ABSENCE OF THE SPEAKER ...... 22767 ARMENIA-AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP GROUP ...... 22818 ARMIDALE COMMUNITY CABINET MEETING ...... 22816 ASSENT TO BILLS ...... 22781 BASS HILL RSL SUB-BRANCH SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY ...... 22818 BAY CITY CARE COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTRE ...... 22778 BLUE MOUNTAINS HOSPITAL AUXILIARIES ...... 22819 BUDGET ESTIMATES AND RELATED PAPERS ...... 22812 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE ...... 22767, 22781, 22781, 22791, 22793, 22801 CANTERBURY ROAD UPGRADE ...... 22771 CENTRAL COAST ACADEMY OF SPORT ...... 22767 CONSIDERATION OF MOTIONS TO BE ACCORDED PRIORITY ...... 22791 DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CASEWORKER VACANCIES22781, 22783, 22786, 22787 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS ...... 22781 EVANS HEAD AVIATION MUSEUM ...... 22769 FAIRFIELD RELAY FOR LIFE ...... 22780 GAME COUNCIL OF NSW REVIEW ...... 22789 GARDEN ISLAND NAVAL BASE ...... 22776, 22782, 22784, 22786, 22795 GOMEROI YOUTH RIVER REVIVAL ...... 22772 GREAT IRISH FAMINE COMMEMORATION ...... 22773 HILLTOP ROAD PUBLIC SCHOOL ...... 22774 HOUSING SUPPLY ...... 22787 JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON SENTENCING OF CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT OFFENDERS22790, 22800 LAKE MACQUARIE AIR QUALITY ...... 22772 LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE ...... 22790 MINISTER FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ...... 22788 NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC ...... 22816 PETITIONS ...... 22791 PORT MACQUARIE TOURISM ...... 22775 PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS ...... 22767, 22816 QUESTION TIME ...... 22781 ROAD TRANSPORT AMENDMENT (ELECTRONIC TRAFFIC INFRINGEMENT NOTICES TRIAL) BILL 2013 ...... 22800, 22801 SALVATION ARMY CENTRAL COAST RED SHIELD APPEAL ...... 22770 SDN LINTHORPE STREET CHILDREN'S EDUCATION AND CARE CENTRE ...... 22768 STANMORE PUBLIC SCHOOL KITCHEN GARDEN ...... 22768 THE HILLS-KELLYVILLE ROTARY CLUB ...... 22777 TIN CITY, STOCKTON BEACH ...... 22779 WOLLONGONG ELECTORATE MACEDONIAN COMMUNITY ...... 22816 WORLD BOXING CHAMPION DANIEL GEALE ...... 22778

22767

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Tuesday 27 August 2013

______

ABSENCE OF THE SPEAKER

The Clerk announced the absence of the Speaker.

The Deputy-Speaker (The Hon. Thomas George), in the absence of the Speaker, took the chair at 12 noon.

The Deputy-Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Notices of Motions

General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS ______

CENTRAL COAST ACADEMY OF SPORT

Mr CHRIS HOLSTEIN (Gosford) [12.06 p.m.]: Last Thursday I was pleased to represent the Premier at the Ourimbah campus, where the University of Newcastle signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with the Central Coast Academy of Sport. The Central Coast Academy of Sport is a highly valued community organisation that delivers high-performance training programs across 15 different sporting disciplines. The sponsorship will see significant cash, in-kind support and direct support to athletes through an athlete scholarship program. With us on the day was Professor Andrew Parfitt, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, who said that the university was proud of this longstanding relationship with the academy. He said:

The University of Newcastle is a world-class university and nowhere is that more important than in our own community. We are pleased to support the sporting excellence being fostered at the Academy …

Our relationship with the Academy fosters our shared priorities around innovative sports education, training and research, and brings significant collaborative opportunities for our students and researchers to engage in athlete testing, reporting, research and Work Integrated Learning placements.

At the launch I had the opportunity again to meet up with the founder and managing director of the Central Coast Academy of Sport, Mr Ian Robilliard, who was thrilled with the new agreement. Ian Robilliard, who is better known in his community as Moose, has done a great deal of work in our community and I acknowledge and pay tribute to Ian's achievements. He founded the academy in 2004, and since then more than 500 scholarships have been awarded to Central Coast athletes. Ian Robilliard, having graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Education in physical education, went on to play in the National Basketball League with the Sydney Kings and the Newcastle Falcons, where he represented at the national level. He also had a rugby career, where he represented at the State level. Not many people know that.

Ian then became the chief operations officer for the Professional Golfers Association of Australia—the PGA—a position he held for 10 years from 1993 to 2003. As stated previously, he founded and became the managing director of the Central Coast Academy of Sport in 2004—a position he holds to this day. During the past nine years Ian also has had a distinguished career as both the head coach and then chief executive of the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League. In 2009 he became the managing director of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport. This is modelled on the Central Coast academy and is the first regional academy offering international training opportunities for inbound groups.

Both academies are in the not-for-profit sector, which throws up many challenges for Ian. But he is relentless and recently announced a new partnership with Central Coast Grammar School that will benefit the

22768 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

wider Central Coast community. This partnership will support the development of the region's aspiring athletes. Through its headmaster, Bill Lowe, the school has been a long-term supporter but now will sponsor specific academy programs, including netball, rugby union, women's rugby sevens, as well as the newly announced Future Stars Program that identifies and supports pre-elite athletes in their chosen sport.

In Ian's spare time when he is not running around looking after the two academies he does not put up his feet. He is off playing golf, something he took up as a youngster when he wanted to get out of the house and away from the pressures of professional sport as a Sydney Kings player. His love of golf has remained; indeed, it must be love as he plays off 18. Ian Robilliard admires Greg Norman for what he has done for Australian golf and he is his inspiration. I trust that many athletes Ian has helped through the academies over the years one day will acknowledge Ian as their career inspiration. I wish Ian Robilliard continued success with the Central Coast Academy of Sport and that it continue to grow and expand and see the fruits of his endeavours for many years to come.

STANMORE PUBLIC SCHOOL KITCHEN GARDEN

SDN LINTHORPE STREET CHILDREN'S EDUCATION AND CARE CENTRE

Ms CARMEL TEBBUTT (Marrickville) [12.10 p.m.]: Today I speak about two recent events in my electorate that aim to reconnect children with nature. The first was the official launch of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program at Stanmore Public School on 1 August. The honoured guest at this lovely event was the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Marie Bashir, along with Councillor Jo Haylen, many parents, community members and me. I congratulate the school principal, Ms Fran Larkin, along with program coordinator Jazmin Cassar, garden specialist Sarah Brill, and kitchen specialist Nicole Evangelidis on an amazing achievement for the school with a flourishing kitchen garden and impressive new kitchen. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden was made possible originally at Stanmore Public School through funding from the Australian Government.

The Stephanie Alexander Program was established in 2001 by renowned cook Stephanie Alexander with the aim of changing how children approach and think about food. Children get their hands dirty and learn how to grow, harvest and prepare fresh, seasonal food. The philosophy is that by setting good examples and engaging children's curiosity, they are provided with positive food experiences that form the basis of lifelong good eating habits. The program also extends learning from the garden and kitchen into the classroom linking with subjects such as English, maths, science, and information and communications technology [ICT] in a fun way. An independent evaluation by the Australian Health Services Research Institute at the University of Wollongong found that the program had positive impacts on students, their schools, their families and the community at large.

Stanmore Public School built its beautiful new library with Building the Education Revolution funding, so the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program provided the opportunity to convert the old library space into a purpose-built kitchen. In addition to Federal funding, the school community also raises more than $20,000 annually to equip and run the program. Stanmore Public School also received funding of $6,000 from the Community Building Partnership fund, which helped extend the kitchen garden with a small greenhouse and irrigation system to water the garden. The kitchen garden program has been a labour of love for the many dedicated parents and teachers at Stanmore Public School, albeit with some significant setbacks along the way. In September 2012 a terrible vandalism incident resulted in all the plants being destroyed just before they were to be harvested. The students and school community were devastated. However, in true Stanmore spirit the school rallied and with the community donating many new plants the kitchen garden was back up and underway.

The official launch of the garden program was an opportunity to remember and celebrate all the hard work and effort in achieving the thriving garden and beautiful kitchen as school assets for years to come. A huge crowd of parents and community members attended the launch and listened with pleasure to the very eloquent speech of Governor Bashir. Her Excellency shared with the audience that her own primary school had a garden, therefore she was able to relate firsthand the pleasure this garden would bring the students. After the speeches guests were able to enjoy some seriously good food that was prepared in the kitchen, including a Thai pumpkin soup, vegetable patties, rhubarb ice-cream and lemon panna cotta. It was a wonderful day. I congratulate the principal, parents, teachers and others involved in the program at Stanmore Public School.

The second event was my visit to SDN Linthorpe Street Children's Education and Care Centre at Newtown on Schools Tree Day. Along with Ginie Udie, Chief Executive Officer of SDN, Director Elleni 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22769

Nicholsen, staff and children, I planted a tree in the outdoor learning environment. School Tree Day aims to educate and inspire children about the importance of caring for our land. SDN Linthorpe Street is at Newtown in the heart of the built-up inner city, yet the centre has been transformed with the establishment of an outdoor garden where children regularly get involved with planting and caring for the plants. The centre is fortunate to have some keen gardeners on its staff, who were instrumental in making it happen. The staff report that preschool aged children love these activities and learn about sustainability and how things grow. The produce is used by the centre's cook in making the children's lunches.

On the day I visited the centre, the children were so enthusiastic and keen to participate in the plantings. I congratulate the staff and parents at SDN Linthorpe Street on the beautifully green environment they have created, which stimulates the children and makes a great environment in which to play and learn. For children who live in a relatively built-up area such as the inner west, many of whom have little or no garden at home, these programs provide an invaluable understanding of how food is grown, which is extremely important in this age of too many obese children.

EVANS HEAD AVIATION MUSEUM

Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast) [12.15 p.m.]: Last Sunday I attended the official opening of the Heritage Aviation Museum and Bellman Hangar at Evans Head. The museum was officially opened by Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, and the Bellman Hanger was opened by Air Vice Marshall Gavin Davies, the Deputy Chief of our Air Force. This truly uplifting occasion represented the culmination of years of effort and persistence by a relatively small group of people who call themselves the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Heritage Aviation Association. A number of distinguished guests were present, in addition to the two I have mentioned already, including Mr Jack Bell, representing World War II veterans; Group Captain Mal Herman; Group Captain Mike Smith; the Federal member for Page, Ms Saffin; the State member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis; and me as member for Ballina and Minister for the North Coast.

Proceedings began with a welcome by Mr Rod Kinnish, president of the association, who gave a brief outline of the project's history, including what was involved in getting a retired F-111 for the museum. I take this opportunity, as I did on Sunday, to commend the association for its wonderful efforts to secure the F-111, as Evans Head is the only museum out of the six museums to receive the F-111s. Not only is this a tribute to the association's successful negotiation, hard work and unflagging passion for flying machines, but it also is recognition by the Department of Defence of the association's professionalism, community support for this venture and the contribution of Evans Head to Australian aviation military history. I am advised that at one time the Evans Head aviation training centre was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere with more than 5,000 trainees, of whom around 1,100 lost their lives in World War II. So it is appropriate that Evans Head should have a museum and an original Bellman Hangar to remember those who trained there, served their country and, in too many cases, made the ultimate sacrifice.

As Minister for the North Coast I am proud to say that this museum housing the F-111 and other aircraft is a most welcome addition to the tremendous tourist appeal of our area. I am sure the lure of getting up close and personal with an F-111 will significantly add to the number of visitors to our region. Visitors can walk up some stairs to view at close range the cockpit, as I did with Air Vice Marshall Davies. This museum not only is good for Evans Head; it is good for the region by providing another interesting attraction for visitors whilst relaxing in the laid-back charm of this seaside village. Several speeches were made on the day and the occasion was very moving. The Chairman of the Evans Head Airpark, Peter Lynch, gave an emotional speech explaining why and how he became involved with developing the air park based around the Evans Head airport. I understand he donated $400,000 towards the project.

One of the most powerful speeches of the day was given by World War II veteran pilot Mr Jack Bell, now 96 years old. He reflected on some war experiences he had kept bottled up inside for more than 45 years. The sacrifices these veterans made on our behalf are truly humbling and we thank Jack Bell and others like him for their magnificent contribution in assuring Australia's freedom. Dr Brendan Nelson, in his inspiring address full of humour, compassion and deep understanding of history, said Jack Bell's speech had added another layer to his life experience. I am sure the large audience assembled felt the same. I certainly did. The General Manager of Richmond Valley Council, John Walker, explained council's enthusiasm for the project, their financial contribution and their preparedness to ensure a positive outcome for the project. We then heard from two Group Captains, Herman and Smith, who had flown many missions in the F-111. Their tales were humorous and gave us a feeling for what it was like to be a pilot of an F-111. 22770 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Our final speaker was Air Vice Marshall Gavin Davies, a distinguished Air Force officer and pilot with more than 2,000 hours flying F-111s. He later explained to me how the ejection arrangement worked. Instead of being just the seat that ejected like later planes, the F-111 involved the ejection initially of the whole cockpit. Once airborne, there were two rockets, one vertical and one horizontal, which enabled the pilot to take the necessary steps to keep everything airborne until the parachute opened. There were also flotation devices attached in case the landing occurred at sea. I have been to many openings during my 25 years in public life but this one ranks right up there with the best. I feel privileged to have been asked to speak and to have played a small part in bringing the dream of this aviation museum to reality. Congratulations to everyone involved, particularly Rod Kinnish and his wife, Donella, and all those associated with the event. They have given Evans Head, the North Coast and Australia a wonderful community asset and a memorial to those who trained at Evans Head and subsequently lost their lives in the service of our great country.

SALVATION ARMY CENTRAL COAST RED SHIELD APPEAL

Mr CHRIS HARTCHER (Terrigal—Minister for Resources and Energy, Special Minister of State, and Minister for the Central Coast) [12.20 p.m.]: I congratulate the Salvation Army on the fantastic work they do on the Central Coast. The Salvation Army has been on the Central Coast since 1905 and has established a strong ministry to youth, families, singles and seniors. The Central Coast Salvation Army has an annual budget of more than $3 million and provides vital community social services which include: Dooralong Transformation Centre, providing state-of-the-art recovery care for those struggling with drug and alcohol addictions; Oasis Youth Centre at Wyong, providing a range of services to young people; court chaplains at Wyong, providing caring support during legal proceedings; a family tracing service, dedicated to locating missing relatives and reuniting families; local emergency services, responding to emergencies and disasters with the provision of refreshments, meals, clothing, financial aid and accommodation; and the Salvo Care Line and local counselling services.

Funds raised by the Red Shield Appeal help to support the many community services provided by the Salvos on the Central Coast. The Red Shield is an internationally recognised symbol of the Salvation Army's community work. On the coast we are proud that the Central Coast Salvos have a recognised reputation for trail-blazing initiatives which serve as a model for the Salvos Red Shield Appeal across Australia in many ways. The Central Coast is the only region in Australia with a unique relationship with McDonald's. Salvos collect donations at every McDonald's restaurant across the Central Coast and the Newcastle-Hunter. The high levels of traffic through these stores resulted in the collection last year of more than $40,000. The Salvos have fostered close ties with Roads and Maritimes Services, which enables the Red Shield Appeal to undertake roadside collections.

The relationship with McDonald's and Roads and Maritime Services was developed to address the geographical spread of the Central Coast and a limited number of volunteers to knock on doors during the appeal. Local sporting teams, for example, netball, football and soccer, participate in a fundraising challenge every year. This sees each team rally to outperform the others and raise the most money for the appeal. This year through a partnership with Sony Music, Australian Idol star Stan Walker was the 2013 national campaign ambassador, lending his single Take it Easy as the official anthem, while the song's lyrics, "You and me together" were adopted as the theme for the appeal. The national campaign was the initiative of Louise Duff from the Central Coast firm Brilliant Logic, who proposed the idea of partnering with Sony Music.

The 2013 Red Shield Appeal yielded strong results across the Central Coast with the local community digging deep once again this year to raise more than $800,000 despite the fact that many people on the coast have been doing it tough. Almost 1,500 volunteer collectors got out and about on the coast to help raise these vital funds. The doorknock generated close to $350,000 in donations, up 13 per cent on 2012. Local businesses on the coast contributed nearly $90,000, an increase of 16 per cent on the figure achieved last year. In 2013 the Salvation Army took a unique creative approach to the appeal through the creation of an uplifting advertisement which communicated hope and happiness. With the support of the Red Shield Appeal donations the Central Coast Salvos assist young people through a number of outreach programs.

In terms three and four of this year the Salvos are investing significantly in the Oasis Young Offenders Program, which aims to identify at-risk young people and intervene early. Early intervention provides young people with the tools, understanding and assistance they need to alter their circumstances and direction early in life. The Salvos also have developed a program for young parents known as the Oasis Young Parents Program. The program seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of young parents and their children. It provides a safe place for young parents to interact, to learn and to develop. These are just two of the many excellent programs 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22771

the Salvos provide to families and young people on the Central Coast. I commend the Central Coast Salvos for their many initiatives on the Central Coast and congratulate them on a very successful Red Shield Appeal campaign in 2013. I also congratulate the wonderful band of volunteers of all ages and both sexes who work so hard to make the Salvation Army the great success story it is on the Central Coast.

CANTERBURY ROAD UPGRADE

Mr ROBERT FUROLO (Lakemba) [12.25 p.m.]: I implore the House, the Premier and the Minister for Roads to urgently allocate funds for the upgrade of Canterbury Road. This is an issue which literally causes people to stop me in the street to ask why Canterbury Road has been ignored by the O'Farrell Liberal Government. Local residents and frequent users of this vital road link cannot understand why a much-needed and long-overdue resurface of this road has not been committed to. The section of Canterbury Road from King Georges Road to Bexley Road is in such poor condition that, in my view, it causes damage to cars and presents an unacceptable risk to motorists, especially in the wet. The road surface in some sections is so rutted and deteriorated it can force a car to change direction from the impact of driving over the dilapidated and pockmarked asphalt. In the wet, this road is even more dangerous, with mismatched surfaces giving unpredictable levels of grip.

Recently I presented a petition to the Parliament signed by more than 100 concerned families who share the view that this road urgently needs investment and repair. But the petition represents only a small fraction of the people who use this road on a daily basis and who desperately want it made safer and smoother. In fact, more than 40,000 cars per day use this section of Canterbury Road. For those who live along this major artery, the additional noise created by the uneven surface contributes to a less than satisfactory living environment. The condition of Canterbury Road was one of the first issues I raised after being elected to this place in 2008. By 2009, the then roads Minister visited my electorate and inspected the road surface with me. Following this visit, we were successful in obtaining $3 million to repair and resurface Canterbury Road with the work commencing in 2010. The Minister approved the upgrade and resurface of the section of Canterbury Road between King Georges Road and Punchbowl Road and the work concluded in 2011.

While the diamond grinding of this section of the road has made the road surface smoother, the appearance and sound qualities of this treatment are less than satisfactory. However, given the imperatives of improving safety, I would accept, and I know most residents would accept, a similar treatment for the section from King Georges Road to Bexley Road if it meant that the work was actually done. Many residents share the view that the time has well and truly come for Canterbury Road to be properly treated and repaired. My most recent community newsletter highlighted our community campaign and the response from local residents has been terrific.

In fact, not long after my last newsletter I received an email from Adriana Losinno. Adriana emailed my office in June and said she was pleased to receive the community newsletter and read the article about the campaign to fix Canterbury Road. A week earlier she had sent another email to my office outlining her frustration about the state of Canterbury Road. Adriana lives in the Canterbury City Council area and uses Canterbury Road on a daily basis to travel to and from work. While part of Canterbury Road has been fixed, she is concerned that work appears to have stopped.

Adriana describes Canterbury Road as appalling, with potholes, dips and uneven surfaces. She is concerned that not only is the road causing significant wear and tear to her car but it is unsafe to drive on. Some drivers lose control because the potholes are so large and deep. Constituents have suggested that part of the proceeds from the massive increase in speed camera revenue, which is being generated by the doubling of speed and red light cameras, and the seven-fold increase in mobile speed camera use should be used to fund the upgrade of Canterbury Road. The Government not only has installed extra speed cameras, it also has increased speeding fines by 12.5 per cent in the 2012-13 budget. It is expected that this increase in fines will boost the budget by $180 million. On behalf of the 40,000 motorists a day who use Canterbury Road, the hundreds of families whose quality of life is affected by living next to this sub-standard road, and the families who have signed the petition, I call on the O'Farrell Government and the Minister for Roads and Ports to hear our plea and fund the upgrade, repair and resurface of one of Sydney's oldest and most important road corridors.

Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast) [12.30 p.m.]: I am sure the Minister for Roads and Ports will take on board the comments made by the member for Lakemba. I make the observation that if the Labor Party started to fix this road in 2008, why did it not finish the job? 22772 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

GOMEROI YOUTH RIVER REVIVAL

Mr KEVIN ANDERSON (Tamworth) [12.31 p.m.]: On Saturday 24 August 2013 my family and I had the pleasure of attending the Capitol Theatre in Tamworth to enjoy the Gomeroi Youth River Revival, which is an Aboriginal fashion and cultural extravaganza, featuring local Gomeroi language, dance, songs, music, art, fashion and food. The intended outcomes of the creative journey of the evening were: to improve the pride and confidence of young people in their health and wellbeing; to assure elders that traditional stories will continue as a cultural strength of the community; to ensure that young people and their communities care for specific flora and fauna and country; and to advance culturally recognised youth leadership for social and environmental health and wellbeing.

Shaun Nean and Connie Newcomb performed the welcome to country. While we acknowledge elders past and present, we also acknowledge our youth who are the leaders of tomorrow. The young people showcased their skills at the Gomeroi Youth River Revival. Jake Usher, captain of Peel High School, was the master of ceremonies. He did a fantastic job, entertaining us with his flair and style. Brian Dowd, the keynote speaker, told us of his journey from outback New South Wales to Newcastle, where he reached the depths of depression which led him to almost commit suicide. He is now a motivational speaker for the Gomeroi youth. On the evening, he brought together all the dancers and encouraged them to rise above or push through all obstacles. The Peel High School cultural dancers put on a great show. We listened to the delightful voice of Lauren Ryan, who sang a number of songs accompanied by the legendary Buddy Knox on guitar. Rita Walford, also accompanied by Buddy Knox, sang some magnificent jazz numbers. The Westdale Sapphires put on a wonderful performance, as did Taylor Williams and Gwenda Stanley.

Michael Leslie, in conjunction with fashion designer Colleen Tighe Johnson, choreographed a fashion parade that was worthy of any catwalk in the world. Beautiful cocktail dresses and long gowns were paraded. Colleen Tighe Johnson is a proud Gomeroi woman who uses fashion as a medium for reviving the Gomeroi dreaming stories. Her clothes have been included in international fashion events, most recently the Indigenous Fashion Showcase at L'Oreal's Australia Fashion Week in Melbourne. Her work is marketed through Indigenous Fashion Unearthed. Colleen, a remarkable woman, said:

There are several dresses that I have designed. The fabric and print that the main dress is made from is from the land where my mother was born. She was born on the Mehi River. The print shows the water, the water animals, the camping sites—everything that connected my family to land and water. I was taught to swim, dive, fish and eat from rivers.

My other fabrics are based on the waterlilies, which showcases the national park outside Moree. The change of seasons dress tells the story right through our Gomeroi Nation. The Yarraman Stars is about the night sky. When you see night sky near Morree in the middle of nowhere, you can't find that look in the city—with only the stars out at night on the plains of the Gomeroi Nation.

Colleen created the "brolga" dress and many other designs. At the start of the evening the Gomeroi youth continued the proud tradition of the Gomeroi Nation by performing traditional dances. I congratulate the Gomeroi youth who organised the Gomeroi Youth River Revival and concert, in association with a number of proud sponsors. All those in attendance had a magnificent time. I will continue to support the Gomeroi youth and look forward to seeing the event appear on the 2014 calendar.

LAKE MACQUARIE AIR QUALITY

Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie) [12.36 p.m.]: Today I address the problem of air pollution and, in particular, the hidden health impacts of airborne coaldust, which is a significant issue in my electorate. I am not anti-coal and I am not part of any conspiracy to close down the industry. The vast majority of people I speak to who are concerned about air quality are similarly minded and it is wrong for people campaigning for improved air quality to be characterised as part of a movement against the industry. Air pollution is a hot topic of conversation in the Hunter region and the concerns were well articulated in the Catalyst program that was aired by the ABC on 22 August. The program rightly showed that the uppermost concern of those agitating for action on air pollution is the impact of fine particles—those near-invisible nasties that are linked to respiratory illness and other ailments. In January 2012 the Environment Protection Authority began a year-long fine particle characterisation study in the Upper Hunter. It is currently in the process of launching a similar study in the Lower Hunter, which will concentrate on analysing levels of fine particulate matter in the air around Newcastle. I am concerned that despite all this discussion about particulate levels and air pollution in the Hunter there has been no acknowledgement from the Government of the real concerns about air quality issues in the Lake Macquarie area.

The Lake Macquarie electorate is the key coalmining area in the Lower Hunter, with five operational mines, fallout from two coal-fired power stations, and a coal preparation plant. It has an estimated 350 coal 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22773

truck movements every day, in addition to the numerous coal trains that trundle through the area with their uncovered wagons, in some cases passing within 100 metres of homes and schools. The proposed Wallarah 2 mine near Wyong, if approved, would mean another 100,000 tonnes of coal per week transported by rail through Lake Macquarie en route to the Port of Newcastle. Thankfully, we do not have the expansive open-cut mining operations of the Upper Hunter, nor the massive coal stockpiles of the Newcastle port, but there is more than enough mining and related activity to justify concerns about air quality and warrant further investigation into the impacts of pollutants.

Last week the Newcastle-based Coal Terminal Action Group released a dust signature study. It found that dust pollution levels increased by up to 13 times as coal trains pass through Hunter suburbs, and those elevated levels remain evident for up to four minutes after a train has passed. Regardless of what others may think of that independently funded study, it is a real concern for people in my electorate, where schools at Argenton, Cardiff, Fassifern, Awaba, Toronto and Morisset, among others, are situated close to the railway line. Steve Hambleton, President of the Australian Medical Association, has expressed grave concerns about the proximity of coal trains to schools and has called for more intensive air quality monitoring in such areas.

Just last week I had constituents from Fassifern and Toronto in my electorate office telling me of their concerns about the amount of coaldust in the air and its possible impact on the health of local children. The dust regularly coats their outdoor furniture and rooftops. One resident who lives about 500 metres from the rail line filters the coaldust from the top of his fish tank every morning. Earlier this year I raised the damning figures on air pollution levels in Lake Macquarie that were recorded by the National Pollutant Inventory, a Federal Government database. These figures raise questions not only about emissions from coal-fired power stations in the area but also about the adequacy of data recording in Lake Macquarie. At the time, I argued for the installation of an independent Environment Protection Authority-operated air pollution monitor in Lake Macquarie so at the very least we could get a clearer picture of air quality issues in Lake Macquarie.

The time has come for the Government to acknowledge the legitimate concerns of people in Lake Macquarie about local air quality. One of the problems is the lack of authoritative information about the link between mining and associated activity and air pollutants. We cannot measure for improvement or deterioration in air quality because we have no reliable benchmarks. As the Environment Protection Authority embarks on a fine particle characterisation study in the Newcastle area, I call on the Government to take the opportunity to extend that study or commission a similar study in the west Lake Macquarie area to provide inarguable baseline data and much better insight into the effects on air quality of activities associated with coalmining and power generation. The coal and power generation industries are important to our community and our State. However, ensuring clean air and the best possible health for our children and our community should not be argued as an impost on the industry. Surely we are smarter than that.

GREAT IRISH FAMINE COMMEMORATION

Mr BRYAN DOYLE (Campbelltown) [12.41 p.m.]: On Sunday 25 August 2013 I had the great honour to represent our Premier, Barry O'Farrell, at the Great Irish Famine Commemoration service at Hyde Park. It is the first time that this international celebration has been held in New South Wales; previously it has been held in Canada, New York, England and Boston. Present at the service was Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee in Ireland; Noel White, Irish Ambassador to Australia; Caitriona Ingoldsby, Irish Consul-General; Parliamentary Friends of Ireland Luke Foley and Paul Lynch; and Dr Perry McIntyre, Chair of the Great Irish Famine Commemoration Committee in Sydney.

The service was held at Hyde Park Barracks where a monument has been erected to commemorate the 400 Irish orphan lasses who spent some time there. Guests were welcomed by the Australian Girls Youth Choir, who sang the national anthem. Some of the girls would have been a similar age to that of the Irish lasses when they came to Australia as a result of the Great Irish Famine, which occurred from 1845 to 1848 and remains one of the worst human disasters of the mid-nineteenth century in Europe. Under the Earl Grey Scheme more than 4,000 Irish orphan girls were sent to the Australian colonies to start a new life as domestic labour and with the prospect of marriage, and more than 400 of these orphan girls were housed at Hyde Park Barracks. There must have been many marriages because many of their descendants were present at the memorial service to honour and remember them.

I spoke on the day about hunger in relation to famine, knowledge, belonging and freedom. I noted that famine has a lasting impact on the Irish psyche. As children we were always taught that to waste food was a 22774 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

terrible sin, although in the Doyle household that was not a big problem as my brothers and I always cleaned our plates and were keen to have seconds. Mum said we were always a pleasure to feed. I spoke about the hunger for knowledge. The Irish are storytellers and here is a great story to tell. In fact, I was not fully aware of this story until I researched one of my ancestors, who spent some time at Hyde Park Barracks at the pleasure of the Governor of the day, and learned that Irish orphan girls had stayed at the barracks.

Jim Deenihan, the Irish Minister, told me that the prettiest orphan girls were selected to be sent to Australia for a new life in the hope that they would marry and help build our community. Looking around those present at the service and having spoken with many during the service, I said that was obviously a true statement because there were many beautiful people in attendance. I spoke also of the hunger for belonging and noted that many descendants had travelled from interstate to be present at the service; indeed, many family reunions were held. I spoke as well about the hunger for freedom in that the Irish were among the first in Australia to identify not as being British but as Australians. These Irish orphan lasses knew what it meant to live in Australia and be Australian.

The memorial wall contains 400 names of the Irish orphan girls who were housed at Hyde Park Barracks. I told those present that if, by magic, those orphan girls could appear from the wall of signatures, look at their assembled descendants and see what has been achieved in Australia they would be very proud. Dr Perry McIntyre noted that the women are remembered primarily as famine survivors and refugees of one of the worst mid-nineteenth century disasters in Ireland. However, we remember them as people who came to Australia for a new life and helped shape Australia into the country that it is today. We remember those girls as well as those who did not survive. It is important to note that about one-third of all Australians claim some Irish heritage. Even our Treasurer, Mike Baird, is a descendant of one of the orphan lasses who came to Australia for a better life. Their story is one of hope and freedom. It demonstrates that out of disaster Australia benefited greatly from the contribution of these Irish lasses. I commend the Great Irish Famine Commemoration Service to the House.

Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast) [12.46 p.m.]: I thank the member for Campbelltown for drawing the attention of the House to the history of the Great Irish Famine and the 4,000 Irish orphan girls who came here from 1845 to 1848. On behalf of the New South Wales Government, I thank them and their descendants for the contributions they have made to this great State and nation. It is interesting to think that our Treasurer was a descendant of one of the Irish orphans. I once again thank the member for Campbelltown for bringing this interesting matter to the attention of the House.

HILLTOP ROAD PUBLIC SCHOOL

Mr TONY ISSA (Granville) [12.47 p.m.]: I congratulate Hilltop Road Public School in Merrylands on its successful application for funding under the Multicultural Advantage Grants Program. Recently I attended the school with the Minister for Citizenship and Communities, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Victor Dominello, to present a cheque for $20,000, which will go toward the school's "In it Together" project. The funding was provided from the Government's 2013-14 Multicultural Advantage Grants Program. The aim of the program, which is managed by the Community Relations Commission, is to bring different cultural groups together.

Hilltop Road is an extremely diverse school, with over 60 different languages spoken by students from more than 40 cultural groups. With such diversity, the school saw a need to bring these varying groups together in a positive way; hence the name "In it Together". The concept for the project was the result of a briefing by the police local area command, which highlighted the need to address the special needs of migrant and refugee families, particularly with regard to discipline and education. Later consultation with the Migrant Resource Centre, Holroyd City Council's social plan, TAFE and other community service providers formed the basis of the submission, which resulted in $20,000 funding for the project.

This consultation identified the need to better support areas such as health, mental health, discipline, positive parenting and addressing stereotypes. The project has two distinct aims which deliver both short- and long-term benefits. They are: to engage and foster understanding within a diverse community while addressing identified issues; and to support the development of the Hilltop Road Public School community engagement strategy. The "In it Together" project promotes the valuing of diversity at home, at school and within the community. The project will be promoted throughout the community using existing networks. These networks include the Migrant Resource Centre, public noticeboards, community centres and the local press. It will involve the organisation of community breakfasts at the school which will directly address the five key issues of health, mental health, discipline, positive parenting and addressing stereotypes. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22775

The school principal, Natalie See, told me she is confident there will be over 100 participants at each event. A feedback survey and follow-up phase will be implemented to gather further information. I am a strong supporter of projects such as this because they promote social harmony and at the same time celebrate cultural differences. When people come together, there is an exchange of ideas and information. In this case, for example, during the event regarding health the school hopes to involve the Western Sydney Local Health District, the Migrant Resource Centre and Holroyd City Council to ensure that networks are established and strengthened. Events such as this also help participants identify points of contact within the local health network. I congratulate the Hilltop Road Public School community—Principal Natalie See, the parents and citizens committee, and everyone involved—on their efforts to promote further harmony within our multicultural community. I look forward to working with Hilltop Road Public School and the community on this project, and I thank them for this positive contribution to our area.

PORT MACQUARIE TOURISM

Mrs LESLIE WILLIAMS (Port Macquarie) [12.52 p.m.]: I have often spoken in Parliament about the wonderful Port Macquarie electorate and the important role that tourism plays in our local economy. Recently I had the chance to showcase our beautiful local attractions to the Japanese Consul-General, Dr Masahiro Kohara. Dr Kohara has been the Japanese Consul-General in Sydney for the past three years and will soon end his tenure in Australia to become the Consul-General for Japan in Shanghai. Before his departure, Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner—and also the member for Oxley, an electorate adjacent to Port Macquarie—and I had the honour of hosting Dr Kohara for a day to explore and experience some of the region's most popular tourist attractions, to sample our local produce and delicacies, and to meet local tourism industry representatives. During the visit, Dr Kohara was joined by Consul Michiko Makino. This visit was an opportunity to highlight the many options available to visitors from Japan and encourage them to choose Port Macquarie as a holiday destination.

While for many overseas visitors to New South Wales a stopover in Sydney would be high on their priority list, this Government encourages all holiday-makers to visit a regional or coastal area, such as Port Macquarie. With dozens of hotels, motels, caravan parks and serviced apartments on offer, the area is well equipped to host overseas guests. With a selection of transport options to the area, including two dedicated air services to and from Sydney, the mid North Coast is an easily accessible option—being under one hour in flight time and just four hours by road from Sydney. I was pleased to be able to host Dr Kohara for the day and show him why Port Macquarie is such a popular holiday spot. We started with a visit to Cassegrain Winery to meet local owner and renowned winemaker John Cassegrain. Cassegrain Wines Pty Ltd is no stranger to the Japanese market, with its exports to Japan on the increase and its famous wines served on the Japanese bullet trains.

Next stop was the wonderful Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park. Our visit included discussions with owner Mark Stone. Billabong is home to many koalas, much to the delight of Dr Kohara and Michiko Makino. They were thrilled to have the chance to get up close and personal by patting one of these furry icons. They were equally captivated when introduced to the kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes and wombats. Certainly, one of the highlights for our Japanese visitors was viewing one of the newest additions to the park: Shrek the croc— a 50-year-old, 4.6 metre saltwater crocodile, which can be viewed through an underwater glass panel.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Japanese cuisine is the use of fresh foods and produce. Dr Kohara was not disappointed with the fresh seafood served at the Stunned Mullet restaurant. Later we met with members of the Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Association at the award-winning hotel, The Observatory—which overlooks the surf rolling into picturesque Town Beach. We were hosted by association president Janette Hyde, Chris Denny, Kathy Balodis and David Capper. Before departing Port Macquarie, Dr Kohara spent some time learning to shuck oysters at the Big Oyster cafe and seafood store with local oystermen Mark Bulley and Steve Manton. To say that Dr Kohara enjoyed his visit would be an understatement. Just eight days later he was accompanied by friends on a Qantas link flight on a return visit to Port Macquarie to spend the weekend. This morning I received a lovely note from Dr Kohara, which in part reads:

I had such a lovely time in your electorate and deeply appreciated the tour you gave us throughout the day.

The beautiful scenery, Australian native wildlife and the delicious local produce such as the high-quality wines and fresh seafood were all spectacular qualities I am confident any Japanese tourist visiting Port Macquarie would truly appreciate

That is certainly a glowing endorsement of our region, and I am sure the sentiments would be shared by any visitor to the mid North Coast. Some 1.5 million visitors annually choose to spend a night in the Port Macquarie area. We hope to continue growing this number by showcasing the very best the area has to offer to overseas 22776 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

visitors such as Dr Kohara. I thank Dr Kohara and Ms Makino for choosing to take time out of their busy schedules to spend a day in the Port Macquarie electorate. I am hopeful they will continue to spread the word about this spectacular regional location.

GARDEN ISLAND NAVAL BASE

Mr DAVID ELLIOTT (Baulkham Hills) [12.56 p.m.]: I had intended to speak to the House this afternoon about the campaign the member for Castle Hill and I, along with the Federal member for Mitchell and the Mayor of The Hills Shire Council, are running to oppose the building of a Telstra mobile phone tower close to Castle Hill High School. However, this morning I have been inundated with calls from constituents who work at the defence facilities at Garden Island. I have to disclose that my own campaign manager, Ken Norris, works at the Garden Island facility.

Mr Ryan Park: He is a good Catholic, I heard.

Mr DAVID ELLIOTT: I would be very quiet if I were the member for Keira because we are about to dump a load on Labor over this disgraceful decision by its Federal parliamentary leader Kevin Rudd. I am very blessed to have an active and productive defence community in my electorate. Many of them have called me this morning to express their disgust at Labor's latest attack on their livelihoods. I remind the House that many returned and former servicemen have gained post-discharge employment in defence industries at Garden Island.

Today's announcement by the Prime Minister about the Garden Island naval base is proof positive that Labor politicians just do not care about jobs—unless of course those jobs are their own. They do not realise that the facility at Garden Island is vital for Sydney's character and, indeed, security. If this base were to close, we would be the only major city in the Western world without a defence economy. As a result of the Prime Minister's decision, Sydney could find itself without billions of dollars worth of defence spending—spending by personnel from not only the Australian Navy but international navies as well. All of a sudden, the Prime Minister is keen to support and promote cruise ships. If he is so concerned about Sydney's tourism infrastructure, why will he not consider building an airport at Badgerys Creek? What has Labor got against our military? Why do they hate service personnel?

One can only assume that Mr Rudd still has not gotten over the treatment he received on the VIP RAAF flight when a young airwoman did not serve his preferred meal, or maybe this is payback because the Prime Minister was not issued with a hairdryer when he went on his much-publicised visit to the troops stationed in the Middle East. The Prime Minister, a self-professed expert in foreign affairs—God help us— should know that our defence treaty with the United States is dependent on having a dry dock facility in Sydney. I fear the consequences of a re-elected Rudd Government. It must be clear to every credible observer that Mr Rudd is recklessly playing with our national security in a desperate attempt to shore up his support in Queensland.

Mr Clayton Barr: You are kidding.

Mr DAVID ELLIOTT: The member for Cessnock is crying out in disgust at the Prime Minister's actions. This irresponsible proposal must be howled down by every member of this House.

Mr Clayton Barr: Why do you guys not make some representations?

Mr DAVID ELLIOTT: Mr Rudd should be widely mocked for this un-statesmanlike act of desperation. The audacity of the Prime Minister in suggesting that the closure of the Garden Island facility is in the interests of the people of New South Wales is astounding. Even a partial closure of the Fleet Base East will be devastating to our State's economy. I mentioned earlier that Garden Island injects $470 million into the economy and creates some 6,700 jobs; many of those employees live in my electorate and they are angry. The people of New South Wales cannot afford to let Mr Rudd put these jobs at risk. The Prime Minister's only retort is that a decommissioned Garden Island could be used to support the cruise industry.

If Mr Rudd was so concerned about tourism infrastructure why did he walk away from the decision about a second airport in New South Wales? It is laughable. Sydney will be a net loser if Garden Island is closed. Indeed, the Federal Government's defence white paper recommended keeping the Garden Island base open and it is only three-months old. Perhaps the worst part is that this proposal shows a complete contempt for 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22777

our proud military traditions and history. The Labor Party was not content with getting the Governor out of Government House; it now wants to deny Sydney its navy. Anyone with even a superficial understanding of our defence history well knows the importance of Sydney Harbour to Australia's naval history.

Mr Ryan Park: Come on.

Mr DAVID ELLIOTT: Why does the member for Keira hate the defence community, diggers and ex-service personnel? Throughout our colonial history Sydney Harbour has been home to the Royal Australian Navy. Indeed, on 31 May 1942 Garden Island was famously subjected to a Japanese midget submarine attack, which resulted in the sinking of HMAS Kuttabul. The Labor Party wants to skim over that proud history and if Mr Rudd gets his way it will be relegated to the dust bins of Sydney's great story. Members should join me and my constituents, who have expressed their disgust at this decision, in dumping Mr Rudd and his silly proposal.

THE HILLS-KELLYVILLE ROTARY CLUB

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET (Castle Hill) [1.01 p.m.]: I commend the member for Baulkham Hills, who has served as a reservist in the Australian Defence Force, for his private member's statement. I am the husband of someone who has served as a captain in the Defence Reserves and was posted at Garden Island. I understand the concern that has flowed from Mr Rudd's announcement. This afternoon I recognise the contribution of The Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club and the great work they do not only in The Hills district but also across the State. Last week the member for Baulkham Hills, the member for Hawkesbury, Mayor Michelle Byrne of Hills Shire Council and I attended the annual writing awards and principals evening hosted by Rotary.

Year 6 students across The Hills district are invited to compete in a creative writing competition and it is a great way to engage students at local schools. I take this opportunity to thank Mr Graeme and Mrs Edna Rohan, the patrons of the competition, who make a $2,000 annual contribution for the student awards. This successful competition commenced in 2005. This year the topic was "My unusual but wonderful friend". Each school in the district was invited to enter and students were asked to write 500 words on the subject. Nine students from three electorates participated. Unfortunately, the winners were not from the Castle Hill electorate, but I am sure they will be next year.

[Interruption]

Castle Hill did have some finalists who were awarded a certificate of merit and a $20 gift voucher. The final submissions were marked by three judges and the combined scores were compared. First prize went to Kaitlyn Rozic from Our Lady of the Rosary.

Mr David Elliott: A good school.

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET: Yes, a good school in the Baulkham Hills electorate. Kaitlyn won a gold medal, a certificate of merit and a cheque for $100. The silver medal went to Grace Zhu from Ironbark Ridge Private School and the bronze medal to Maha Habib from Crestwood Public School. Aidan Rogers from Our Lady of the Rosary and Aeddon Plsek from William Clarke College in the Castle Hill electorate received highly commended certificates of merit. First prize for the school awards, the perpetual trophy, a certificate of merit and $500 went to Our Lady of the Rosary. Second prize was awarded to Ironbark Ridge Public School and third prize to Crestwood Public School. I thank Rob Mackey, the current president of The Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club, and Ray Campbell and Gordon Scobie, both retired teachers, who run the evening. They put on a great display and went through the various aspects associated with literacy, which was very informative.

The Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club also makes a great contribution across the State. For instance, for some time now it has been funding a breakfast club program at Bourke Public School where students attend school at 8.00 a.m. daily for breakfast. The program is having significant results and attendance rates have increased since its inception. Indeed the attendance rate is now at approximately 92 per cent. The work of the The Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club exemplifies the great work of volunteer groups across all electorates in this State and quite often outside their own area. I commend the The Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club and wish them the best in the future.

Mr GREG SMITH (Epping—Attorney General, and Minister for Justice) [1.06 p.m.]: I commend the wonderful contributions of the members for the electorates of Granville, Port Macquarie, Baulkham Hills and Castle Hill. The member for Granville spoke about the Hilltop Road Public School and the interesting things 22778 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

being done there. The member for Port Macquarie spoke about the visit of Japanese Consul-General Dr Kohara. The member for Baulkham Hills opened our imaginations, particularly mine. Prime Minister Rudd should torpedo his thought bubble about closing the Garden Island naval base; and, as his fortunes continue to sink, his captaincy of the ship-of-state should be sent to the bottom of the harbour. Finally, the member for Castle Hill spoke about The Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club school awards and the great performance by Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School.

BAY CITY CARE COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTRE

Mr JOHN FLOWERS (Rockdale) [1.07 p.m.]: It was with pleasure that I opened the Bay City Care Community Support Centre on Friday 8 August 2013. The support centre is an initiative of the Bay City Church. Bay City Care was founded by Pastor Andrew Harper with his wife, Maryann Harper, and is coordinated by Janine Harris and Mona Luxton. The centre was founded in 2010 as Bay City Residential Care, Housing Support Service and is the central location for a variety of services provided to the residents of Rockdale. In February 2012 the service was expanded and the women's support centre was launched. In January 2013 new premises were located in Rockdale. Mona Luxton is the centre's director and coordinator. She is a counsellor and specialist and brings valuable experience in various types of therapies to the centre.

Mona has particular interest and extensive experience in working with women in therapeutic roles relating to family issues. The Bay City Women's Support Centre has a program for women and children suffering from domestic violence and other forms of abuse that takes a caring, respectful, dignified and non-discriminative approach. Crisis support is provided together with counselling, case management and referral. Another program offered by Bay City Care is Hope Beyond Domestic Violence, which is designed to restore dignity, health, hope and life after domestic violence abuse. A six-week group program is available for women who have been victims of domestic violence and suffered its effects. This educational program is aimed at providing a supportive and safe environment where women who have had similar experiences can begin to heal and regain their dignity and confidence to make a better and brighter future for themselves and their children.

The Bay City Care Community Support Centre also runs early intervention programs with a view to expanding young people's understanding and awareness of what constitutes violence in relationships. These programs also identify and challenge gender stereotyping and unacceptable behaviours in relationships. At Bay City Care general counselling services are available to assist individuals, people in relationships, children, adolescents and those experiencing family issues. Bay City Care offers professional and confidential assistance to help people explore issues that may be impacting on their lives and relationships. Counselling provides the opportunity to talk with a professional trained in all aspects of counselling. Medicare rebates are available for those on a healthcare plan. Programs also exist for women 16 years and older who are struggling with all forms of abuse, depression, anxiety, crisis and trauma, eating disorders, self-harm and addictions.

Janine Harris coordinates the Bay City Food Care Program, which provides emergency relief food hampers, bread, and fruit and vegetables free of charge. Through the program families in need and Centrelink concession cardholders are also provided with affordable groceries each Thursday. Every community needs to support the vulnerable, children at risk and those persons who feel they have lost their way. Pleasingly, Bay City Care received $14,300 in funding under the Government's 2012 Community Building Partnership program for the opening of the Bay City Women's Support Centre.

WORLD BOXING CHAMPION DANIEL GEALE

Mr CHRIS PATTERSON (Camden) [1.12 p.m.]: I had a speech ready to give in this House about world champion boxer and Camden constituent Daniel Geale's latest victory on 18 August; however, that was not to be. Yet I can still speak about a true champion. Danny recently travelled to the United States to defend his International Boxing Federation [IBF] middleweight title against Darren Barker from the United Kingdom. Unfortunately Danny was not successful but that does not take away from what a wonderful champion and ambassador he is for Australia. Such is the respect Danny commands, during the week he flew out to defend his title, the Premier—a huge fan—visited Danny at his training gym to wish him well.

Danny was born in Launceston, Tasmania, but has chosen to make Camden his home. He married his childhood sweetheart, Sheena, and is the father of three children: Bailey, Ariyelle and Lilyarna. Danny has always been an all-round nice guy. After his win against Anthony Mundine for the International Boxing Federation middleweight title in January this year, Danny got up the next morning to take his daughter to her 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22779

first day of school. Danny's illustrious career began when he knew at the age of nine that he had a skill and love for the sport of boxing. Danny fought in several amateur events from the age of 10 and won a gold medal in the men's welterweight division at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

At the age of 24 Danny decided to make boxing his profession. In the beginning it was difficult to get a break, but Danny kept going and his persistence paid off. Danny attributes much of his success to his management team of Bill Tracey and Gary Francisco, who took an unproven but wildly talented boxer onto the world stage and helped to make him a world champion. Danny Geale is a proud indigenous Australian. His mother is a member of the Palawa people—a group of Tasmanian Aborigines who were nearly driven to extinction by diseases introduced by European settlers. Danny's wife is also of Aboriginal descent. When Camden Council introduced the acknowledgment of country to council in November last year, Danny was asked to be the first person to give the acknowledgement. Danny was thrilled and proud to be asked by Mayor Lara Symkowiak to perform the task. On Australia Day 2013 the mayor also presented Danny with the "Key to Camden". This showed once again how much Danny is appreciated and loved by the community, and more than 10,000 locals lined the streets to see the historic event.

Danny's professional career began in 2004 when he took on Danny Bellert and defeated him with a third round knockout. Danny's career was building—he notched up 17 bouts for 17 wins, with 12 knockouts. In 2007 Danny competed against Daniel Dawson in an International Boxing Organization [IBO] middleweight bout and won in 12 rounds. In 2008 Danny defended his International Boxing Organization middleweight championship in another 12-round bout against Gerad Ajetovic. In May 2011 Danny defeated Sebastian Sylvester in a split decision to become the International Boxing Federation middleweight champion and defended the title in August 2011 against Eromosele Albert. In March 2012 Danny successfully defended his title for a second time by defeating Osumanu Adama.

Danny trains at a successful gym in Smeaton Grange called Grange Old School Boxing, and that is where he puts his experience and skill back into the sport. He freely gives of his time to train schoolchildren from all walks of life. Under the watchful eye of Australia's premier boxing trainer, Graham Shaw, Grange Old School Boxing is the home to many local fighters. It is the quiet breeding ground for some of Australia's toughest champions, including Jamie Pittman, the "Pinoy Powerhouse", Ranee Ganoy, Steve Lovett and Rob Medley. All aspects of boxing are taught at the gym, as is the respect needed and discipline required to be a champion. Danny shows us all how to accept defeat without excuses—the mark of a true champion. To meet Danny is a privilege. He is an extremely humble person who is grateful for the opportunities he has had. Danny has put many years of hard work into his profession while always remaining the quiet gentleman that he is. At the age of 32, his feet are firmly on the ground. Danny is what we call a true champion both in and out of the ring. Win, lose or draw Daniel Geale is a champion, a role model and an Australian that I not only look up to but am also inspired by.

TIN CITY, STOCKTON BEACH

Mr CRAIG BAUMANN (Port Stephens—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.17 p.m.]: The potential loss of a unique village is an important issue facing my electorate. Stockton Beach stretches more or less from Newcastle to Anna Bay in Port Stephens. It is home to the largest coastal sand dune system in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a tourist attraction, a movie set and the scene of countless television advertisements. Stockton Beach is a favourite spot for tourists to Port Stephens and the commercial beach tourism operators are professional, knowledgeable and extremely respectful of the ecology and archaeology. The sand dunes are home to a unique village called Tin City.

Tin City is a collection of 11 huts which have been owned and used by fishing families since the 1930s and have come to be an iconic part of Stockton Beach. The huts are a must-see on Stockton Beach tours. They have provided emergency accommodation for fishermen and four-wheel-drive parties who have been caught in suddenly deteriorating weather when travelling 12 kilometres to safety along Stockton Beach has not been possible. The owners of the huts have radio contact with rescue services and have assisted these services in beach rescues, which are fortunately rare but have the potential to cause injury or death. The owners have an emergency response plan in place, which was produced in consultation with the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter and other rescue services.

Stockton Beach is a favoured film set and is regularly used for desert scenes in movies and commercials. In fact, parts of Mad Max were filmed on Stockton Beach and a young Mel Gibson camped in the huts. The Stockton sand dunes are the largest shifting sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere, so one can 22780 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

imagine that the build-up of sand around the huts can be significant. The Tin City owners keep a four-wheel drive vehicle, fitted with blade, which they use to shift the sand away from huts as required. The owners have an intimate knowledge of the area around the huts, the surrounding dunes and the beach ecology because they have been observing and protecting the beach for nearly 80 years. They have always worked well with the traditional owners and respect and protect archaeological heritage in the area.

Bitou bush has stabilised the frontal dunes for many years. It is well-known that bitou bush is a noxious weed that should be exterminated, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service has attacked its extermination with vigour. Unfortunately, nothing is being used in its place to stabilise the frontal dune and provide habitat for native birds, which have lost nests in the extermination. The sand which has helped insulate the area from the outside world for so many years is now becoming the enemy. Earlier this year an industrial excavator was reportedly used to rescue a hut that was threatened with being buried by a dune. A string of storms and king tides have eroded the dunes so much that hut owners have built a makeshift driftwood barrier hoping that sand will reform around the driftwood and become a barrier dune. Let us hope they succeed.

FAIRFIELD RELAY FOR LIFE

Mr ANDREW ROHAN (Smithfield) [1.21 p.m.]: I am glad to have the opportunity to speak about one of the many causes I am passionate about in serving my community. Cancer affects all of us, either directly or indirectly. It does not discriminate between children and adults, men and women or between people from different cultures and backgrounds. It pains me to admit that fighting cancer is an uphill battle. One-third of all cancers are preventable, some are curable and the remainder need more research. In Australia, one in two people will be affected by cancer by the time they reach the age of 85. Between 2004 and 2008, more than 3,500 cases of cancer were detected in the Fairfield local government area alone, which sadly resulted in almost 1,500 deaths. This is simply unacceptable. That is why I decided to do something about it, not only talk about it.

Proudly, this is my third year as the patron of Fairfield Relay For Life and to date I have been involved in two projects: tobacco control and skin protection. As part of my commitment to Fairfield Relay for Life and the Cancer Council NSW, I undertook a 55-kilometre walkathon around my electorate. Over four days a number of volunteers and I took to the streets to meet with residents and members of schools, businesses and other organisations to raise both awareness of cancer and funds for important research to help defeat cancer. Trust me when I say that walking 55 kilometres in four days is easier said than done. Nevertheless, it was refreshing, not only doing physical activity, but also meeting with so many of my constituents. I could not have asked for a better reception; everyone was supportive and encouraging of our cause. We started at the tranquil Horsley Park Reserve and made our way through the suburbs of Horsley Park, Wetherill Park, Bossley Park, Prairiewood, Edensor Park, Greystanes, Pemulwuy and Smithfield. We stopped at local clubs such as Club Marconi and the King Tomislav Croatian Club, and shopping centres such as Stockland Wetherill Park and Pemulwuy shopping centres.

I take this opportunity to thank Woolworths Wetherill Park for donating the sausages and bread rolls barbequed by the staff of Chemistworks Wetherill Park on the first day of our walkathon. I am delighted to report that throughout the walkathon we visited 12 schools—namely, schools that I have actively ensured are SunSmart schools. I spoke to thousands of students about cancer awareness and prevention. It gives me great joy to be able to reach out to such young and bright minds. I thank the principals of the 12 schools that so graciously accommodated us at the school assemblies.

On Saturday 10 August, Fairfield Relay For Life also held a fundraiser dinner at Smithfield RSL and a staggering $17,000 was raised on the night. I was overwhelmed with the support I received. So far my team has raised over $23,000, which will go towards funding clinical trials and research into combating and preventing cancer. We are only marginally shy of our $30,000 goal but we have until 2 November to reach it. On 2 November and 3 November there will be a continuous relay walkathon at Horsley Park for all Fairfield Relay For Life teams. Thousands of people are expected to attend. I thank profusely all the constituents and local businesses for donating such generous amounts to the cause. Some of the donors are listed on the Fairfield Relay For Life website, whilst others prefer to remain anonymous.

The walkathon and the fundraiser would not have been a success without the help of our volunteers. I am grateful for the support of everyone who accompanied me on this journey. I thank Councillor Dai Le and Councillor Zaya Toma for organising our events. I commend Fairfield Police Constable Ece Hasan and her two volunteers. I also commend Lee Fallappi, Fairfield Relay For Life organiser, and Amy Melville from Fairfield City Council Youth Advisory Committee, for helping our office put everything together. I also applaud Aruni 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22781

Ratnayake and Pina Asekona from the Western Sydney Cancer Council regional office, who joined us for the walkathon. I thank wholeheartedly the volunteers for taking time out of their otherwise busy lives to help at these events. I know that someday in those first few minutes when a person is told he or she has cancer, that that person will also be told there is a cure because of the efforts of those who support Relay for Life and Cancer Council NSW.

[Acting-Speaker (Mr Lee Evans) left the chair at 1.26 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): I extend a very warm welcome to the gallery to members of a high-level delegation of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, with special mention to the Most Venerable Ji-won, President of Dharma propagation, Korean Buddhism, the Venerable Su-am, Abbot of Hwagye-sa temple, and the Most Venerable Sudhammo, President of the Buddhist Federation of Australia, guests of the Minister for Citizenship and Communities, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

ASSENT TO BILLS

Assent to the following bills reported:

Law Enforcement and National Security (Assumed Identities) Amendment Bill 2013 Police Legislation Amendment (Special Constables) Bill 2013 Road Transport Amendment (Licence Disqualification on Conviction) Bill 2013 Road Transport Amendment (Obstruction and Hazard Safety) Bill 2013

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Routine of Business

[During the giving of notices of motions]

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I call the member for Murray-Darling to order for the first time.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Notices of Motions

Government Business Notices of Motions (for Bills) given.

QUESTION TIME

[Question time commenced at 2.24 p.m.]

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CASEWORKER VACANCIES

Mr JOHN ROBERTSON: My question is directed to the Minister for Family and Community Services.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! Members will be heard in silence. Members who continue to interject will be placed on three calls to order.

Mr JOHN ROBERTSON: My question is directed to the Minister for Family and Community Services. The Minister told the House last week that she did not correct her misleading statements of 28 February because she "formed the view that the data being supplied was not reliable because headcount numbers are not reliable". If the Minister believed headcount numbers were unreliable why has she continued to use headcount numbers on at least 15 occasions since March to deny a drop in caseworker numbers?

Ms PRU GOWARD: I thank the member for his question. It feels a bit like groundhog day.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I place the member for Canterbury on three calls to order. I place the member for Oatley on three calls to order. 22782 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Ms PRU GOWARD: As I have repeatedly made clear, headcount numbers were the available data and that is the data that has traditionally been used and the data that we will continue to use until we have a better measure. I refer the member to my previous answer.

GARDEN ISLAND NAVAL BASE

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS: My question is directed to the Premier. How would moving the Navy from Garden Island impact on New South Wales?

Mr BARRY O'FARRELL: I thank the member for Menai for her question and for her interest in and support for the Defence Force, including those personnel who live at Holsworthy within her electorate. In May of this year the Defence white paper was released. In May of this year the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, issued a press release that stated:

The report finds that our changing strategic environment does not require widespread changes in the location of our Defence Force bases, but that some adjustments should be made to meet future needs.

But specifically about Garden Island, or, as it is known within the Defence Force, Fleet Base East, the white paper outlined that the Government will proceed with plans to develop Fleet Base East as the home port for a landing helicopter dock, ships and air warfare destroyers. Why is that important? This morning I woke up to a thought bubble from the bloke who is Prime Minister of this country: a thought bubble to close down Garden Island, a thought bubble to throw away 4,000 jobs for people who live across this city, a thought bubble that pays no regard to the cruise industry in this harbour, a thought bubble that is all about trying to sandbag and shore up boats in the city of Brisbane and across the State of Queensland and has nothing to do with the interests of this city or this State.

I have never before seen anyone who is leading a political party into an election make so light of the national defence infrastructure. Not all the workers on Garden Island are Navy personnel; private sector individuals work there as well. Imagine how they and their families felt when they woke up to the news this morning that the Federal Labor Party wants to close Garden Island and move it north. What a devastating start to the day for those people—and this is from a bloke who invented, apparently, the phrase "working families" and who currently is saying he wants to create jobs in this country. In one fell swoop this will be a hit of almost half a billion dollars, according to KPMG, to the city and State's economy with 4,000 direct and indirect jobs out of the city and the State's economy, and it will be a threat to the cruise industry. It is a threat to the cruise industry because the dry dock at Garden Island operated by Thales, which is the largest and deepest dry dock on the east coast of this country, does not only service navy vessels; it is the only facility on the east coast that is able to service large cruise ships.

So the Prime Minister's defence today has continued to change. Firstly, what was announced overnight as a plan will now be a two-year task force. What was first announced as moving our resources to the north to meet strategic defence initiatives is now about supporting the cruise industry. I say again: The Federal Government's Defence white paper said that we did not need to close Garden Island. Quite the reverse: We need to further develop Garden Island to deal with the new class of vessels that come to this shore. Secondly, the closure of Garden Island as a naval facility would close the dry dock, which would decimate the cruise industry not only in this city and State but across the entire east coast.

What do members opposite say about it? Kevin Rudd's lapdogs sit opposite. I think the Hon. Steve Whan is the appropriate shadow Minister. He was once a member of this House but the electorate of Monaro showed their great choice at the last election. At about 12.30 p.m. the Hon. Steve Whan tweeted, "O'Farrell should work with the Feds to get room at Garden Island not play politics." Where has he been? Last July, on the eve of the State Australian Labor Party conference, the then Prime Minister—a Prime Minister I could work with, a Prime Minister who considered statements before she opened her mouth—announced that they would create—

[Interruption]

A bit like Noreen Hay. She announced that they would create additional space at Garden Island to allow those overflow cruise ships to be catered for there. [Extension of time granted.]

The former Prime Minister was able to work with the State Government, with the Deputy Premier, and Minister for Trade and Investment, and with the Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing to ensure that additional capacity was being freed up at Garden Island because indeed we can have our cake and eat it, too. Even Noreen can do that. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22783

Mr Richard Amery: Point of order: Under Standing Order 75, I ask you to remind the Premier that referring to members other than by their title applies—even when addressing female members of Parliament.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I uphold the point of order. I remind the Premier to refer to members by their correct titles.

Mr BARRY O'FARRELL: In terms of expenditure in this city, the cruise industry contributes about $1.25 billion currently. That is estimated to increase. Julia Gillard was working with the New South Wales Government on a plan to ensure that, as it grew, so too did our capacity to share the Garden Island facility. Yet overnight that has been threatened, not because it is in the interests of working families across the State, the defence industry in New South Wales or the cruise industry in New South Wales but because it is in Kevin's interests and it is in Labor's interests in Queensland. Members opposite sitting mute will not support jobs in New South Wales. Why do they not support the industry in New South Wales? They have sold their souls to the Queensland Labor Party. I have one final message for the Prime Minister: Why did you not call? Stop the selfies. Phones are not just for taking selfies; they are for calling Premiers. If he had picked up the phone I could have helped him to stop making a terrible mistake in this State.

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CASEWORKER VACANCIES

Mr MICHAEL DALEY: My question is addressed to the Minister for Family and Community Services. How can the Minister justify telling Parliament that she does not trust the headcount data provided by her department, but then use the same data to deny claims from caseworkers that there are critical shortages, putting children at risk?

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! The member for Mount Druitt will come to order.

Ms PRU GOWARD: It is groundhog day again. Again, members opposite have nothing. Members opposite were happy to use this database, but I took the view that it was not satisfactory.

Mr Michael Daley: Do you plan to continue to use it?

Ms PRU GOWARD: I told the Parliament—

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! An Opposition member asked the question. Opposition members will listen to the Minister's answer in silence.

[Interruption]

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I place the member for Dubbo on three calls to order.

Ms PRU GOWARD: I told the House in March that it was my intention to publish caseworker numbers publicly. We have been proud of our transparency record. We have made public housing waiting lists publicly available—something Labor never did in office because it was afraid to shine a light on the huge waiting lists. We have begun publishing annual reports into the tragic deaths of children known to Community Services—again, something that members opposite were not interested in. We have that wonderful track record of transparency. I will not get into a running commentary on how many caseworkers we have had on a daily basis.

Ms Linda Burney: Point of order—

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! What is the member's point of order?

[Interruption]

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I call the member for Monaro to order for the first time. I place the member for Maroubra on three calls to order. What is the member's point of order?

Ms Linda Burney: I refer to Standing Order 129. 22784 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! The Minister is being relevant to the question asked.

Ms Linda Burney: The question was about whether the Minister can trust—

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! There is no point of order. The member for Canterbury will resume her seat.

Ms PRU GOWARD: I have made the point on a number of occasions that we wanted to be more transparent about caseworker data and to publish it regularly. That has been the focus since March. I take the opportunity to thank those caseworkers who we are now able to say are seeing more than 27 per cent of reports of at-risk children versus 21 per cent when Labor was in office. Since earlier this year my focus has been on improving the publication so that caseworker numbers will be up on the website soon. That is what I have asked my department to do. That is what I expect to be done, and I refer to my previous answer.

GARDEN ISLAND NAVAL BASE

Mr KEVIN ANDERSON: My question is directed to the Deputy Premier, Minister for Trade and Investment, and Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I call the member for Monaro to order for the second time. I call the member for Murray-Darling to order for the second time. The member for Tamworth will be heard in silence.

Mr KEVIN ANDERSON: What is the importance of the defence industry to New South Wales?

Mr ANDREW STONER: As the Premier has detailed, the Garden Island defence precinct—

[Interruption]

Members opposite are not interested in defence industry jobs, and we will get to them later. The Garden Island defence precinct employs between 3,000 and 4,000 people, and sometimes up to 5,000 people, and makes a huge contribution to the State's economy, with some $500 million in sustainment for naval vessels every year alone. Yet spooked by poor polling in his home State of Queensland, Kevin Rudd has ignored not only that; he has also ignored the Defence white paper, released by his Government only four months ago, by announcing today his intention to close the Garden Island Defence precinct. If Kevin Rudd is willing to make such a devastating decision for families in New South Wales and our State's defence industry simply to save his bacon in Queensland, what else is he willing to do? There is no doubt that the strength and capability of our State's defence industry is absolutely critical to the security of our nation. In fact, New South Wales is Australia's most significant defence State.

Our State is home to the largest number of bases and facilities. More than 80 organically formed industry clusters, featuring multinational prime contractors, agile small and medium enterprises, and world-class research institutions, support and service the specific needs of the Defence assets and platforms at those bases, including Garden Island. For the information of those opposite, many of the clusters are located in regional areas, providing opportunities for high-skilled workers to utilise and develop their expertise in support of Defence's needs, and generating significant direct and indirect benefits for local economies. New South Wales also provides the largest number of military and civilian personnel to Defence of all the States and Territories.

Mr Michael Daley: Point of order: The question was about the importance of the defence industry to this State. If it is such an important industry why does the Deputy Premier have to read the answer? He is reading every word of his answer.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! There is no point of order.

Mr ANDREW STONER: Is this your contribution to the debate, you boofhead? Where do you stand on New South Wales defence industries? What are you going to do in relation to the 4,000 jobs at Garden Island? What about you? Where do you stand in relation to New South Wales defence jobs?

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! There is no point of order. I direct the member for Maroubra to remove himself from the Chamber until the conclusion of question time.

[Pursuant to sessional order the member for Maroubra left the Chamber at 2.42 p.m.] 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22785

Mr Chris Hartcher: Point of order: The member for Bankstown is taking photographs in the Chamber in contravention of the standing orders.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! Has that happened?

Ms Tania Mihailuk: Yes.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I direct the member for Bankstown to remove herself from the Chamber until the conclusion of question time.

[Pursuant to sessional order the member for Bankstown left the Chamber at 2.42 p.m.]

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I direct the Opposition Whip to ensure that the photographs are destroyed. This is an important question, as was the previous question directed to the Premier. Opposition members will come to order. The Minister will be heard in silence.

Mr ANDREW STONER: One would think those opposite would not trivialise this issue; one would think they would protest against that megalomaniac Kevin Rudd and his actions to dismantle the New South Wales economy and thousands of jobs in the defence industry in this State—including in the electorate of the member for Tamworth, where we are concerned about the fate of the basic flight training school. BAE Systems, the operator of the flight training school, has been doing a great job in Tamworth for some 23 years servicing the Australian Defence Force and also international customers.

[Interruption]

What? Are you interjecting about helipads now? You are proving yourself—

Mr John Robertson: Are we going to see you pop a blood vessel again?

Mr ANDREW STONER: You will not raise the peg in support of jobs in this State, mate. Why don't you pop a blood vessel? Why don't you grow some, pal?

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! Opposition members' comments are unparliamentary. This is a serious issue; it is not a joke. Opposition members will come to order.

[Extension of time granted.]

Mr ANDREW STONER: Those on this side of the House are concerned not only about the 4,000 jobs at Garden Island but also about jobs at the Tamworth flight training school—

Mr Guy Zangari: Not at Custom Coaches at Villawood.

Mr ANDREW STONER: What are you on about?

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I place the member for Fairfield on three calls to order.

Mr ANDREW STONER: We are also concerned about the 4,000 jobs at the Liverpool military area and Holsworthy barracks, about the 4,000 jobs at Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, about the 500 jobs at the Lone Pine Barracks in Singleton, and about the 1,800 people employed at HMAS Albatross at Nowra on the South Coast. In relation to Tamworth specifically, we are concerned about a process initiated by the Federal Labor Government that does not take into account the fact that flying conditions at Tamworth are far superior to those at Sale, where it proposes to relocate the facility. In Tamworth there are 134 flying days per year as opposed to 55 at Royal Australian Air Force Base East Sale. The Federal Government has also not considered that the parallel runway at Tamworth allows the flight training school to operate unimpeded. I urge the Federal Government to consider those issues in this process. The State Government is vitally concerned about defence industries across New South Wales. Today's announcement by Kevin Rudd about Garden Island is a terrible sign for those critical jobs: He would ignore the expert advice of his advisers in the defence space and the white paper just to save his skin in Queensland. [Time expired.] 22786 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CASEWORKER VACANCIES

Ms LINDA BURNEY: My question is directed to the Minister for Family and Community Services. How does the Minister justify telling Parliament previously that she does not trust headcount data being provided by her department and then, remarkably, state today that she will keep using headcount data?

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! The Minister will be heard in silence.

Ms PRU GOWARD: I think that shows the bankruptcy of the Opposition. The member for Canterbury will recall that I said "until better data is available", and that is what this transparency reform is absolutely about. Regardless of what the member for Canterbury says about headcounts, shmedcounts, I remind her of one thing: Those opposite left government after 16 years, billions of dollars and a royal commission, and they left it seeing fewer children.

GARDEN ISLAND NAVAL BASE

Mr DARREN WEBBER: My question is addressed to the Treasurer, and Minister for Industrial Relations. What impact will the departure of Defence facilities and personnel, as well as other policy-on-the-run announcements, have on the New South Wales economy?

Mr MIKE BAIRD: I thank the member for Wyong for his question. He is working hard to secure millions of dollars for Wyong Road. The former Government promised it but we are delivering it. We have witnessed a little emotion from the Premier and the Deputy-Premier in this Chamber today. But let us reflect: another day, another thought bubble. That is what happens when the Federal election campaign gets underway and the Prime Minister kicks into action. It is like a young boy moving boats around the bathtub; the problem is that it will hurt the New South Wales economy. We will not stand by and allow his actions without responding because we care about our State, our economy and our jobs—unlike those opposite. They do not care. But they are not just our words. The 2009 KPMG report, which has been cited in the House, refers to 6,784 direct and indirect jobs. What is the impact on Sydney's economy? It is $500 million a year. It is a simple question: What has he got against Sydney? It does not matter whether it is this particular facility or even the WestConnex. He is not backing the WestConnex to benefit members of this House and others across this great city who are trying to reduce congestion. That is costing $5.2 billion and is another mess left by those opposite. We are getting on with it.

The Deputy Premier referred to the Defence white paper. The Defence white paper scotched the idea because of the $6.9 billion cost involved, stating that it did not need a second facility. We know that it is in Labor's DNA to spend money that it does not have. Labor members love to spend money; that is their specialty. They cannot help themselves. The money flies out like confetti; it is not theirs so they do not care. We have seen consistently from the Prime Minister and the Federal Government the impact of policymaking on the run. The fringe benefits tax is another good example. Labor members said, "We are going to crash down on an industry. We are going to take away jobs. We are going to take away confidence. We are going to absolutely try to grind it down." Then two days later what did they do? They said, "By the way, here's $500 million for you." They gave that to the same industry that they were taking jobs from. That is the sort of policymaking we have seen from members opposite. But my favourite came just yesterday when, 12 days before the election, the Deputy Prime Minister said, "We are going to look at the feasibility of high-speed rail on the east coast." I thought, "Hang on. Have I heard this before?" So we went into the archives and found a press release dated 16 days before the last Federal election from the Hon. Anthony Albanese. In 2010 he said:

A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will undertake a detailed feasibility and corridor study to determine the … viability and identify the route of a high speed rail network on the east coast of Australia.

It is like a bad old movie: It does not matter what happens, we know exactly how it will end—in tears. Whether it is the announcement today about Garden Island, removing jobs from the car industry, not backing the WestConnex or pulling election stunts such as the high-speed rail, it is about time we had a serious Government in Canberra that looks after the long-term interests of this country. Those in critical seats such as—and I will select just a few—Greenway, Lindsay, Reid, McMahon, Page or Dobell have the opportunity to return to this country the stable, sensible government that is the exact opposite of what we are seeing from those opposite. While we get on with the job of looking after the economy—

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order: I refer to Standing Order 129, relevance. The question was about defence and the New South Wales economy. The Minister has moved well off that topic. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22787

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! There is no point of order. The Minister was responding to interjections.

[Time expired.]

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CASEWORKER VACANCIES

Mrs BARBARA PERRY: My question is directed to the Minister for Family and Community Services. Given the meeting agenda from 8 July shows that the department came to the Minister seeking her endorsement to publish caseworker numbers on the Family and Community Services website by 31 July, why has the Minister still not publicly released this information highlighting critical caseworker shortages that have left vulnerable children at risk?

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I remind the member for Canterbury that she is on three calls to order.

Ms PRU GOWARD: This is tedious repetition. I have already answered that question.

Ms Noreen Hay: Call it transparency.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I call the member for Wollongong to order for the first time.

HOUSING SUPPLY

Mr KEVIN CONOLLY: My question is addressed to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure NSW. How is the Government increasing the supply of housing in New South Wales?

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: I thank the member for Riverstone for his question and note that he has an abiding interest in providing housing for the many people who come to Sydney. In fact, since the Coalition has been in government just in his area alone we have rezoned area 20, Schofields, Box Hill and the Box Hill industrial area. The last time I was in that area I think I was joined by the Premier, who has shown great enthusiasm and energy to ensure that we get housing in the north-west and the south-west growth centres as well as across New South Wales. The member for Riverstone will also be aware that we have released further planning for the Marsden Park, west Schofields, Riverstone east and Vineyard areas.

When the Coalition came to office it recognised that the former Government had taken its eye off the ball when it came to ensuring sufficient housing for people in New South Wales. We are expecting the population to increase by 1.3 million over the next 25 years and the challenge of providing housing for those people is a mighty one. But the Government is up to the challenge, and we are certainly working to ensure that we provide as much housing as possible. It was difficult because we inherited a planning system from the former Labor Government in which there was not a lot of faith left. The previous Government spent more time worrying about part 3A, dollars for deals, corrupt practices and members like the member for Wollongong, who a minute ago was talking about transparency but who spent more time on the phone talking to local councillors about doing deals.

Mr Ryan Park: Point of order: I refer to Standing Order 129. The Minister's statements have nothing to do with the question, which was about housing acceleration and housing approvals. I ask that you bring him back to the leave of the question.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! There is no point of order.

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: It has everything to do with it. It is about a lack of confidence in planning and about transparency. The member for Wollongong had all those problems with Wollongong City Council and doing deals. The member for Shellharbour used to sit next to the member for Wollongong in this Chamber but she moved one seat away, then another seat and then another seat. She has moved down five positions to get away from the person who does not display transparency.

Dr Andrew McDonald: Point of order: I refer again to Standing Order 129. 22788 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I am sure the Minister is about to return to the leave of the question.

Mr BRAD HAZZARD: I simply make the point that if the member for Shellharbour moves any further she will be sitting on our side of the Chamber. But she is in good company sitting next to the member for Mount Druitt. The Government decided that it had to produce a new planning system and it is working on that extensively. The Government also introduced new measures of transparency and an open process around both rezonings and approvals. The result is a greater degree of confidence in the housing market. For example, Stockland has returned to New South Wales. Graham Bradley, the Chairman of Stockland, has made the point publicly several times that Stockland had not bought land or been involved in new developments in New South Wales for nearly eight years. But I am delighted to report that yesterday's Australian Financial Review stated:

The unveiling of one of Stockland's most ambitious residential projects to date is highlighting this demand for residential sites on Sydney's fringes.

On Saturday, Stockland released the first 49 lots of its $1 billion Willowdale development at Leppington in Sydney's south-west growth corridor for sale.

All lots sold within hours.

Stockland is doing very well, as are Mirvac, Sekisui and Landcom. Developers in the western area are doing a first-class job delivering housing, as needed, because the Government has established the contextual environment and the planning system to achieve that. The number of housing approvals escalated quite dramatically in the last financial year, with up to 28,000 approvals—an increase of around 4,500 on the last years of Labor, and far more than it produced in government in 2005-06, during which period housing approvals dropped to their lowest level in decades. Sydney housing completions are now at a 10-year high. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure figures show that 21,097 homes were completed in Sydney in the 2011-12 financial year. That is the highest figure in a decade and it is a 35 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. We are seeing a dramatic increase in housing approvals and completions. [Extension of time granted.]

That is 53 per cent higher than in the last two years of the Labor Government. New home completions give families and young people the opportunity to get into their own home. There are more houses now under the Coalition Government than there were under the former Labor Government. The areas that are leading the way are Blacktown, Camden, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and The Hills. Those councils are doing a first-class job. Every one of them had more than 1,000 homes added to their stock, and Blacktown had more than 2,000, in the past 12 months. The O'Farrell Government is leading the way when it comes to making sure that there is not only a new transparent and level playing field in developing and offering opportunities for new housing but also infrastructure. That is something the Labor Party did not understand. The Labor Party had no idea that there had to be basic infrastructure in order to provide new housing opportunities.

What infrastructure is the Government providing? For a start, the Government has put in nearly half a billion dollars over four years—$481 million—to provide the infrastructure at the pinch points that were stopping the development of housing and employment lands. There is WestConnex, the M5 west widening, the South West Rail Link, Camden Valley Way, Picton Road, Richmond Road, Narellan Road and the Erskine Park Link Road. Take a drive down Camden Valley Way and see the new houses going up; the excitement is palpable. I thank the member for Riverstone for his question and I assure all members that this Government is intent on making New South Wales number one again and on providing housing and other opportunities for the future. This Government will deliver where Labor failed.

MINISTER FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

Mr NATHAN REES: I direct my question to the Minister for Family and Community Services. Given the Minister has misled the Parliament twice about caseworker shortages and has now delayed her department's publishing of caseworker shortages on her watch, how can the Minister be trusted to tell the truth and protect the most vulnerable children in New South Wales?

Mr Brad Hazzard: Point of order: That question obviously is predicated on a tendentious proposition. It is wrong, and I ask you to rule the question out of order.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I ask the member for Toongabbie to restate the question. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22789

Mr NATHAN REES: How can the Minister for Family and Community Services be trusted to tell the truth and protect the children of New South Wales?

Ms PRU GOWARD: The department is well on its way to developing a transparent dashboard—the first time that this has been done in New South Wales—where this data will be published and available for all of us to see. From that moment on, these questions will have no relevance.

GAME COUNCIL OF NSW REVIEW

Mr TROY GRANT: I address my question to the Minister for Primary Industries, and Minister for Small Business. Will the Minister inform the House what the Government is doing to address the recommendations of the Dunn report on the governance of the Game Council of NSW?

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: I thank the hardworking member for Dubbo for this important question. Feral animal control is an important issue for the member for Dubbo and for other members who represent regional electorates. Together with the member for Tamworth, I recently launched a feral pig task force at AgQuip at Gunnedah. The member for Tamworth will chair that task force and provide recommendations to the New South Wales Government. The member for Dubbo has regularly expressed concern about controlling feral animals in his electorate, as have other members from around the State.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! The Minister will be heard in silence.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: The member for Murray-Darling has regularly expressed concern about feral animal control. Members representing the electorates of Murrumbidgee, Myall Lakes, Oxley, Monaro and Wagga Wagga are also no strangers to this issue. Members will recall that the aim of the Game Council of NSW was to provide for the effective management of introduced species of game animals as well as promoting the responsible and orderly hunting of game animals on private and public lands, and of certain pest animals on public lands such as State forests and Crown lands. Those opposite might remember that the Game Council of NSW was set up in 2002 pursuant to the Game and Feral Animal Control Act of that year.

Actual hunting commenced in declared State forests in March 2006, and close to 95,000 game and feral animals have been removed since that time. There were nearly 20,000 game hunting licence holders in New South Wales as at 30 June 2013, but following an alleged incident involving a Game Council employee and a volunteer the Government ordered a formal independent review of the Game Council's governance. The review was undertaken by Mr Steve Dunn, a former senior New South Wales public servant. In essence, what we refer to as the Dunn review found that the Game Council of NSW had:

… inherent conflict of interest associated with its functions to both represent the interests of hunters, and to regulate their activities.

It further stated:

... the Game Council has no overarching governance framework; lacks [an] … internal regulatory compliance program … [and] has no approved enterprise-wide risk management framework;

The report's principal recommendations are threefold: to disband the Game Council, transfer regulatory functions to a government department, and to establish an advisory game board. In response, the New South Wales Government stated publicly that it would act on the major recommendations of the Dunn report. The Government has disbanded the Game Council of NSW and its committee of management. The functions previously carried out by the Game Council are currently being transferred to the Director General of the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, which will be the new regulatory authority in line with the Dunn review recommendations.

[Interruption]

The member for Keira does not take this issue seriously. He should be listening closely to this answer as this matter is important to his constituents. He may not recognise that, but he should sit up and listen.

[Interruption]

I acknowledge the interjection from the member for Hawkesbury. 22790 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I call the member for Toongabbie to order for the first time.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: The staff employed by the Game Council are being transferred to the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. As recommended by the Dunn review, the Government will create an eight-member Game and Pest Management Advisory Board, which will include representatives of regional New South Wales to represent the interests of licensed game hunters. The new advisory board will undertake stakeholder engagement and representation, advocate hunting, set research priorities and commission research and provide independent advice to government. The board members should have expertise, skill or knowledge— [Extension of time granted.]

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! I call the member for Toongabbie to order for the second time. I call the member for Murray-Darling to order for the third time.

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON: It is very important that board members have expertise, skill or knowledge in the areas of pest management, wildlife, veterinary science, hunting, education and community engagement. The hunter licensing program should continue, with licence fees deposited into a Game and Pest Management Trust Fund for research, compliance work and the meeting the board's costs. There is also a suspension in place on all hunting in State forests while a risk assessment for hunting on these lands is carried out. However, it is our intention to restore volunteer hunting in State forests to control feral animals as quickly as possible and in a manner that is as similar as possible to the previous procedures. This risk assessment process work is underway and will directly inform how and when hunting for game and feral animals in State forests can restart.

It is important to ensure the effective management of game and pest animals on public land and restore public confidence in hunting as an appropriately managed, legitimate and legal activity that provides a public benefit. It is absolutely essential to acknowledge that pest animals—such as feral pigs, foxes, wild dogs, goats, feral cats and rabbits—are some of the greatest threats to primary production, biodiversity and biosecurity in New South Wales. There is no easy, simple, one-off solution and we need an integrated, coordinated, ongoing and strategic approach to tackling pest animals, and volunteer hunting is one in a range of tactics that need to be employed. The Government intends to give effect to the recommendations of the Dunn review and introduce the Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill 2013 into the Parliament.

Question time concluded at 3.11 p.m.

LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE

Report

Mr Stephen Bromhead, as Chair, tabled the report entitled "Legislation Review Digest No. 42/55", dated 27 August 2013, together with the minutes of the committee meeting regarding Legislation Review Digest No. 41/55, dated 20 August 2013.

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

JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON SENTENCING OF CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT OFFENDERS

Membership

The Clerk announced, pursuant to the resolution of 15 August 2013, the receipt of correspondence nominating the following members of the Legislative Assembly as members of the Joint Select Committee on Sentencing of Child Sexual Assault Offenders:

Government members: Mr Charles Casuscelli Mr Troy Grant Ms Gabrielle Upton

Opposition member: Mr Paul Lynch

Message sent to the Legislative Council advising it of the resolution. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22791

PETITIONS

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

Sydney Electorate Public High School

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

Walsh Bay Precinct Public Transport

Petition requesting improved Walsh Bay bus services for the Walsh Bay precinct, and ferry services for the new wharf at pier 2/3, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Pet Shops

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

Pig-dog Hunting Ban

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

Duck Hunting

Petition requesting retention of the longstanding ban on duck hunting, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Inner-city Social Housing

Petition requesting the retention and proper maintenance of inner-city public housing stock, received from Mr Alex Greenwich.

Child Protection

Petition requesting amendment of the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 to mandate the inclusion of persons convicted of manslaughter of a child, received from Mr Bruce Notley-Smith.

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

Drayton South Coal Project

Petition calling on the Government to protect the jobs and livelihood of Hunter Valley Drayton mine workers and their families, received from Mr George Souris.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Business Lapsed

General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) Nos 2509 and 2512 to 2517 lapsed pursuant to Standing Order 105 (3).

CONSIDERATION OF MOTIONS TO BE ACCORDED PRIORITY

Garden Island Naval Base

Mr RAY WILLIAMS (Hawkesbury—Parliamentary Secretary) [3.15 p.m.]: It gives me great pleasure to stand here today to try to establish priority to debate an issue that cuts right to the heart of this city and to the 22792 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

heart of New South Wales. I will make no apology whatsoever for standing up for every job in New South Wales. Every member of this Government is going to stand up for every job in New South Wales—and there has been no greater advocate on behalf of jobs for this State than our Premier. The reason that this matter should be accorded priority is that today the people of this country saw first-hand the arrogance of the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. They saw the audacity of a Prime Minister who walked into this city and down to Garden Island and decided that he was going to make the decision to move our naval base up to Brisbane to score a couple of cheap political points. It is never going to happen. It is not going to happen on our watch. It will never happen in this State. It will never happen on the watch of our Premier, Barry O'Farrell.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! Members will come to order.

Mr RAY WILLIAMS: I am sorry for debating while those opposite were interjecting. Every morning that I come to Parliament House I go to the gym and I do my best on the cross-trainer and I do a bit on the jogging machine and land a punch on the bag. I am joined on most occasions by the Premier of New South Wales. He is in great physical shape.

Ms Linda Burney: Tell me you are embarrassed by this, Barry.

Mr RAY WILLIAMS: I have never seen anybody whose mouth gets as much exercise as that of the member for Canterbury. It could get an Olympic gold medal. This morning the Premier was not in the gym. I will tell members where he was. He sprinted out of here like Black Caviar. He took off out of Parliament House and went straight down to Mrs Macquarie's Chair and throttled our Prime Minister. He walked straight up to him and said, "Kevin, you should have called me to explain what you wanted to do." Even the previous Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, with all her faults—and she had plenty—could pick up the phone to the Premier of this State and raise with him any issues of importance in New South Wales.

But not Kevin. Oh no, Kevin had a little bit too much problematic specificity. He was zipping around New South Wales doing his hair. He had a little bit of problematic specificity and he did not have the time or the courtesy to pick up the phone and talk to our Premier about what he was going to do. Well, we have a message for the Prime Minister of this country: "Do not bother coming to our city. Do not come to Garden Island. Do not come back to New South Wales." In 12 days time the people of this country will have a message for the Prime Minister: "You can bugger off, Kevin. You can take your hair with you, because we do not want you. We do not want you stuffing around in our State and we sure as hell do not want you taking our jobs away from New South Wales." That is why this matter should be accorded priority.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! Before I call the member for Keira, I remind members that many of them are on three calls to order.

Coal Seam Gas

Mr RYAN PARK (Keira) [3.18 p.m.]: Coal seam gas is a very important issue, and its exploration is a very important and sensitive issue particularly in the water catchment areas that supply Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. I am very confident that the member for Kiama and the member for Heathcote will join me and the member for Wollondilly and support the bringing on of this debate. This matter is urgent because they know, like I do, that our water catchment areas are under threat; they know, like I do, that our water catchment areas need protection; and they know, like I do, that it is time for the Coalition to join with New South Wales Labor and adopt a policy that will protect Sydney's water catchment areas.

The DEPUTY-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): Order! The member for Keira will be heard in silence.

Mr RYAN PARK: I know the member for Wollondilly backs this motion in. I know, having heard the member for Kiama say on countless occasions that he protests any coal seam gas development in water catchment areas, that he backs it in. I know that my neighbour and good friend the member for Heathcote, whom I sat next to during coal seam gas demonstrations, also will join me in protecting our water catchment areas. Those members are not only very much aware of the sensitive nature of water catchment areas; they are part of the push to try to stop coal seam gas development in water catchment areas. I know that the member for Wollondilly, the member for Heathcote and the member for Kiama look forward to supporting my motion; that they will back this motion in; that they will agree to what the New South Wales Labor Party has announced this 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22793

week, because that will see Sydney water catchment areas protected and our safe drinking water supply maintained, as well as ensuring the health and safety of the thousands and thousands of people who live around those water catchment areas.

Question—That the motion of the member for Hawkesbury be accorded priority—put.

The House divided.

Ayes, 66

Mr Anderson Ms Gibbons Mr Roberts Mr Annesley Ms Goward Mr Rohan Mr Aplin Mr Grant Mr Rowell Mr Ayres Mr Greenwich Mrs Sage Mr Baird Mr Gulaptis Mr Sidoti Mr Barilaro Mr Hartcher Mrs Skinner Mr Bassett Mr Hazzard Mr Smith Mr Baumann Ms Hodgkinson Mr Souris Ms Berejiklian Mr Holstein Mr Speakman Mr Bromhead Mr Issa Mr Spence Mr Casuscelli Mr Kean Mr Stokes Mr Conolly Dr Lee Mr Stoner Mr Constance Mr Marshall Mr Toole Mr Cornwell Mr Notley-Smith Ms Upton Mr Coure Mr O'Dea Mr Ward Mrs Davies Mr O'Farrell Mr Webber Mr Dominello Mr Owen Mr R. C. Williams Mr Doyle Mr Page Mrs Williams Mr Edwards Ms Parker Mr Elliott Mr Patterson Mr Evans Mr Perrottet Tellers, Mr Flowers Mr Piccoli Mr Maguire Mr Gee Mr Provest Mr J. D. Williams

Noes, 22

Mr Barr Mr Lynch Mr Robertson Ms Burney Dr McDonald Ms Tebbutt Ms Burton Ms Mihailuk Ms Watson Mr Daley Mr Park Mr Zangari Mr Furolo Mr Parker Ms Hay Mrs Perry Tellers, Mr Hoenig Mr Piper Mr Amery Ms Hornery Mr Rees Mr Lalich

Question resolved in the affirmative.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Motion Accorded Priority

Mr BRAD HAZZARD (Wakehurst—Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure NSW) [3.31 p.m.]: I move:

That standing and sessional orders be suspended at this sitting to permit:

(1) Two additional speakers to the motion accorded priority for a period of up to three minutes each.

(2) The conclusion of the motion accorded priority prior to the commencement of Government business.

22794 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Mr MICHAEL DALEY (Maroubra) [3.32 p.m.]: The Opposition does not agree to the suspension. If the Government wanted to give the motion the courtesy it deserves one would have thought that extra speakers would have been foreshadowed 45 minutes ago, or thereabouts, when the motion was moved. This is the first we have heard about it. The Government wants to slam on an extra speaker with no notice and we do not agree.

Mr BRAD HAZZARD (Wakehurst—Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure NSW) [3.32 p.m.], in reply: I just point out that I did show courtesy when I asked the member if he would agree and he indicated that he would not. Therefore, I have now moved the suspension of standing and sessional orders. That is life when we are dealing with the Labor Party.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put.

The House divided.

Ayes, 67

Mr Anderson Ms Gibbons Mr Piper Mr Annesley Ms Goward Mr Provest Mr Aplin Mr Grant Mr Roberts Mr Ayres Mr Greenwich Mr Rohan Mr Baird Mr Gulaptis Mr Rowell Mr Barilaro Mr Hartcher Mrs Sage Mr Bassett Mr Hazzard Mr Sidoti Mr Baumann Ms Hodgkinson Mrs Skinner Ms Berejiklian Mr Holstein Mr Smith Mr Bromhead Mr Issa Mr Souris Mr Casuscelli Mr Kean Mr Speakman Mr Conolly Dr Lee Mr Spence Mr Constance Mr Marshall Mr Stokes Mr Cornwell Mr Notley-Smith Mr Toole Mr Coure Mr O'Dea Ms Upton Mrs Davies Mr O'Farrell Mr Ward Mr Dominello Mr Owen Mr Webber Mr Doyle Mr Page Mr R. C. Williams Mr Edwards Mr Parker Mrs Williams Mr Elliott Ms Parker Mr Evans Mr Patterson Tellers, Mr Flowers Mr Perrottet Mr Maguire Mr Gee Mr Piccoli Mr J. D. Williams

Noes, 20

Mr Barr Ms Hornery Mr Robertson Ms Burney Mr Lynch Ms Tebbutt Ms Burton Dr McDonald Ms Watson Mr Daley Ms Mihailuk Mr Zangari Mr Furolo Mr Park Tellers, Ms Hay Mrs Perry Mr Amery Mr Hoenig Mr Rees Mr Lalich

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

The ASSISTANT-SPEAKER (Mr Andrew Fraser): Order! I remind the member for Canterbury, the member for Maroubra, the member for Bankstown, the member for Fairfield, the member for Dubbo, the member for Oatley and the member for Murray-Darling that they are on three calls to order. I remind the member for Wollongong that she is on one call to order. The member for Toongabbie and the member for Monaro are on two calls to order. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22795

GARDEN ISLAND NAVAL BASE

Motion Accorded Priority

Mr RAY WILLIAMS (Hawkesbury—Parliamentary Secretary) [3.41 p.m.]: I move:

That this House:

(1) Opposes the Federal Government's plan to move the Navy from Garden Island.

(2) Condemns the New South Wales Opposition's failure to support the New South Wales defence industry.

Today we have seen an absolute travesty of justice on behalf of the people of not only this great city but also this great State of New South Wales. For a Prime Minister or leader of any country to think that they can arrogantly and contemptuously walk into this city and State and without so much as an ounce of courtesy raise an important issue such as Garden Island with the Premier of the State is absolutely and outrageously obnoxious. It is no wonder the Prime Minister's seat of Griffith in Brisbane is at risk when he acts in that way. He can fool some of the people some of the time, and all the people some of the time but not all the people all the time. Mr Rudd's day of reckoning is fast approaching. He is a desperate Prime Minister seeking to claw back the slightest number of percentage points in the polls.

The Prime Minister's announcement today will not help him because suggesting that we should move the Garden Island facilities to Brisbane potentially removes 3,000 to 4,000 jobs from this city. The indirect jobs run into many thousands more than the individuals who work at the navy base. As most members would know—certainly anyone who has taken a cruise knows this—a massive amount of resources are required when people are on board a vessel and take a trip, if it is a cruise ship, or go on a mission, if it is a naval vessel. The resources come from far and wide, not only in terms of food, fuel and clothing but also the maintenance of the vessel that is required. Today expert Neil James said that the white paper issued earlier this year by the Defence Force clearly ruled out closing Garden Island because the cost of re-establishing the facilities in Brisbane would cost something like $6 billion.

So that has been completely dismissed by the white paper. However, Kevin, as he does, has run his own race; he has discarded all of the qualified research and information and, instead, sought to impose the loss of thousands of jobs on this city and this State. I wonder what the Minister for Defence, Mike Kelly, in his unsafe seat of Eden-Monaro, is thinking about the people in Eden-Monaro who may lose indirect jobs and the benefits of having Garden Island in their back yard. I cannot believe that the Minister of Defence has not been on the phone to his Labor counterparts. He has not been on the phone to the shadow Treasurer, Triple M—the Maroubra middle manager. He has not picked up the phone and said to Triple M, "Mate, whatever you do, get behind the O'Farrell Government because the O'Farrell Government is trying to save jobs."

That is what we are all about. Today on the Central Coast Tony Abbott said—he was in those wonderful areas of Dobell and Robertson, represented by some fine Liberal candidates such as Karen McNamara and Lucy Wicks—that the most important thing one can do in relation to welfare is to give someone a job. That is in the DNA of the Liberal Party and The Nationals. That is our philosophy: giving a hand up, not a hand out. Yet what has the Prime Minister chosen to do today? He has chosen to take 3,000 to 4,000 direct jobs at Garden Island away from this city and this State.

Mr John Williams: Shame.

Mr RAY WILLIAMS: It is absolutely shameful; especially when we consider that the direct effect to the State's economy from that naval base is $500 million. When that is combined with the broader resources from both the naval base and the cruise ship activities it can, as the Premier correctly said, run to more than $1 billion. Today we need to stand up on behalf of Garden Island and jobs in New South Wales.

Mr MICHAEL DALEY (Maroubra) [3.46 p.m.]: What a load of poppycock. There is something not quite right about this manufactured and confected outrage today. I read the Premier's comments in the newspapers this morning. We saw the unedifying spectacle of the Premier and his mate, the Deputy Premier, gatecrashing the Prime Minister's press conference at Garden Island. The Prime Minister said to the Premier, "G'day, BOF". He then turned around and looked at a bloke who he did not know—the Deputy Premier—and said, "G'day, mate". Not even the Prime Minister of Australia knew Mr Zero Per Cent, the Deputy Premier. 22796 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

This is all about relevance deprivation syndrome. All the talk about Kevin and Tony has left the Premier feeling unloved. So what the Premier has done today, with all his vainglorious crowing around town about jobs, is to lead with his chin. As I saw his comments, as I listened to his confected outrage in the House today, and as I saw his crocodile tears, I thought there was something not quite right about this. It is not about jobs, because not one Liberal Premier from the east coast to the west coast of Australia could brag about jobs, especially when one has the blood of 15,000 public servants on one's hands. There is something not quite right in this debate. So what did I do? I looked through some of the paperwork.

Today the Premier talked about the users of Garden Island and he mentioned the navy and Thales—no doubt Thales is a good international operator. The Premier said that Thales operates a dry dock. Thales does operate a dry dock. But it does more than operate a dry dock; it donates heavily to the Liberal Party. The electoral returns for the last few years show $2,000 worth of donations to Labor and $45,000 in donations to the Liberal Party. Could that by why the Premier is confecting all this outrage, the political crocodile tears and the stunts in the House today? The embarrassment of the Premier and the Deputy Premier saying that this is a vital industry for New South Wales caused them to stand in this place and read verbatim from briefing notes prepared by their staff about the Department of Defence. The Premier is feigning indignation over this issue because of the $45,000 in political donations.

One thing that neither Campbell Newman nor the Premier of New South Wales—or probably Tony Abbott shortly—can do, is crow about jobs. If the Premier wants to talk about moving jobs out of New South Wales he should talk about bus manufacturing at Volgren, costing the Hunter 85 direct jobs. He might want to talk about Custom Coaches bleeding manufacturing jobs to Queensland, although 400 direct staff have been manufacturing buses in New South Wales for 45 years. The United Group, with 433 employees, supports thousands of local jobs directly and indirectly at Broadmeadow and Taree. They will lose out, as will EDI in Cardiff, because they will not be able to manufacture trains by design of the O'Farrell Government on the North West Rail Link.

If Government members want to crow about jobs let us talk about the 3,600 jobs from the health system, 2,400 jobs from the education system, 968 jobs from community services, 881 jobs from justice, law and order agencies, 685 jobs from government agencies responsible for policy development, 681 jobs from road and road safety, 462 jobs from government agencies responsible for promoting business investment, tourism and economic activity, 410 jobs from emergency services, 66 jobs from independent authorities and commissions, 350 jobs from the Office of Environment and Heritage on top of 80 last year and 60 jobs from NSW Fair Work inspectors, and the Government is to close a further four NSW Industrial Relations offices.

Many tradesmen who work at Garden Island were educated at TAFE and this Premier and his Deputy Premier, whom the Prime Minister does not even know, are cutting and gutting the heart out of TAFE. Government members should not cry crocodile tears about jobs in this place, particularly TAFE jobs. In crying about jobs all they are doing is looking after their donor mates. They are trying to pump themselves up because their irrelevance in the Federal election campaign will not get them anywhere. If they were serious, they would not have sent the class clown from Hawkesbury to lead the debate.

The ASSISTANT-SPEAKER (Mr Andrew Fraser): Order! I remind the member for Maroubra that he is on three calls to order.

Mr TIM OWEN (Newcastle) [3.51 p.m.]: In his tirade the member for Maroubra conveniently neglected to say that since being elected the O'Farrell Government has created 130,000 jobs. As a military person let me share the strategic error in what Kevin Rudd said this morning. Senior military people have done a lot of work on the strategy of basing ships in Brisbane. Kevin Rudd has completely disregarded this. Brisbane has a single-channel port, which is extremely shallow. The channel would need to be dredged day-in and day-out to accommodate the number of ships talked about. Nor does Brisbane have the industrial base or the engineering facilities available at Garden Island that would be needed to support it. This thought-bubble is all about trying to save Kevin's bacon in Brisbane, not about the affect it will have on jobs in New South Wales. From a military strategic perspective this is a dumb thing to do. Neil James from the Australian Defence Association agrees. It will also rape and pillage jobs in New South Wales.

Members opposite said this Government is not supporting the defence industry and is crying crocodile tears. Senior players in the defence industry consider that during the 16 years of the former Labor Government the executive level was asleep at the wheel. Labor did some work in trade and investment but nothing to support the defence industry for 16 years. Labor had a senior military officer put together a defence strategy but it chose 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22797

not to fund him and he left in frustration. Conversely, the O'Farrell Government has invested time and money in support of the defence industry in this State and it is starting to pay huge dividends, particularly for a lot of the small and medium enterprises that support the primes nationally and internationally. Those opposite did nothing in the past. Now they are bleating and moaning because those on this side are outraged at the prospect of jobs leaving this State. It is just a ridiculous notion.

Mr RICHARD AMERY (Mount Druitt) [3.54 p.m.]: The motion moved by the member for Hawkesbury opposes the Federal Government's proposal to move the Garden Island naval base, and condemns State Labor's failure to support New South Wales defence industries. The Prime Minister's press release states:

The Rudd Government will establish a Future Navy Taskforce to map out the next steps in modernising the Australian Navy fleet …

The Taskforce will advise the Government on implementing recent high-level reviews which have identified strategic and operational advantages …

In other words, another process is going on. Today that press release triggered three questions without notice to the Premier, the Deputy-Premier and the Treasurer and this motion of the member for Hawkesbury. Why are they so passionate about public sector jobs when these are Federal public sector jobs in which they play no part, not State public sector jobs? In other words, this is a phoney motion by phoney members in a phoney government.

The member for Maroubra highlighted that the Government has sacked people from a wide-range of portfolio areas. Strategically the member for Hawkesbury was the mover of the motion and the second speaker was the member for Newcastle. Those two members, together with the member for Charlestown and the member for Upper Hunter, have presided over 400 or 500 jobs going from their areas to Queensland. Bus and coach production in the Hunter is being moved to Queensland. Did we hear motions of condemnation in relation to that matter? I will check the Hansard but I do not think so. Did we hear the member for Newcastle ask questions without notice of the Premier, the Deputy Premier, the Treasurer and the Minister for Transport as to why jobs from the Hunter are being moved to Queensland?

But there is something shallow in the silence of those opposite about jobs in their electorates and it has something to do with public sector contracts at the State level—State public sector jobs. Interestingly, the dam bursts when it comes to a review by a future Federal Government about the placement of Federal Government jobs and locations. Those opposite say, "This is terrible. This is shocking." I thank the Government for asking the member for Newcastle to be the second speaker to this motion. He is from a cluster of Coalition members who have silently sat and watched as jobs have gone from their electorates because of decisions by the O'Farrell Government. Their representation to protect jobs is as phoney as the motion moved by the member for Hawkesbury. I condemn and reject the motion.

Mr GARETH WARD (Kiama) [3.57 p.m.]: I speak to this motion as a member from the Shoalhaven and the Shoalhaven has an extraordinary reliance on the defence industry: HMAS Albatross and HMAS Creswell. I note at the outset that the Opposition attempted to gag me from speaking to this motion and talking about issues that affect my region. I absolutely refute what the member for Mount Druitt said about the member for Newcastle. The member for Newcastle is one of the most upstanding military servicemen in this place. He led our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and should be commended for his service to his nation. The member for Maroubra spoke—the salmon that just jumps onto the hook—about political donations and politicisation. This motion is not about Liberal or Labor; it is about putting the interests of New South Wales first. That is exactly where the Opposition stands on this issue. Those opposite had the opportunity to get behind their State and talk about jobs. Since we came to government some 130,000 jobs have been generated. When the former Government had an opportunity to build things like the Waratah train, 150 services—

Mr Clayton Barr: Yes, we did.

Mr GARETH WARD: Right on cue another salmon jumps on the hook—the member for Cessnock. You had them made in China, mate, and you talk about jobs in this State. The member is a joke. I ask Opposition members—and I place this question on notice—if you were re-elected would we see a removal of HMAS Albatross or HMAS Creswell from my region? We have seen a white paper that outlines exactly what would happen with defence but because of the impending election, and because Mr Rudd is desperate for votes in his own State, the Prime Minister has ripped up the white paper. He is attempting to seek votes in his own State over the interests of families, jobs and businesses in this State. This motion is about supporting New South 22798 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Wales. Clearly the member for Maroubra has just walked off HMAS Delusional with his most ridiculous argument. Indeed, we have the cast of Gilligan's Island opposite. We have the Professor and Mary Ann—I think the member for Toongabbie would be Gilligan. The motion is about jobs and supporting our State. It is not about the table that divides us. It is about ensuring that we put New South Wales first. We came to government saying that we would make New South Wales number one again. The Opposition has demonstrated today that it is walking away from defence, jobs and the people of New South Wales.

Mr CLAYTON BARR (Cessnock) [4.00 p.m.]: I acknowledge the animated debate in the Chamber this afternoon and appreciate that we find ourselves once again, as I have noted in the past—

Mr Troy Grant: You don't even live near the water.

Mr CLAYTON BARR: We are talking about Federal issues and Federal issues all for political convenience. One would think that we might actually talk and care about what the State can control. I remind the House of the things the State actually has control over. For example, we have control over bus contracts.

Mr Tim Owen: Here we go.

Mr CLAYTON BARR: The member for Newcastle said, "Here we go" because I am again going to talk about jobs in the Hunter to manufacture and build buses for the State of New South Wales. Those jobs are no longer in the Hunter; the buses are now being made in Queensland. I know that is the home State for the member for Newcastle. I know he supports Queensland in the State of Origin. This is about protecting jobs here in New South Wales. I will talk about the construction of trains in the Hunter and the fact that recently Goninan-United has laid off 450 workers, while Downer EDI has laid off over 400. I refer, of course, to the economic papers that refer to the three-for-one job flow-on and the value of the money that equates to.

The Premier made a song and dance about this issue in this Chamber today. He said that almost $500 million would be ripped out of the State as a result of the Federal Government's decision. I can inform the House that $390 million has been ripped out of the Hunter based on decisions by the Premier and this Government. Members opposite representing Hunter electorates have said zip, zero, zilch, nothing. Not once have they batted their eyelids, lifted their skirt, raised their glass or asked a question in this House on behalf of the people of the Hunter Valley or the economy of the Hunter Valley. They speak only when they are given permission. They speak only when their Premier throws the ball and says, "Go fetch." They do only what their Premier says. All of a sudden jobs in New South Wales are important because they are here in Sydney. Those members were elected to represent the Hunter. They should start representing their constituents. Just because the jobs are in Sydney does not mean this is not important. Jobs in this State are important every day, but jobs in the Hunter are important and they should start stepping up to the plate to support them.

Mr ALEX GREENWICH (Sydney) [4.03 p.m.], by leave: Garden Island should retain its naval presence and any discussions about its future should be done in consultation with all levels of government and, most important, the affected community. Therefore, I will support the motion. Discussions about the future of Garden Island should not be done in the heat of a Federal election campaign. Defence has long had a naval presence at Garden Island and Potts Point and I support this continuing in the future in some form. I understand that Garden Island provides 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in my electorate. Many HMAS Kuttabul employees live in the local area. They take their kids to the local schools, shop locally and care about their neighbourhood. Their contribution to community is vital in Potts Point and Woolloomooloo. It would be a serious loss to businesses and the community if the naval base were to be relocated. It is not just naval personnel who work at the base; a number of businesses and professions that support the Royal Australian Navy, including the Australian Defence Force Credit Union and other associated businesses work onsite.

The Federal Government's independent review of Garden Island looked at how docks at Garden Island could be used for visiting cruise ships. This was not about removing the naval presence but about making the best use of it. The cruise passenger industry is growing rapidly. It contributes significantly to the tourism industry in New South Wales and we are running out of space to berth ships. Cruise ships are also becoming larger and many are unable to pass under the Sydney Harbour Bridge to dock at a terminal. Sydney needs more berthing capacity. Garden Island is one of the last remaining accessible dock facilities near Sydney and provides an opportunity to berth cruise ships east of the bridge. However, this could be done with retention of naval activities.

Some naval activities could be relocated from Garden Island because of their impacts on local residents. Ship refitting, for example, is noisy and not appropriate in what is one of the most densely populated residential 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22799

areas in Australia. But other activities play an important role in the Sydney region and should stay. I have visited the base with my grandfather, who served in the Pacific during the Second World War. We toured HMAS Ballarat. It is a great site and many people associated with the Royal Australian Navy feel passionate about it remaining at its present site. Garden Island needs to provide public access to the northern tip to provide a critical link in the Sydney Harbour foreshore walkway and some space could be used as parkland. There also should be ferry connections to Circular Quay to reduce traffic congestion and provide a direct entry to the city that is not impacted by traffic. The decision on the future of Garden Island should be made following consultation which involves the local community and all levels of government. It should not be about political point-scoring.

Mr DAVID ELLIOTT (Baulkham Hills) [4.06 p.m.]: I seek leave to make a contribution.

Leave not granted.

Mr CHARLES CASUSCELLI (Strathfield) [4.06 p.m.]: I seek leave to make a contribution.

Leave not granted.

Mr RAY WILLIAMS (Hawkesbury—Parliamentary Secretary) [4.07 p.m.], in reply: I am very disappointed that the members for Baulkham Hills and Strathfield, who feel passionately about jobs in their electorates, especially as they both have a military background and are passionate about the defence forces, were not granted leave to make a contribution to the debate. Today the Defence Force at Garden Island is being gutted by the irresponsible and neglectful actions of the Prime Minister but his day of reckoning is coming. The bell tolls for Kevin Rudd. The member for Kiama said that the Opposition looked like the cast of Gilligan's Island. I was going to refer to them as the cast of McHale's Navy. Mr Tim Conway of McHale's Navy in this case is Kevin Rudd, such are his irresponsible actions. He has not bothered to consult. The KPMG report for the Royal Australian Navy found that the direct and indirect jobs supported by the Garden Island facility are over 6,700, with an economic contribution of nearly $500 million.

Such is the economic and fiscal irresponsibility of Opposition members that they will oppose this motion today. They refuse to stand up for the people in their own backyards. We have to ask: If Labor starts with Garden Island where will it finish? Will it target the Royal Australian Air Force base in the Hawkesbury? Will it target HMAS Albatross? Labor members have enough albatrosses around their necks. Those bases are important. The member for Sydney said that the closure will have a dramatic effect on the economy of his electorate, and it will have an impact across New South Wales—thousands of jobs are being put at risk today. Where is Mike Kelly? Where is the defence Minister? How many jobs are going to be affected in Eden-Monaro, an electorate that he holds by a slim margin? He and the Prime Minister of this country are for the high jump very soon.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put.

The House divided.

Ayes, 64

Mr Anderson Mr Gee Mr Piper Mr Annesley Ms Gibbons Mr Provest Mr Aplin Ms Goward Mr Rohan Mr Ayres Mr Grant Mr Rowell Mr Baird Mr Greenwich Mrs Sage Mr Barilaro Mr Gulaptis Mr Sidoti Mr Bassett Mr Hartcher Mrs Skinner Mr Baumann Mr Hazzard Mr Smith Ms Berejiklian Ms Hodgkinson Mr Souris Mr Bromhead Mr Holstein Mr Speakman Mr Casuscelli Mr Issa Mr Spence Mr Conolly Mr Kean Mr Stokes Mr Constance Dr Lee Mr Toole Mr Cornwell Mr Marshall Ms Upton Mr Coure Mr Notley-Smith Mr Ward Mrs Davies Mr O'Dea Mr Webber Mr Dominello Mr O'Farrell Mr R. C. Williams Mr Doyle Mr Owen Mrs Williams Mr Edwards Mr Page Mr Elliott Ms Parker Tellers, Mr Evans Mr Patterson Mr Maguire Mr Flowers Mr Perrottet Mr J. D. Williams 22800 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Noes, 21

Mr Barr Mr Lynch Ms Tebbutt Ms Burney Dr McDonald Ms Watson Ms Burton Ms Mihailuk Mr Zangari Mr Daley Mr Park Mr Furolo Mr Parker Ms Hay Mrs Perry Tellers, Mr Hoenig Mr Rees Mr Amery Ms Hornery Mr Robertson Mr Lalich

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

Pursuant to sessional orders Government business proceeded with.

JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON SENTENCING OF CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT OFFENDERS

Membership

The ASSISTANT-SPEAKER (Mr Andrew Fraser): I report the receipt of the following message from the Legislative Council:

Madam SPEAKER

The Legislative Council desires to inform the Legislative Assembly that the following members of the Legislative Council have been nominated for membership to the Joint Select Committee on Sentencing of Child Sexual Assault Offenders:

Government: Mrs Pavey

Opposition: Ms Westwood

Cross bench: Revd Mr Nile

Legislative Council DON HARWIN 27 August 2013 President

ROAD TRANSPORT AMENDMENT (ELECTRONIC TRAFFIC INFRINGEMENT NOTICES TRIAL) BILL 2013

Second Reading

Debated resumed from 21 August 2013.

Mr RYAN PARK (Keira) [4.18 p.m.]: This is an effective Opposition and, as the Leader of the Opposition said from day one in this place, when the Opposition believes Government legislation will benefit the people of New South Wales it will be sensible and reasonable and support it. I lead for the Opposition in debate on the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013. The bill will amend the Road Transport Act 2013 to establish a trial for the service of penalty notices to email addresses or mobile phone numbers where the persons on whom those penalty notices are to be served elect to have the penalty notices served on them in that way. What is the bill about? There is a trial underway. From 2 September 2013, five local area commands will be taking part in this trial: Hunter Valley, Rose Bay, Sutherland, Moree and Goulburn.

According to the Government—and we will take its word for it—the bill is about reducing police red tape and reducing costs. The Opposition will always support those two aims. The bill is designed to try to reduce the administrative burden on front-line police. We support that objective. In fact, it was a Labor Government that introduced several red tape reduction reforms in relation to police, particularly around the charging process. That process was cumbersome and took a long time. I am happy to have been involved in that reform. I am also happy to have been involved with a government that introduced the Criminal Infringement Notice Scheme— CINS—which is designed to reduce the amount of red tape and the administrative burden on New South Wales police. This bill is essentially aimed at traffic offences and low-range driving offences, including use of an uninsured vehicle, not carrying a licence, not wearing a seatbelt correctly, and use of handheld mobile phone when not permitted. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22801

The legislation works simply. Drivers will be given an opportunity to provide an appropriate email address or mobile phone number. They will then be sent a notice electronically. On the surface this sounds fantastic. The Government says that it will save around $1.2 million and a significant amount of police time. It claims that the scheme will save about one hour per day per officer. Given that we are in the trial phase, I will ask the Minister, or the Parliamentary Secretary, a couple of questions. I assume the answers to these questions will be in the affirmative, but I will put them anyway. Will we see the evaluation results? Will those results be made public? Why do we want them to be made public? We want to make sure that the administrative burden does not increase if certain things occur. A wrong email address given at the point of infringement could cause the system to fail. It would then revert to the fail-safe mechanism, which involves sending the notice through the mail. That is in the bill, and it is fine—it is all fair and reasonable.

But we want to know how many times that happens during the trial. If it happens a lot—Government members must understand the legislation, not just read what they have been given by the Minister's office— there will be no time saving for front-line police or the officers of the State Debt Recovery Office. So my first request is: Can we make the evaluation results public? My second request is for the Government to release or table the evidence showing that the scheme will save police one hour per day per officer. Again, in the spirit of transparency and bipartisanship and reducing red tape for front-line police, we want to make sure that there is evidence to support that claim. It is a reasonable request. They are my only two requests in relation to this bill. I certainly hope the trial works and that it produces the results the Government expects. I expect the Government will release the evaluation results and provide evidence to substantiate its claims about reducing red tape for front-line police and the costs to government.

As I said at the outset, my colleagues and I, under the leadership of John Robertson, will always support legislation that supports front-line police and helps them to do their job of catching crooks rather than doing back-office administrative work. We will always support such initiatives. In return, we would like transparency from the Government in the form of tabled data to back up its claims of red tape reduction. We would like to see the trial results made public. That is what the community and the Opposition expect. We will support the bill. I will go as far as to say that, if the trial works well, the Wollongong Local Area Command will certainly be interested in taking part in future trials. The Opposition will always support legislation that reduces the burden on front-line police and enables officers to get out there and catch people who are doing the wrong thing and breaking the law.

[Business interrupted.]

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Divisions and Quorums

Motion by Mr BRAD HAZZARD agreed to:

That standing and sessional orders be suspended at this sitting to provide that from 5.00 pm until the rising of the House no divisions or quorums be called.

ROAD TRANSPORT AMENDMENT (ELECTRONIC TRAFFIC INFRINGEMENT NOTICES TRIAL) BILL 2013

Second Reading

[Business resumed.]

Mr MARK SPEAKMAN (Cronulla) [4.27 p.m.]: I am delighted to support the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013 because it will, if the trial succeeds, save a lot of time and money for the New South Wales Government. The bill will insert a new section 196A into the Road Transport Act 2013 after existing section 196. At the moment, under section 196 penalty notices can be served personally or by post. This bill will allow service via mobile phone or email. The overview of the bill states:

The object of this Bill is to establish a trial for the service of penalty notices under the Road Transport Act 2013 to email addresses or mobile phone numbers where the persons on whom those penalty notices are to be served elect to have the penalty notices served on them in that way.

22802 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

The section will have effect for two years. As I said, it is a trial. It is not a substitution for the modes of service under section 196 but is an additional means of service. How can a police officer serve a penalty by email or mobile phone? The officer can do it only if he or she has been authorised by the commissioner to serve penalty notices in that way for the purposes of the trial, and only if the person on whom the penalty notice is to be served has elected to have the penalty notice served in that way and has voluntarily provided an email address or a mobile phone number for the purposes of that service.

So the purpose of this trial is to test new technology. Organisations such as Apple have developed products used by law enforcement agencies internationally but the Government understands that this is the first in-house application to be developed by any law enforcement agency in the world. As I have said, the penalty notice can be served by email or by mobile phone only with the consent of the person who is the subject of the notice. That is consistent with a recommendation of the Law Reform Commission in its report No. 132, entitled "Penalty Notices", tabled in Parliament on 29 March 2012. Recommendation 6.2 of that report proposed an amendment to the Fines Act 1996 to allow agencies to serve penalty notices and subsequent notices, including reminder notices and enforcement notices, electronically where the penalty notice recipient has provided consent in advance. So the recommendation was not exactly the same as the subject matter of the bill, but what the bill proposes is consistent with the general approach recommended.

What is proposed in the trial aligns with the Government's NSW 2021 plan and complements the goals of the Government's ICT Strategy. It is the first entry by the NSW Police Force into ways to support and promote the commitments by both the State Government and the Commonwealth Government to using cloud technology. The project will commence on 2 September 2013 and will run for four weeks across five areas: the Hunter Valley, Rose Bay, Sutherland, Moree and Goulburn. I have mentioned the saving of time and money. The State Debt Recovery Office estimates that $1.2 million could be saved each year by eliminating the manual handling of traffic infringement notices. The NSW Police Force Highway Patrol estimates that about an hour per day per police officer would be saved through the electronic service of traffic infringement notices. That amounts to about 240,000 hours each year, and it will allow our hardworking front-line police officers more time to do what they are employed for, rather than performing avoidable administrative tasks. The bill also provides that under proposed new section 196A a police officer is not to serve a penalty notice on a person who is under the age of 16 years. This is a bill to enable a trial. If the trial works, it has the prospect of saving significant time and money. It will free up police officers to do more important work than handwriting infringement notices. For those reasons, I am very pleased to support the bill.

Mr GUY ZANGARI (Fairfield) [4.31 p.m.]: The purpose of the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013 is to amend the Road Transport Act 2013 to establish a trial for the service of penalty notices to email addresses or mobile phone numbers where a person to be served elects for the receipt of such notice through either of the two electronic mediums. The trial will be undertaken by the NSW Police Force. It will run for approximately four weeks, commencing 2 September 2013. It will occur in five police local area commands across New South Wales: Goulburn, the Hunter Valley, Moree, Rose Bay and Sutherland. The offences that will be included as part of the trial include: all traffic infringement notices, including excess speeding by less than 10 kilometres an hour; excess speeding by more than 10 kilometres an hour and less than 20 kilometres an hour; excess speeding by 20 kilometres an hour or more; failure to stop at a red light; use of a handheld mobile phone; driving while not wearing a seat belt correctly fitted or fastened; use of an unregistered vehicle; and use of an uninsured vehicle.

The initial trial will allow for systems and data-matching processes to occur. This will then inform the Police Force as to whether to progress to a larger trial and final evaluation of the proposed service program. The thrust of this legislation can be found in new section 196A, subsection (4), as proposed by clause 3 of the bill. Clause 3 seeks to insert a new section 196A in the Road Transport Act of 2013. New section 196A subsection (4) permits a police officer to serve a penalty notice if the officer has been authorised by the Commissioner of Police to serve a penalty notice by email or mobile phone, and the intended recipient of the penalty notice has elected to receive the notice in such manner and has voluntarily provided an email address or mobile phone number for the purposes of receiving a penalty notice. For the purposes of the administration of a penalty notice, subsection (5) of new section 196A deems that a person has been served a notice once it is sent to an email address or mobile phone number. Further, subsection (6) limits the issuing of a notice through an email address or mobile phone number if the intended recipient is under the age of 16 years.

The economics of adopting a process of sending penalty notifications via the electronic medium, according to the Government, has been well established. In the second reading of the bill presented to this House by Mr Stuart Ayres, the Parliamentary Secretary, on behalf of the Hon. Greg Smith, the Attorney 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22803

General, Mr Ayres stated that the State Debt Recovery Office has estimated that $1.2 million could be saved each year by eliminating the manual handling of traffic infringement notices. The Parliamentary Secretary also stated that the NSW Police Force Highway Patrol has estimated that approximately an hour per day per police officer will be saved through the service of traffic infringement notifications electronically. Cumulatively, this will equate to around 240,000 hours a year. Whilst these figures sound impressive, I note that the Opposition intends raising questions about how the estimates were derived. The Opposition will also seek to have the full evaluation of the trial made public before a full-scale rollout commences.

Whilst it seems the economic argument for embracing electronic notification of penalty notifications is laid out on the table, other questions need to be answered before this process of penalty notification is implemented universally throughout New South Wales. As already stated, subsection (5) of new section 196 (A) deems a penalty notice has been served once it is sent to an email address or mobile phone number. This is significant because once a penalty notice is served a recipient will have a certain time frame in which to action the notice. This time frame, depending on the contravened provision and the penalty involved, is set down in statute or regulation. Traditionally, a letter or notice sent by mail, once placed in a mailbox, is considered to have been received. The humble mailbox as a medium is regulated by both international conventions and national laws. This gives the use of the medium a great deal of certainty, enough to support an agreement to contract, once a party sends a response via the post box. Such certainty flows to the serving of a penalty notice by mail, particularly since the address of the intended recipient is recorded in government databases such as that of Roads and Maritime Services.

In contrast, unlike physical addresses, by their very nature telephone numbers and email address are rather transient in form. That begs the question: What safeguards are in place to make sure that the email or mobile phone number provided by a person in receipt of a penalty notice is correct or, more importantly, that the notice has been served properly? What happens if the person unintentionally makes an error when providing their details or the police officer makes a mistake in retrieving the email or mobile number? Will this have flow-on effects for the rights and obligations of an individual? Further, in the instance of an email, has the Government considered an email containing a penalty notice being received by an individual but being filtered by the person's email account as junk mail? How will this affect the rights and obligations of an individual? Questions such as these—whilst they may be regarded by many as insignificant—must be resolved before changes to the way that individuals receive government documentation that has legal consequences are applied universally. I await the outcome of the trial. I support the bill.

Mr GEOFF PROVEST (Tweed—Parliamentary Secretary) [4.38 p.m.]: As several members have said, the object of the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013 is to establish a trial for the service of penalty notices under the Road Transport Act 2013 to email addresses or mobile phone numbers when the persons on whom the penalty notices have been served elect to have them served in that way. We must recognise that this is a trial. It will be conducted in five areas: the Hunter Valley, Rose Bay, Sutherland, Goulburn and Moree. The Holy Grail, as I have heard speakers on both sides of the House indicate, will be the saving of in excess of 200,000 policing hours a year. That is an enormous amount of time that will be made available for those officers to do what they do best: high-profile policing on the streets of Dubbo, Cabramatta, Heathcote—anywhere across our fine State. Police men and women need to be high-profile and out doing their job, not doing the job of a clerk, sitting at a desk writing. Those 200,000 hours are worth fighting for.

Certainly there are difficulties with any trial. An analogy is the last State election in 2011 that saw the return of this Government; it was also the first trial of installation voter assistance [IVA], an electronic form of voting, which meant people did not have to go to a polling booth, they could vote on an iPhone, an iPad or on any smart phone appliance. In my area during the first trial 1,000 out of 50,000 people voted on their iPhone, and I am sure that will increase because it is easy and convenient. In relation to the electronic traffic infringement notices trial, police must first seek the person's consent to send a traffic infringement notice by email or text message. If consent is given, a portable document format [PDF] of that infringement notice will be sent. I reiterate: If this trial is successful in those five areas it will be rolled out.

Some concern has been expressed about accountability. I note in the briefing papers from the Minister that accountability mechanisms have been built into mobile infringement notice applications to ensure that all the required fields have been entered and checked prior to sending. This will mitigate any circumstances of an error occurring. I reiterate: This process will save 200,000 policing hours. The saving of a million dollars is one thing but it is the saving of those 200,000 hours that is really important. All of us would like those extra hours of policing on the streets, including in that great electorate of Coffs Harbour, around the jetty, 22804 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Mr Assistant-Speaker. Information is contained in the bill to ensure that the trial will go ahead. The bill provides that new section 196A will have a sunset period of two years or it may continue for a longer period if extended by regulation. I see this proposed amendment as just catching up with technology. It is now commonplace to do banking, book airline tickets, book hotel rooms and buy theatre tickets on iPhones, and many people use that service to a great degree. However, there may be some hiccups along the way in asking for a person's permission to send them a traffic infringement notice.

I would just like to touch on the issues of openness and transparency. I served in opposition in this House for four years and I saw that there was not much transparency prior to 2011—in fact, none at all, except in certain areas around Sydney and in certain Chinese restaurants, which will remain nameless. This new Government is open and transparent; whether it is in health, nursing numbers and so on, we see it all the time. It is exciting that this is the first in-house application in the world developed by a law enforcement agency, which means that all the parameters are controlled by the NSW Police Force. If a person fails to respond to the email or does not respond within 28 days further action will be taken, as happens currently with motorists who fail to acknowledge their infringement notices.

I think this is a great trial and I commend the Minister for Police and the Attorney General, but, as I said, the real Holy Grail is the extra 200,000 hours that police will now have out on the streets. We should be developing processes which eliminate duplication, red tape and administration and which allow those fine hardworking men and women of the NSW Police Force to do the job they were trained for and to do the job that they love—to get out there and keep our wider communities safe. I commend the bill to the House.

Mr NICK LALICH (Cabramatta) [4.44 p.m.]: I speak on the proposed Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013. The purpose of the bill is to amend the Road Transport Act 2013 to establish a trial of the issuing of penalty notices electronically. Under the proposed amendments the NSW Police Force will be given the tools required to allow it to issue penalty notices to an individual's email address or mobile phone number, should the person elect to have the penalty notice served to them in that way. The bill will amend section 196 of the consolidated Road Transport Act 2013 to allow for this trial to be in operation for a period of four weeks across five local area commands. This trial will be rolled out on 2 September 2013 in the Hunter Valley, Rose Bay, Sutherland, Moree and Goulburn.

Under the proposed changes, only officers who have been authorised by the Commissioner of Police to participate in this trial will have the capacity to issue penalty notices electronically and may only do so if the motorist elects to be served in this way, which will ensure that the trial process remains completely voluntary. Provisions have been made to ensure any person under 16 years of age who commits a traffic offence will not be able to be served in this way and that they will remain covered by the provisions of the Young Offenders Act 1997. This has been done to ensure there are no loopholes resulting in juveniles falling subject to other regulations and not being dealt with under the provisions of the Young Offenders Act 1997.

Individuals who are stopped by our NSW Police Force and asked if they would like to provide their mobile phone number or email address may do so, on a completely voluntary basis. I am pleased to see that individuals have the ability to opt in for this trial rather than having it forced upon them, especially as it could cause some confusion and concern amongst members of the community. However, I believe that the provisions relating to the issuing of electronic penalty notices could go a little further, in order to ensure that any individual who has allegedly committed an offence receives their penalty notice in a timely manner. This is especially important as a number of problems may arise during the delivery of any such infringement.

Several key issues concern me in relation to the issuing of electronic penalty notices. As all of the data is input by the New South Wales police officer who is issuing the penalty notice there is always the possibility that the officer who is entering the data into their tablet could make a mistake, such as the incorrect sequence of numbers and/or letters, which would result in the penalty notice going to the wrong phone number or email address. Under the current provisions outlined in this bill, the officer and/or the individual may select only one electronic medium, not two, by which to forward the penalty notice. The officer may incorrectly enter data into one of the two preferred electronic methods.

I understand there has been mention of disclaimers being sent with the penalty notice, which state that the individual should contact the police regarding the message if they were not the intended recipient. However; without the public being educated on such matters, I am sure a large number of people will disregard any such emails and messages as spam or scam messages and subsequently ignore them. With many residents in New South Wales holding either a marginal degree of knowledge of today's technologies and/or being somewhat 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22805

technologically illiterate, I believe there is a strong possibility for such matters to get out of hand, should there be any sort of user error, especially if any such email gets flagged as junk mail and the recipient does not notice it.

I ask the Minister to consider during the trial period having the infringement notice message sent to both the individual's email address and to their mobile phone, if they have both, and for prosecutions not to proceed and no penalties to be issued during that four-week period if people say they have not received the information. Once the system is bedded down and we have identified any loopholes involved and we have got over any hiccups, prosecutions and penalties could then ensue. I ask the Government to show forgiveness if something does not go right during the four-week trial period. I hope the Minister will take that into consideration.

Previous speakers have said that the saving of 200,000 police hours will mean that police will spend many more hours out on the beat looking after the community, which is their duty and which they say they love to do. Police would rather be out on the road catching speeding motorists, if that is their job, or mainly looking after the community and making sure that no harm comes to people. I congratulate the Minister on the new requirement for the electronic issuing of penalty notices. I suppose the electronic world has caught up with us, whether we like it or not, and we must move forward. That said, I extend my support for this bill. However, I believe that multiple electronic communication methods should be provided to make allowances for a degree of human error to occur without causing any major issues. I commend the bill to the House.

Mr ANDREW ROHAN (Smithfield) [4.50 p.m.]: I support the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013. First, I thank the Attorney General, and Minister for Justice for introducing this bill to the House. The NSW Police Force is Australia's oldest and largest police organisation. It is also one of the largest in the English-speaking world, covering 801,600 kilometres of land, air and sea and serving more than 7.2 million people who call New South Wales home. These great men and women take responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of the residents of our great State, and it is no easy task. They deserve the best equipment and technology available to make their jobs easier and more efficient. The Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013 will achieve this. This bill provides for the Hunter Valley, Rose Bay, Sutherland, Moree and Goulburn to trial the use of cloud technology to handle infringement notices.

Issuing infringement notices is an administrative task that all police officers must carry out. However, with this new technology, they will be able to spend more time out in the field helping the community and less time behind a desk filing paperwork. Twenty tablets have been distributed to police officers, as well as 20 4G routers from Telstra, to enable the efficient and paperless delivery of infringement notices. Under proposed new section 196A of the Road Transport Act 2013, the person being served with a notice can choose whether they wish to receive the infringement electronically or manually. If they choose to be served electronically, the police officer will request their email address or mobile phone number. Not only this, but by using the cloud technology the police will be able to access and share information on one person.

Cloud technology is the driving force behind infrastructure innovation and convergence. It is a pioneering service whereby information is stored at a remote location on-premises or off-premises. Users are able to access this data anywhere and anytime. This will prevent any of the data from being lost, as the information is not physically stored somewhere like software programs would be. It is all virtualised. Cloud technology allows the police to access and update the file of the person being served, and other officers can see the updates in real time. This bill covers the gaps that naturally appear when making any reform involving technology. For example, proposed new section 196A places restrictions on police officers handing out electronic infringement notices to children under the age of 16, demonstrating a concern for the privacy of minors. It also takes into account the possibility of fake email addresses and mobile numbers being given out, for which the person will be served a paper notice via mail.

This bill accompanies the New South Wales Government's ICT Strategy. The aim of this strategy is to update technologies used by the Government to create a more integrated system, where information is easily shared and stored. By updating our systems we will be able to provide faster service delivery and have more community engagement. It also aims to cut out the backlog of paperwork, which I am sure we were all too familiar with at some point. Provided this trial is successful, I will be delighted to see such implementation in my electorate. Police in the Fairfield local government area are always willing to take the next step forward in innovation. Whether we like it or not, the world is becoming more tech-savvy. We are moving into a paperless 22806 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

world. The Government must pave the way for technological advancement and bring forth innovative infrastructure and equipment that help us and our constituents. We cannot afford to use outdated systems in such a fast-paced world. Therefore, I highly commend this bill to the House.

Mr RICHARD AMERY (Mount Druitt) [4.55 p.m.]: I make a contribution to debate on the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013. As the Legislation Review Committee acknowledged, this bill inserts a new section in the legislation to allow this trial to take place with certain conditions and provisions in relation to procedure and so on. Claims have been made that the bill's provisions will save something like 200,000 to 240,000 hours a year of police time. One must question where those figures come from. I think they are ballpark figures probably put out to justify the change. I do not think members of the public will see a marked increase in policing in their streets or at their local shopping centre as a result of this bill. But no doubt a process by which the police can send either a text message or an email to someone will save operational time for serving police officers on a day-to-day basis. Whether that equates to police officers spending more time patrolling the streets is a matter for debate.

The trial is about adopting practices that do not require legislation. What we are seeing here today is being seen in many industries. Optus approached me to find out whether I would be happy to receive my telephone account by email rather than be sent a printed copy. The local real estate agent asked whether my monthly statement could be sent by email rather than by post. Of course, the same applies to electricity accounts and so on. The process here is the same. The big difference is that those organisations do not require State or Federal legislation to send those requests to consumers. I have been told by a local businessperson that when they have given people the option of receiving accounts and so on by email rather than through the post, more than 70 per cent have adopted that practice. So at the small business end probably a considerable amount of office time is saved by sending emails.

Therefore, that would translate into what the police are saying, that is, that some administrative time will be saved by this process. Whether it is 200,000 hours or whether it adds to visibly more police on the streets, is a point of debate. I turn now to the evolution of infringement notices. Many years ago I was in the Police Force. During my time in the force a number of changes were made; we were told that many thousands of police hours could be saved by adopting new practices for issuing infringement notices. I will give some examples. In years gone by the traffic infringement notice, handwritten by a serving police officer, could be handed only to the person to whom it was addressed. It could not be sent by post or issued at the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Some police officers would think that is a lot of nonsense, and it is true that they have been issuing them for years. A major change took place in the early 1980s, I think, when a traffic infringement notice could be given to a person who was involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Another major change was that a person taking details in an official notebook could go back to the station, fill out a traffic infringement notice by hand and post it to the person involved. That was not allowed under police regulations in the 1970s but was adopted in the 1980s. If a police officer was walking the beat carrying an official notebook and a biro and saw a traffic offence being committed he could write down the details. Back at the police station, he would fill out a field breach book in triplicate and copies were sent to the traffic branch, which would post out a typed traffic infringement notice to the person involved. There was no way that a police officer could send out an infringement notice by mail at that time. One can imagine that police, and traffic police in particular, lobbied for changes because it highlighted the very real fact that by allowing police officers to post infringement notices themselves that process involving the traffic branch would be avoided.

Motor vehicle accidents could not be dealt with using a handwritten traffic infringement notice. Details were recorded at the scene of the accident and at the station the police officer would type up a P4 accident report. He then filled out a P25 breach report, which was sent to the traffic branch which then sent a ticket through the post. One can imagine how many public servants were involved in that process before a police officer was allowed to issue a ticket at the scene of an accident after changes were introduced in the 1980s. This legislation also introduces changes by adopting the electronic world in relation to the issuing of infringement notices. I think this trial will be successful.

Some issues will be raised with members of Parliament about a person being deemed to be served with an infringement notice. They will deny having received an email from the police about an infringement, therefore the enforcement costs should be waived, or losing their licence or car registration should not apply. Those concerns will come about not because of any major change but because they did not get the email, an upper case or lower case letter was used in an email and, as a result, the motorist would not then receive the 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22807

infringement notice. I am sure some electronic safeguards will be looked at during the trial to address those issues. These changes are not unlike the current situation where an infringement notice sent by the traffic branch to the last registered address of a person is deemed to be served on that person. Therefore, I think those issues can be overcome and we have only to look to the current practice in relation to how a letter or infringement notice is deemed to be served just by accurately addressing it to the person concerned.

I lament that this will result in many thousands of items of correspondence not going through Australia Post, thereby exacerbating the ever-reducing number of business letters and personal letters it delivers. No doubt that will put some pressure on Australia Post employees in the long-term together with the increasing number of organisations such as Optus, Telstra, real estate companies and electricity companies that no longer send out correspondence or bills. It will result in the winding back of job opportunities in Australia Post, which is a Federal Government organisation. Federal Government jobs were the subject of an earlier debate, but the Government does not appear to have too many concerns about the gradual loss of jobs in Australia Post. Perhaps that is a debate for a future day. I support the bill and I think the trial will end up being successful.

Mr LEE EVANS (Heathcote) [5.04 p.m.]: I also lament a loss of jobs, but the days of horsehair wigmakers and step-in shoes are over as well and we need to move our lives into even the twentieth century and then the twenty-first century. I support the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013. The object of this bill is to establish a trial for the service of traffic penalty notices by amending the Road Transport Act 2013 to allow notices to be sent to email addresses or mobile phone numbers if the person in question elects to have them served in this way.

This proof-of-concept trial by the NSW Police Force is across five local area commands, including Sutherland Local Area Command in my electorate. The trial will run for four weeks to allow a systems testing and data matching process to occur. This will then be part of a report by the NSW Police Force to assess whether a larger production trial will be effective. I am pleased that this trial is expected to return significant time saving for front-line police by eliminating data duplication and entry requirements. In addition to the time savings, the State Debt Recovery Office has estimated that $1.2 million per annum could be saved by eliminating the manual handling of traffic infringement notices that currently need to be sent via the mail.

Ultimately, the NSW Police Force Highway Patrol is expected to gain an hour per day per police officer, which equates to a massive 240,000 hours a year. I was pleased to see 161 probationary constables graduate from the Goulburn Police Academy on Friday, and I wish them all the best in their careers in such a selfless job. I hope that for the sake of the police officers of New South Wales, not just the community, that the Government will continue implementing trials such as this to keep police out of the office doing menial tasks and out on the streets doing what they have trained so long to do.

Ms Noreen Hay: Put them on the trains.

Mr LEE EVANS: I note the interjection of the member for Wollongong. Sutherland Local Area Command and Wollongong Local Area Command each received a new officer, which is fantastic. It will make New South Wales number one again. I think that officers will have their hands full chasing the member for Wollongong. Getting police back out onto the street conducting their front-line duties is a great step towards our NSW 2021 goals, which include preventing and reducing the level of crime. I hope that these bright new probationary constables will be keen and energetic in reducing crime wherever they have been posted.

I want to talk briefly about the police and the highway patrol in my electorate of Heathcote. The Heathcote electorate is 458 square kilometres and roads, including part of the F6, are hotspots for highway patrol activities. Activities that occur in the wee small hours of the night in the Royal National Park have been in the local media recently. The highway patrol is working in the Royal National Park to try to stop what is called colloquially the "Natio run", which is a race from gate to gate through the national park at 2.00 a.m. The highway patrol is very interested in stopping such an activity in the night, which has increased in the past couple of months.

I will now describe the amendments which allow this trial to take place. The bill inserts proposed new section 196A into the Road Transport Act 2013 to establish a trial for the service of penalty notices to email addresses or mobile phone numbers. These contact details need to be voluntarily provided by the person on whom the notice is to be served. The current section 196 provides that the penalty notice may be served personally or by post. Sending a penalty notice to an email address or mobile phone number will keep the NSW Police Force up to date with current technology and help to simplify the often overcomplicated process. In 22808 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

20 years the member for Wollongong will probably be amused to read Hansard. Indeed, we will all probably laugh at how ridiculous it is to be talking about sending emails and short message services to phones. I am sure technology will move forward briskly in the future and we will not need to send out notices. There will be recognition of a vehicle's number plate and notification will be sent direct to the home address. The bill amends the Act to provide that only NSW Police Force officers are authorised officers.

Additionally, the bill disallows these notices from being given to children under 16 years. They will only be given to individuals who are of legal driving age. Underage juveniles who commit traffic offences will continue to be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act 1997. The project commences on 2 September 2013 and will run for four weeks across the Sutherland, Hunter Valley, Rose Bay, Moree and Goulburn local area commands. Choosing both urban and regional local area commands will ensure that the efficacy of the cloud technology will be tested in remote sites. The trial will be rolled out so that police will first ask a person's consent to send their penalty notice via email or text, not both, or if they still prefer regular Australia Post mailing—which will make the member for Mount Druitt happy. This conversation will be recorded by the police in-car video and can be used as evidence if there is any problem or complaint about the conversation later.

An added benefit of the trial will be the 20 tablets with individual 4G routers provided by Telstra, which will allow the use of global position system technology to pinpoint the exact spot where the offence occurred. The email or mobile message will include a portable document format version of the infringement notice and the person will be able to download and print it or pay via a hyperlink to the State Debt Recovery Office site. This electronic infringement notice will contain the same information as the hard copy paper-based notices. Unlike the paper-based notices, the trial will allow multiple infringements to be entered on one notice, greatly reducing data entry by police officers and allowing the person to pay one notice and challenge another in court due to the individual penalty numbers.

Data entry by police officers will also be lessened in court, if not totally removed, as they currently need to re-enter the data from their notebooks into the Computerised Operational Policing System. This cloud-based trial will allow automatic and immediate updates, unlike the current system. Without the legislative amendments, police will be unable to issue electronic traffic infringement notices in the field. I understand a few bugs need to be sorted out and many evaluations and reviews undertaken, but I truly hope this trial is a success. I again commend the New South Wales Government for implementing this trial so that our front-line agencies can actually be on the front line, not sitting behind a desk. When our police keep up to date with technology, the criminals lose and the community wins. I commend this bill to the House.

Mr KEVIN CONOLLY (Riverstone) [5.13 p.m.]: I make a brief contribution to the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013. It was Gilbert and Sullivan who said a policeman's lot is not a happy one. I think police are most happy when they are out in the field doing their job; they are most unhappy when they are tied down by paperwork and administration that prevents them from doing what they joined the force to do. People in all walks of life have that experience, but it is particularly galling for police because they know the demand for their services is never-ending and they want to get out there and meet the challenge.

Front-line police want to protect the community from those who make us unsafe on the roads and those who commit offences that endanger our peace and security. Although this may be a small measure, it is definitely a move in the right direction. If it saves police time spent on paperwork, administration and what they regard as a distraction from the main game, it is worthwhile. As other speakers have stated, the bill provides for a trial period. The technology will be trialled in a number of specific locations around the State and in such a way that it can be evaluated so any bugs can be ironed out and it can be rolled out more broadly to work effectively.

This simple step forward will bring policing into the twenty-first century in yet another of the many aspects of their work. Indeed, in many other technologies police are already well advanced in their game. Unfortunately, paperwork and time spent in processing and following up jobs takes them away from their core work. Perhaps this is something that could be trialled in other aspects of their work as well. I am sure that if the same logic were applied, police on the front line would be only too happy to trial it if it allowed them more time to do tasks rather than spending time at their computers following up tasks.

The bill is fairly straightforward. It inserts a new section to allow an optional method of issuing infringement notices. That optional method depends on the person being booked consenting to have the 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22809

infringement notice delivered electronically and providing the relevant email or short message service details. The trial period should not involve any dramas as people have the option to choose the process. If they prefer the existing system, the notice will arrive by post. Those who are comfortable with today's technology can be notified in this way. Only police officers who are authorised to use this method can do so under the trial and not all officers will be set up with the app. Those officers with the technology will be able to issue notices to people who have elected this method of notification.

Notification in this matter will not be applied to people under the age of 16 to ensure that protections under the Young Offenders Act are observed and are not bypassed by the process. Perhaps the trial could explore the interaction between the method of infringement notices being served and retaining protections for young people. I am sure police are aware of this issue and will explore it into the future. Opposition speakers have raised some pragmatic issues that may arise during the trial period, such as incorrect addresses, mistakes being made and how the follow-through works. I am sure police will consider those sensible matters during the trial and may tweak the processes of the app to address those issues as they arise. Nevertheless, this initiative is definitely worth trialling as it will reduce the time that police spend on administrative work, which must be a good thing. It provides the potential for quicker resolution and payment of fines—not many people like fines hanging around anyway. If it happens also to save administrative costs with the reduction in paper and mailing, that is not a bad thing either.

These are benefits that potentially may be rolled out on a greater canvas in future if this kind of technology proves successful in this instance. Therefore, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and the Minister for Roads and Ports should be commended for this sensible initiative that takes us one step further towards the goal of ensuring that our police can be on the job as much as possible delivering as good a service as possible to the people of New South Wales, which is the reason they entered the force. The only time I was ever in police uniform was when I was in a Gilbert and Sullivan performance, acting on stage both as a policeman and a pirate in the Pirates of Penzance.

We know that people who wear a police uniform take on a serious responsibility on behalf of the people of New South Wales. Indeed, they put themselves at serious risk every time they put on their uniform. In recent years there have been sad examples of quite ordinary police jobs turning into anything but—it can happen to a police officer in the blink of an eye. This is a small step in support of police in their role and the Government should do that when it has the opportunity. I hope the Ministers involved will be looking for other extensions of this logic to ensure that police have the best opportunity to do what they joined the NSW Police Force to do—that is, to enforce the law. This is a common-sense move from a common-sense government. I commend the bill to the House.

Mr BRYAN DOYLE (Campbelltown) [5.20 p.m.]: I support the Road Transport Amendment (Electronic Traffic Infringement Notices Trial) Bill 2013.

Ms Noreen Hay: Speak up.

Mr BRYAN DOYLE: Sorry, I did not know your hearing aid was turned off. As a former police officer of 27 years it gives me great pleasure to see further improvement in the traffic infringement process. Back in the dim dark days when I began work with the NSW Police Force legislation such as the Justices Act and Traffic Act covered traffic offences and the process of dealing with offences summarily in the local courts. That was done from time immemorial. Indeed, when one looks at the improvements made to those processes we have made great bounds forward. Originally police had to arrest someone and take them back to the police station where a charge sheet was typed up in triplicate using carbon paper. Hansard might remember those days but many in this Chamber would not know of carbon paper or that it was used to create an exact copy of the original document. The charge would be handwritten in copperplate handwriting into the charge book. Most of the traffic offences at the time had a stamp and then the details were filled in. The person would eventually appear in court and be dealt with.

We then moved to a process where officers could summons offenders and that was done by a field breach report. When a motorist was stopped, you would take their details and inform them they would be issued with a summons. You would then return to the station to type up your breach report. That breach report was submitted to the traffic sergeant—a learned, wizened man of many years who knew much about traffic—and he would adjudicate and decide whether an offence had been made out. If it was signed-off you would then issue the summons to the offender. The offender would then have their day in court or have the matter dealt with under section 75B in their absence and a penalty notice issued. 22810 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Perhaps one of the greatest improvements in policing traffic offences and minor offences was the self-enforcing infringement notice, commonly known as TINs and PINs—traffic infringement notices and parking infringement notices. My daughters were thrilled to hear that we also called them "pills". One asked me, "Dad, why do you call them pills?" I said, "Well, after you have given them to someone they feel better and they behave better." Those infringement notices were filled out at the scene. The most popular infringement notice was the "007AEY" for negligent driving. Negligent driving covered a range of sins and could be used to describe most offences. Indeed, it was one infringement notice that most general duties police officers knew off-by-heart. We had a card of offences, which was about 40-pages thick, from which one would pick the correct offence, whether it be fail to stop at a stop sign, fail to give way or fail to indicate when changing lanes—one of the pet hates of those who drive on our major roads.

The traffic infringement notices would be served on the person at the scene. They could choose to deal with it by paying, elect to have it heard in court or take the procrastinator's route and sit and wait for it to self-enforce with a fine, and if you did not pay that fine it would affect your licence and registration. Even before that the non-payment of fines meant a commitment warrant would be issued for a person to be arrested. I recall being on duty with Constable First Class Pat Jarvis, as he then was, when he was playing for Australia and St George Dragons. We would take the money book and the warrants and it would be the money or the body—they either paid up or they were put it in the back of truck and taken away. That was then changed to affecting people's licences and registration. The system was also improved so that self-enforcing infringement notices could be mailed. A police officer would investigate an accident but was not allowed to issue a traffic infringement notice if a person was injured or taken to hospital. It may have turned out later that the injury was not serious and a police officer could proceed by way of a traffic infringement notice mailed to the person's address.

This bill is another step in the long history of improving our legal process. It allows for the service of a traffic infringement notice to be by way of email or mobile telephone. Most of us now carry a mobile communications device around. Even the member for Wollongong has one. Anyone who has teenage kids would know that they love their mobile communications device. My daughters will not be separated from their mobile devices—they suffer from anxiety if they are. The self-enforcing infringement notice can be served on people this way. The offender supplies their telephone number and they know the notice is coming. I am sure many young people who receive a traffic infringement on their mobile communication device share it on Facebook. They show that they have taken their "pill" and will be looking to improve. Who knows what the future may bring. We can now purchase goods by waving a credit card as we pass the checkout and before we know it we have our goods and are gone. One day we may have a smartcard for a driver licence. One may be able to tap it a police officer's mobile device and using an app the details of the fine will be transferred directly to the licence. That would be amazing.

I have no doubt that as technology continues to improve there will be other ways to ease the process of serving tickets. As the member for Riverstone said, it is all about road safety. The laws are there to provide a safe environment for us to drive on our roads. Since I first started driving the roads have become progressively safer. I recall my father, who was a magistrate, advised us not to drive on certain days of the year for fear of drunken drivers. Our roads were very much a dangerous killing zone then but improvements in road safety have improved the lot of our community. Many have not had to suffer the tragedy of road trauma. I survived a car accident in the bush that resulted in a fatality. I can attest that road accidents have a catastrophic effect on families, communities and employment and anything we can do to improve road safety is a very worthy project. I am proud to commend this bill to the House and I look forward to the trial being a success.

Mr STUART AYRES (Penrith—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.30 p.m.], on behalf of Mr Greg Smith, in reply: I thank the members for the electorates of Cronulla, Tweed, Rockdale, Heathcote, Riverstone, Campbelltown, Smithfield, Keira, Mount Druitt, Fairfield and Cabramatta for their contributions to the bill. It is important to acknowledge the bipartisan support of the Opposition for the trial established through this bill. The bill recognises the importance of the changing world of technology, particularly when it comes to the NSW Police Force engaging with the community. As many members said, this bill supports front-line services by ensuring that police officers will spend more time out on the beat protecting streets and making sure that roads are safer, rather than spending unnecessary time—if this trial proves to be a success—on paperwork.

I turn now to address a couple of points raised by members in debate. For instance, how the trial would be evaluated. The evaluation of the proof of concept will focus on the testing of the software. Evaluation of matters such as productivity savings and suitability of the hand-held device will be considered as part of a wider evaluation, if the project proceeds to a production trial. The framework for the findings has been discussed with 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22811

the NSW Police Force, the Department of Attorney General and Justice, the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the State Debt Recovery Office, the Audit Office of New South Wales and the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services. The framework includes such issues as the evaluation of a suitable PDF version for the infringement notice; whether the NSW Police Force disclaimer provides adequate advice, in particular for those who receive a notice in error; the number of times the police or the State Debt Recovery Office are contacted by people about the project; feedback received from the State Debt Recovery Office, the NSW Police Force "contact us" page and the Police Assistance Line regarding the customer experience of the electronic service; the effect of the electronic service on the speed at which the infringement notice is paid; technological data issues and issues with cloud technology; identifying software bugs and whether there are any issues arising from the transmission of data from the Computerised Operational Police System database to the State Debt Recovery Office.

As part of the evaluation of the trial baseline data from five local area commands will provide a comparison before and after the pilot, along with comparisons of the efficacy of the service in metropolitan versus rural and regional areas. Police will survey officers involved in the trial, with ongoing feedback provided as the trial proceeds. Police are also considering how to include information in their survey of police officers, which relates to whether a person receiving a notice was a vulnerable person and, if so, if there were any issues for that person in comprehending the infringement notice being provided electronically. In the longer term there may well be an ability to undertake a comparison between infringement notices issued under the current requirements and infringement notices issued electronically. However, whilst this data will be collected the comparisons will have to wait until the last possible court hearing date, which will be well after the trial has concluded.

Questions were also raised about what consultation had occurred. Consultation around the drafting of the bill included consultation with agencies such as the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, Roads and Maritime Services, Transport for NSW, the Department of Attorney General and Justice, and the Department of Finance and Services. Agreement was reached to limit the proposed amendments to the statutory provisions necessary to enable the trial to occur. Police also consulted agencies, including the State Debt Recovery Office, the Police Association of NSW and other Australian law enforcement jurisdictions, about the trial.

Some members asked what would happen if a false email address or mobile phone number was provided or if an infringement notice was sent to the wrong person. If a person provides a false email address or mobile phone number then he or she will be dealt with through the State Debt Recovery Office follow-up procedures. The State Debt Recovery Office sends reminder notices 28 days after the issuing of an infringement notice to the residential address shown on the drivers licence. If a police officer believes the email address or phone number being provided is false then he or she may choose to proceed with a manual paper notice. In this way avoidance of service of an electronic traffic infringement notice will not differ from what currently happens if that issue occurs with a person receiving a fine by post.

A disclaimer will be provided on infringement notices so that if an electronic traffic infringement notice is incorrectly sent to an email address or mobile phone number that person is able to contact police, quote the infringement notice number and advise that it has been sent in error. A link will also be provided that will take the person to the NSW Police Force "contact us" page. The person will be able to select the area they wish to contact—in this case the customer assistance unit—and enter all necessary details. The Police Assistance Line number will also be available for people to contact and staff have been advised on how to record and deal with issues relating to the project. Those contacting police may also be spoken to by a project team member who will determine the issues to be incorporated in the pilot findings. People seeking assistance will have the option to speak to members of the State Debt Recovery Office, which has also established a team to take questions from callers who have received a notice in error.

In conclusion, this is obviously a statutory arrangement to establish a trial to provide for a technological advance in the way we issue infringement notices. It has the support of the Opposition, and I am sure if we see some success this will be a good first step to improving on-the-ground service to customers and ensuring that members of the NSW Police Force spend as much time as they can fighting crime rather than filling out paperwork.

Question—That this bill be now read a second time—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a second time. 22812 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

Third Reading

Motion by Mr Stuart Ayres, on behalf of Mr Greg Smith, agreed to:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and transmitted to the Legislative Council with a message seeking its concurrence in the bill.

BUDGET ESTIMATES AND RELATED PAPERS

Financial Year 2013-14

Debate resumed from 22 August 2013.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD (Myall Lakes) [5.37 p.m.]: I make a contribution to this take-note debate. This budget, which was brought down in June, sets New South Wales apart from governments across the world. It slows expense growth, accelerates spending on infrastructure and reduces net debt and that is an extraordinary trifecta in light of the challenges faced by New South Wales. The Liberal-National Government has spent two years fixing the mess left by Labor in this State and with this our third budget we turn securely towards the future. The budget consolidates two years of tough decisions, reform and stringent expense control. The theme of the budget is jobs, housing and infrastructure and it will boost the confidence of small business to invest, grow and hire.

The electorate of Myall Lakes will receive approximately $72.5 million in this budget. Over the past three years my electorate has received an average of $117 million per year. One of the pillars of the budget is business and jobs. As from 1 July 2013 the payroll tax threshold will increase to $750,000 and annual indexation will cease. Some 1,350 businesses will move out of the payroll tax base for 2013-14 and for those businesses still paying payroll tax the average saving will be $3,325 in the current financial year compared with the previous year. A threshold of $750,000 is equal to around three years of indexation, if indexation were to continue. Increasing the payroll tax threshold to $750,000 means that New South Wales will remain competitive with Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The payroll tax rebate under the Jobs Action Plan increased from $4,000 to $5,000 from 1 July 2013. New applicants from 1 July 2013 continue to receive the rebate in two instalments, with $2,000 paid on the first anniversary and $3,000 paid on the second anniversary. The back-loaded payment encourages employers to retain their new staff for two years. The scheme will close to new applicants from 30 June 2015, and the $100,000 cap will be removed.

Since the scheme was put in place it has contributed to the creation of nearly 130,000 jobs in the first term of this Government. The policy intent of the Act remains unchanged: that the rebate scheme assist in 60 per cent of new jobs being created in the metropolitan area and 40 per cent of new jobs being created in the non-metropolitan area. This policy has been great for jobs in New South Wales. This demonstrates that the Liberal-Nationals Government is the party of the workers. It is the party that wants to retain jobs in this State— unlike Labor, which once was the champion of the workers. Those days are gone. Today the Prime Minister announced that 4,000 workers at Garden Island will be thrown out the door—gone! Those 4,000 jobs will be lost to New South Wales—without consultation with the New South Wales Government—in an attempt by the Prime Minister to shore up Labor electorates in his State of Queensland.

Ms Noreen Hay: How many jobs did your Government get rid of?

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: I acknowledge the interjection of the member for Wollongong. Prior to the last State election what did State Labor do? It entered into a contract for Waratah trains to be manufactured in China—yes, 10 years of contracts for rail carriage manufacture for New South Wales went to China. What did those opposite do about that? Absolutely nothing. It was disgraceful that those rail manufacturing jobs were lost at a time when New South Wales has great companies that make world-class trains—companies like UGL Rail and others. Those manufacturers were wiped by the previous Labor Government in New South Wales.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr John Barilaro): Order! I remind the member for Wollongong that she is on one call to order. I will have no qualms in calling the member to order for the second time. The member for Myall Lakes will be heard in silence. 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22813

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: To take the burden off businesses so that they can employ more people, stamp duty on business mortgages, non-quoted marketable securities and transfer duty on non-real estate business transfers—for example, goodwill, patents and intellectual property—is to be retained to fund commitments under the National Education Reform Agreement. This initiative will generate an additional $1.5 billion over the forward estimates to fund commitments under the National Education Reform Agreement. In addition, the $15,000 First Home Owners Grant—which was due to be reduced to $10,000 on 1 January 2014—is retained at $15,000 for another two years, to 1 January 2016. This is being done to assist the ongoing recovery in the housing sector. The previous Labor Government killed the housing industry during its 16 years in office by introducing the vendor tax. That tax did not stay around long. Labor soon got the message that it was a disastrous tax: it ruined the building industry. The building industry has never quite recovered from that tax. This industry, which employs so many people and creates so many jobs in New South Wales, was nearly lost because of the previous Labor Government.

This budget does so much for Myall Lakes. Myall Lakes, which is on the mid North Coast, is renowned as Australia's water playground, with its Myall River, Bombah Broadwater, Myall Lakes, Smiths Lake and Wallis Lakes, in the local government area of Great Lakes. In Greater Taree is the mighty Manning River, the only delta formation in the Southern Hemisphere, with 156 kilometres of navigable waterways. From Manning Point in the north to the Myall River in the south there are 200 kilometres of beaches and headlands. It is an absolutely ideal area. Just throw in a fishing line—you do not even need a hook—to catch a fish. It is fantastic. Of course, 30 per cent of Sydney rock oysters are grown in the Wallis Lakes.

Mr Andrew Gee: Can we visit?

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: I welcome anyone to come up and try the fare in the Myall Lakes electorate. Come visit, have some oysters and catch some fish.

Mr Andrew Gee: Sounds great.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: It is. Myall Lakes is also renowned for whale watching. Now is the time to see many whales on their journey north. It is also home to pods of dolphins, which virtually come on call. Visitors can take a trip on the many pleasure boats for whale and dolphin watching. There are a number of areas, such as the nursery, where young dolphins are always playing and frolicking, and there are whales by the thousands. Myall Lakes also includes other great landmarks. We have the tallest tree in Australia near Bulahdelah, or Wootton. We also have Treachery Head Lighthouse, which has won awards for its accommodation. This absolutely fantastic place to visit was the location of a great movie that I think is being released this year. It is based on the book The Grandmothers, starring Naomi Watts and American actress Robin Wright, as well as a number of actors who appeared in the Twilight movies. Seal Rocks, the site of the lighthouse, and Forster Beach were the locations for the movie. And what great locations! They looked all over Australia to find the best place to film their movie, and chose the Myall Lakes electorate, and in particular Seal Rocks and Forster. Myall Lakes is famous not only for its oysters but also for—

Mr Andrew Gee: Ayers Rock?

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: The Ayers Rock service station is just a little further south and east of my electorate. But it is famous for the hinterland. On the border of Myall Lakes is Ellenborough Falls, the longest single-drop waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere. Just outside the electorate is Waitui Falls, extending from the mountains to the sea. The mighty Manning River meanders through the mountains down to the ocean. After I have finished my speech I will tell the member for Cabramatta how to spell that word.

Mr Nick Lalich: I know what it is.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: There are several important industries in the area. More dairy farms are in the Manning Valley than in any other area of New South Wales. The mid North Coast supplies 30 per cent of fresh milk for New South Wales. I have spoken about the fishing industry, which is also extremely important. There is still some timber industry—though a lot of that was gutted by the previous Labor Government, which turned State forests into national parks, without any scientific reason for that decision. One of the serious concerns in the Myall Lakes electorate is roads. It is therefore pleasing that so much in this budget relates to roads, particularly rural and regional roads. Infrastructure projects in rural and regional New South Wales received a record funding boost, with $3.9 billion invested as part of the 2014 State Roads budget. The Liberal-Nationals Government has committed to delivering the infrastructure that rural and regional New South Wales deserve, to help link the communities and provide safe and efficient passage for freight through the State. 22814 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

The Government has committed $220 million to continue work on the dual carriageway upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Tintenbar and Ewingsdale. Further highlights include $180 million to start work on the dual carriageway upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Frederickton and Eungai; $145 million to start work on the dual carriageway upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga; $140 million to start work on the dual carriageway upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Nambucca Heads and Urunga; $100 million to progress planning and preconstruction work for the upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Woolgoolga and Ballina; $50 million to award the construction contract and commence construction on the upgrade of the Pacific Highway between the Oxley Highway and Kundabung; $24.7 million to complete work on the dual carriageway upgrade of the Pacific Highway at Devils Pulpit; and $20 million to complete planning and to undertake preconstruction work on the section of the Pacific Highway between Warrell Creek and Urunga.

The tremendous commitment of this Government is apparent. The Government committed to provide 20 per cent of funding for the upgrade of the Pacific Highway. The former Labor Government, during its 16 shameful years in office, reduced that funding to 17 per cent, 14 per cent and 13 per cent. It is great that following the Federal election on 7 September—which will be known as "clean up Australia day"—the Federal Liberal and National parties will provide 80 per cent of the funding. That is their commitment. When Labor was in power in New South Wales the Federal Labor Government's funding commitment was 80:20—or, more often, 86:14. But as soon as there was a change of government in New South Wales the Federal Government breached its understanding with the State and reduced the funding ratio to 50:50, which it has maintained.

The last thing people should do, particularly residents of the North Coast, is vote for a Federal Labor Government because it will only commit to 50:50 funding for the Pacific Highway. That means the State Government will have to put more money into the Pacific Highway. It will have to take money from education, health, local roads and other infrastructure in New South Wales to make up the shortfall, or it will take longer to complete the road, which will mean more deaths on the Pacific Highway. State Labor members do not care about this issue; it does not affect their electorates. They should stand up for the people of New South Wales and tell their Federal colleagues, "You have to commit to the Pacific Highway. You have to commit to 80 per cent funding. You did it for us; now keep on doing it, because that is what the people of New South Wales want." The Pacific Highway is a killing field—and there were more deaths on that road last weekend.

The member for Cabramatta may laugh, but there were more deaths on the Pacific Highway on the weekend because the road has not been upgraded. The State Government is saying that we will pay our share— our 20 per cent—and the Federal Coalition has said that it will pay 80 per cent. But we have not heard a squeak out of Federal Labor, because Labor members do not care. It is not only the communities of the North Coast that are affected by the funding shortfall; people from Sydney and other parts of New South Wales travel up the coast along the Pacific Highway. They could become part of the road toll—it is not just locals who are being killed on the Pacific Highway. It is disgraceful that State Labor has allowed this situation to evolve and that Federal Labor keeps maintaining this sham of 50:50 funding when the ratio has always been 80:20. Fortunately, we have an opportunity on 7 September—clean up Australia day—to get rid of the shameful Federal Labor Government. The last thing the people of New South Wales and of Australia want is another six years like the past six years. Six years under Federal Labor were very similar to the 16 shameful years under Labor in New South Wales.

Other roads also will receive funding in this budget. There is $202 million for the Princes Highway, $222 million for the Hunter Expressway, $140 million for the Great Western Highway, $43 million for the Bells Line of Road, $35 million for the Bridges for the Bush program, $5 million for the Newell Highway, $7.4 million for a second bridge over the Clarence River, $5.59 million for the Silver City Highway, and $1.1 million for the Cobb Highway. The average spend by the former State Labor Government on country roads was $2.42 million over 10 years. This Government spent $3.7 billion in 2011-12 and $3.8 billion in 2012-13, and in the 2013-14 budget we will spend $3.9 billion. We have outdone the former Government in spending on country roads and bridges.

Not only is the Liberal-Nationals Government spending between $3.7 billion and $3.9 billion on average, but we have also provided an extra $135 million for Restart NSW to go towards the Bridges for the Bush program and $290 million for a works program to upgrade or replace bridges at 17 key locations across New South Wales. Separate from the Bridges for the Bush funding we have committed $157 million in this budget and $123 million in the previous budget for other bridge replacements, upgrades and repairs across the State. In anyone's language, the Liberal-Nationals Government is delivering for regional New South Wales. I am proud to be able to stand here and say that I am part of this Government that is delivering so much for regional New South Wales after 16 years of neglect. [Extension of time agreed to.] 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22815

We have also introduced a new plan that includes reforms to support more Aboriginal children. Myall Lakes has a high Aboriginal population. The Connected Communities strategy involves trialling innovative education methods and new ways of running schools.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): Order! I call the member for Wollongong to order for the second time.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: Of the 15 New South Wales schools that are part of the initiative, two are in Taree. That is recognition of the high representation of Aboriginal children in our school community. It is great to see that we are doing more for our Aboriginal population—more than the former Labor Government ever did. Through this budget we are doing more to support and encourage Aboriginal children to stay at school, transition to work and to build local decision-making skills. The New South Wales Government plan for Aboriginal Affairs, known as OCHRE—which stands for opportunity, choice, healing, responsibility, empowerment—will receive a total of $4.7 million per annum. OCHRE puts Aboriginal people at the heart of decision-making and focuses on education, employment and accountability. Also, $69 million will be provided to support Aboriginal communities, veterans, young people, volunteers and multicultural communities, and that includes $10 million for the Community Relations Commission to foster continued multicultural harmony in New South Wales.

More than $3 million will be provided in grant funding for innovative youth leadership projects and more than $200,000 will be provided for local Youth Week events and for continued support of the Youth Advisory Council and youth advocacy. This Government is providing more money and more support to Aboriginal communities. Money is not everything, but the programs that that money funds to help Aboriginal communities is important. The member for Keira spoke negatively about the budget and criticised the Regional Relocation Grant. He said that the program is not working. There are a number of reasons that the take-up of the grant has been low. One reason is that the Australian economy is going backwards. Six years of Federal Labor have absolutely wrecked the Australian economy.

Ms Noreen Hay: Point of order: The member for Myall Lakes is totally off track.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): Order! What is the member's point of order?

Ms Noreen Hay: It is the budget take-note debate and the member is talking about the Federal economy.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): Order! The comments of the member for Myall Lakes are relevant to the debate. There is no point of order. The member for Wollongong will resume her seat.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: It is interesting that the member for Wollongong has taken a point of order on my discussing the Australian economy when I am contributing to a budget debate. What could be more important to the budget than the Australian economy? That reveals the Achilles heel of members opposite: They are concerned about their 16 years of fiscal irresponsibility. The last thing the member for Wollongong wants is for me to talk about the inadequacies of the previous Labor Government, which lost $500 million on the railway that went nowhere.

Ms Noreen Hay: Tell the truth. You lost $1 billion—

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): Order! The member for Wollongong will come to order.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD: Labor spent $100 million on the Tillegra dam, but not a blade of grass was disturbed. The waste of money and the scandals were phenomenal. The member for Wollongong knows all about scandals. We had 16 years of Labor, and the State is still suffering because of State Labor and Federal Labor. Clean-up Australia day will, hopefully, be the end of the Federal Labor Party. I turn to some of the great things happening in Myall Lakes. In this budget a number of schools received further funding.

[Interruption]

I have not got to the most important part. This budget is a great budget for Myall Lakes and for New South Wales after 16 years of Labor—16 years of scandals, 16 years of incompetence and, most importantly, 22816 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

16 years of total disregard and turning its back on the people of regional New South Wales. This is a chance for regional New South Wales to catch up. Regional New South Wales is getting its fair share of the budget for the first time in years. I commend the budget to the House.

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

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): Order! Government business having concluded, we will now proceed to the taking of private members' statements.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

______

WOLLONGONG ELECTORATE MACEDONIAN COMMUNITY

Ms NOREEN HAY (Wollongong) [6.02 p.m.]: Today I place on record my congratulations to the St Kliment of Ohrid Macedonian Church on its thirtieth anniversary celebrations. I had the pleasure of attending the celebratory dinner on Saturday 10 August at the Portofino Function Centre, and had a most enjoyable time speaking with many of the church's dedicated members and board members. The successful celebrations were an acknowledgement of the contribution the Macedonian community makes to Wollongong, and indeed across the Illawarra. Macedonian is the second most spoken language in the Illawarra—indeed, it is the second most spoken language in my electorate of Wollongong after English—and the Macedonian community and its culture have made an enormous contribution to our region.

Special mention must go to George Petkovski, otherwise known as Goce, not only for his efforts in hosting such an exceptional event but also for his constant efforts to further promote the local Macedonian community. Many years ago when I was a union official I had the privilege of representing a large number of Macedonian workers, who were predominantly female. I got to know many of their families, partners and children, and was invited to a host of name days and Macedonian functions. I listened to Macedonian music and participated in Macedonian dancing. The Macedonian community has done wonders to add to the cultural mix of my electorate and the Illawarra, and I am proud of my relationship with that community. I am proud and grateful for the contribution it makes to the Illawarra, and to my electorate in particular.

As I said, I worked to assist the Macedonian community first when I was a union official. Interestingly, the backgrounds of these women were similar. Many of them came to Australia, married their husbands here and had their children here. In many families the women could not speak English, and I was proud to be a participant in the paid English-on-the-job classes that were available back then. As the member for Wollongong I am committed to continuing to work with the Macedonian community in Wollongong, and I am proud of having been part of the New South Wales Parliamentary Friendship Association with Macedonia. I extend my congratulations to all those involved in making the thirtieth anniversary celebrations so successful, and I look forward to celebrating the church's future milestones.

In recent times the Wollongong Macedonian church had its fortieth anniversary. What I find magnificent is the warmth and generosity of spirit of the Macedonian community. They welcome people regardless of background; they make people feel part of the community. They are so generous in their acceptance and generosity of spirit that many other communities could learn a lot about how to embrace family, friends and those who come from different backgrounds. Something I love about my electorate and the Illawarra is all the different cultural groups that come together, work together and share together so magnificently. Again, I congratulate the Macedonian community and the St Kliment of Ohrid Macedonian Church on its thirtieth anniversary.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): Order! I join the member for Wollongong in congratulating the Macedonian Church on this important milestone, and recognise the important role that the Macedonian community plays in the Illawarra.

ARMIDALE COMMUNITY CABINET MEETING

NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC

Mr ADAM MARSHALL (Northern Tablelands) [6.07 p.m.]: Tonight I inform the House of what was a red-letter day for Armidale. It was a huge day in the Armidale community and across the Northern Tablelands 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22817

as we celebrated two important events. First, we had the Premier, the Deputy Premier and the New South Wales Cabinet in town for a Community Cabinet meeting; and, secondly, last night the New England Conservatorium of Music, the jewel in the cultural crown of the Northern Tablelands, picked up a prestigious national award for an event held last year in the community. Yesterday Armidale hosted the New South Wales Community Cabinet, with close to 300 residents attending the public forum of the Cabinet meeting and getting through more than 20 questions covering a wide range of issues of importance to the electorate of Northern Tablelands but, more importantly, to the people of country New South Wales.

Predictably, in a community such as Armidale, many questions were about the education sector. It was great to have Professor Jim Barber, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England, in attendance, celebrating education across our community. Education was high on the agenda, but health, local government, policing and even the Government's strong stand on banning the sale of synthetic drugs in this State were mentioned, as were disability access and funding for community service organisations. Of course, no Community Cabinet in country New South Wales would be complete without talking about native vegetation legislation. I thank the community for being mature and asking responsible questions. They were articulate and well-researched, which is typical of people in country New South Wales. In fact, I remarked only yesterday while chairing the public forum that I was very impressed with the standard of questions. In fact, they are the best questions I have heard asked of any Ministers of this Government since I entered this place less than three months ago.

Prior to the public forum I had the pleasure of accompanying the Premier and the Minister for Education to open a $7.9 million upgrade to the Armidale campus of the New England TAFE Institute. It is a magnificent facility that provides more opportunities and courses for our local students, both young and old, in the areas of commercial cookery, hospitality, physical education and massage. The Premier and the Minister for Education both spoke very strongly about the importance of TAFE in educating our youth in regional communities and, most importantly, giving them the skills they need to meet the demands of business and industry in a rural sector.

Last night was incredibly special, capping off a great day for the Northern Tablelands and Armidale with the New England Conservatorium of Music receiving national acclaim at the 2013 ART Music Awards held in Sydney. Their project, New England Sings, was a worthy winner of the Excellence in Music Education Award. The project involved more than 800 students from throughout our region, from kindergarten to year 12, working for six months on two sell-out performances, which were funded partly by this Government through the Arts NSW Regional Conservatorium Grant. I congratulate the New England Conservatorium of Music director Suzanne James and her hardworking team on achieving the success on the national stage and program manager Corinne Arter on her work together with the Armidale Music Teachers' Association.

The project involved some staggering logistical operations behind the scenes. More than 700 students from 21 local schools and more than 40 teachers and 74 young musicians came together to perform to more than 1,600 audience members from my electorate and the broader New England region. Outreach workshops were held in remote locations and more than 200 singers performed for the very first time. It was a tremendous achievement. I congratulate the New England Conservatorium of Music on a very worthy win last night. I thank and put on record my appreciation of the Premier and the Deputy Premier and all the New South Wales Cabinet on what can only be regarded as a very successful New South Wales community Cabinet meeting. I look forward to the return of all Ministers to my electorate, as do the people of Northern Tablelands and Armidale.

Mr GEOFF PROVEST (Tweed—Parliamentary Secretary) [6.12 p.m.]: I compliment the member for Northern Tablelands on hosting the Cabinet meeting attended by the Premier, the Deputy Premier and all Ministers at Armidale. It is a tribute to the member for Northern Tablelands that he brought such a high-powered group to the town, and obviously the town benefitted from it with $7 million for TAFE. The member for Northern Tablelands explained the importance of TAFE not only in the metropolitan area but also in rural and regional areas of this State to give youth, particularly around Armidale and the Northern Tablelands, a really great start in life. I congratulate the New England Conservatorium of Music on its fine national win. I know that music is very dear to your heart as well, Mr Acting-Speaker. It is great to see culture and the arts go to regional New South Wales. I compliment the member for Northern Tablelands on his hard work.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Gareth Ward): I also congratulate the member for Northern Tablelands on making an extraordinary impact in Parliament in his short time here. 22818 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

ARMENIA-AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP GROUP

Mr JONATHAN O'DEA (Davidson) [6.13 p.m.]: There are many Australians of Armenian descent in my electorate of Davidson. I am pleased to serve as chair of the Armenia-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group. Last month, along with six of my New South Wales parliamentary colleagues, I visited Armenia and the area of Nagorno-Karabakh. The visit was facilitated by the Armenian National Committee of Australia, and those who accompanied us included its honorary chairman, Greg Soghomonian, and executive director Vache Kahramanian. Yerevan has been the Armenian capital since 1918, the thirteenth in the history of Armenia, although the history of Yerevan dates back to the eighth century BC. We were fortunate to experience many modern and historical sites in and around Yerevan.

The delegation held high-level meetings with many dignitaries including the President of Armenia, Mr Serzh Sargsyan; the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly; the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, Mr Bako Shakyan; the Speaker and party leaders of the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh; and His Holiness Karékin II, at St Etchmiadzin, the centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church. We were able to build on existing relations between New South Wales and Armenia, particularly discussing economic development, the importance of global recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and self-determination for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. Further, we were privileged to all have the opportunity to address Nagorno-Karabakh's National Assembly at a special sitting.

The delegation visited Armenia's main landmark attractions including: the Matenardaran, a book depository, one of the world's most ancient libraries—in 2012 Yerevan was named the World Book Capital by UNESCO; the Mother Armenia statue, a female personification of Armenia, commemorating the Armenian martyrs of World War II; the Temple of Garni, the only wholly preserved example of Hellenistic architecture in Armenia; the Geghard Monastery, which includes many caves; and the Armenian Genocide Memorial, where a wreath-laying ceremony was held, followed by a private tour of the Genocide Museum; and Khor Virap Monastery, with its wonderful vista of Mount Ararat. Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in its dungeon for 13 years before converting King Trdat III to Christianity, which in turn became the State religion in 301.

We also visited Sardarabad, which commemorates a battle won by the Armenians, prompting the declaration of an independent Republic of Armenia in 1918; Noravank, a thirteenth century monastery; and Tatev Monastery, which in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries hosted one of the most important Armenian medieval universities. The University of Tatev contributed to the advancement of science, religion and philosophy, reproduction of books and development of miniature paintings. The delegation also visited the Wings of Tatev, a 5.7 kilometre cableway between Halidzor and the Tatev Monastery, which is the longest cable car in the world; and Lake Sevan, one of the world's highest altitude freshwater lakes, at about 1,900 metres above sea level. It is famous for its medieval church complex.

New South Wales was the first Australian legislature to recognise the Armenian Genocide in April 1997. The New South Wales Parliament reconfirmed this recently with motions recognising the genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks. The delegation also met with a number of Armenia's press, via press conferences and media engagements, generating considerable interest along the way. Finally, the visit provided all of us with an opportunity to see Armenia first-hand, become acquainted with its valuable culture and history, and experience the warmth of the Armenian people.

BASS HILL RSL SUB-BRANCH SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY

Ms TANIA MIHAILUK (Bankstown) [6.18 p.m.]: Last Sunday I had the great pleasure of attending the sixtieth anniversary of the Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch at the Bankstown Paceway. I wish to acknowledge the RSL of Australia New South Wales Branch State President, Don Rowe, and Bankstown City Councillor Jenny Golledge who were in attendance. I also thank Ron Duckworth, President of Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch, Vice Presidents Ian Muirhead and Ross Graham, Honorary Secretary Gary Roser and Treasurer Ralph Hannaford for their kind invitation to the anniversary.

Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch provides support for current and former Australian Defence Force members, along with their dependents, The sub-branch offers assistance to those members to ensure their wellbeing and that their service is commemorated. The Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch was formed in August 1953 after a number of ex-servicemen resolved to form an RSL sub-branch in the Bass Hill area. In 1954 the sub-branch purchased land in Hector Street and erected a Royal Australian Air Force Nissan Hut. However, this 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22819

was only a temporary residence and in 1958 a new club premises was built. In 1965 this building was demolished and new clubrooms were built. Whilst the site has been renovated many times over the years, the clubrooms from 1965 remain.

The Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch has a membership of 127 members but their Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services are highly regarded in the Bankstown community, with their Anzac Day ceremony playing host to over 700 people this year. New South Wales RSL clubs provide vital services to our community—and I am sure all members would agree—particularly to ex-service men and women and current serving members of the Australian Defence Force. New South Wales RSL clubs seek to fulfil several objectives, including advocating for ex-service men and women and encouraging employment participation for not only veterans and former serving members but also their dependents.

The RSL New South Wales Branch also lobbies governments to ensure that those who have served, or are serving, receive benefits and appropriate remunerations. The Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch is active in its support of the Australian Defence Force, particularly in its preparation and sending of comfort parcels to RSL members who are currently serving overseas through the RSL Australian Forces Overseas Fund. Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch Club coordinates several events throughout the year for the local community, particularly the Kokoda Memorial Track Walkway, which offers year 6 students from local schools the opportunity to tour the walkway at Concord. The students have the opportunity to meet war veterans, who talk about the history of the Kokoda Track and the difficulties that were faced by the soldiers in their battles with the Imperial Japanese Forces. The students can also view items at the Nurses Museum at Concord Repatriation Hospital to learn how nurses provided vital services during wartime.

The Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch complements this educational experience by giving schools a DVD for the students to watch prior to attending the tour and a questionnaire for the students to complete at the conclusion of the tour. The holistic experience ensures that students achieve the highest possible level of comprehension of the Kokoda Track and World War II. Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch continues its commitment to educating young children and encouraging them to be active citizens through its citizenship award, which one girl student and one boy student are eligible to receive at their school's presentation day ceremony. A member of the branch presents the student with the award, along with a $100 voucher. This encourages students to be positive and actively engaged with the school and broader community throughout the year.

Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch is fortunate to have an active women's auxiliary and youth club. The women's auxiliary plays a crucial role at the Anzac Day Dawn Service in assisting with the breakfast. It also conducts a range of voluntary work and fundraising throughout the year on behalf of the Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch. The youth club provides an avenue for young people to build and value strong friendships and relationships, and to be respectful and loyal to club leaders and parents. This year the sub-branch received Bankstown City Council's Australia Day Community Service Award for an organisation. This was due to its involvement with local schools, nursing homes and the broader community and it was pleasing to see the sub-branch being recognised for its tremendous efforts in the Bankstown community. There is no doubt that our RSL branches are integral to our community and that they provide great services to all members of the Australian Defence Force. The members of the Bass Hill RSL Sub-Branch do an outstanding job in promoting the ideology and ethos of the RSL New South Wales branch and deserve to be commended for their dedication to the Bankstown and broader community.

BLUE MOUNTAINS HOSPITAL AUXILIARIES

Mrs ROZA SAGE (Blue Mountains) [6.23 p.m.]: I speak tonight on the wonderful contribution that our Blue Mountains hospital auxiliaries make to the Blue Mountains hospitals at Katoomba, being the Blue Mountains and District Anzac Memorial Hospital, referred to by the community as Katoomba Hospital, and Springwood Hospital. I was delighted to attend the annual general meetings of both auxiliaries to hear of the work done. At the Katoomba Hospital meeting, which was held at the education block of the hospital, the guest speaker was Robyn Yates of Blue Mountains Cancer Services Incorporated, a worthy organisation that I continue to support. Blue Mountains Cancer Services provides support services to cancer survivors, sufferers and their families. They have counselling services, physiotherapy, some alternate therapies such as aromatherapy massage and other therapies, all designed to help the physical, emotional and psychological needs of people prior to, during and in the aftermath of cancer treatment.

The hospital auxiliary at Katoomba raises money from donations, the gift shop at the hospital, raffles, the annual quilt show, the annual music concert at Katoomba Public School, the annual fete and to a lesser 22820 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

extent other avenues of financial contribution. The office-bearers announced at the meeting were: president, Robyn Zikan; secretary, Ann Fisher; assistant secretary, Wendy Rogers; treasurer, Dorothy Clampett; assistant treasurer, Paula Savage; vice presidents, Liz Cunningham and Veronica Dooley; publicity officers, Richard and Kaye Russell and shop coordinator, Paula Savage. Patrons for the coming year were Joan Gahl and Joan Stoermer, two very deserving women who have been active members of the auxiliary in the past. Whenever I attend one of the auxiliary functions I always see the two Joans busy helping. They have been stalwarts of the Katoomba auxiliary for a very long time.

Equally as dedicated are the members of the Springwood Hospital Auxiliary who held their meeting at the Springwood Country Club. As at the Katoomba meeting, the proceedings were opened by the singing of the National Anthem and then the recitation of the Ode: "Let us hold high the lamp of service for the welfare of our hospitals." The small Springwood auxiliary worked tirelessly to raise over $45,000 for the year. It organised an annual golf day, which netted over $7,000, and an annual fete, which raised nearly $11,000. Other sources of funding include catering, raffles, donations and bank interest. The Springwood Hospital annual fete is an event that receives great community support and has become an institution over the years. I have attended for the past few years and always manage to leave with a few plants from Peter McTaggert's propagations.

Mr Geoff Provest: Cakes?

Mrs ROZA SAGE: Cakes, jigsaw puzzles, everything. It is a fantastic day out. Often Springwood Lions Club provides the sausage sizzle on the day.

Mr Geoff Provest: What more could you want?

Mrs ROZA SAGE: It is an excellent day. The golf day I attended this year was not only a good money raiser but also a fun day for participants as I was regaled with golfing exploits. The 50 volunteers of the Springwood Hospital Auxiliary clocked up an amazing 1,710 volunteer hours. Office-bearers for the new year included the continuing president, Richard Jackson-Hope, the secretary, Sarah French, and the treasurer, Jill Williams. With the funds raised the auxiliary was able to purchase hi-low beds for the hospital, which are beneficial for both staff and patients alike.

At both meetings the general manager of the Blue Mountains hospitals, Ms Andrea Williams, gave a report for the year about the performance of each hospital and the local health district. She reported that there have been 1,000 extra surgery cases in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District and that the hospitals in the Blue Mountains were providing more services and a higher level of services. Those services will be enhanced with the arrival of a new resuscitation cot for the hospital maternity ward. It was a pleasure to have Minister Skinner, the Minister for Health, announce this replacement. The New South Wales Government has invested $180,000 in the purchase of eight resuscitation cots from the Humpty Dumpty Foundation to place in maternity units and acute care units across the State. I take this opportunity to congratulate all the hardworking doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and ancillary staff who do such a terrific job in our Blue Mountains hospitals. They have built a high level of trust and confidence in Blue Mountains residents. I congratulate the volunteers in our two Blue Mountains hospitals on the dedicated and extraordinary work they do to make our hospitals even better.

Mr GEOFF PROVEST (Tweed—Parliamentary Secretary) [6.28 p.m.]: I compliment the member for Blue Mountains on her endeavours and on her previous experience in the medical field of dentistry. She is a great supporter of her local hospital auxiliaries. All members would agree that our hospitals could not function without their active auxiliaries. The member for Blue Mountains said she is a big supporter of her auxiliaries. She said they perform a vital role and she outlined the fundraising activities, including fairs, cake stalls and sausage sizzles run by the local Lions Club. I praise the member for Blue Mountains for her commitment to the health and wellbeing of her community and her understanding of how the community comes together to support each other. It is very important and I commend the member for the Blue Mountains.

Private members' statements concluded.

LEGACY WEEK 2013

Matter of Public Importance

Mrs ROZA SAGE (Blue Mountains) [6.29 p.m.]: I will speak about Legacy Week 2013. This year is a major milestone for the Legacy organisation as it marks 90 years of operation. That is 90 years of supporting 27 August 2013 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22821

and helping incapacitated veterans and their families and the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country, Australia. Legacy began in 1923 with returned servicemen looking after families of the fallen. Today membership is open to all individuals in all walks of life, though many members have strong associations with the Australian Defence Force. Members of Legacy are known as legatees and I know there are several legatees among my parliamentary colleagues, including you, Mr Acting-Speaker.

As I walked through Martin Place this morning I was reminded by the banners flying from the masts that it will shortly be Legacy Week. This year Legacy Week takes place from 1 to 7 September when volunteers sell Legacy badges across Australia to help raise funds for Legacy that will enable it to assist over 100,000 widows and widowers and 1,900 children and people with a disability nationwide. Some of the work that Legacy does includes supporting war widows, young families and children after the loss of a parent or loved one, protecting ageing and vulnerable widows, protection for Australian Defence Force families, and pension and entitlement advocacy. These are but a few of the services Legacy provides.

Some of the practical services it provides include counselling services, special housing, and medical care and social support. Funds raised through public support will also help Legacy nurture the development of children of incapacitated or deceased veterans by contributing towards their school fees, books, uniforms and recreational activities to aid their self-development and confidence. Imagine my dismay to see below the banners in Martin Place this morning election corflutes of The Greens party. It is a disrespectful and contemptuous display of ignorance and disdain from a party that does not understand the sacrifice that servicemen and servicewomen make to keep their country sovereign and free so people can live the life they choose.

Honouring our nation's servicemen and servicewomen is an important part of the Australian spirit that the majority of Australians embrace and support. As a former member of the Defence Force I understand that former members of the Defence Force are part of a tight-knit community. They share a bond of service that only those who have served understand. They also understand the torment and anguish that families often suffer. This bond and understanding translates into looking out for each other and looking out for each other's families. That is why Legacy is so important. Legacy strives to create an environment in which bereaved families can thrive, despite their loss.

The Blue Mountains has a wonderful group of legatees headed by Bill Drinkwater, himself a returned serviceman, and a slightly younger representative in David Glasson, who is still serving in the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve. I know the Blue Mountains Legacy helps the reducing number of elderly war widows but with recent conflicts in the Middle East we again have a large group of young veterans and their families who will need help in the future, if not now. There are thousands of Australian Defence Force personnel still currently deployed overseas and it is a comfort to them to know that Legacy stands ready to assist their families should the worst happen. So the work of Legacy will continue.

One of the Legacy sayings is, "For the families of our veterans the battle goes on." The legacy of active service remains with the returned veterans for the rest of their lives. I encourage all Australians to continue to support those veterans and their families by supporting Legacy Week. Badges are sold at train stations, shopping centres and in the Blue Mountains electorate by schoolchildren going from business to business. It is good to see much younger members of our community supporting our veterans and their families. Since 1942 Legacy Week has become an Australian institution and an iconic annual national fundraising event. I congratulate all the legatees and volunteers who contribute to this valuable organisation and Legacy Week.

Mr NICK LALICH (Cabramatta) [6.34 p.m.]: I will make a brief contribution to highlight that special time of the year, Legacy Week 2013. I thank the member for Blue Mountains for bringing this important issue before this House. Each year volunteers across Australia band together and help raise funds for the dependants of Australian servicemen and servicewoman who sadly lost their lives in the service of our great nation. Legacy provides support and advocacy for essential services, special needs care, medical and dental services, child education, welfare and financial hardship relief to the families of those who have tragically lost their lives during their service of this country. Legacy cannot continue providing such services without the support of the Australian people.

Legacy Week begins on Sunday 1 September and runs until Saturday 7 September. Throughout this time volunteers are called upon to help advocate for Legacy as they have in the past, selling badges, raising awareness and giving their all to ensure the families of our deceased veterans receive the assistance they require. Funds raised during Legacy Week help over 100,000 widows and 1,900 children and adults with disabilities 22822 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

nationwide. These support services, however, require ongoing funding and the services are not cheap. Legacy relies heavily on the donations from and generosity of people across Australia and it is putting out the call for everyone's support.

As a gesture of Legacy's appreciation it offers badges to donors who have dipped into their pockets and shown their support for the ongoing care Legacy provides, with the badges ranging in cost from $5 to $5,000. If members were to add up the number of servicemen and servicewomen who have lost their lives serving our nation over the many years Australia has been involved in armed conflict they would see the large number of husbands, wives, children and their families who have been left behind as a result of wars. It is our duty to support the cause that supports them. I urge everyone here today to donate to Legacy and to help spread the word and show our support for the families of the servicemen and servicewomen who have lost their lives in the line of duty serving the nation we call home.

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS (Menai) [6.38 p.m.]: I thank the member for Blue Mountains for raising this important topic today. From humble beginnings in 1923 Legacy this year celebrates its ninetieth anniversary. What an incredible milestone. I wanted to speak on this topic today as I am honoured to have the Holsworthy army barracks in my electorate, just minutes from my office. I have spoken before about the unique defence communities that exist within the local schools and sporting groups, the transient nature of these families and the way those fluctuations are felt in the community. I have seen the way that this community is affected when a soldier does not return home and the way they band together during that terrible time.

Legacy also helps to hold those families together and at the same time honour our nation's service men and women. Each year for a week during September Legacy holds its national fundraising event and volunteers sell the now iconic Legacy badges. The funds raised help to assist widows, widowers, children and people with disabilities Australia wide with essential services such as counselling, special housing, medical care, advocacy and social support. We must remember that there are thousands of Australian Defence Force personnel currently deployed overseas. Thankfully, we have an organisation such as Legacy ready to assist their families should the worst happen, as it has in my community.

While we acknowledge the wonderful work of Legacy and the assistance it gives to the many families that have to deal with the loss of a family member, it is pertinent to mention today's announcement by the Prime Minister, because it does cause concern to our defence communities. All of a sudden during the height of an election campaign Mr Rudd has decided that Sydney's Garden Island Fleet Base East would be better located in Queensland. The relocation of our defence bases is something that must be given considerable thought and investigation and is not something to be taken lightly. By all means, if extensive research can demonstrate that this decision is in the best interests of the navy and the greater defence forces, and not purely for political point-scoring, then so be it. However, Sydney has enjoyed a rich naval history and we are one of the few cities that boast a fully operational fleet base in the heart of the city.

Our unique city harbour frontage has meant that the Navy has been able to coexist with the surrounding residential and commercial developments. We must not forget the estimated billions of dollars it would cost to uproot the existing services at Garden Island and move them to another location, or the stress on serving personnel and their families—and for what gain? I have not mentioned the millions of dollars Sydney would potentially lose through the loss of jobs, tourism and events relating to the existing Garden Island base. It is disappointing to see our Prime Minister using Garden Island to score quick political points instead of acknowledging the important place it holds in our city. The coming week is an important week and I encourage all Australians to continue to support those that serve and their families by buying a badge from a Legacy volunteer.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS (Murray-Darling) [6.41 p.m.], by leave: I am a proud member of Legacy Broken Hill. Unfortunately, because of this job I do not do as much as I would like to do with Legacy. I work when I can and I will certainly be selling badges next Friday in the main street of Broken Hill. Legacy has earned a great deal of respect in this country. It is quite encouraging to see the willing support that is given when you collect money for Legacy. I would like to talk about the origins of one part of Legacy—the torch. I refer to the poem In Flanders Fields, which was written in the First World War. The last verse says:

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

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This is a torch which represents what is being passed on. Legacy members understand that very well. When I walked into Martin Place on Monday I was very proud to see the banners there. They recognised the great organisation that Legacy is.

I might add that later on in the day I was very disappointed to see that just below those banners there were corflutes of The Greens. That is absolutely disgusting. It shows a lack of respect for this organisation. It demonstrates the way the Greens feel about returned servicemen. The words you hear from the Greens about their beliefs leave you in no doubt that they do not place any value on what Legacy does and what our ex-servicemen's families deserve. It is an utter disgrace and The Greens should be ashamed that they have desecrated a very great demonstration of this city's support for the great works of Legacy. They can hang their heads in shame for that bit of action; it is an absolute disgrace. Unfortunately, Sydney city council does not care but if I had had something to remove those signs I would have removed them, on behalf of the people who have worked so hard all these years for Legacy.

Mr GARETH WARD (Kiama) [6.44 p.m.], by leave: It is with great delight that I rise to support this matter of public importance moved by the member for Blue Mountains. I thank the member for Blue Mountains for bringing it to the House and commend her for her service in Australia's armed forces as a member of the Royal Australian Air Force. It is a delight to speak on this matter of public importance celebrating 90 years of Legacy. Legacy was first established in 1923 by a group of servicemen returning from the Great War, who wanted to provide assistance to those families who needed it. My father was one of the people who received the benefit of that assistance. Dad talks fondly of receiving swimming lessons and getting his teeth fixed with the support of Legacy back in that time. My grandfather also fought and when he returned after having had his arm blown off he sadly suffered a blood clot and passed away when my father was only two years old. Dad never knew his father. I never knew my grandfather. But who was there to provide assistance to my grandmother? It was Legacy. I have no doubt that my father would be twice the ratbag he is today if it was not for the great support that Legacy gave my grandmother in rearing three children.

Legacy is dedicated to caring for the families of deceased and incapacitated veterans. Today, Legacy, in its care for service people, assists around 100,000 widows and 1,900 children and dependants with a disability. Legacy is a wonderful volunteer organisation supported by veterans, servicemen and servicewomen and volunteers drawn from all walks of life. Their support of the services now extends to include the dependents of members of today's Australian Defence Force who have lost their lives as a result of their military service or have been injured. Legacy is dedicated to enhancing the lives and opportunities of families through innovations and practical programs aimed at the protection of individuals' and families' basic needs; advocating for families' entitlements, rights and benefits; assisting families through bereavement; and helping people thrive despite their adversity and loss.

I particularly acknowledge the great work of Ray Pearson, who is the President of Nowra Legacy, of which I am a member. I also acknowledge Lorna Angel, who looks after the Torchbearers for Legacy. She does a wonderful job in supporting the work that Legacy does. It would also be remiss of me not to mention John Creasey, who coordinates badge distribution and sales in the Nowra area. He has given thousands of hours to Legacy over so many years. I thank the member for Blue Mountains for bringing this important matter to the House. I thank Legacy for the great work that they do. I have no doubt that families like mine and my dad's would not have been as well off—would not have developed as well as they have—if it were not for the tireless advocacy of these tremendous volunteers.

Mrs ROZA SAGE (Blue Mountains) [6.47 p.m.], in reply: I thank the member for Cabramatta, the member for Murray-Darling and the member for Kiama for their wonderful contributions to this debate. And of course I thank—how could I forget—the member for Menai. Because Holsworthy Barracks is in her electorate she would know, better than most members, what service families have to go through and the disconnection families often have to endure while their husbands or wives are serving overseas. I would particularly like to commend the member for Cabramatta for saying how much Legacy is supported by the Australian people. He pointed out the generosity of Australians in their help for this wonderful organisation.

As we heard, there are thousands of service personnel still deployed overseas. When they come back, and when they have issues, Legacy will be there to support them. I note that the member for Menai mentioned today's unfortunate announcement by the Prime Minister about the relocation of the Garden Island naval base, which I am sure is causing a lot of distress to naval personnel and those who are associated with the naval base. This is a very ill-thought-out decision—if it is a decision. I was interested to hear from the member for Murray-Darling about his also being a member of Legacy in Broken Hill. He goes around with badges selling 22824 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 27 August 2013

them to people so that Legacy can make money. He told us about the origins of the Legacy torch, from that wonderful poem, In Flanders Fields. That poem always hits my heart. His was a wonderful personal tribute to those people who have served, those who are still serving, and those who have died in wars.

The member for Kiama had a personal story about his father not knowing his own father, who served in the war. The member for Kiama's grandfather died but Legacy supported his father and his family—in particular with swimming lessons. Practical things like this give hope and help to people who are in bereavement. That is why service personnel have such a close affinity with Legacy. They know that if they give up their lives for their country the families who are left can rely on those around to look after them. This is the way that Legacy started. So, please, everyone, contribute to Legacy and support this wonderful organisation.

Discussion concluded.

The House adjourned, pursuant to standing and sessional orders, at 6.50 p.m. until Wednesday 28 August 2013 at 10.00 a.m.

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