children and young people, education was confined to the three R's, education was seldom seen as a controversial issue. Education is accepted now as the process of preparing young peoplc for life in the complex and often baffling world of the late twentieth century. It follows, therefore, that education, in the interests of pupils, has to tackle positively and honestly difficult and controversial issues.

Peace ed~~cationis one of those difficult and controversial issues. For many it might be tempting to avoid such difficult subjects as war and violence, but if we are to face squarely with our pupils the major problems of our time, peace and war and vioience in all its forms can only be ignored at a price. We owe it to our young peoplc to help them form soundly based views and judgments of their own on such major issues. Peace and justice are ideals valued by most people, yet their absence is often all too evident. Many different reasons are offered to explain disharmony and conflict and to justify violence. These varied and frequently contradictory views, and the evidence of violent behaviour of individuals and groups, must be both con- fusing and demoralizing for many young people. Peace education has at least three distinct but related aims. First, to help pupils understand some of the complex processes leading to tension and conflict at individual, group, national and global levels, and be aware of some of the ways in which these conflicts may be resolved. A second aim of peace education is to encourage attitudes that lead to a preference for constructive and non-violent resolution of conflict. The third aim is to help pupils develop the personal and social skills necessary to live in harmony with others and to behave in positive and caring ways. Anxieties are sometimes expressed about the appropriateness of peace education in schools. These often reflect a lack of understanding of what is involved rather than an opposition to stated aims and practice. On the other hand anxieties also arise from what some people see as undesirable consequences of peace education programmes.

There are four major frequently mentioned objections that need further elabor- ation. It is hard to envisage peace education having much impact on schools until these have been openly and fully discussed by everyone concerned with the curriculum. The first of these major objections is usually put in the terms that peace education is really about the nuclear arms debate. However, in spite of many clear and explicit explanations, many people continue to find the term peace education confusing and ambiguous. This is probably due to its very name, which is easily confused with the peace movement, with its unambiguous concern with nuclear warfare. While the possi- bility of nuclear war is now recognized as a fundamental issue facing the contemporary world, and as such surely deserving discussion in schools, it is only one aspect of peace education. Just as significant are those tensions and conflicts experienced at a personal level and within society at local and national levels. These grow out of normal human relationships and values, and involve processes such as religious and racial intolerance, sexism, economic and social oppression and the denial of human rights. Peace education is concerned with all these far-reaching and important issues that are significant to everyone, young people and adults alike. The second objection is presented as if people education is attempting the impossible in trying to help young people understand the world. Some people question the appropriateness and different interpretations of the truth about the world, and the Dr Refshauge] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 793 ways people behave. It is argued that school pupils are too young and immature to grapple with complicated ideas and explanations and with conflicting values. The fact is that most young people will have direct experience of many of these issues in their daily lives, and will most likely hear them discussed at home, amongst friends, by other adults and through the various media. In such circumstances, it seems irresponsible for schools to deliberately avoid helping pupils understand and come to terms with these procedures affecting their present and future lives. In any event many teachers, through their formal lessons and their relationships with pupils are already making a contribution-sometimes unconsciously-to the aims of peace education. If society is serious about preparing young people for life in a genuine democracy, it is hard to deny discussion and debate on matters directly affecting them and their future. The third objection is that peace education means deliberately encouraging attitudes of appeasement and pacifism. One accusation sometimes made is that per- suading young people to prefer non-violent to violent resolutions of conflict will encourage attitudes of weakness and appeasement. Another is that peace education encourages pacifism. Both appeasement and pacifism are usually regarded by such critics as highly undesirable and improper attitudes to be encouraged by schools. It is argued that past experience shows that social order demands firm and sometimes violent discipline, while all too often social justice has been achieved or oppression averted, only by the just revolution and the just war. In these circumstances talk of peaceful resolution of conflict seems at worst cowardly and at best naive idealism. There is no point in shirking the difficulty of reconciling these past harsh realities with more constructive hopes for the future. In fact, peace education does not advocate appeasement nor demand a pacifist attitude. It does reject the eager willingness to resolve all issues by force, and argues that in spite of past experience and sometimes overwhelming difficulties involved, every effort should be made to seek resolution of conflict in non-violent ways. In such circumstances as I have outlined, talk of peaceful resolution of conflict seems at worst cowardly or at best naive idealism. There is no point in shirking the difficulty of reconciling these past harsh realities with some constructive hopes for the future. In fact, peace education does not advocate appeasement or demand a specific attitude: it does reject an eager willingness to resolve all issues by force and argues that in spite of past experience, and sometimes overwhelming difficulties involved, every effort should be made to seek resolution of conflict in non-violent ways. The final major objection to peace education is that it is bound to be biased and is likely to be used for political indoctrination. It is frequently claimed that teachers of peace education are biased, and this will affect their teaching. All people hold their versions of truth, and all teachers bring their own perceptions, understanding and values to the topics and issues they teach. In that sense, bias is inevitable, and no more likely in peace education than in any other subject dealing with human behaviour. Nowadays it is widely agreed that an important first step is for all teachers to recognize their bias when discussing issues. What remains a matter of considerable debate is whether teachers should remain neutral or make their bias explicit to the pupils they teach. My own discipline of medicine has often seen the problem of whether a counsellor should make his bias known to the person seeking counsel or whether that counsellor should remain neutral. Indoctrination occurs when one particular view alone is offered and all others are completely and rigorously ignored or denied. Unfortunately, throughout much of our formal education in history in this country many people have been taught that Australia was discovered by Captain Cook-obviously a deliberate lie. Indoctrination may also be practised unconsciously as a result of unrecognized bias but it is usually regarded as a deliberate and self-conscious activity. It may be overt or subversive. 794 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

A traditional English view is that indoctrination in schools is wrong, though many would argue that it is already widely practised. Not all would accept that it is wrong, and would claim that it is a sensible, realistic and legitimate role of schools and teachers to indoctrinate pupils in the accepted views and values of society. Problems arise when different views are strongly held within a society and decisions have to be made about which views are more appropriate. Most people would agree that in a democracy all political viewpoints, values and practices should be considered by pupils. The problem is in deciding if any political ideologists are so threatening that society is entitled to forbid their con- sideration in schools, and who has the right to make that decision. Peace education rejects the aim of political indoctrination; this has been shown to be so in practice where peace education is already an established fact in schools. It is no more open to the charge of planned or actual political indoctrination than is any other subject in the school curriculum. The introduction of peace education could be either at the formal level of the curriculum, or introduced through the informal or hidden curricu- lum. All schools are unique. This is reflected in their organization, style of manage- ment and general ethos. Each would have its own way of implementing a peace education programme. In practice, the formal subject curriculum and the hidden curric~~lumare often related closely but, to make it clearer, I shall discuss them separately. When the study of conflict and peace appears on the formal curriculum in schools teaching peace education it is usually as an element in social or general studies courses for pupils in their last few years. Often, such study is confined to an appraisal of war and a consideration of the place of nuclear weapons. The wider notion of peace education extends the scope of such teaching to most, if not all, subject areas. Any subject syllabus contains a selection of topics reflecting peace education issues. The treatment of the topics may be handled in a number of different ways and from a variety of perspectives. To adopt a peace education approach to an existing subject might involve a revision of content, a change of perspective and the use of supporting methodology. One important criterion in making a choice of topic and approach to support peace education could be the need to extend a young person's understanding, for example, of the factors affecting personal, social and inter- national peace. I said earlier that any approach to a subject adopted by a teacher will implicity contain values, and these often pass unexamined. To design or adopt a syllabus that presents history as a series of wars, for example, without appropriate attention to non-violent and positive developments, itself presents powerful but unknowledged values. If respect for peace and peaceful behaviour is not implicit, as well as explicit, in our teaching, the message the student is likely to receive is that peace, as a value, is not important. The possibilities of approaches to peace education through humanities subjects or integrated humanities courses are clear to see. A wealth of topics is commonly taught; these include customs and beliefs, social and economic history, the structure of societies, uneven distribution of resources, international relations, migration, conflicts over sovereignty and so on. All of these could be used to further a pupil's understanding of conflict and peace at different levels. In English, the study of literature with its consideration of human relationships, prejudice, dissent, propaganda, war and so on readily lends itself to a peace education approach. In subjects such as these little more than a change of perspective is required, but elsewhere in the curriculum a greater shift of emphasis is likely to be needed. For example, the potential contribution of scientific and technological develop- ments for conflict or peace are profound, yet the ethics and responsibility related to these seem to be rarely discussed in science and technology lessons. An understanding Dr Refshauge] Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 795 of the nature of conflict and peace could be gained through most existing subjects in the school curriculum, and almost every teacher could contribute to this. Present views seem to favour this across-the-curriculum approach rather than the more specific peace studies programme. Of course, schools are also involved in the social education and personal development of pupils. Peace education is concerned not merely with knowledge and understanding of an abstract sort, but with the development of the whole person. For this reason it is felt essential that young people be introduced to issues and problems in the context of what might be called positive peacemaking in their own lives. This is to argue that a programme of activities promoting and exploring self-awareness, self-esteem, trust, co-operation and the creative resolution of conflicts is a necessary complement to formal study. However, schools are not isolated institutions. They exist and function within a local and national context and, as such, are affected by the wider values of society. At times, schools and society at large seem to be in harmony over the values they support and encourage, but often the messages pupils receive from society at large conflict with those being advocated by the school. Nevertheless, most schools acknowledge a responsibility to encourage certain values through their social education programmes. One main argument is that an understanding of conflicts, and their peaceful resolution at all levels, depends both on learning and on the meaning given to it by personal experience and self-awareness. Both the study of peace and personal develop- ment and self-awareness should be supported by the formal curriculum but, like any institution, schools have a hidden curriculum. Schools are themselves places where conflicts arise and where the challenge of creating a harmonious community is always present. The atmosphere of a school, harnlonious or otherwise, is determined largely by organizational structures and informal relationships between teachers and pupils. From this atmosphere pupils learn the sort of values, attitudes and ways of behaving that are deemed acceptable by adult members of society. Tbere can be clashes between the values of the hidden and those of the formal currlculurr,. An example is the clesh between the anti-smoking stance of health educa- tion courses and the clear evidence of adults smoking in the school. Ambiguity could also be seen in the control of bullying or aggressive behaviour cf papiis on the me hand if there were uncontrolled aggressive behaviour and verbal abuse by some teachers on the other-or perhaps seeing the interchanges in the Parliament. The relationship betwecw freedom, responsibility, discipline and control in a school is complex, but at least there should be some consistency between what pupils are taught is desirable and what they aztually experience in school. Many of the ideas and approaches I have described can be introduced by individual teachers. There is no doubt, however, that the greatest impact will be where the school as a whole adopts a positive, thorough and agreed approach to peace education. This canncr happen overnight and to be effective must be the result of considerable reflec- tion, discussion and planning. It goes without sayirg that such an approach cannot be imposd on an unwilling staff and that it demands understanding and commitment from the majority of teachers in the school. The hidden curriculum may be thought of as the facets of school life which result in learning values unintended and where teachers may be unaware of the effects. If what is planned and carried out in the class- room is not supported by the whole life of the school, then at the very least the classroom activity loses a substantial part of its meaning. Conflicting messages can be recciled by pupils from the differences between stated values and attitudes and the implied values experienced through the organization and management of the school. Peaceful attitudes and behaviour can then only be undermined or seen as less than important 796 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

To try to ascertain what is the hidden curriculum at a particular school would be a useful exercise for any honourable member. I would like to suggest that by asking questions about the aims of the school, the organization of the school, the relationships and attitudes at the school, one can develop a picture of the underlying reality of the total educational input by the school to the pupils. Questions about the aims would include: How and by whom are the school's aims and goals defined? How well-known are such aims to all teachers and pupils? How much agreement has been reached and by what means? Are there or have there been regular meetings for all involved, and a consequent time and energy commitment, not one of these after hours if-you-might-turn-up type of arrangements? About the organization of the school one could ask: How much discussion takes place about patterns of organization? What channels of comm~~nicationare there? Are all opinions welcomed and by whom? Are there any structures or groups which are in direct or indirect conflict with others? What styles of leadership are allowed or encouraged in staff and pupils? To what extent does the school permit or encourage democratic practices? Is there a school council? Is time available for pupils' personal and social development and is it taken seriously? How much responsibility and opportunity for participation in decision making do pupils and teachers have? Where any large number of people regularly attend, interactions at a personal level develop. Questions about those relationships can be quite illuminating. They could be questions like: What kind of relationships are evident between staff, teaching and non teaching, and pupils, amongst pupils and amongst staff? What hierarchies exist amongst staff and amongst pupils and how do they operate? How are pupils treated in terms of race and sex roles? What subpopulations of pupils are evident and how do they relate? How are conflicts of any kind resolved? How do staff resolve disagreements amongst themselves? How much negotiation is encouraged when attitudes differ? Are there inconsistencies in attitudes, behaviour or qualities, which produce conflicting messages? About the general attitudes displayed and encouraged at the school one should ask: Is competition or co-operation emphasized and how is it promoted? Are rewards or punishments emphasized? How are pupils, teachers and parents wclcomed to the school? What messages are given by the school's forms of communication with pupils or teachers or parents or visitors? Are there opportunities created for pupils to help each other or to help teachers or to help visitors? What emphasis is given to explicit classifying, grading and ranking of pupils, and what criteria are used? What attitudes are evident in the school towards considering conscience issues? Of course, the final question should be: Do the aims, organizations, relationships and attitudes of the school support or undermine the development within the pupils of skills and behaviour of non-violent resolution of conflict? Are we encouraging our students to be mature or are we encouraging our students to return to the stone age?

In order to foster a much more mature society where more productive results can emerge from conflict, I would urge the Government to further pursue the develop- ment of peace education within our schools. The Government, through a Community Employment Programme grant, is already studying a peace studies project at the Inner City Education Centre which is sited in my electorate. I hope that when this project is completed we may have a resource centre for peace studies similar to the resource centre for non-sexist education as an ongoing commitment to New South Wales's role in solving the problems of violence which must be faced in Australia and throughout the world.

Mr J. A. CLOUGH (Eastwood) [8.29]: I have listened with some interest to the honourable member for Marrickville- Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 797

Mr Keane: It was a magnificent speech.

Mr J. A. CLOUGH: It depends on your point of view whether it was a magnificent speech. I respect the honourable member's views. Everyone has different views and I suppose after consensus we hope to arrive at, shall we say, a proper even-handed solution. I want to say that though basically I too am a pacifist, I would not go to the extent which appears to be the ideal of the honourable member for Marrickville. Certainly I am basically a pacifist but I also believe in one being able to stand up and take care of oneself in these situations. I believe Australia should have sufficient services to defend itself if called upon to do so. I regret that the school cadets have been taken away from our schools.

In regard to other matters raised by the honourable member for Marrickville, though I appreciate his point of view that peace should be taught in schools, certainly let us have a balanced approach to these things but let us not be the unwitting tools of Soviet and socialist ideals of other parts of the world where their idea of peace is, I think, very different from what my idea of peace would be. I am willing to have detente and talk and be reasonable with anybody but I believe one should be able to stand up and take effective action if called upon in any given circumstances, and that is not necessarily, I regret to say, always a pacifist role.

Having said that, I turn now to the Address in Reply to the Speech of His Excellency the Governor. At the outset I compliment those members on both sides who made their maiden speeches. Though it is good mannered, courteous, conventional and customary to congratulate the mover and seconder of the Address in Reply-and I am not too miserable to do that, and do so-nevertheless at the same time I cannot say I agreed with all they have espoused. Naturally, the mover and seconder were supporters of the Government and they did their utmost in their own way, and to the satisfaction of their party, to support the Address in Reply vociferously, and earnestly.

I do not agree with all the eulogy and praise in the speeches of the mover and the seconder of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply. If one were to take the Governor's Speech literally, one would see things in a kaleidoscopic way through rosy glasses. There would be manna from heaven, and in next to no time everything in the garden would be rosy. Those honourable members who have been members of this House for a long time are aware that there is a good deal of repetition in the Governor's Speech. Honourable members are aware that by next year much of what has been proposed in the Governor's Speech will not have been given a second thought by the Government. As expected, the Government has endeavoured to create the impression that there is no unemployment, that no one is suffering, that there is no inconvenience of any sort, that the State's transport and medical services are beyond reproach, and that we are living in a kind of Utopia. Honourable members know that is far from the truth.

The Government points out that it has implemented the youth employment scheme, the State youth corps and the State Government youth training programme. One must ask why these half-baked programmes are necessary, because they achieve little. Such schemes should not be necessary. They do not provide any sort of trade training to fit young people for future employment so that they will have a calling to enable them to enter the work force with some expectation of a prosperous and happy future. The Government's failure in relation to employment for the young is dismal and deserves strong condemnation. The Government states also that it will establish a women's directorate in the Department of Industrial Relations to advise on issues relating to women's employment. Why is such a directorate necessary when 798 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

we have already anti-discrimination legislation providing, among other things, for equal opportunities in employment? It is another cosmetic move by this Government to attract attention and to obtain support that it does not deserve. If the Government is to proceed with the $200 million redevelopment of Darling Harbour, I wish it success. I should have preferred the freeway to be com- pleted, but if the Government is intent on carrying out the redevelopment of Darling Harbour, I hope it will be a success. I commend the Government for the project and look forward to its completion. I hope that it will be even more beneficial than the Sydney Entertainment Centre, which has provided an excellent adjunct to the city. The centre serves a most useful purpose. In relation to the supply of energy the Governor's Speech stated that the Government has an ongoing power station constructio~lprogramme to expand and ensure reliability of electricity supply. His Excellency's Speech further stated that expenditure on this programme will exceed $950 million this year. What will be the effect of this on the consumer? Honourable members are well aware that electricity costs are increasing astronomically. These increases have caused great problems for many people. Have these increases become necessary because when this Government ass~lmedoffice it confiscated all the reserves of the Electricity Con~missionof New South Wales? A perusal of the annual report of the Electricity Commission for 1983 shows that it made a net profit of $61 million. Though this year's report has not been released, I am informed that this year the profit is likely to be $75 million. Why are these charges for electricity continually escalating when the commission is making bigger profits? I ask the Government to explain to consumers why they are required to pay so much for electricity. It is not expected that the annual report of the commission will be available before Christmas. In relation to coal, the Governor's Speech stated that production in New South Wales during 1983-84 achieved a record Ievel with strongest growth being in the Hunter region. The Speech stated further that exports reached a record high of 33.5 million tonnes. However, the Speech did not refer to the fact that in the process of this being achieved some 600 miners were sacked from coalmines on the South Coast. On the one hand the Government speaks in glowing terms abaut the great achievement in the winning of coal, the exporting of it and the income derived from it, but on the other hand 600 people lost their jobs. The Government is quick to bypass the bad news but it is quick also to tell us the good news. Generally the bad news outweighs the good news. The Governor's Speech referred also to the fact that an investment corporation will be established to mobilize new capital for the private sector development by fostering new enterprises and expanding existing businesses. The Speech further stated that this corporation will provide a vehicle for State equity participation in private sector development. Why is this necessary? I refer honourable members to the July issue of Business Bzdletiiz which contains a report of a speech by the Premier made at the official launching of the membership drive and promotional campaign of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce. The Premier stated: In the coming session of Parliament we will be establishing a Small Business Development Corporation. It will serve as a vehicle by which small business will relate to Government and at the same time provide the Government with a window through which to see the needs and problems of small business. That matter is dealt with in further detail in the report. Last year the Government allocated, including contributions direct from the country industries assistance fund, a total of $23 million. The Premier admitted that small business provides 60 per cent Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 799 of jobs in the work force. If private enterprise gives that proportion of employment, why is it necessary to establish the investment corporation? Today at question time the Treasurer eulogized treasury bonds. Now that the federal Government has removed what is known as the 30-20 component-and I shall not explain that, for I am sure honourable members, economists and accountants understand the expression-in the long term, treasury bonds will not be nearly as attractive as they have been in the past. The institutions that have been concerned in the 30-20 programme will not be compelled to invest funds at that ratio in government institutions. It is a dubious proposition for the Government to establish the corporation. The Premier said: The small business sector comprises 99 per cent of Australian enter- prises and provides jobs for 60 per cent of the Australian workforce. This is another little bit of window-dressing by the Government and will not assist the economy. The Government should stay out of that type of business. In his Speech the Governor said: My Government is committed to ensuring proper provision of services for the elderly. It has established the first Oflice of Aged Services. Initiatives to assist aged persons to maintain independent lifestyles are being further developed in close consultation with the elderly. Instead of doing that sort of thing the Government should be allocating more funds to the independent or private sector which can do this type of work better and cheapei-. Organizations such as the Christian Community Aid at Eastwood, St Vincent de Paul Society, Methodist Mission, and the Salvation Army do a better job than has been or will ever be done by government offices in providing services for the aged. Why the Government should want to establish these services when better services can be provided at a cheaper rate by independent organizations, I fail to understand. In the Governor's Speech honourable members are told that a further 1 000 staff from the Police Department and the Department of Technical and Further Education will be relocated to the Governn~entInsurance Ofice building at Parramatta. That is extraordinary. The Government Insurance Oflice, which has a building at Parramatta, is leasing accommodation in that building, but has moved its own offices to rented premises in Church Street. If that is not a little Irish, I do not know what is. Mr Cleary: What is the difference in the rents? Mr J. A. CLOUGH: That has not been disclosed. All I know is that the Governn~entInsurance Office has a building in Parramatta, lets accommodation in that building to other organizations and rents premises for itself elsewhere in Parra- matta. I have received complaints that some staff members of government depart- ments have been moved from the former ofice of the Department of Technical and Further Education in Castlereagh Street, where about 1 200 staff members of TAFE occupy eight floors. By February 1985 between 450 and 500 staff members, including a segment of the head omcc staff, will have been moved into the Govern- ment Insurance Office building at Parramatta. I understand that in due course it is propostd that all staff of the department will be moved to Parramatta. According to my information the rent for the premises at Parramatta is higher than the rent paid for the premises in Castlereagh Street, Sydney. The members of staff who complained to me said that the Sydney head office is centrally located, whereas public transport giving access to Parramatta is either non-existent or extremely poor. The Department of Youth and Community Services is located at Parramatta already. I am not complaining about decentralization of government departments but am merely honouring an undertaking I gave to staff members of TAFE who said that they will be considerably inconvenienred. Again T ask why the Government Insurance Ofice should rent premises when it has a building in Parramatta. 800 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

The Governor's Speech includes a list of bills that the Government intends to introduce in this budget session. It makes one smile when one reads that it is proposed to introduce a bill to ban bullfighting. I suppose honourable members will be told why such a bill is necessary; I assume it has some importance. It is proposed also to amend the State Superannuation Act. If what one reads in the newspapers is true, certainly that will be necessary. I cannot deal with that aspect in detail, for I have not investigated the Siate superannuation f~mdto enable me to make any further comment. Today the Premier gave notice that he intends to introduce a bill for the rededi- cation of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. I pay tribute to the Government for its attention to the Anzac Memorial. Under the present Act the Premier is the chairman and the Leader of the Opposition is the deputy chairman of the trustee committee for the Anzac Memorial. I represent the Leader of the Opposition on that commitee. When the committee meets, an officer of the Treasury always attends. I compliment the Govern- ment on the fine type of officer it sends to the meeting and on its generosity in main- taining the memorial, with the co-operation of the Sydney city council. When that bill is before the House I hope to speak to it. I wish to make a few comments about the New South Wales Fire Brigade. Not a grcat deal has been said about the fire brigade since I criticized the Government's activities last year and referred to the lack of attention and funding given to the New South Wales Fire Brigade. The Government has failed to provide adequate funds and eq~tipmentfor that service. TO my knowledge the Government has done little to improve and maintain the fire brigade. The New South Wales Fire Brigade has 400 service vehicles which are replaced on a ten year recycling phase. Under that programme forty new fire engines should have been ordered in 1983, but only seventeen were in fact provided for. Last year's budget for the service was about $100 million. That is totally inadequate. The fire brigade would be in an even worse position were it not for contributions by insurance companies towards capital development. If a fire of any magnitude were to occur at any of the State's ports, there would be an awful conflagration. Firefighting facilities at New South Wales ports are inadequate. Further, the service is in need of rationalization. I turn now to the dispute and confrontation between the Government and the medical profession, which has been and still is a matter for concern. I did not have the opportunity to speak on the measure introduced to deal with that dispute when it was before the House, so I wish to make a few comments now. In my opinion the New South Wales Government is misleading the public in not admitting the truth that that legislation is part and parcel of its aims to socialize and nationalize health service\ in accordance with the Labor Party platform adopted as far back as 1921. The only reason its policies have not been implemented to- date is that it has never been in a parliamentary situation to do so. Now that Labor is in government in the federal sphere and in four d the six States, it is in a position to implement not only its current policies but also, by stealth, its long-term platform of the first socialization of production, distribution, and exchange. That has been part of the Labor Party platform since 1921. The claims of the Hawke and Wran governments that Medicare will provide cheaper and more efficient health services will eventually be proved erroneous, and their claims that it will especially advantage low income and indigent groups are absurd. Free and the best of health services have always been available to those sections of our community, whereas under Medicare they will be paying for their health services by way of the compulsory one per cent income tax deduction from their pay en- velope;. That will negate the concessions they enjoyed prior to Medicare. In my view, the best health insurance scheme ever in Australia was that prevailing before the advent of Medibank, which was introduced by the Whitlam Government. It seems ironic Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 801

that a Liberal Party leader-I think it was the Rt Hon. J. M. Fraser-said that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that the so-called workers' party, the Labor Party, is putting that principle into hurtful practice in respect of those disadvantaged sections of the community it claims to support. I refer to the poor, the indigent, pensioners, and so on. I am sure all honourable members have had drawn to their attention cases of people, some of whom are over 80 years of age, who have had both elective and non-elective orthopaedic surgery deferred because of the doctors' dispute. Those people are in great discomfort and pain, and in some cases that I know of personally they are suffering immobility. Mr Akister: Name one. Mr J. A. CLOUGH: I could tell the Minister of three cases in my own electorate if he wants me to do so later. I do not name people in this place, but I could. Those people have been in touch with me and told me of their circumstances. In the few minutes remaining to me I wish to make some comparisons between independent and government schools. In 1965, 75.3 per cent of the school population were educated in government schools and 24.7 per cent were educated in independent schools. In 1975, government schools accounted for 78.3 per cent of the school population, and independent schools 21.7 per cent. In 1982, government schools were educating 76.1 per cent of the school population and independent schools 23.9 per cent. I ask whether the contribution of parents who send their children to Catholic schools has decreased over the years. As all honourable members know, such people make up the majority of those attending independent schools. Fees paid by parents to Catholic schools have increased at a rate faster than increases in the consumer price index or average weekly earnings. From 1976 to 1983, fees paid to Catholic primary schools increased by 113 per cent. In the same period fees paid by parents for year 7 and 8 students increased by 116 per cent, for year 9 and 10 students by 110 per cent, and for year 11 and 12 students by 111 per cent. The consumer pricc index over that seven year period increased by 97 per cent, and average weekly earnings increased by 102 per cent. So it can be seen that the parents of students attending independent schools are pulling their weight. Time will nat permit me to say as much as I would like on this matter. I simply say that I hope that the dispute concerning education in independent schools will come to an end. I am sure all honourable members are in favour of every Australian child receiving a proper education. It is a pity that the dispute concerchg independent and government schools is not buried, because the arguments advanced do not hold up from an economic point of view. What has struck me more than cnything is the great turn around in the philosophy of the Labor Party. When I was a young man the Labor Party seemed to favour the small businessman and the worker. Today the Labor Party's philosophy has completely changed. It is now in favour of the big business and it wants to kill the small businessman. Mr Akister: It has a philosophy for everybody. Mr J. A. CLOUGH: I will tell the Minister why the Government is in favour of big business. It has suddenly discovered that ultimately big unions and big business are tht. road to nationalization and socialization. If honourable members want any evidence of the complete turn around in the Labor Party's philosophy, they should look to the policies of the Hawke Government in Canberra. That Government is to some extent carrying out the policies of the Liberal Party. I exclude its policies on such things as Medicare, superannuation, land rights and half a dozen other matters I could mention. I simply draw attention to the fact that the Labor Party is hood- winking its followers. It is not the party it used to be, and the Australian people will find that out. I hope that they will not find it out too late. Notwithstanding all the 5 1 802 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

hullabaloo, the razzamatazz and the superficiality that the Hawke Government is in- dulging in at the moment, I should think that Mr Hawke will get a big shock when he goes to the polls. I turn to the Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Bill, 1984. Under that measure statutory bodies will be given six weeks to present their annual reports to the Auditor-General. He has ten weeks to audit their accounts and return them. That takes four months. The Minister is given another month to table those reports in Parliament. All that takes five months. The Parliament will go into recess before any of those annual reports reach this place, and that should not happen. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member has exhausted his time. Mr WHELAN (Ashfield) [8.59]: I join with other honourable members in congratulating the newer members of Parliament who have recently made their maiden speeches. Clearly, those who have made their maiden speeches have had a great impact on this Parliament because of the soundness of their research. Regrettably, they could not have learnt anything from the honourable member for Eastwood who used the 30 minutes allocated to him on a dissertation for the purpose of press releases for the forthcoming edition of the Northern District Times, being his local newspaper, in an atiempt to convince his electorate that he has been doing some work. I seize this opportunity to outIine to various Ministers some of the short- comings that have befallen in the past and will befall my electorate and my con- stituents. I direct my remarks in particular to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. I am dramatically concerned at the reorganization of the police force as it affects my electorate. My electorate is now located in the F district. I am advised by the staff of the police force that their ofices are overcrowded and shortstaffed. The crime statistics from the insurance companies and the criminal investigation branch show, with no ambiguity, that the inner city and near city suburbs are suffering the brunt of increased criminal activity. Therefore the presence of police in and around the streets of my electorate, in particular in Summer Hill, Marrickville and parts of Petersham, is now warranted. The criminal activity includes petty theft, car stealing, and break and enters. Reorganization of the police force is one thing, but the effective presence on foot of police in the district, in particular during normal business hours, is not just desirable but essential. Regrettably, most of the offences are drug related. For that reason, and that reason only, the presence of police should be increased and there should be a drive by the police force to rid the area of the pernicious activities of people involved in the drug trade. Care and attention and medical advice and assistance should be provided for those who are less fortunate and who for one reason or another find that they succumb to the evils of drugs. I turn now to education. A considerable number of representations have been made to me since Petersham Girls High School became part of my electorate. I am afraid that I have to agree with the claims made by the community co-ordinator, the parents and friends, and the principal of the school that the Government has been lax in not caring for the needs of the young ladies attending Petersham Girls High School, a schooI that has an ethnic element of more than 83 per cent, a school with almost 600 pupils attending it, and a school that has been in dire straits because of the uncertainty surrounding the amalgamation of schools in that general area. A former Minister for Education recognized the deficiency in the facilities in the school, and, in a letter to parents and teachers, promised the construction of a new school library, a multipurpose hall and other specialist rooms. The chiIdren attending that school are obliged to stand in the school's asphalt playground in winter and in summer, at great discomfort, for the purpose of assembling prior to the start of lessons. For activities such as speech days it is necessary to hire a hall, located some Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 803

distance from the school. By virtue of the large ethnic population in the area difficulties are experienced in forging links between well-meaning parents and friends and the teachers and the principal of the school.

Many problems arise in schools in multicultural areas such as Petersham. I ask the Minister for Education not to treat with scant regard promises that were made by previous Ministers for Education. I ask the Minister to ensure that children attending schools in my electorate are treated in exactly the same way as the children who attended Sydney Girls High School, or Ryde Girls High School. I mention those schools because the children attending Sydney Girls High School, which is a selective school, are, according to some people, drawn from a socio-economic background of higher standard than are the children in my electorate who attend Petersham Girls High School. A multipurpose centre is being constructed at Sydney Girls High School. I should like to know when that centre was promised. It is being completed now. I know that in 1978 a promise was made that a multipurpose school would be built at Petersham. It is time that happened. The honourable member for Hurstville will learn, as have others who have sat opposite me for the past ten years, that you cannot do anything when you are in Opposition, and when honourable members opposite are old and grey they will still be in Opposition.

One of the other things that concerns education in my electorate is the possibility of removal of ancillary staff from schools. In view of the large number of children with ethnic backgrounds, the disadvantages suffered by the teachers and the principals of schools should be borne in mind when allocations are made by the Minister for ancil- lary staff. I am grateful that the Minister has allayed many of the fears held by people that nc ancillary staff will be provided. By doing so the Minister is placating members of the New South Wales Teachers Federation who might think they have been dis- advantaged, and is also ensuring that the students are assisted as much as is possible. Some of the letters that I have received from some of the children typify their concern as future young Australians. I have a letter here from Luisa Carvalho. It is hand written. I will read it as it was written to me: We are hoping you to change your mind about Mrs Edwina Byrne and Mrs Sylvia Thomas. They are important to us. As like: Mrs Sylvia Thomas she runs off stencils, bandiges up children who have been hurt, having little workshops like teaching them reading, Series R, Quota Sheets and so on and Mrs Edwina Byrne she does Ringing parents if children are sick and Enroll- ing Children, and much more. Please do something to keep those two ladies Working here. Yours faithfully, P.S. Mrs Thomas was such a great friend to us all so was Mrs Byrne.

The young children obviously see both Mrs Byrne and Mrs Thomas not as mere staff members but as people to whom the children attending this disadvantaged school can relate. That factor must be taken into consideration when assessments are mad,:. Children who attend disadvantaged schools should not be further disadvantaged by virtue of a simple calculation of the number of students who attend the school. The quota approach is ridiculous. If a school has 200 pupils it is entitled to some ancillary staff. If 90 wer cent of the 195 students at a school have ethnic back- grounds, or travel miles to attend school in rural parts of New South Wales no proyi-'r>~ic n~nd~for ---illary ~ta4- That is ;1 '~ldicrous rule. Before he hecame the Minister the honourable member for Gladesville acknowledged how ridiculous it was, and said he proposed to review the approach taken so far. 804 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

There are many other matters about my electorate that I will take the oppor- tunity to mention during this session of Parliament. Tonight I shall mention one matter that causes me great concern. An examination of photographs outside the Chamber makes one realize that a member who has been in this place for upwards of ten years has been here almost a lifetime. One of the obligations of members of Parlmment, apart from the formalities of congratulating the newer members who have made their maiden speeches in this Parliament, is to try to impart messages. One of the messages that must be imparted is that honourable members opposite lack the integrity even of an Opposition. I read on the weekend a press release that had been issued by Max Smith, the honourable member for Pittwater, about his claim that Sydney races were being fixed. He was prepared to prostitute his position as a member of Parliament for the sake of a cheap headline. He is not only out-of-step with me, with the Government and with the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Tourism, but the honourable member for Orange, the Opposition spokes- man cr sport has also distanced himself from the honourable member for Pittwater because he was embarrassed by that honourable member's farrago of lies. What he has underwritten is an attempt to ruin the collection by this Government of revenue from the TAB and other gambling outlets- Mr Wotton: There are plenty of them. Mr WHELAN: In the vicinity of $1.4 billion is involved. Surely the honour- able member for Castlereagh does not agree with the honourable member for Pittwater. No one could. The most disappointing aspect is that the member rose in the House, allegedly to ask a question but went on to say that most Sydney horse races were rigged. He did that for the specific purpose of injuring the financial returns to this Government. He did it for the specific purpose of trying-forget the politics of it- to ruin the racing industry. He has insulted every trainer, every jockey, every stable- hand, every owner. Everyone involved in the racing industry has been offended by virtue of this meretricious claim by this otherwise out of work member of Parliament. Obviously, for pure political motive the honourable member for Pittwater has been trying to latch on to the coattails of what has been called the Fine Cotton ring-in in Queensland. For those not familiar with the case, those not interested in horseracing, the matter involved the ringing-in of a horse named Bold Personality in lieu of one set up in the race form and called Fine Cotton. Most people had known in the morning of the gross illegality that was about to take place and, notwithstanding that the Queensland stewards were contacted with information prior to the race by the New South Wales racing stewards, nothing was done to take the horse from the race. The effect was that all moneys invested in New South Wales were lost to the little punters who had made bets. The ones who wagered heavily can go to gaol for all I am concerned, for that is where they belong, but the little punters who may have heard on the radio that the horse was favoured, lost their money. It is not necessary for me to disclose that I have no financial interest in the Fine Cotton case, but in case any honourable member thinks that I may have such an interest I declare I am not speaking through my pocket. I am concerned about the total inadequacy and lack of action by the Queensland stewards. It was left to the New South Wales stewards to take action. The honourable member for Pittwater has agreed with the Queensland Minister for Racing who said he knew, in common vernacular, that the Queensland racing scene was a rort. What the Queensland Minister did was shift the onus, shift the blame and try to put it back on the New South Wales racing people by asserting that the punters of New South Wales were the beneficiaries of the Fine Cotton ring-in. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Queensland stewards' inquiry is a shambles, so much so that I shall ask the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 805

Tourism to stop racing investments being made in this State on Queensland races. There should be no investments made on Queensland racing through the New South Wales TAB, or at the courses with bookmakers until the Queensland Government acts positively, with conviction, to clean up racing in Queensland. The people of this State have many alternative places to lodge their racing investments, if they choose to call them that, or where they can punt if they like to call it that. That the Queensland Minister for Racing should wipe his hands of the matter and ignore the fact that $130,000-odd of innocent punters' money was lost in this State, is deplorable. The little punters of this State who listened to the radio and heard how the horse was favoured for its form and rang the TAB in complete innocence to lay their bets subsequently listened to the running of the race, clapped their hands in joy at the win, but twenty minutes later heard that they had lost their money. These people are innocent battlers. They should not have lost their money. The second matter the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Tourism should be considering, as well as that which I have already raised, is placing a ban on the investment of New South Wales racing money on Queensland racing until the industry there has been cleaned up. Without that unequivocal commitment the Minister should not permit investment on Queensland races at the TAB or with bookmakers. Another matter on which the Minister should insist is that the money that has been invested by the small, innocent punters, those who invested perhaps $30 or $40, should be returned. There is no reason why anyone should be penalized because of this illegal activity by other people. The honourable member for Pittwater would understand quite clearly that the race should have been called a "no race" and the people would have got their money back. All the evidence is there that it was a "no race." All the bets were down, all the TAB money was laid, but the horse was disqualified. Normally, the funds would be returned to those who could prove positive identification, thus removing the criminal element. If people were going to invest a large amount of money and rig a horse race obviously they would be careful in their approach. I am not concerned at all for them, they should lose thcir money. They should be charged, gaoled and driven out of the industry which is now suffering a great deal from this attack by the honourable member. A reading of the press release by the honourable member for Pittwater makes it obvious that he knows nothing of the racing industry, and does not realize how valuable it is to the State as a revenue source, or how pleasurable it is as a recreational activity for those interested in racing. The honourable member does not understand Australia's place in the world of thoroughbred horseracing, and does not realize the amount of money that has been invested in breeding. I am not speaking now of those interested in laying a bet on a Saturday afternoon, or on the Melbourne Cup or the Caulfield Cup, but those who are interestcd to see continued improvement in the breeding of Australian racehorses for the international racing circuit. Someone said to me today that one of the most important things that happened to Australia was not the devaluaiion of the dollar, the Boating of the currency, the sale of some major resource such as iron ore, but was the win by Australia of the Americas Cup. The same will transpire if we breed in this nation a horse that is able to win one of the great international racing events. Such a horse might be Strawberry Road. If so, European interest in Australian thoroughbred racing will develop dramatically. But that will not happen if we have more meretricious individuals like the honourable member for Pittwater who has raised a farrago of lies in this House about racing and then issued a press release demanding a Royal commission. This is the Parliament of New South Wales. The Fine Cotton affair happened in Queensland. Must we tell the honourable member for Pittwater that this is New South Wales and not Queensland? If the honourable member so badly wants a Royal 806 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply commission he should ask the Queensland Minister for Racing for it. He has no excuse for refusing one. He could have a Royal commission if he wants one, for he is a member of the Queensland Cabinet. However, for some strange reason, the Queensland Government is not doing anything. The question must be asked, who are they protecting? The only answer is that they are protecting the crooks who control racing in Queensland. When I ask the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Tourism in this State to cease bookmaking activities by the TAB and by the bookmaking community in this State on racing events in Queensland so that they might take South Australia as an alternative venue for betting, I will say that should be done until a firm commitment has been made by the Queensland Govern- ment to rid that State of people involved in illegal activity. Until that is done no one can bet with confidence.

Other matters concerning investment, or punting activity, deserve consideration. No one has done more for racing than the present Minister for Sport and Recreation. He has an absolutely impeccable record. He has improved the opportunity for those betting in the relaxation of their home so that they may bet until two minutes before post time at a race-meeting. When he said that he wanted to introduce that activity he was told that it would not be possible but with modern computer technology he was able to do it. The Minister has already said that he wants to improve that further, so that bets may be laid one minute before post time, and then perhaps at the start of post time. I urge the Minister to do that. It will benefit the little punter who stays at home and does not have the opportunity to be treated like others who go to the races. There should not be two classes of punters, but in this State some have a two minute betting advantage over the others. The anomaly should be removed in the interests of those who have their small bet at home. I urge the Minister to introduce that practice. One other matter that requires a fair bit of examination concerns interstate betting and marketing of prices. Everything I am saying has been covered well and truly concerning what takes place in New South Wales and most of the improvements I am about to refer to relate to those interstate. Presently there is a teleprinter service or telex service provided for people on course at race-meetings and that is their only way of knowing whether or not a horse has been backed. I would rather see television cameras, installed at the cost of the interstate race clubs, monitoring bookmakers' boards to ensure that people on course in Sydney can see what a bookmaker's price might be on a particular horse or dog or trotter at a specific location. The purpose of that is that with a teleprinter much time is lost by those wishing to have a bet not having the precise information available to them.

The most important thing is that clearly New South Wales should not be doing anything with Queensland racing until they have sorted out the problems. The honour- able member for Pittwater has suggested that a Royal commission should be held in this State. He is playing pure politics and the reason for his doing so is to frustrate and decrease the amount derived from racing revenue. Racing revenue received in this State is $1.4 billion and the Totalizator Agency Board takes 17 per cent of that. That money is used largely either by the racing clubs or for the provision of sport and recreational facilities. In my electorate I have been able to achieve improvements to Pratten Park, which is famous for cricket, and is also the home of the shortly to be demized Western Suburbs Rugby league club. I hear some honourable members say "shame". It is a shame that one of the founding teams of New South Wales Rugby league has been treated so shabbily. Those funds have been available not only for cricket, but for football, and to his credit the Minister has introduced Footy Tab which has produced hundreds of thousands of dollars for the benefit of football and soccer, Australian rules, cricket and hockey. Money received from racing Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 807 has been primarily responsible for the almost completed Homebush Bay sporting complex, which will enable people in Sydney to have a first-class indoor sporting facility. When one talks of the harm that a member of Parliament can do one must remember that an honourable member may also do much good. He may expose things, such as rorts in the system. I would not mind if the honourable member for Pittwater had a legitimate grievance-that is what Parliament is for-but he must realize the consequences of his actions. He must know the facts. He has to know what harm he can do. If he has something to say and is not afraid to do so, he does not have to make the claim in this privileged place, he can go out on the front steps and attack every jockey, owner, trainer and stable boy. The honourable member also asserts that nothing is being done in New South Wales. As I said, an abortive stewards' inquiry was conducted in Queensland. There has been total inaction by the Queensland Minister for Police and Minister for Racing. The Australian Jockey Club ltnows of this inaction. It controls racing in this State and that club and the Sydney Turf Club deserve the complete support of everyone in this industry for the way they have been running it. The AJC was left with no alternative but to ask its Chief Stipendiary Steward, Mr John Schreck, to open an inquiry to investigate whether the conduct of any person-I hope they have a talk to the honourable member for Pittwater-by reason of the suspected substitution of the horse Bold Personality for the horse Fine Cotton on 18th August, or betting or fielding on the said race, whether or not on a licensed racecourse in Australia or elsewhere, was contrary to the best interests of racing in New South Wales. So the Australian Jockey Club in this State, because of the inaction and inep- titude of the Queensland racing authorities and the racing Minister, is left to control the destiny of the little punter in New South Wales. Where does the credit come from for the honourable member for Pittwater? He washes his hands and says a Royal commission should be conducted into everything. The Chief Stipendiary Steward has made extensive inquiries, as honourable members will know, and I am pleased that tonight I just happened to receive a copy of a press release issued by the National Party Opposition spokesman on sporting. The opening paragraph reads: A claim that most Sydney horseraces were rigged was reckless 2nd very damaging to the racing industry, the shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation, Mr Carry West, said today. Mr West said the claim by the honourable member for Pittwater, Mr Max Smith, that only the occasional Sydney race was clean could not be substantiated and was very wide of the mark. The press release continued: If Mr Smith has evidence of widespread race fixing then he should present the facts immediately to the AJC and police. What Mr Smith should do-I am sure the Leader of the Government in the House could make some arrangement for him to do so-is table in the House the information he has. He should not act under privilege in this coward's castle, as it is often called. Let him defame the people he suspects are guilty of the offences in Queensland. After that he may once and for all leave racing in New South Wales to the people who know how to look after it honestly. Mr WOTTON (Castlereagh) [9.29]: Before I commence my contribution to the debate may I say to my colleague the honourable member for Ashfield that I am sorry his horse ran fourth the other day. I do not have too much to say about the 808 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply mover and seconder of the motion because basically they were only espousing the socialist philosophy. It was the same sort of dull document that someone gives to the Governor to read each year. It was obviously just a rehash from the Premier's Department that is upgraded year after year. These two gentlemen made their maiden speeches in this House back in November last year and in May 1984 respectively Of course the mover did very well. He believes in the socialist philosophy, but I am sorry that the seconder of the motion fell into1 the trap of being mean and nasty. That never happened with his predecessor, Mr Roger Degen, who was the member for Balmain for many years.

I congratulate all those members who have made their maiden speeches in the Parliament over the past couple of weeks. I congratulate particularly my five young colleagues from the National Party. I shall refer to them separately because the honourable member for Byron only had seventeen days from the time he was endorsed, or it was even suggested that he should stand for Parliament, until he actually contested and won the seat. It is well known that the honourable member for Murrumbidgee and the honourable member for Clarence won seats that were formerly held by two Labor Ministers. The Labor Party has been going to win Goulburn for twenty years so far as I can recall but once again fell by the wayside. My colleague the honourable member for Oxley, although he had to put up with a few internal dissidents, won the seat. Doubtless all five members will be around for quite some time in this Parliament. Their main concern was for the people they represent and basically the primary industry which is mostly within their electorates. The honourable member for Clarence gave a top speech on a subject that he knows more about than a dozen of the likes of the honourable member for Balmain. In His Excellency's Speech there were seven small sentences relating to primary industry. Perhaps the most important of those sentences referred to the moving of the Glenficld Research Station to Camden Park- big deal.

The Minister for Corrective Services represents in this House the Minister for Agriculture, and I will have something to say about that Minister later in this speech. I ask the Minister for Corrective Services what the Government intends to do about primary industry in this State. Agriculture is still Australia's largest export earner; it is still the vibrant engineroom of the economy, but a creeping malaise has paralysecl the family farm placing it in the most serious economic crisis since the first settlement. Profits are so low that many farmers would leave the land if they were trained for other occ~ipationsor not tied to the land by family circumstances. Agri- culture is no longer the prosperous sector that it was for a century and a half during the opening and development of this nation. The worst affected are the cattlemen, the dairyfarmers, the poultry farmers, the sugar cane producers, the grain growers- and J shall refer to the grain growers later-the fat lamb producers, and the horticul- tural industry. This week meetings are being held by wheat growers all over New South Wales.

Today in another place a most ineffective Minister said that there is no crisis in the wheat industry. He said that the wheat farmers are the aristocracy of Australian farmers. I hope that tomorrow at Narranderra that is spelt out loudly and clearly so that .this ineffective little Minister in another place will really get what is coming to him. How can these wheat growers be the aristocracy of farmers when during the past ten years they have received an increase for their product of 2.1 per cent a year and their expenses, which basically are imposed by this Government, in which the Minister for Corrective Services has a big say as a weak Minister, nearly as weak as the Minister for Agriculture-

Mr Singleton: That could not be possible. Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 809

Mr WOTTON: That may be so, but it is very close to the money. Their costs increased by 17.1 per cent a year. The farmers of this State are treated by this Government as second-rate citizens. I accuse the Government of failing to realize the significance to the economy of the rural sector. Unless governments of all political persuasions become far more positive, the family farm will be replaced by corporate interests. It is no longer possible to go into farming with realistic expectations of making a decent annual profit. Capital gains and the way of life are incentives to own rural land. However, one cannot eat capital gains. When the federal Govern- ment gets its hooks into capital gains and death duties, there will be no more capital gains. That is Labor Party policy. The Minister for Corrective Services is aware that that will occur. The business at which Australia is best is producing agricultural products. This country should be exporting its agricultural products because that is where its wealth is derived.

Not so long ago a conference was held in Japan dealing with the meat industry. The federal Minister for Trade remained in Canberra and sent a third-rate public servant to that conference who could not spell meat, let alone know what the industry is all about. The result was that markets were lost. The Labor Government hammers the rural sector at every opportunity. The political clout of country electorates is small and declining while that of the cities is increasing. More than thirty years ago agriculture produced 85 per cent of the nation's export earnings and this year it is down to 45 per cent. The National Farmers Federation believes that in 1983-84 there were 50 000 jobs lost throughout the nation as a result of Australia's declining competitiveness. The Governor's Speech talks of 77 000 jobs being created. Every day this Government refers to job statistics, but where are the jobs? Recently the Ministcr for Finance said that he has another 2 500 jobs ready to go. Honourable members hear those statements but never see the jobs. All those jobs have been lost because of our declining competitiveness.

'1 he federal Labor Government has introduced a wine tax. That will have the effect of reducing the amount of wine sold by about 12 per cent. Winemakers are making only 10 per cent profit on turnover. The smaller wineries in this State will go to the wall. There are 550 wineries in Australia and 220 of them crush less than 500 tonnes a year. There are seventeen wineries in Mudgee, a couple in Wellington and Forbes and one in Young, and they will all go to the wall because of the loss of jobs. They will not buy grapes from those people who have a few acres of grapevines; there will be no market for them. This is another form of harassment by the Labor Govern- ment. That tax will be removed in a couple of years because it will not work. That taxation imposition makes as much sense as imposing a 10 per cent tax on beef and sheep. It is just another tax being imposed on small country industries. Last year a fortified wine tax was a failure-so much so that it was removed.

It is pleasing to note that Windamerc Dam near Mudgee is to open in October. That is what the Governor said, but the Government has made it known that it will be in November. The dam is a magnificent construction. As the honourable member for Burrendong I was fairly involved with the planning and the initial construction of that dam. With the abolition of the electorate of Burrendong and the dam being incor- porated in the electorate of Castlereagh, I am delighted to see the completion of the dam. I congratulate the Government on seeing the project through to reality. I am really concerned about how standards have slipped in this country and in New South Wales in particular. I refer to standards in many facets of our everyday life, such as behaviour, service, transport, disregard for law and order, postal operations, and work attitudes and responsibilities. What can one expect from society generally when such standards are set by the Special Minister for State in the federal Government? 8 10 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

I am told it was 125 handbags that the Minister brought back. The slate has been wiped clean and he can do no wrong. With the honourable member for Ashfield, who used to be a Minister in this Government, I am willing to offer odds of 6 to 4 that within twelve months Mick Young will be back before the beak, and I do not think he will last this time. As for that other seller of secrets, that great slob who used to be the secretary of the Labor Party, we do not hear much of him since he was selling all those secrets to Russia. That is what I mean when I refer to standards. I refer to standards like the Premier's slur on the magistrates in this State. The Premier covers up, as did the Attorney General, by referring to his statcmcnt as poetic licence. What about the great statement by Sir Robert Askin when he was driving with President Johnson and he said, "Run over the b's"? Was that allowed as poetic licence? Of course it was not. Mr Crawford: Do you think----- Mr WOTTON: Quiet, small change. The Labor Opposition of that time and the media would not permit that to be brushed aside as poetic licence. It is a pity they did not run over some of them, because they may have run over a few of these pseudo patriots of democracy that occupy the Treasury benches. Standards in this State have slipped because of the standards that the Government itself sets. I am concerned about the disregard for law and order. Recently honourable members saw a demonstration by hundreds of bikies who blocked traffic in Macquarie Street, and the only thing they came here for was to disregard the law. If a little boy rode a bike through a village like Mullalley, he would be booked for not wearing a helmet while riding his bike. There were 500 bikies in Macquarie Street outside Parliament House, mostly without helmets, and the Government did nothing. Recently at a funeral at Rookwood the bikies followed the hearse into the cemetery and demanded to know who was in the box. They would not believe anyone until the funeral director told them whose body was in the coffin. How would any honourable member like to have someone who had been near and dear to him in a coffin on the way to Rookwood and have this mob come in and demand to know who was in the box? Honourable members are told that the Premier intends to introduce new gun control legislation. That is a typical political reaction-promising all sorts of things to all sorts of people. All he needs to do is to ensure that the penalties for violent use of firearms fit the crime. It is as simple as that. The Government should make certain that judges and magistrates deliver nothing less than the sentences prescribed by law. Let us stop harping about non-pzrole periods and civil liberties. What about the civil liberties of the little girl who copped it at Milperra? Did the Government worry about her? Even the standards of government administration in relation to age- old trnditions about Ministerial replies to letters have slipped and are falling by the wayside. I hasten to add that that comment does not apply to all Ministers, but certainly it applies to some. The other day I sent between 150 and 200 letters to the Attorney Genercl. They were letters from citizens who were concerned about pornographic videos. All of those people took the trouble to write to me, and I went to the trouble of seeding at least 150 separate letters to the Attorney General. What did I receive back? J received one brief letter, addressed to the many constituents who had written to me. That letter was not even signed by the Attorney General. Mr Peacocke: The Attorney General cannot write. Mr WOTTON: I know that the Attorney General cannot write. The letter was signed by a junior office girl and it looks as though a thumbnail dipped in tar had been run across the bottom of the page. The track record of the Government reeks of deals, deals, and more deals. Of course, it uses a new word today-consensus-and the strongest negotiator wins. Honourable members who occupy the Treasury benches enjoy power, so they keep giving in. But what happened with the doctors and Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited? They did not do so well on those two occasions. Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-I2 September, 1984 8 11

Why does the Government not legislate to deal with the railway workers as it deals with the doctors and give railway workers seven years without any option? Next, I refer to the train strike at the beginning of the school holidays. Who was responsible? The Premier accused the train drivers of industrial blackmail. Are the unions to blame or is the Government to blame for the State Rail Authority withdrawing the brakevans on the first day of the school holidays? It is as simple as that. I believe that the whiz kid at the State Rail Authority was under Government instructions to make sure that a strike took place on the first day of the school holidays. I refer again to the doctors. The denigration of the medical profession in this place has been unbelievable. But what about the legal profession? Let us have a close look at them. Tonight the honourable member for East Hills gave the legal profession a pretty good serve. The honourable member for East Hills is one of the colleagues of the Minister for Public Works and Ports and Minister for Roads. Last Saturday the Sydney Morning Herald published a letter signed by thirty-one people, obviously members of the League of Labor Lawyers, referring to a travesty of justice and crying crocodile tears. Obviously they are rushing in to protect one of their own. Doctors are novices compared to lawyers when it comes to misdcmeanours, twisting of words and facts and what has happened over the past few years and especially the past few months. Mr Crawford: That is a ridiculous assertion, Mr WOITTON: I have not yet got to the honourable member for Balmain; he is a schoolteacher. The credibility of the legal profession is at stake. I do not have to repeat all the instances to verify that; one only has to recall the Allen affair, the Jackson affair, the Wran Royal commission, Murray Farquhar, Humphreys-one of the mates of the honourable member for Balmain-the Balmain Welding Company, the Age tapes and the Briese allegations, all of which have been swept under the carpet. Then we had the shameful vendetta by the former Attorney General with the Sinclair trial-the same fellow who hushed up anything to do with Botany council. As a very practical businessman said to me the other day, "Why would you put a lawyer into Parliament?" From the day they go to the university they are taught to twist words, facts, conversations, to confuse witnesses completely and basically tell lies- or should I say, to be more in keeping with the traditions of this place, they perfect the art of terminological inexactitudes. Yet in this House honourable members are not allowed to make the slightest unkind or critical remark about the judiciary. Just consider what has been said in the media over the past few years. There is a strong rumour that when Mr Justice Murphy was appointed to the High Court one of his coIIeagues sent him a set of law books. That is unbelievable. Then one has the situation where the Crown lodged twenty-two appeals-fourteen against decisions by the same judge-in respect of sentences that were considered to be too lenient. Even the judges of the Supreme Court remarked on the inadequacy of the penalties imposed. Where do members of the judiciary come from? They come from the ranks of the legal profession. Heaven forbid. Have a close look at the lawyers who occupy the Treasury benches-there are not too many of them in the Chamber tonight-and then consider whether one would really believe any of them could ever be an impartial judge. Of course, none of them could. Yet day after day we see their posturing and hear their mealy mouthed speeches on how the traditional standards of the legal pro- fession and justice, and even of this Parliament, must be maintained. Again I refer honourable members to the letter written by thirty-one lawyers to the Sydney Morning Herald. Mr Justice Staples has demanded that the Minister for Police resign. If Mr Justice Staples can demand that the Minister for Police or any other Minister resign from this place, let us have a go at him. If he can criticize us, we should be able to criticize him. 812 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply

Mr Crawford: On a point of order. I submit that it is not proper for honour- able members to attack or disparage members of the judiciary except by way of substantive motion. Mr SPEAKER: Order! An honourable member may not attack members of the judiciary and thereby undermine the judicial system. However, an honourable member may reflect on a decision made by a judge and point out that it may have been a wrong decision. An honourable member may make a personal attack on the conduct of a judge away from his position as a judge of the court. So far, the honourable member for Castlereagh has referred to a press report attributed to Mr Justice Staples in which His Honour called for thc resignation of the Minister for Police. The honourable member for Castlereagh is in order. I overrule the point of order. Mr WOTTON: Obviously the honourable member for Balmain cannot read newspapers. There is supposed to be an impartial investigatory commissioner in Canberra. He is a defeated Labor Party candidate. Is he impartial? I will not mention his name, for it might upset the honourable member for Balmain. Now the Government proposes to appoint barristers and lawyers as magistrates. Earlier tonight I said that the honourable member for East Hills gave the legal profession a good serve. It is time someone woke up to the legal profession. That is thc reason I mention these matters. The qucstion to be asked is-why would these people do a better job than those at present holding these positions as magistrates? Recent events indicated that they would not do a better job. I am grateful that there are some good and, I believe, scrupulously honest lawyers who are very concerned about the credibility of their profession. The great majority are. I come back to the Premier. He has become known as the fixer since the Prime Minister gave up coming in at the end of industrial disputes to take the credit for resolving them. The Premier buys into every dogfight that occurs. As I said, he did not do too well in the disputes involving Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited and the doctors. He is not doing too well with the Minister for Transport. During the most recent transport strike the Minister for Transport said that car drivers could not park their cars wherever they choose. The Premier said that they could. So the Premier and the Minister for Transport were at loggerheads. The Premier said that the construction of roads and grain handling facilities would be incorporated in the construction of the Port Kembla grain terminal. The Minister for Transport said that the project would not include the construction of grain handling facilities. The Premier and the Minister ought to go to the wheatgrowers' meeting at Narrandera tomorrow in order to ascertain what the wheatgrowers of this State have to say. During the recent rail strike motorists broke tha law. Some idiot drove his vehicle down the steps of Martin Place. Except for the lack of blood, one would think that when that strike had finished something similar to the Milperra shoot-out had occurred in Martin Place, because grease and oil could be seen all over that very attractive area, and it is still there. Motor cars should not have been allowed to park in that area sinlply to protect the strikers. I am sure that the Premier, because of the many associations he has had in the racing industry over the years, could, with his bold personality, have solved many of the problems in that industry by pulling a few more strings of fine cotton. I turn now to the continuing saga involving the substation being built by the State Electricity Cornmission at Gunnedah. I had intended to say a few words about the facetious answer given to me on 21st February by the Minister for Education. The Minister for Youth and Community Services and Minister for Housing tried to prevent the question from being asked. The Minister said that he had not been briefed on the matter. To the credit of the Minister for Education, within a week he provided Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-12 September, 1984 813 me with an answer from the Electricity Commission, though it contained a hell of a lot of piffle and wae. I have that answer with me but I shall not detail it because my time is limited, and I am certain that the honourable member for Balmain would not allow me an extension of time. An editorial in the local newspaper asked the Electricity Commission to answer some pertinent questions. The answer provided by the general manager of the Electricity Commission again contained a lot of piffle and waffle. I have great respect for the general manager, Mr Brady. I am sure that he was delighted when some time ago the Government appointed him to that position instead of moving him sideways into the wilderness, which it almost did, and allowing him to join that select club of five or six top public servants who have been moved sideways and who are just about to be joined by four or five bungling magistrates. So it will be a very select club in the near f~tture. Everything he said in his reply we have heard before. We wonder who is feeding what to whom. I am sure that the landholders, Mr Lyle of the Bullarook Pastoral Company or his lawyers, or Mr Taylor and Mr Swain would want a better answer than was provided by the Minister. I invite honourable members to look at the photographs I have with me. It is said that what is depicted in these photographs is not a flood plain. That is water, if honourable members opposite know what water is. They say that the substation is not being built on a flood plain. But a person would drown if he fell face down in the water depicted in the four pictures I have with. me. I notice that the Minister for Education has just entered the Chamber. Mr J. H. Murray: You just came back from Italy. Mr WOTTON: I thought you had never left. Have you got your naturalization papers yet? The people involved in this project received a telex from the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. We have heard it all before. We have heard it from the Minister for Education. We have heard it from Mr Brady. Now the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy is providing the same sort of wa£Fle about hydro- logical engineers. Mr J. H. Murray: You are a better cricketer than you are a speaker. Mr WOTTON: I would not bet on that either. Again I say who is feeding what to whom? If that development meets the standards and specifications that any landholder or private company would have to comply with if they put forward such a proposal, why today are there more surveyors in that area than would be required if the Minister for Roads proposed to construct a freeway around the city and through the eastern suburbs? Surveyors can be seen every twenty-five yards. What are they doing? Are they there to justify an obvious wrong in the original siting? Are they there to justify something that should have been done previously, or are they there to obtain some sort of evidence that will protect the Government when the landholders take it to court? Another continuing saga in my electorate is that concerned with the construction of the Bayswater-Mount Piper power line. The Premier and the Government are again using the jackboot diplomacy that the Government is so good at. I do not have time to read a letter written by the Attorney General, but I shall remind him of it when the time is right. That letter also is loaded with piffle and waffle. The Government has a mania for preserving wildlife in national parks. One of the men guilty of that is in the Chamber. The Government would rather look after trees and wombats than 2 000 sheep on landholdings that adjoin the Wollemi National Park. The owner of that landholding has lost 2 000 sheep because of dingoes. The landholders are not even allowed to lay baits. It is interesting to note that the San Antonio University in Texas found that exposure to electromagnetic power transmission lines- [Interruption] 814 ASSEMBLY-Governor's Speech: Address in Reply-Adjournment

Mr SPEAKER: Order! There are far too many interjections. Honourable members are compelling the honourable member for Castlereagh to raise his voice to overcome them. Mr WOTTON: Something has to be done to combat that exposure. If it is proved that exposure to power transmission lines spreads the growth of cancer cells in humans, the Government will have to live with it because it is building that power line. I turn to the matter of motor bikes paying a toll on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. During transport strikes the toll on the bridge is dispensed with. In normal circum- stances, a motor bike rider will pull up at the toll booth, and the rider will take two minutes to take his gloves off and dig into his fob pocket to get Sc, all the while holding up hundreds of cars. This Government has introduced more than 4 000 regulations during its term of office. I see that the Minister for Health is in the Chamber. The other day a friend of mine had to go to hospital to have a minor operation performed on him for the removal of a tiny cyst on his head. The operation was completed in a quarter of an hour, but he had to remain in the hospital for eight hours. Government members are idiots for introducing such a stupid and costly regulation. The people of this State are engaging in a great exodus to Queensland. They are even moving to the United States of America. Why are they moving to the United States? Because that country has Ronald Reagan, Johnny Cash, Bob Hope and Stevie Wonder. What has New South Wales got? We have Neville Wran, no cash, no hope, and no bloody wonder. [Znterrupfion] Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Drummoyne to order. For the benefit of visitors in the gallery, I point out that it is not in order for them to clap. Debate adjourned on motion by Mr Hunter.

ADJOURNMENT South Coast Racism Mr BRERETON (Heffron), Minister for Public Works and Ports and Minister for Roads [10.0]: I move: That this House do now adjourn. MI PETERSEN (Illawarra) [10.1]: I wish to raise a matter that has just arisen and is of particular interest to the Wollongong area. Since I have already spoke11 in the Address-in-Reply debate and as the hono~uablemember for Kiama has already done so, and also the honourable member for Wollongong, it is unlikely to be raised by any other member. Yesterday, I was told by my secretary that an 80-year-old gentle- man in the office had produced a letter purporting to have been sent to him by someone named Mr A1 Grasby. I emphasize that the surname was spelt with one The letter said that the gentleman had been selected to provide necessary accommoda- tion for a Vietnamese family, consisting of a father, mother, five children, wife, brother, grandmother and sister. The letter also said that the department would provide ample supplies of curry powder, rice, chicken and powdered goat milk, two milking goats and free immunization for the Australian family against typhus, cholera, tuberculosis and leprosy. Unfortunately, the old chap really thought that the lette~was genuine. He said, "Mr Petersen, I cannot possibly accommodate all those people in my house, what am I to do about it?" Adjournment-12 September, 1984 815

The matter surfaced again today on the front page of the Illawarra Mercury. I commend that newspaper for bringing this matter to the notice of the people of Wollongong. The newspaper pointed out that the letter is being distributed under the letterhead of the Community Affairs Commissioner and outlined a plan called "Lending a Helping Hand" on which Australian families would host Vietnamese families described as being typical of their type. This letter had been promoted by some racist with a really perverted sense of humour, and I use that word in the sense that the humour is quite sick. A poem has also been circulating though the company of Lysaghts, and perhaps also throughout other industrial complexes in Wollongong, which reads: Get real fat from eating nice. Sure as hell beats bloody rice. Still on welfare, still on rents. Think I buy Mercedes Benz. Very happy-real good life. Bring out girl and make her wife. Take up hobby-call it breeding. Baby bonus pay for feeding. This is the same sort of racist muck that appears at any time of economic crisis whereby neo-fascist elements in the community use racism to divide people and divert them from the real problems. In this way they make migrants and other people the victims of, or scapegoats for, the economic crisis facing the community. One gets rather tired of these unfunny Irish jokes which suggest all Irish are stupid. Equally, one becomes tired of unfunny Italian jokes which say that all Italians are dirty. People of different cultural and racial backgrounds have a great deal to offer our multicultural society. I am pleased to see that responsible elements in our society, particularly in Wollongong society, are opposed to this filth. A good statement made in the Zllawnrru Mercury came from the Reverend John Queripel of the Uniting Church who slammed the letter and poem as being sick and designed to stir up resentment against the Vietnamese. Ms Diana Covell, from the Illawarra Migrant Centre, has formed an Illawarra anti-racist campaign. I commend the Minister for Youth and Community Services and Minister for Housing for the part he has played in establishing a similar campaign in Sydney. Ms Covell described these documents as despicable. She pointed out that the anti-racist campaign, which involves the Uniting Church, the migrant resource centre, the Aboriginal community and various ethnic groups, is totally opposed to these divisions for they can be the genesis of fascism. It is notable that while this is going on the Liberal Party is continuing its vicious personal attacks upon the federal Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, the Hon. S. J. West, our local federal member. The same newspaper to which I have referred carries a front page story about the sick letter stirring up racism. A statement was made by Mrs Mitchell, the Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Cunningham, who claimed that Mr West's figures on immigration show a 50 per cent drop in British and European immigration. These figures, she said, are an indictment against Mr West, for his electorate contains a significant migrant population, particulary of British and European origin. Mr Fischer: On a point of order. The honourable member should not be allowed to quote at length from the newspaper unless he is willing to vouch for the accuracy of the article he is quoting. As the newspaper contains a statement from a member of the Liberal Party, I should not have thought that the honourable member for Illawarra would be able to vouch for its accuracy. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The point taken by the honourable member for Murray is that an honourable member should not quote from newspapers. That is now accepted practice. Honourable members may quote from newspapers provided that they do not read lengthy passages. I ask the honourable member for Illawarra whether he accepts the accuracy of the report. I understand he intimated it was a letter from a person to that paper. Mr PETERSEN: It is a statement. The significant fact is that Mr West's own father is of British origin. How ridiculous it would be to accuse Mr West of being a racist when he administers a non-racist immigration policy based principally upon family reunion and partly upon admitting people having refugee status. He makes no distinction between the various races and cultures. He uses only the guidelines that were in fact adopted by both parties before the last federal election. The Illnwarrn Mercury quotes a Mrs Viet Nguyen who condemned this letter. I commend the Illawnvrn Mercury for saying to her, in an editorial: Carry on Mrs Nguyen. Just remember that most of ns are with you, and, in the final breakdown, that probably matters more than the actions of the intellectually enfeebled few who call themselves citizens. These people have come to Australia as immigrants, they are good citizens. They are people of whom we can be proud, people whom we should welcome. To those racists who say we should distinguish between people according to the shape of their eyes, the colour of their skin, their cultural background or their religious beliefs we should say that all these people are welcome here. It is time we told the racists, irrespective of who they are, that there are about eighty different national groups in Wollongong. Those national groups, I am sure the honourable member for Wollongong will agree, make a contribution to a flourishing multicultural society. The area has its economic problems but they have! not been caused by the racial groups that have come. A minority of bigots is trying to stir racial prejudice in the Illawarra region and in the Wollongong community to suit their own despicable ends. I agree with the Illnwarrn Mercziry when it says: We apologize for the actions of those racists who are bent on stirring up discontent and creating ill-will and tensions in areas where Vietnamese congregate, live and work. That does not apply only to racism directed against Vietnamese but it applies also to racism directed against Aborigines and others who have come from Europe, Africa or anywhere else, whatever their skin colour, racial origin or cultural background. Mr SPEAKER: Order! For the benefit of the honourable member for Murray who took a point of order I remind him that I have ruled in the past that it is not in order to read newspaper articles. The honourable member for Illawarra was making passing reference to a small portion of a newspaper article. I shall endeavour to ensure that members keep within the spirit of that ruling in future. Mr WALKER (Georges River), Minister for Youth and Community Services and Minister for Housing [10.11]: I was not suprised to hear that that sort of racist material was circulating in Wollongong. I am certainly disgusted to hear it but I am not surprised, because similar material is circulating throughout most of New South Wales and in a great part of Australia at the moment. Most of that material emanates from three organizations. One is called National Action. Another is called the League of Rights and the other is called the National Liberal Party. Those organizations are perpetrating this sort of nonsense. There is nothing new about racism in this country. Australia has a long history of periods of racist activity going back to the way Abori- gines were treated, next the Chinese coolies and then the kanakas in the canefields in Queensland and eventually our new migrants, the Italians and Maltese. In more recent years racism has affected the Greeks, Lebanese, the Yugoslavs and then finally the Asian migrants, the Vietnamese. Adjournment-12 September, 1984 817

But what is new is that the consensus that had been achieved through the work of two Australian Prime Ministers, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, and the consensus between the political parties not to support this sort of filthy, rotten racist material and to attack it every time it raised its ugly head, that agreement on migrant policy, on multicultural Australia and our attitude to our migrant population, has recently been torn up as a deliberate action, not only by the National Party which has always been racist and unashamedly so but also by the Liberal Party and its leader, Mr Peacock. For the first time in many years the federal Leader of the Opposition decided that the bonds with the various ethnic communities in Australia are to be torn up and they are to be denigrated, but that the sorts of attacks the Victorian R.S.L. has launched on our migrant community and the attacks that Mr Hodgman, a senior figure In the Liberal Party, has been allowed to make without criticisnl and indeed with sup- port are not to be denigrated. Those sorts of attacks are now freely allowed to occur by the Liberal Party and the National Party. That means there is not one migrant com- munity in Australia or in New South Wales that is safe from tbis persecution or from this Nazi type tactic. which is very similar to what occurred in the 1930's in Germany under the National Socialists led by Adolph Hitler. The same arguments, the same sort of materials, indeed the poem that was read here tonight, are almost identical to the poems that the blackshirts were spreading around in Italy and that Hitler's standover men in the various sorts of Nazi parties were pushing around Germany in those days. It is a sad time indeed for Australia that the once great Liberal Party's philosophy on immigration has been tom up, that our consensus on family reunion, our care and concern for refugees have been thrown out the window in the hope, I suppose, of gaining some small political advantage. I know a little about politics and winning elections and I predict that the backlash that will occur in the migrant communities that have been subjected to this sort of treatment will be so great that it will certainly overbear any racist support that might be gleaned by these sorts of campaigns of the Liberal Party or National Party. Those parties will rue the day that they dared to tear up our consensus on immigration policy and they will suffer very dearly at the polls for what they are now doing. Members of those parties should be standing in this Parliament condemning this sort of material but not once have honourable members heard one word of condemnation. Three times I have raised this issue in this Parliament in recent times and now the honourable member for Illawarra has raised it and not once have we heard a word from the other side with one exception-the honourable member for Burwood, who was subjected to the same sort of racist treatment. That is the one exception, but not one word has come from the party leaders about the attempts by their parties to tear up these policies which are so important to the essence of Australian society and what decent Christian Australians are all about. These evil racist, un-Christian policies are now being pushed and perpetrated by the once great Liberal Party and National Party. It is a disgrace. It is about time the sort of things that are happening in Wollongong were condemned by all members of the Parliament. And it should not just be left to the Labor Party to condemn them and fight these evils in our society. There should be consensus about it; all parties should be united in their attempts to stamp out this sort of nonsense. It is clear that this is not the case, and the federal election will be fought on issues like this. I look forward to that because I think the Liberal Party and National Party will suffer dearly because of their attitude on the matter. Motion agreed to. House adjourned at 10.16 p.m. 8 18 ASSEMBLY-Questions upon Notice

QUESTIONS UPON NOTICE

The following questions upon notice and answers were circulated in Questions and Answers this day.

VACANT GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS Mr T. J. MOORE asked the Attorney General- (1) What buildings either owned or leased by any department, corporation, commission or other statutory authority under his/her control within the city of Sydney have been vacant since 1 January, 1984? (2) Has any investigation been undertaken with respect to any such property for its suitability for conversion to providing low-cost inner-city accommo- dation?

Answer- The Attorney General's Department has no buildings under its control within the city which have been vacant since 1 January, 1984.

BIRD CAGE SIZES

Mr T. J. MOORE asked the Minister for Local Government- (1) When were the cage sizes for keeping of wild birds in captivity last examined? (2) What was the basis for setting the sizes for each of the classes of bird on that occasion? (3) Has any recent examination been made to consider increasing these mini- mum sizes? (4) If so, with what result and when are proposed changes to be introduced? (5) If not, will he. in co-operation with the Minister for Planning and Environ- ment, have such an inquiry undertaken?

Answer- (1) The examination of cage sizes for keeping of wild birds is a matter for the Minister for Planning and Environment under the Fauna Protection Regu- lations and Part IX of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. I understand that the matter is under review at the present time and the review is nearing completion. (2) See above. (3) See above. (4) See above. (5) See above. Questions upon Notice-12 September, 1984 813

CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

Mr T. J. MOORE asked the Minister for Employment and Minister for Finance- (1) Why does the Charitable Collections Branch of his Department advise members of parliament that details of the objects of charitable organizations registered under the Charitable Collections Act will only be made available to members of parliament with permission of the charity concerned? (2) Why should a member of parliament who is suspicious of the activities of a "charity"-as properly evidenced is possible by a recent successful Sydney prosecution-be forced to have the permission of the "charity" before being able to make even the most basic inquiries about its operations?

Answer- (1) There appears to be a misunderstanding concerning the matter as Regula- tion 20 of the Charitable Collections Regulations provides that any person may apply to the Department of Finance to obtain the names and addresses of the management committee or of the objects of a charity, the name and address of the bank handling the business of the charity, and the designation of the bank account. (2) It is not necessary for an enquirer to have the permission of a charity to obtain information as set out in (1) above.

LAND TAX

Mr YEOMANS asked the Minister for Employment and Minister for Finance- (1) Are home buyers forced to pay land tax on property bought specifically for the purpose of building a principal place of residence? (2) Is land tax levied on the basis of status of ownership of a given block of land on 31 December of each year? (3) Is a person who purchases a home on 31 December, and moving in to that home on 1 January subject to a full year's land tax? (4) What steps will he take to ensure that land tax is levied more equitably?

Answer- (1) Generally speaking home buyers who own no other land do not become liable to pay land tax on property purchased for the purpose of building a principal place of residence unless that land has a land value exceeding $54,027. A general exemption from land tax applies in most cases where the total land value of all liable land owned does not exceed $54,027. In addition, an exemption is provided by Section 10 (1) (r) of the Land Tax Management Act, 1956 for a strata lot used and occupied solely as the owner's principal place of residence; and a parcel of residential land not exceeding 2 100 square metres in area that is used and occupied solely as the owner's principal place of residence. 820 ASSEMBLY-Questions upon Notice

For the purpose of the exemption "residential land" is defined to mean land that is used and occupied for residential purposes and for no other purpose, that use and occupation being use and occupation of a building that is designed, constructed or adapted for residential purposes. (2) Land tax is levied on the basis of all taxable land owned as at midnight on 3 1 December immediately preceding the year for which the land tax is levied. (3) If land commences to be used and occupied as an owner's principal place of residence at any time after the start of a tax year any "principal residence" exemption would apply from the following tax year. (4) The Government has given a firm undertaking that the provisions of the land tax legislation will be reviewed again this year.

OLYMPIC WAY Mr SCHIPP asked the Minister for Public Works and Ports and Minister for Roads- (1) What road classification does the Olympic Way have at present and is this suitable to such an important traffic route? (2) What benefits would ensue from giving this road a higher status such as State Highway? (3) Why has substantial bi-centennial funding been denied to the Olympic Way? (4) Will action be taken to correct this anomaly?

Answer- (I) The Olympic Way is classified as a Trunk Road which is the appropriate classification in terms of the Main Roads Act. (2) Its reclassification as a State Highway would not, of itself, advance the priority for any work on the road. The position is that State Highways, other than those classified as National Highways (e.g., Hume and New England), are funded from the same source as Trunk Roads-mainly State Motor Vehicle Taxation. (3) Funds provided under the Australian Bicentennial Road Development Program are limited, and it is simply not possible for all desirable works to be included. Those which have been included have a higher Statewide priority than those recommended by Councils for works along the Olympic Way. (4) Not applicable.

STAMP DUTY Mr YEOMANS asked the Minister for Employment and Minister for Finance- (1) Are payments for gas, electricity and water by small businesses subject to stamp duty? (2) Do such taxes cause small businesses unreasonable expense? (3) What steps will he take to relieve this inequitable situation? Questions upon Notice-12 September, 1984 821

Answer- (1) There is no provision in the Stamp Duties Act, 1920, whereby payments made by small businesses for gas, electricity and water are subject to stamp duty. (2) and (3) See answer to (1).

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY

Mr DOWD asked the Attorney General- What contribution, if any, is made by the New South Wales Government, directly or indirectly, to the funding of the Australian Institute of Criminology?

Answer- The Criminology Research Act, 1971, provides for contribution by the Com- monwealth Government and each State Government to provide research funds to be used for research into various aspects of criminology. The administration of this fund is vested in the Criminology Research Council, also established under the Act. By agreement between the Commonwealth and the States, the Commonwealth Government contributes half of the yearly budget allocated to the Criminology Research Council and the individual States collectively contribute the balance of funds. determined on a per capita basis having regard to the population of each State. For the financial year 1983-84 the New South Wales Government contributed as its share an amount of $24,050 and for the financial year 1984-85 the New South Wales Government will contribute an amount of $26,775. The general administrative expenses of the Institute of Criminology are met entirely by the Commonwealth Government. The only other expense met by New South Wales is the payment of travelling and accommodation expenses for the State's representative to attend meetings of the Criminology Research Council, and, when appropriate, meetings of the Board of Management of the Institute.

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Premier and Minister for the Arts- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently with111your cc?ntrcrl. was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- The provision of this information would not serve any useful purpose and con- sequently the cost of the research necessary to collate the information cannot be justified. 822 ASSEMBLY-Questions upon Notice

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your co~trol.was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- "fSee answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Youth and Community Services and Minister for Housing- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If SO, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ?. [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Public Works and Ports and Minister for Roads- (1) With respect to any stat~itoryauthority, corporation, department or other public service body currentip within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- t [See msiver by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.] Questions upon Notice-12 September, 1984 823

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Attorney General-

(1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- i- [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Industrial Relations- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"?

(2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- 5- [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Police and Emergency Services- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ? [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.] 824 ASSEMBLY-Questions upon Notice

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Treasurer- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- i- [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Planning and Environment-

(1 ) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within vour control, was there, between 1 January. 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ? [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister representing the Minister for Transport- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other p~~blicservice body currently within yew control was there. between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

? [See answer by the Premier rhis day to question asked by Mu Phillips on this subject.] Questions upon Notice-1 2 September, 1984 825

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between I January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ? [See aizswer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Education- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the gradc of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) Tf so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- 7 [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there. between 1 January. 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ? [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.] 826 ASSEMBLY-Questions upon Notice

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Local Government- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ?. [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Industry and Decentralisation, and Minister for Small B~~sinessand Technology- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your con:rol, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville'~" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

1- [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Tourism- (I) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within ywr controi, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- -i- [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.] Questions upon Notice-12 September, 1984 827

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently withi!( you; controi, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ? [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Natural Resources- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently wit!lin your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- ? [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Employment and Minister for Finance- (I) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 31 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- + [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.] 828 ASSEMBLY-Questions upon Notice

PUBLIC SERVANT "NEVILLE"

Mr PHILLIPS asked the Minister for Corrective Services- (1) With respect to any statutory authority, corporation, department or other public service body currently within your control, was there, between 1 January, 1980, and 3 1 March, 1980, any public servant of the grade of Assistant Under Secretary (or its equivalent) or above whose given name was "Neville"? (2) If so, what was "Neville's" designation, salary range and responsibilities?

Answer- .! [See answer by the Premier this day to question asked by Mr Phillips on this subject.]