10498
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
Tuesday 31 August 2004 ______
Mr Speaker (The Hon. John Joseph Aquilina) took the chair at 2.15 p.m.
Mr Speaker offered the Prayer.
ASSENT TO BILLS
Assent to the following bills reported:
Water Management Amendment Bill State Water Corporation Bill Crimes Amendment (Child Neglect) Bill Compulsory Drug Treatment Correctional Centre Bill Fines Amendment Bill Local Government Amendment (Mayoral Elections) Bill Agricultural Livestock (Disease Control Funding) Amendment Bill Child Protection (Offenders Prohibition Orders) Bill Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Amendment Bill Crimes Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Bill Sydney Opera House Trust Amendment Bill Criminal Procedure Amendment (Sexual Offence Evidence) Bill Legal Profession Amendment Bill National Competition Policy Health and Other Amendments (Commonwealth Financial Penalties) Bill National Competition Policy Liquor Amendments (Commonwealth Financial Penalties) Bill Passenger Transport Amendment (Bus Reform) Bill Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill Liquor Amendment (Parliamentary Precincts) Bill Regional Development Bill Road Transport (General) Amendment (Licence Suspension) Bill Appropriation Bill Appropriation (Parliament) Bill Appropriation (Special Offices) Bill Crown Lands Legislation Amendment (Budget) Bill Sustainable Energy Development Repeal Bill Institute of Teachers Bill Residential Tenancies Amendment (Public Housing) Bill State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Bill Courts Legislation Amendment Bill
MINISTRY
Mr BOB CARR: I advise the House that on 3 June 2004 the Hon. Anthony Bernard Kelly, MLC, was appointed Minister for Lands, on 1 July 2004 the Hon. Michael Costa, MLC, resigned as Minister Assisting the Minister for Natural Resources (Forests), and on 5 August 2004 the Hon. Michael Costa, MLC, was appointed Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development. I further advise that the Minister for Primary Industries will be represented in this House by the Minister for Mineral Resources.
BILLS RETURNED
The following bills were returned from the Legislative Council without amendment:
Liquor Amendment (Parliamentary Precincts) Bill Road Transport (General) Amendment (Licence Suspension) Bill Regional Development Bill Appropriation Bill Appropriation (Parliament) Bill Appropriation (Special Offices) Bill Crown Lands Legislation Amendment (Budget) Bill Sustainable Energy Development Repeal Bill Institute of Teachers Bill Residential Tenancies Amendment (Public Housing) Bill State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Bill 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10499
PRIVACY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION AMENDMENT BILL
Withdrawal
Mr SPEAKER: I report the receipt of the following message from the Legislative Council:
MR SPEAKER
The Legislative Council desires to inform the Legislative Assembly that it has this day discharged the order of the day for the second reading of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Amendment Bill 2003.
Legislative Council ERIC ROOZENDAAL 29 June 2004 Deputy-President
JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON ELECTORAL MATTERS
Mr SPEAKER: I report the receipt of the following message from the Legislative Council:
MR SPEAKER
The Legislative Council desires to inform the Legislative Assembly that it has this day agreed to the following resolution:
1. That this House agrees to the resolution in the Legislative Assembly's Message of 14 May 2004, relating to the appointment of a Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, with the following amendment, in which amendment the concurrence of the Legislative Assembly is requested:
Paragraph (4) (a) and (b). Omit the subparagraphs, insert instead:
(a) three Government members of the Legislative Assembly, and
(b) four members of the Legislative Council, of whom:
(i) one must be a Government member,
(ii) two must be Opposition members, and
(iii) one must be a crossbench member.
2. That the time and place of the first meeting of the Committee be 10.00 a.m. on Thursday 16 September 2004 in the Waratah Room.
Legislative Council F. J. NILE 29 June 2004 Deputy-President
Consideration of message deferred.
PARLIAMENTARY ETHICS ADVISER
Mr SPEAKER: I report the receipt of the following message from the Legislative Council:
MR SPEAKER
The Legislative Council desires to inform the Legislative Assembly that having considered the Assembly's Message dated 12 March 2004, regarding the appointment of the Parliamentary Ethics Adviser, it has this day agreed to the following resolution:
That the appointment of Mr Ian Dickson as Parliamentary Ethics Adviser, which was due to expire on 13 December 2003, be extended for a further eight month period from that date.
Legislative Council ERIC ROOZENDAAL 29 June 2004 Deputy-President
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands) [2.19 p.m.]: I move:
That leave of absence for the present session be granted to Anthony Michael McGrane, member for Dubbo, on the grounds of ill health. 10500 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Mr RICHARD TORBAY, by leave: For the benefit of members, I would like to update the House on Tony's progress since the shock news he received on his recent return from holidays only three weeks ago that he had been diagnosed with advanced cancer of the liver. Tony was originally informed that the tumour was inoperable and he received the worst possible diagnosis: that he faced a limited life expectancy of less than three months. I was speaking to Tony last night, and he was buoyed by the most recent results of a series of scans and tests and two exploratory surgery procedures that indicated major surgery is now an option with a genuine opportunity for long-term survival and quality of life. Tony has advised me that he will undertake the major surgery this Thursday at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Due to the location of the growth there is no alternative treatment that would provide an opportunity for recuperation and a return to a normal life. Tony has asked me to convey his heartfelt thanks to all: to the people in the Dubbo electorate who have been overwhelming in their support and prayers and to the many members of this Parliament, including the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, who have conveyed their best wishes and support. Tony and I have been friends and colleagues for a long time, both as mayors and since joining this place in 1999. When I visited him recently in hospital he was keen, even from his bed, to convey to me and the member for Tamworth, who accompanied me, a list of jobs that needed to be done for "his people". That is typical of a man who, so far, has contributed almost 30 years to public life. Tony is facing a major fight for his life but the most recent diagnosis has provided a reason to be optimistic. I am sure, like me, all members want to see Tony back doing what he does best, that is, representing his communities.
Mr BOB CARR (Maroubra—Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Citizenship) [2.22 p.m.], by leave: Agreeing to this motion comes with one proviso: the honourable member for Dubbo should be granted leave, but we want to see him back here on the crossbenches as soon as possible doing what he does so outstandingly, that is, representing the interests of country New South Wales in general and the interests of the great city of Dubbo in particular. Our friend and colleague has a serious illness, but he is in good hands at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, which is one of the nation's finest teaching hospitals. We wish him well in the surgery that he will undergo on Thursday. He goes into the operating theatre sustained by our heartfelt support because we all want Tony McGrane "cancer sufferer" to become Tony McGrane "cancer survivor".
Mr JOHN BROGDEN (Pittwater—Leader of the Opposition) [2.24 p.m.], by leave: I join with all honourable members of this House and the people of New South Wales in wishing Tony McGrane the very best of luck. It is good to hear that the initial bad news has become much more positive. We wish him well during what will still be a difficult period involving major surgery. We hope he comes through it well. I am sure that his faith, which is very strong, will help him through this challenging time.
Motion agreed to.
POLICE INTEGRITY COMMISSION
Report
Mr Speaker announced the receipt, pursuant to section 103 of the Police Integrity Commission Act 1996, of the report entitled "Report to Parliament—Operation Florida", Volumes 1 and 2, dated June 2004.
Ordered to be printed.
INSPECTOR OF THE POLICE INTEGRITY COMMISSION
Report
Mr Speaker announced the receipt, pursuant to section 103 of the Police Integrity Commission Act 1996, of the annual report for the year ended 30 June 2004.
Ordered to be printed.
INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION
Report
Mr Speaker announced the receipt, pursuant to section 78 of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988, of the report entitled "Report on Investigation into Safety Certification and Training in the NSW Construction Industry", dated June 2004.
Ordered to be printed. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10501
AUDIT OFFICE
Reports
The Deputy Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 63C of that Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, of the following performance audit reports of the Auditor-General:
Fleet Management: Meeting Business Needs, dated June 2004 Transporting and Treating Emergency Patients: NSW Department of Health, Ambulance Service of NSW, dated July 2004
COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Report
The Deputy Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 4 of schedule 1 of the Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998, of the report entitled "Review of the Report of an Inquiry into the Best Means of Assisting Children and Young People with No-One to Turn To", dated July 2004.
LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE
Report
The Deputy Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 10 of the Legislation Review Act 1987, of the report entitled "Legislation Review Digest No 10 of 2004", dated 30 August 2004.
PETITIONS
Bulk-billing and Medicare
Petition opposing the proposed Federal changes to Medicare and supporting the Carr Government's plan to save bulk billing and protect Medicare, received from Mr John Bartlett.
Liquor Outlet Deregulation
Petition opposing the deregulation of liquor outlets, received from Mr John Bartlett.
Pharmacy and Farm Deregulation
Petition opposing pharmacy and farm deregulation, received from Mr John Bartlett.
Pharmacy Deregulation
Petition opposing national competition policy legislation undermining the principle of ownership of pharmacies by pharmacists, received from Mr Andrew Stoner.
Murrumbateman Public School
Petition requesting re-establishment of Murrumbateman Public School, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Milton-Ulladulla Public School Infrastructure
Petition requesting community consultation for suitable public school infrastructure in the Milton- Ulladulla districts, received from Mrs Shelley Hancock.
Mature Workers Program
Petition requesting that the Mature Workers Program be restored, received from Ms Clover Moore. 10502 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Skilled Migrant Placement Program
Petition requesting that the Skilled Migrant Placement Program be restored, received from Ms Clover Moore.
Gaming Machine Tax
Petitions opposing the decision to increase poker machine tax, received from Mr Steve Cansdell, Mrs Shelley Hancock, Mrs Judy Hopwood, Mr Steven Pringle and Mr Andrew Tink.
Stamp Duty Reduction Legislation
Petition supporting legislation that would reduce stamp duty by 10 per cent over the next three years, received from Mr Barry O'Farrell.
Freedom of Religion
Petition praying that the House and retain the existing exemptions applying to religious bodies in the Anti-Discrimination Act, received from Mr Andrew Tink.
Marriage
Petition opposing any legislative changes that would violate the basic principles of marriage, received from Mr Andrew Tink.
Willoughby Traffic Conditions
Petition requesting a regional traffic plan for the Pacific Highway at Willoughby, received from Ms Gladys Berejiklian.
Princes Highway Upgrade
Petition requesting funding to upgrade the Princes Highway south of Wollongong, received from Mr David Campbell.
Pacific Highway Speed Limit
Petition requesting reduction of the Pacific Highway speed limit at Wardell to 70 kilometres per hour, received from Mr Steve Cansdell.
Coffs Harbour Pacific Highway Bypass
Petition requesting the construction of a Pacific Highway bypass for the coastal plain of Coffs Harbour, received from Mr Andrew Fraser.
Heavy Vehicle Speeding and Tailgating Penalties
Petition requesting amendments to the Motor Traffic Act to penalise heavy vehicle speeding and tailgating, received from Mr Thomas George.
Roseville Traffic Conditions
Petition requesting the installation of a right turn signal at the intersection of the Pacific Highway and McLaurin Parade, Roseville, received from Mr Barry O'Farrell.
Windsor Traffic Conditions
Petition requesting funding for construction of a bridge across the Hawkesbury River, from Wilberforce Road and Freemans Reach Road, connecting to the bridge into Windsor, and the rescheduling of the current roadworks program, received from Mr Steven Pringle. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10503
Old Northern and New Line Roads Strategic Route Development Study
Petition requesting funding for implementation of the Old Northern and New Line roads strategic route development study, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Mayfield Methadone Clinic
Petition opposing the establishment of a methadone clinic at 183 Maitland Road, Mayfield, received from Mr John Bartlett.
Breast Screening Funding
Petition requesting effective breast screening for women and maintenance of funding to BreastScreen NSW, received from Ms Gladys Berejiklian, Mr Steve Cansdell, Mrs Judy Hopwood and Mr Barry O'Farrell.
Macquarie Area Health Service
Petition requesting an investigation into the dealings of the Macquarie Area Health Service, received from Mr Peter Black.
Coffs Harbour Aeromedical Rescue Helicopter Service
Petitions requesting that plans for the placement of an aeromedical rescue helicopter service based in Coffs Harbour be fast-tracked, received from Mr Steve Cansdell, Mr Andrew Fraser and Mr Thomas George.
Greater Murray and Southern Area Health Services Merger
Petition opposing the merger of the Greater Murray and Southern Area Health Services, received from Mr Daryl Maguire.
Mental Health Services
Petition requesting urgent maintenance of and increased funding for mental health services, received from Ms Clover Moore.
Mental Health Services
Petition requesting improvements to the mental health system, received from Mr Adrian Piccoli.
CountryLink Rail Services
Petitions opposing the abolition of CountryLink rail services and their replacement with buses in rural and regional New South Wales, received from Mr Steve Cansdell, Mr Andrew Fraser, Ms Katrina Hodgkinson, Mr Andrew Stoner and Mr John Turner.
South Coast Rail Services
Petition opposing any reduction in rail services on the South Coast line, received from Mrs Shelley Hancock.
Murwillumbah to Casino Rail Service
Petitions requesting the retention of the CountryLink rail service from Murwillumbah to Casino, received from Mr Neville Newell and Mr Donald Page.
Goulburn Rail Services
Petition opposing any reduction or removal of rail services between Sydney and Goulburn, received from Ms Peta Seaton. 10504 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Dunoon Dam
Petition requesting the fast-tracking of plans to build a dam at Dunoon, received from Mr Thomas George.
Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme
Petitions objecting to the criteria for country cancer patients to qualify for the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme, received from Mr Thomas George and Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Horticultural Industry Water Restrictions Assistance
Petition requesting assistance for the horticultural industry to cope with water restrictions, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Water Carting Restrictions
Petition opposing the decision by Sydney Water Corporation to restrict the operating times for water carters and not allow Sunday cartage, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Water Tank Subsidy
Petition requesting that the water tank subsidy be extended to rural residents of Baulkham Hills, Hawkesbury and Hornsby local government areas, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Hawkesbury Electorate Sewerage
Petition praying that funding be provided to construct a reticulated sewerage system for Glossodia, Freeman's Reach And Wilberforce, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Lismore Fire Service
Petition requesting the provision of a permanently staffed fire service in Lismore, received from Mr Thomas George.
Social Program Policy Subsidy
Petition requesting that the social program policy subsidy be extended to residents in the Hawkesbury local government area, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Sydney Cricket Ground
Petition requesting that the Sydney Cricket Ground remain the home of cricket in New South Wales, received from Mr Barry O'Farrell.
Business Enterprise Centres
Petition requesting the reinstatement and funding of business enterprise centres, received from Mr Steve Cansdell.
Temora Agricultural Research and Advisory Station
Petition opposing the closure of the Temora Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, received from Mr Ian Armstrong.
Grafton Agricultural Research and Advisory Station
Petition opposing the closure of the Grafton Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, received from Mr Steve Cansdell. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10505
Rural Lands Protection Act Review
Petition requesting a review of the Rural lands Protection Act, received from Mr Thomas George.
State Forests
Petition opposing any proposal to sell State Forests, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson.
Cat and Dog Meat Sale
Petition requesting legislation banning the sale of cat and dog meat for human or animal consumption, received from Ms Clover Moore.
Sow Stall Ban
Petition requesting the total ban of sow stalls, received from Ms Clover Moore.
Hawkesbury-Nepean River System Weed Harvester
Petition requesting the purchase of a weed harvester for the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system, received from Mr Steven Pringle.
Smoke-free Licensed Premises
Petition supporting smoke-free licensed premises, received from Mr John Bartlett.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
______
DESIGNER OUTLETS CENTRE, LIVERPOOL, CLOSURE
Mr JOHN BROGDEN: My question without notice is to the Premier. Why has he betrayed the 450 workers and 60 small businesses at Orange Grove by rolling over for his $4 billion friends at Westfield to screw over the people of Western Sydney?
Mr BOB CARR: Welcome back! What a surprise! What a research effort! So this is the big day it is supposed to happen! This is the mega attack!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Southern Highlands to order.
Mr BOB CARR: The small businesses and the workers—250 workers, not 450—at Orange Grove have one person, and one person alone, to blame for their predicament: Mr Nabil Gazal.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I place the honourable member for Willoughby on three calls to order. Question time has only just started and the behaviour of a number of members is already totally unacceptable. I warn members early that I will not hesitate to place them on three calls to order. The honourable member for Willoughby is already aware of that. If members do not treat the House with respect, they will find themselves outside the Chamber. Questions and the responses of Ministers will be heard in silence.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call Leader of the Opposition to order.
Mr BOB CARR: Mr Nabil Gazal, and his complicity with the disgraced and dismissed Liverpool council, is responsible for the predicament of workers and businesses at the site.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of the Nationals to order. 10506 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Mr BOB CARR: They have been held as hostages and used as pawns by Mr Gazal as he set out to blackmail the Government in the retrospective rezoning of his property so he could make a windfall gain of millions of dollars. He has used these people. He has exploited victims in Orange Grove and, in particular, what is now emerging is that he offered them leases knowing those leases were doomed, and that he did not appear in any case to warn the people of what he was doing. He signed them up and he did not tell them that his approval from the council was dodgy; he did not tell them his dodgy development application [DA] was under challenge; he did not share with them his legal advice that it would not stand up in the Land and Environment Court.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for South Coast to order.
Mr BOB CARR: So people signed up for his leases not being warned that his legal advice could only have told him his development was doomed in the court. Here is the proof of it: the Government members of the upper House committee wanted Gazal to hand over copies of his leases but the Opposition used its majority on the committee to vote that proposition down. There is an easy way of settling this: produce the leases. And that is what the Government members said on the committee. Did he spell out the dodgy nature of this development when he signed up these people in their leases? No. Did he advise his clients of the risk they were in? No, or rather, I do not think he did. What would clarify the argument beyond doubt is the presentation of the leases, and when Government members moved at the committee that the leases be summoned, they be presented, they be examined, what did the Opposition do? They voted that proposition down.
Mr SPEAKER: I call the honourable member for Swansea to order.
Mr BOB CARR: If I am wrong, if the assumption about the leases is wrong, then there is one way of clarifying it: Mr Gazal could present today all 60 leases to confirm whether honest and full disclosures were made to his trusting clients. Mr Gazal has made hostages of the workers at Orange Grove. He wanted to use other people's jobs to blackmail the State into giving him a retrospective planning approval that would have given him a property value gain of $5 million.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Coffs Harbour to order.
Mr BOB CARR: In June last year Mr Gazal learned that his dodgy DA would be challenged—of course it would be—in the Land and Environment Court. His lawyers must have known then and must have told him then that they would lose if it went to court.
Mr John Brogden: Point of order: If it is a dodgy deal then why did he support it? Why did Joe Tripodi support it and Craig Knowles open it!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will desist from behaving like a schoolboy. The Chair will not tolerate his behaviour, which is disrespectful to the Chamber and to its standards.
Mr BOB CARR: See what happens—as his argument dissolves, all the shouting starts. One way to resolve it—produce the leases. If this is wrong, produce the leases.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Wagga Wagga to order.
Mr BOB CARR: What emerges from this chronology is this: That at a time when these people were being signed up by Mr Gazal he must have known, he must have been told by his lawyers that the development status was dodgy. Did he alert the lessees? No, he could not have. So these people, in good faith, bought stock and they bought shop fittings and they employed staff but, certain as he must have been that the court would find against him, Gazal then went to work on Liverpool council, abusing and threatening, wearing them down, threatening a $40 million lawsuit against the council that had given him his dodgy DA. The council's legal advice must have shown its DA was indefensible on planning grounds, but before the court could rule on its illegality or otherwise a plan was hatched between them.
On 8 December 2003 a neat little trick was devised to tack Orange Grove onto a draft amendment of the local environment plan for an entirely separate project. In the court's judgment in January 2004, Judge Lloyd 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10507 said it was much more than a technical breach. The judge said Liverpool council had given an unlawful approval; it was against the law for shops to operate at all on Gazal's industrially-zoned land. By the time of this judgment Orange Grove had been trading for less than 60 days. At the end of March 2004 three Court of Appeal judges found again that the centre was unlawful; it was still unlawful, it had always been unlawful and it had been open for just four months. Why did the tenants and workers not react to the court's decision in January and to the court's decision in March? Because Gazal was not telling them anything. He was keeping these people in the dark to use them and the position he has got them into to blackmail the Government for a retrofit rezoning to give him a $5 million windfall gain in land value alone.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for South Coast to order for the second time.
Mr BOB CARR: All the lobbying, the appearances at midnight outside the planning Minister's home, the employment of the council planner who had given it his approval on delegated authority as a consultant to Mr Gazal, all these antics should have been ignored by the Government, as I am proud to say they were ignored by this Government.
Mr Andrew Tink: Point of order: They were not ignored by the Government. The Department of Planning said, "The making of the plan is recommended".
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Epping will resume his seat. I place him on three calls to order.
Mr BOB CARR: He was treating his tenants and workers, as exploiters always do, as dupes and pawns in his plan to get a windfall gain and to walk away with it. It is the old, old story of a plausible stranger and an innocent local victim: he moves in, he unveils the phantom project, he makes friends on council, he changes the rules, and very soon sells up and moves on.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to order.
Mr BOB CARR: And his clients—his trusting clients—are left among the rubble of his orchestrated failure, picking up the pieces of their lives.
DESIGNER OUTLETS CENTRE, LIVERPOOL, CLOSURE
Mr STEVE WHAN: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. What is the Government's response to community concerns about planning irregularities and Orange Grove?
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: Let me put this right up-front. This is not about who opened the centre, it has a lot to do with who approved it and how it was approved. Not a lot to do with who opened it but a lot to do with who assessed it and who approved it at Liverpool council. This tawdry and grubby attempt to pressure, intimidate and influence decisions about that illegal development at Orange Grove has its roots very firmly in the development assessment process at Liverpool council between June and November 2002.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of The Nationals to order for the second time.
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: There is no doubt that this illegal development should never have been approved in the first place. This has been a dodgy development application [DA] from day one.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is impossible for the proceedings of the Chamber to continue with the present level of noise. All members are now deemed to be on three calls to order. Any member who disrupts the proceedings will be automatically removed from the Chamber. I do not issue that warning lightly. However, on the first sitting day after a long break it is important that the Chamber proceed in an orderly way. That has not occurred so far. The Minister has the call.
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: As I said, this has been a dodgy DA from day one. The record will show that council officers, using delegated authority, were hell-bent on giving this development an approval and then, extraordinarily, covering it up once they had issued the development consent. Let us look at the facts. Let us start with the memo. It is a memo to the planning boss, Gerard Turrisi, dated 6 June 2002. That is the very same day that the application was lodged at Liverpool council. The memo was written by Chris Weston, one of Gerard Turrisi's staff. In it there is an emphatic statement that "the determination will not be issued in two weeks". 10508 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Remember that this is a multimillion dollar development, lodged on 6 June 2002. Why would anyone be having such a conversation on the very day an application was lodged? Why is there a clear expectation of this matter being dealt with in two weeks? Somebody must have asked for a two-week turnaround, otherwise why did Chris Weston feel the need to document to Mr Turrisi that he would not deal with the development within two weeks? Somebody asked for a two-week turnaround. The memo was written to Gerard Turrisi, telling him that a two-week turnaround was not possible. Why was somebody trying to do the impossible? Or were they just trying to be really helpful here—very, very helpful indeed? The help did not stop there. In fact, that is just where it started—on day one of the application being lodged.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Upper Hunter will come to order.
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: A week later a planning officer, Mr Hunt, writes to the applicant. Mr Hunt tells the applicant in his letter of 13 June that, first, the details provided with the original application were not sufficient; second, that there were no details—I repeat, no details—about basic things like the proposed hours of operation and the types of uses and the types of articles and goods to be sold; and, third, he also tells the applicant that the proposed use must "strictly comply with the zonings". In fairness to Mr Hunt, this is a pretty standard letter for a local government planning officer to write when an application does not provide enough information in the original paperwork. Anyone involved in local government would understand that a call for more information is a pretty standard operational procedure. Normally, of course, the applicant would be quick to respond. Normally, the detail requested by the planning officer would be provided to allow the council officer to then go and complete his assessment.
What do you think happened here? How much information was provided? Do you think the information was provided? No, it was not. In one of the most extraordinary development consents I have ever seen the officers of Liverpool council, under delegated authority, gave an approval for a warehouse clearance outlet, without any conditions relating to hours of operation or the types of goods to be sold: no conditions in a development consent detailing trading hours or the types of goods to be sold, despite specifically asking for them. Anyone who has had anything to do with local government would understand just how bizarre that really is—no trading hours, no restrictions whatsoever and, I repeat, all done under delegated authority.
There are no detailed conditions in the consent and, as the evidence in the upper House inquiry shows, Mr Turrisi admits that he advised his junior planner, Hunt, that it was "fine to proceed" with the approval. As I said, anyone in this Chamber who has ever been involved in local government in any way understands that the bulk standard conditions that apply to almost any commercial activity will always include details of the nature of the use and the hours of operation. However, this was a consent that allowed Nabil Gazal and his tenants to trade 24/7 and sell anything they liked—no conditions around hours of operation; no conditions as to the uses permitted—just a blanket approval for a warehouse clearance outlet and some other matters of a technical nature relating to traffic, parking, drainage and those sorts of things. There are a lot of former councillors in this Chamber and they all know that what I am saying begins to smell pretty bad. But it does not stop there. We know that the council initially failed to advertise the proposal publicly; that was demonstrated in the upper House inquiry. Then, when they finally did, they had already provided the applicant with the draft conditions of consent, that is, it was a done deal.
Indeed, the letter from Mr Turrisi dated 25 October 2002 to the applicant makes it very clear that the conditions of consent have been sent from Mr Turrisi to the applicant with a letter expressing "deep apology for any inconvenience that the need to advertise had caused". This is a letter titled on a first name basis to the applicant, "Dear Frank" and it goes through the need to advertise and states "that there has been an oversight by my staff"—an oversight which, I might point out, has been contradicted by Mr Hunt in the upper House inquiry. In his evidence he said that there was no oversight but Turrisi, in his letter to the applicant, says there was. He then goes on to say, "Look, we have got to advertise this". Then he concludes with the paragraph, "and I deeply apologise for any inconvenience that this matter has caused".
Again, how bizarre is that? It is pretty bizarre, is it not? Here is the boss of the planning department of Liverpool council expressing deep apologies for telling a developer that he had to follow the rules. That does not sound right, does it, but that is what the evidence demonstrates. Then, of course, we have the "afterthought ad", as I like to call it, buried on page 33 of the Liverpool City Champion, only one of two newspapers in the local area. I read my local papers on a regular basis but even I do not get to page 33 of the Liverpool Champion.
Mr John Brogden: Mate, you are not the Liverpool champion. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10509
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: You should just listen to this, my friend. It came off exhibition, after an apology letter, at 5.00 p.m. on 14 November 2002 and, surprise, surprise—no doubt yet another delightful attempt to be helpful—the final stamp of approval, without any detailed conditions cluttering it, was issued. When? The very next day. I do not think they would have had time to whip down to the post office to see if there were any late applications. I know that former councillors will now be extremely jealous of how efficient this organisation is, operating under delegated authority, making sure that things are happening at lightning speed, with an attempt at a two-week turn around and all those sorts of things, and an approval given the day after it comes off exhibition. We will put that down to brilliant and lightning speed, and wonderful efficiency—a genuine desire to assist the applicant. If that was the case, what will we now make of the other half of the advertising process, the one that never gets mentioned? Liverpool council publishes its decisions about development consents.
Mr John Brogden: Why are you looking up there?
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: There are a lot of people who are interested. Liverpool council publishes its decisions about matters such as the Orange Grove development. It did so in this case, too. After it made the decision, it put an advertisement in the paper to publish the consent. That is not an unusual activity for local government. Of course, that is to let the community know what the council did and understand the council's decision. So now we have a situation—let us be clear about this—in which council officers, under delegated authority, approve this development on 15 November and they must finish the process by advertising their decision.
As we have seen, these people are very efficient. How long does it take these very efficient people to put the next advertisement—the advertisement publishing their decision—in the paper to let people know what occurred? What do honourable members reckon? A week, two weeks, a month? Try five months! It took from 14 November until, I think, 9 April, as tendered in court, to publish that decision. Despite these helpful and efficient officers trying, first, to deal with the matter in two weeks—being able to issue conditions of consent before the application was advertised—and then apologising for doing so, being able to give the final stamp of approval the day after advertising closed, they were simply unable, or perhaps unwilling, to let the public know of their decision for a further five months. I must say, in the spirit of being helpful, I wonder who they were really trying to help, because the only people who knew about this approval for five months after it had been determined were the officers, the applicant and the developer.
As history shows, when the council finally notified the public Westfield went to court and won, not once but twice. But in the meantime no doubt there was a whole lot of effort going into putting a whole lot of tenants into what was ultimately an illegal development, unbeknown to anyone. Westfield was always going to win these two court cases because the Liverpool council officers, acting under delegated authority, were dealing with a dodgy development application from day one. And they were dealing with it in a dodgy fashion. In my view and that of other people, the officers, using their delegations, should have concluded in five minutes flat on 6 June 2002 that this warehouse clearance outlet was an unauthorised use of the zone and could not be approved. It was and always will be illegal. Instead, we see five months of effort followed by another five months of failure of effort, five months of shoehorning an illegal development into a zone that does not fit and then five months of failing to tell anyone about it.
The delegated authority of the Liverpool council officers saw an approval that should not have been given in a zone that does not allow it. There were some bizarre and, I must say, yet to be explained attempts to see if the application could be determined within two weeks. We saw the failure to advertise the proposal until the last minute, as an afterthought; we saw the issuing of a draft approval in advance of advertising; we saw the final stamp of approval the day after advertising closed; we saw the failure to gather the necessary details to properly assess the application; we saw the failure to include any details about the operations of the centre in the consent; and we saw the cover-up of the decision for a further five months. This was more than helpful. Frankly, there is a rank smell of negligence and incompetence, to say the least. We know that this development application was handled under delegated authority. The attempt to get a windfall gain here has occurred as a result of throwing planning law and planning rules to the wind. What we now need to know is why these events occurred in the first place. What really happened between June and November 2002? I can assure the House that there are many more irregularities and inconsistencies in this assessment process that will certainly be explored.
DESIGNER OUTLETS CENTRE, LIVERPOOL, CLOSURE
Mr JOHN BROGDEN: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. If the Orange Grove development application was, in the Minister's words, "dodgy and illegal", why did the honourable member for Fairfield lobby for it and why did the Minister open it? 10510 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: This is very old news.
Mr John Brogden: That makes it all right then. You opened an illegal development but that makes it all right?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister will be allowed to answer the question.
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: When the Leader of the Opposition does not have an argument he likes to shout. He has said on the public record that there is nothing unusual about local members lobbying on behalf of constituents.
Mr John Brogden: It's illegal. You said it's illegal.
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: The revelations I have placed in the Parliament today have been available only in very recent times.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind Opposition and Government members that all members are on three calls to order.
Mr CRAIG KNOWLES: My reasons for opening the centre are very much on the public record and a matter of fact. As I said, this is no longer a question of who opened the centre but how it was approved and who approved it. What happened between June and November 2002? Another thing we would like to know at the other end of the process, which the Leader of the Opposition could help with, is what the developer told or did not tell the tenants. The only way we will ever know that is if the Leader of the Opposition votes with his members in the upper House to table all the lease documentation and the ancillary agreements that hang off them, all of the side deals, and the correspondence between the parties. The fact is that one of two things occurred: either Mr Gazal told his tenants and they knew what they were getting themselves into—that is, they were taking a chance against the court case—or he did not tell them and therefore he led them down the garden path and hoodwinked them every inch of the way.
SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS
Ms ALISON MEGARRITY: My question without notice is directed to the Premier. What is the Government's response to community concerns about the treatment by the court system of women who have been the victims of sexual assault?
Mr BOB CARR: The House has touched on this matter from time to time, acknowledging that sexual assault is often a difficult event to come to terms with, to report, to investigate, to prosecute and to judge. The efforts of the victims in these most tragic cases, in the face of extraordinary abuse and intimidation, to have their day in court are often nothing short of heroic. The Government has always worked with legal experts and seasoned counsel to embody in law reforms to our justice system reforms that make it easier for women to give evidence, especially young women with their lives ahead of them, enabling them to come forward and to speak up.
In this State child complainants do not have to give evidence at the committal stage. A child complainant's original videotaped statement to police is used at the trial as primary evidence. Further evidence from children can occur on closed-circuit television. Last session we went further with amendments that mean adults can give evidence in this way. The Evidence Act now allows previous statements to be tendered where the victim is unavailable. An accused, if unrepresented, cannot personally cross-examine his victim. Remember that amendment we passed into law? It is very important. Under the law in this State prior sexual experience can be raised in proceedings only in extremely limited circumstances. Perpetrators of the crime of aggravated sexual assault in company—that is, planned and executed gang rapes—now face life imprisonment. We have achieved a lot, but there is more to be done.
This is particularly so when, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology, 100,000 sexual assaults are committed every year and, of these, fewer than 1,500 complainants, or an estimated 1.4 per cent, ever get to bring their stories into court. There are many reasons for this low rate of reporting: the fear of reprisals, a wish to protect the offender, shame or embarrassment, and difficulties with gathering evidence. We also know that suspicion of the criminal justice system accounts for some people's reluctance to report a sexual assault. Therefore the House will be interested to hear of some reforms the Government is about to proceed with. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10511
First, we will move to impose a new duty on judges to prevent harassing, intimidating, offensive or oppressive questions. Yes, the Evidence Act already allows the court to prohibit improper questions being put to witnesses, but that requires counsel to object each time they think the questioning is getting out of hand. So its application is patchy. While judicial officers have the power to intervene, some judges are reluctant to take this up. The result is that too often victims feel they are on trial. Justice Wood, the Chief Judge at Common Law, has raised this issue in relation to child witnesses. We will therefore place a positive duty on judges to prevent improper questioning, ensuring that all witnesses are able to give their evidence free from intimidation. The duty will also extend to tones of address such as excessively sarcastic or belittling insinuations. The Government will also legislate to provide a presumption in favour of closing the court when an adult victim is giving evidence. This is currently allowed in some circumstances. We will now extend this presumption to adult victims, matching the procedure for child victims.
We will also amend the Criminal Procedure Act to allow victims of sexual assault to have a support person with them in court at all times—a right not fully established in law at the present time. We will also look at the feasibility of adapting the Queensland law that limits disclosure of sensitive evidence such as intimate photos taken to show a complainant's injuries. Honourable members are aware that some prosecutors are not in favour of using videotaped evidence—the jury is denied the advantage of seeing the witness give his or her evidence, of seeing important contextual facts, and must assess the witness's credibility on a more limited basis. We agree that the last thing we want is more acquittals in sexual assault prosecutions. Nevertheless, enough commentators, academics and judicial officers have raised this issue for us to consider it seriously. Indeed, it would be irresponsible not to.
The Attorney General is engaging the Australian Institute of Criminology to research the use of video technology in sexual assault matters and to determine the effect such evidence may have on jury deliberations. A full report on this proposal is expected within six months. I look forward to continuing to work with all members of the House, to taking counsel from senior members of the judiciary, to consulting widely on these reforms and to listening and learning, above all, from the heroic women who have bravely come forward at much risk to themselves and endured so much to give themselves access to justice.
DESIGNER OUTLETS CENTRE, LIVERPOOL, CLOSURE
Mr JOHN BROGDEN: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Western Sydney. Did the Premier's chief of staff, Graeme Wedderburn, tell her "to stick to the rules", as he claimed in the parliamentary inquiry, or does the Minister stand by her statement to the media last week that she was never told to "stick to the rules"? Which one is lying?
Ms DIANE BEAMER: I made my decision based on sound planning principles. I made my decision without any external influence. I received advice to safeguard the process and to avoid inappropriate lobbying. I made the decision on sound planning grounds in accordance with the Act.
COMMONWEALTH STATE AND TERRITORY HEALTH AGREEMENT
Ms ANGELA D'AMORE: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Health. What is the Government's response to community concerns about the Commonwealth health policy and its impact on New South Wales families?
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: We have just passed the first anniversary of the signing of the 2003-08 Commonwealth-State health agreement, an agreement that all States and Territories were forced to sign with the Commonwealth with a gun held to our heads, an agreement that left New South Wales public hospitals with almost $300 million less in funding over the course of the next five years. It is an agreement that nobody agreed with—not the States, not the Territories and not the senior clinicians who have formed the reform task force. In the 18 months leading up to the forced signing of the agreement not even the senior nurses and doctors who formed that task force agreed. The only people who agreed with the signing were members of the Opposition. At a time when New South Wales was having $300 million ripped out of public hospital funding, the only people advocating the signing of the agreement were members of the Opposition. When it comes to standing up and striking a blow for New South Wales, they will not pick up the phone to John Howard and Peter Costello to tell them to keep the money in to support our public hospitals.
I can report that since signing the agreement with a gun held to our heads, and with the massive penalties for not signing, the story has only got worse, with the Commonwealth revisiting the agreement and 10512 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 coming back for more. It did not stop with $300 million less for our public hospitals. Since the signing of the agreement it has stripped away another $105 million from New South Wales public hospitals under the wages agreement that is a component of the health agreement—a flawed wages formula that has seen New South Wales lose, since September 2003, an additional $105 million from urgently needed funding for the staff who work in our public hospitals. At a time, we are proud to say, of rising salaries for nurses, for example, the only government in the country that believes our health care professionals should receive less is the Commonwealth Government. Since the agreement was signed the Commonwealth has come back and revisited the wages funding component of the agreement and taken out an additional $105 million.
One would have thought that $300 million less in public hospital funding was bad enough, and then $105 million less to pay our hard-working health care professionals, but a couple of months ago we saw the cruellest cut of all, the third cut to public health funding: the cut to public health prevention programs. This is the $13 million cut to public health programs like breast screening, HIV-AIDS program screening, screening for cervical cancer, and family planning. That is $300 million less funding for our public hospitals, $105 million less funding for the salaries and wages of our health care professionals, and John Howard's cruellest cut of all: the cut to screening for breast cancer, cervical cancer and HIV-AIDS. That represents $13 million, which is urgently needed funding for those important public health programs, cut from New South Wales over the next five years.
The cuts add up to more than $400 million in hospital and public health funding. What is the Commonwealth's response to all those cuts? We saw its latest response on the weekend. The Commonwealth Government is flush with a surplus. The surplus has been built on cuts to our public hospitals, on cuts to screening for breast cancer, and by taking out $105 million of support for our nurses and doctors. That is how John Howard and Peter Costello's budget surplus has been built: by clawing the money out of our public hospitals, from our nurses and doctors, and out of programs such as breast cancer screening.
On the weekend we saw the latest instalment of where the Commonwealth Government proposes to spend the surplus. Do you think it would attempt to return some of the money to our public hospitals? No. Do you think it would attempt to return some of the money in salaries to our nurses and doctors? No. Do you think it would attempt to return some of the money to screening for breast cancer and cervical cancer? No. In an attempted bribe to shore up its support in the aged community it gives the health insurance companies more money, another $500 million. As if the subsidy to the private health insurance companies—which at the moment totals $2.3 billion—was not enough, the Commonwealth has decided to transfer another $500 million in private health insurance funding at the expense of our public hospitals.
It is yet another example of how the Commonwealth refuses to face up to its responsibilities to properly fund our public hospitals. It will not acknowledge the fact, which everyone knows, that our public hospitals are treating and admitting more patients than ever before, particularly through our emergency departments. The activity levels in our public hospitals are increasing, yet the Commonwealth response is to take money away. Its response is flawed. The Australian Health and Welfare Institute survey in 2002, which the Prime Minister relies on, showed that activity in public hospitals has gone up. Yet the Commonwealth's response is to take money out. Adequate support for aged care would relieve the pressure from our public hospitals and, most importantly, provide more appropriate care for those 900 senior citizens who are in public hospital beds but are awaiting Commonwealth-funded nursing home or community care positions. At least we will get an opportunity over the next six weeks to place these issues—funding for our public hospitals, support for our nurses and doctors, training of an adequate number of nurses and doctors through our universities and proper support for aged care—firmly at the top of the agenda of national politics.
RURAL EMPLOYMENT
Mr ANDREW STONER: My question without notice is addressed to the Premier. Given his 1996 promise to undertake rural community impact statements, what analysis has the Government done on the devastating impact of the hundreds of State government job losses across country New South Wales from agencies including Agriculture, Natural Resources and Health? Why has he abandoned country workers and their communities?
Mr Craig Knowles: We do not see too many farmers waving placards saying "more red tape".
Mr BOB CARR: The Minister is right. The farmers in New South Wales have welcomed the fact that we are winding back bureaucracy to invest more on farms. That is the whole point of the restructuring. I vividly 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10513 remember before the last election talking to the Wentworth Group, an esteemed group of scientists, about the flaws in the way Australian governments are attempting to save the Australian landscape. They said if we take the large slice of money used to sustain our bureaucracies and invest it on farms helping farmers, we will make a dramatic difference.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Murrumbidgee to order.
Mr BOB CARR: Is the Opposition defending a position, which occurred when it was in Government, of one public servant in this area for every 15 farmers? Does it believe that is a serious ratio? When it comes to primary industries, far from walking away from research in this State, the new department will bring the best possible research and advisory services to the service of farmers across New South Wales. This question time was going to be the great test. It was going to be the greatest drama in the history of Westminster government. The Government was coming back and we were going to be put under enormous pressure. Do Government members feel under pressure? For weeks there was the build-up: "Wait till we get them back in Parliament".
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time.
Mr BOB CARR: All I can say is that the one revelation in Parliament is about Spiderman over there. I have never seen a greater demonstration of how a good diet can transform someone's health prospects. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is a walking advertisement for good diet and an excellent exercise program.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Blacktown to order.
Mr BOB CARR: How the sales of hamburgers and fried chicken must have slumped in Ku-ring-gai. Talk about small business! All those fried chicken outlets on the North Shore line will go out of business because of his diet. Enough of these distractions; let us get back to the matter I was asked about. We have outlined a bold and broad plan for the future of primary industry research in New South Wales. The restructuring of land and water conservation has been supported by farmers. They do not want bureaucracy; they want practical assistance. These days it is rare to receive a complaint from farmers or environmentalists about the Government's approach in this term on native vegetation. That is because the new approach we have taken is endorsed by environmentalists and farmers and commended by scientists.
NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY WEEK EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Mr GERARD MARTIN: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Education and Training. What is the latest information on literacy achievements in New South Wales, particularly in the central west of the State?
Dr ANDREW REFSHAUGE: This week is National Literacy and Numeracy Week. I am pleased to announce that two country schools in New South Wales have won two of the National Literacy and Numeracy Week excellence awards. Portland Central School in the State's central west and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School at Walgett won $10,000 each for their outstanding commitment to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of their students. I congratulate the principal of Portland Central School, George Lovecek, who is with us today in Parliament. He is accompanied by four students from Portland Central School: Sophie Percevil from year 5, Jake Mitchell from year 6, Michael Hughes from year 7 and Jessica Toomey from year 8. I congratulate the school and its students. Portland Central has witnessed a dramatic turnaround in its students' results after embarking on an ambitious project over the past two years. It chose specifically to focus on the learning needs of students in the middle years, from years 5 to 8. The project has helped teachers at Portland Central to streamline their literacy and numeracy lessons in those years, creating a much smoother transition for students into secondary school.
The teachers focus on literacy not only while students are studying English but also in the context of all other subjects, including maths and science. They share teaching methods and map out special programs for students across those crucial years. That means literacy skills are developed not only while studying English but also throughout the school day. Parental involvement is an important aspect of the program. The school has actively involved parents in the program and its results in the latest literacy and numeracy tests indicate a significant improvement. I thank the teachers for their commitment to the program, the parents who have been involved and the students, who are hungry to learn. A review of the program undertaken by Monash University demonstrates a direct link between its implementation and student outcomes. 10514 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
It is important to note that the former mayor of Lithgow has been replaced by Neville Castle, a geography teacher and librarian at the school. Of course, support staff play an important part at all schools. Janet Jennings has been at the school for 15 years. Hanging on to staff is a great achievement for the school; teachers want to transfer there and they stay. Staff members also provide out-of-hours adult tuition in information technology. The area has only 2,000 residents and the school is a vital part of the community. It is great that the school has achieved a national excellence award for literacy and numeracy. I congratulate the students and the principal of this great school.
AREA HEALTH SERVICE RESTRUCTURE
Mr ROBERT OAKESHOTT: I direct my question to the Minister for Health. Can the Minister inform the House about opportunities for the mid North Coast to attract statewide health jobs, particularly in the corporate services area, given the recent announcement about the health service restructure?
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I thank the honourable member for the question and welcome his recent career decision—I am sure The Nationals will also welcome it. The Australian Financial Review states that the honourable member for Port Macquarie has decided not to contest the Federal seat in his area. The possibility of his running as an Independent in the Federal election was also mentioned during an interview on Lateline on 3 August. Tony Windsor, that other great Independent, stated:
John Anderson is saying quite openly around here that if Robert Oakeshott, the independent from Port Macquarie, runs against Mark Vaile, the National Party is dead.
The Commonwealth Parliament's loss is our gain, because there is much unfinished business, particularly with regard to Port Macquarie Base Hospital. The Leader of The Nationals expressed concern about the devastation in country New South Wales resulting from cuts to the bureaucracy. Interestingly, on 24 May this year he told ABC New England North West NSW:
We're not against cuts to the bureaucracy and to the fat, in fact we'd like to get stuck into area health services…
Obviously he has one message for the Parliament and another one for his constituents. He said one thing on regional radio and then came to Parliament and said something different. Regional communities, including Port Macquarie, will have the opportunity to make submissions about the location of offices during the restructure process and as we move towards aggregation into three or four corporate service centres. I look forward to receiving the Port Macquarie submission and to working with the honourable member.
Mr Andrew Stoner: Point of order: I refer to relevance. The Minister should explain when he is going to stop blocking the negotiations about the contract for Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: Stay tuned. As I said, there is unfinished business with the hospital.
Mr Andrew Stoner: Hurry up!
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The Leader should be patient and stay tuned. I look forward to working with the honourable member for Port Macquarie in response to submissions relating to the statewide corporate service centre program. I also assure the honourable member that the administrative savings made in local areas will be returned to those areas in the form of additional resources for frontline clinical services.
NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES CRIME RATES
Mr JOHN BARTLETT: I direct my question to the Minister for Police. What is the latest information on crime rates in New South Wales, particularly in northern New South Wales?
Mr JOHN WATKINS: I am sure all honourable members will join me in commending the work of our record number of frontline police officers for their most recent success in the fight against crime. Our officers have driven down or stabilised crime in all 16 major crime categories in New South Wales. The release last week of the latest data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research [BOCSAR]—the State's official 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10515 independent crime umpire—indicates major statewide decreases in robbery with a weapon but not a firearm, which is down by 20 per cent; stealing from a person, down by 18 per cent; breaking and entering a non- dwelling, down by 18 per cent; stealing from a retail store, down by 17 per cent; stealing from a motor vehicle, down by 14 per cent; fraud, down by 12 per cent; indecent assault, down by 12 per cent; breaking and entering a dwelling, down by 9 per cent; motor vehicle theft, down by 9 per cent; and stealing from a dwelling, down by 5 per cent. The incidence of murder, assault, sexual assault, malicious damage, robbery with a firearm and robbery without a weapon is stable across the State.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much audible conversation on both Government and Opposition benches. The Minister will be heard in silence.
Mr JOHN WATKINS: These results demonstrate that our record number of police officers is continuing to impact every day on every category of crime. We have more than 14,450 police officers keeping this State safe. They pull on their uniform every day and do that hard work in every city, town and suburb of New South Wales. They deserve credit for these great results, which translate directly into safer communities. Honourable members should also be aware than another 140 officers joined that effort last Friday. I thank the honourable member for his question and I am pleased to report that BOCSAR has found that malicious damage, breaking and entering a dwelling, stealing from a dwelling, stealing from a motor vehicle and breaking and entering a non-dwelling were all down by between 7 per cent and 31 per cent in the Richmond area. The incidence of all other crime was stable. BOSCAR also points out that in the mid North Coast division assault and stealing from retail stores was down by between 12 per cent and 19 per cent and the incidence of offences in every other crime category was stable. The Hunter division experienced decreases between 4 per cent and 70 per cent in malicious damage, stealing from a dwelling, breaking and entering a dwelling, stealing from a person, stealing from a retail store and armed robbery. Positive crime statistics should serve as a trigger for us to redouble our efforts to maintain our highly visible police service and to target emerging criminal trends.
Questions without notice concluded.
DESIGNER OUTLETS CENTRE, LIVERPOOL, CLOSURE
Privilege
Mr JOHN BROGDEN (Pittwater—Leader of the Opposition) [3.39 p.m.]: I raise a point of privilege under Standing Order 101, paragraphs (1) to (3), which relates to privilege. Earlier today in the Chamber the Premier claimed that Opposition members of the Legislative Council committee inquiring into the Orange Grove facility had voted against a motion requiring the proprietors of Gazcorp Pty Ltd to produce leases. That is a lie; there has been no vote.
Mr Carl Scully: Point of order: It is complete nonsense for the Leader of the Opposition to suggest that members of the Legislative Council committee voting in a certain way can somehow affect his privilege as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will not hear anything further in relation to this matter. The matter raised by the Leader of the Opposition is not a point of privilege. The standing orders provide that members who believe they have been misrepresented in some way may take a point of privilege at the time the matter to which objection is taken is raised. If members want to take issue with the actions of other members, there are other ways under the standing orders in which that can be done. The Clerk has reminded me that under the revised procedures relating to privilege under Standing Order 101, the matter raised by the member must be then before the House. The Leader of the Opposition has raised no point of privilege under that standing order.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders
Special Adjournment
Mr CARL SCULLY (Smithfield—Minister for Roads, and Minister for Housing) [3.41 p.m.]: I move:
(1) That standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow:
(a) from the commencement of private members' statements at this sitting, no divisions or quorums to be called until the rising of the House: 10516 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
(b) at 7.30 p.m. business to be interrupted to permit consideration of a condolence motion for the Hon. W. T. J. Murray, former Deputy Premier, at the conclusion of which the House will adjourn as a mark of respect without motion being put.
(2) That the House at its rising this day do adjourn until Wednesday 1 September 2004 at 10.00 a.m.
Mr ANDREW TINK (Epping) [3.42 p.m.]: Whilst the Opposition does not oppose the motion, I make the point that after an eight-week recess the Government obviously has no business whatsoever to put before the House. It does not have a single bill of any consequence ready to be debated today. What have Government members been doing? I imagine they have all been getting the fire hoses out in the Western Sydney Labor Party branches. They have all been out searching for the honourable member for Fairfield.
Mr Carl Scully: Point of order: I do not know where the honourable member for Lismore is, but he put this motion on the business paper on behalf of the National Party out of respect for Wal Murray. Wal Murray's family has travelled to Sydney and will be present in the Chamber to listen to contributions to the condolence motion. The contribution of the honourable member for Epping is an outrageous slur on the Government. We have plenty of business. My office negotiated with the honourable member for Lismore on this motion. Where is he? It has been a longstanding convention of this Parliament to adjourn the House out of respect following a condolence motion for a former member of Parliament. It is outrageous for the honourable member for Epping to suggest that the Government does not have business. We have plenty of business. Does he suggest that the condolence motion should be withdrawn?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will hear further from the honourable member for Epping.
Mr ANDREW TINK: The fact remains that the Government has no business before the House. After an eight-week recess two bills are listed on the notice paper, and tomorrow and the following day the House will hear a take-note debate on the budget. The Government has spent the last eight weeks looking for the honourable member for Fairfield so it could find out what happened between him and various people who were doing dirty deals in regard to Orange Grove, in south-western Sydney. That has been the Government's sole business over the eight-week recess. This is a government that is falling apart at the seams. This is a government in which only one thing is right: the price is right.
Motion agreed to.
CONSIDERATION OF URGENT MOTIONS
Exceptional Circumstances Drought Assistance
Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [3.45 p.m.]: My motion is clearly urgent. At the outset I challenge the National Party to vote on the motion with Country Labor to ensure that it is given priority today. Nothing is more urgent than this motion, simply because we are eight hours from entering a Federal Government election campaign. We have eight hours for the Federal National Party to do something about straightening up the mess with regard to exceptional circumstances [EC] drought assistance. Exceptional circumstances drought assistance is the Federal Government's main vehicle for providing assistance directly to farmers.
This motion is urgent because more than 90 per cent of New South Wales is still drought declared, notwithstanding the good rain we have had over the last few days. This means that the vast majority of the State's farmers should be able to access income and business support. The Federal Government's EC system is tied up in red tape and complexity. The facts are that only approximately 4,200 farmers and graziers have been able to access support, which is an absolutely deplorable outcome. This motion is urgent because the Federal Government has eight hours—it can do it, if it wants to—to cut the red tape and inject a bit of commonsense into supporting the drought-relief program. The New South Wales Government has fought tooth and nail for positive change; now it is time for the Commonwealth to do the same.
This is the last chance for the Federal Government to roll over EC assistance to recipients already in possession of such assistance. This is the last chance for EC assistance to be extended to town businesses affected by drought. This is the last chance for the Federal Nationals to realistically consider town businesses, including fertiliser and machinery businesses and others, that have been badly affected by drought and are losing trade. This is the last chance for the Federal Nationals to eliminate the requirement for farmers and town businesses to show a reduction in income, and to simply require a reduction in production. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10517
In my challenge to The Nationals to vote with Country Labor on this matter I point out that The Nationals have been responsible for the total mess in regard to how exceptional circumstances assistance is arrived at and offered to farmers. It is a fact of life that The Nationals have drawn up the rules concerning who receives EC and who does not. Indeed, it was a western New South Wales Nationals mayor who said, "What a disgrace it is. Let us simplify it and just require demonstration of loss of production in order to establish eligibility for EC."
This motion is urgent simply because of the fantastic performance of John Cobb, The Nationals member for Parkes. I cannot believe that John Cobb, the infamous member for Parkes, is telling the people in western New South Wales, his constituents, that damage from plague locusts is not a natural disaster. The honourable member for Murrumbidgee nods his head. Of course it is a natural disaster. What is the difference between a crop being wiped out by drought and a crop being wiped out by a plague of locusts?
The people who are asking for EC assistance now—and in some cases it appears that the drought may have broken in areas such as Broken Hill—are not asking for charity. Graziers and farmers are proud people. They are simply asking for a helping hand, for a simplification of EC assistance so they can restock after the drought breaks. It is as simple as that. We have a simple proposition to put to the Federal Nationals, including people like Warren Truss, who denies the statement made by his leader, John Anderson, the member for Gwydir, that "the damage from locusts does not fit national disaster criteria". [Time expired.]
Designer Outlets Centre, Liverpool, Closure
Mr JOHN BROGDEN (Pittwater—Leader of the Opposition) [3.50 p.m.]: This matter is urgent because this Parliament deserves to be given the opportunity to get to the bottom of the scandal surrounding the closure of the Orange Grove shopping centre. Today we saw a pathetic performance from the Premier, the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning and the assistant Minister. The Premier's hand was shaking as he held a document because he now realises that the people of New South Wales know that he has done Westfield a big favour. Westfield is the big winner, and the losers are 450 workers in Western Sydney and 60 businesspeople whose livelihoods have been destroyed. In many cases those people have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish their businesses. But what do we hear from this Government? We heard from the Minister for Planning—a nearby local member, if Bowral could be called nearby—that it was "an illegal development and a dodgy DA". Why did he open the illegal development? Why did he open the building that was delivered with a dodgy DA? Because he is also up to his neck in it. He is as thick as thieves with this crowd out there. We have heard nothing from the assistant Minister in response to the clear contradiction in relation to her statement that she was not told by the Premier's Chief of Staff, Graeme Wedderburn—
Mr Alan Ashton: Point of order: The Leader of the Opposition knows the standing orders. He has mentioned the word "urgent" only once in almost two minutes. He is debating the issue rather than establishing urgency.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I understand the gist of the point of order. The Leader of the Opposition may resume. However, I notice that he has a photograph. I do not know who is shown in the photograph, but I remind him of the precedents in relation to the use of props in the Chamber.
Mr JOHN BROGDEN: The assistant Minister clearly refused to answer the question about Mr Wedderburn's statement to the parliamentary committee last week that the Premier directed him to tell her to stick by the rules. The matter is urgent because she says that never happened. So who is lying—the assistant Minister, Mr Wedderburn or the Premier? That is why this matter is urgent. Of course we have heard nothing from the silent member for Fairfield, the coward who will not stand up for his workers or for small businesspeople in south-western Sydney. He is a coward and he is damned by his failure to add any commentary to the pathetic public statement he released yesterday.
This matter is urgent because it is clear that when Mark Ryan rang Graeme Wedderburn he said, "I'm coming over, mate, to make sure that your Government does not rezone that thing at Orange Grove because that will hurt Westfield." He met with Graeme Wedderburn and Wedderburn agreed. Wedderburn went to the Premier and said, "Westfield does not want this rezoned, Bob, so let's do over Gazcorp and do Westfield a favour." The Premier said, "Yep, good idea. We owe Westfield. Go down to Diane Beamer and tell her not to rezone this land." That is what happened.
Mr Steve Whan: Point of order: First, the Leader of the Opposition is not justifying why his matter should be granted urgency. Secondly, he is purporting to quote the Premier when in fact he is clearly not quoting the Premier. 10518 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition knows the standing orders. I draw his attention to them.
Mr JOHN BROGDEN: This matter is urgent because he will only be here for another 2½ years and I want a chance to debate it while he is still here. This matter is urgent because it is clear to all and sundry, every citizen of this State, that the Premier did a deal for Westfield, and in doing so destroyed 450 jobs and 60 businesses. That is what happened. The Government's pathetic failure to confront the issue today is a further demonstration of that. Government members went through the press gallery today and told the journos downstairs, "We've got a big bomb to drop". But nothing! It is very clear that this Labor Government is corrupt, it is rotten to the core. Its tentacles dig deep into the Liverpool council affair, and it is directly responsible for the loss of 450 jobs and 60 businesses. [Time expired.]
Question—That the motion for urgent consideration of the honourable member for Murray- Darling be proceeded with—agreed to.
EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES DROUGHT ASSISTANCE
Urgent Motion
Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [3.55 p.m.]: I move:
That this House expresses its concern about the criteria for exceptional circumstances assistance to New South Wales farmers and graziers in drought.
I note that with eight hours to go before the Federal Government goes into caretaker mode The Nationals got out of this little one simply by not forcing a vote. With eight hours to midnight and with a genuine case for urgency, out they go—Orange Grove can wait until tomorrow or Thursday. But the Federal Government will be in caretaker mode by then. On 16 August a meeting of the western New South Wales mayors was convened at Ivanhoe. At their request, on 17 August I wrote to the Hon. Warren Truss, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and said:
The meeting unanimously resolved to request the undersigned to make representations to the Commonwealth Government with respect to the necessity of extending Exceptional Circumstances assistance to drought affected graziers and farmers, to extending Exceptional Circumstances to drought affected town businesses, and, in general, freeing up the conditions required to obtain Exceptional Circumstances assistance by using the changes recommended by the recent Drought Task Force Inquiry. This was to eliminate the need to demonstrate the adverse effect on income in the assessment and to base it solely on loss of production.
That last point was made not by a Country Labor mayor but by a Nationals member who is very well-known to the honourable member for Lachlan. This is a Nationals member saying what should happen to western New South Wales. I put it to the honourable member for Lachlan—who will not be the honourable member for Lachlan much longer—that deep in his heart he knows that if he were still the leader we would not have this sort of mess.
Mr Ian Armstrong: Point of order: If I were the leader in government there would not even be a drought.
Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr John Mills): Order! There is no point of order.
Mr PETER BLACK: The need is more urgent now to extend exceptional circumstances assistance than it was to establish exceptional circumstances three years ago. At a State level we have outspent the Federal Government on this issue of drought. The Nationals like to hear their own rhetoric but they do not want to hear the figures that I am about to read out. But let me convince them that these are the true figures. On 1 July 2003, 77.2 per cent of the State was declared in drought, and 23,250 farmers were eligible for assistance. On 1 July 2004, 93.5 per cent of the State—that is, 41,570 farmers and graziers—was eligible for exceptional circumstances assistance. On 8 July that latter figure was unchanged. The Nationals apparently dispute, or do not like, those figures.
In 2002-03 there were 1,154 applications for exceptional circumstances interest subsidies, to the value of $19.2 million. The Nationals have attacked their own constituency by using the assets test, and many members of The Nationals in western New South Wales agree with me; they are waiting to see whether the New South Wales Nationals have any clout with Warren Truss or John Anderson and whether they will stand up for them. In 2003-04, 2,644 applications were approved, to the value of $51.7 million. In 2004-05 another 72 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10519 applications were received, to the value of $1.5 million. As of 8 July this year—and these are Federal Government figures—$72.4 million has been provided. The grand total of exceptional circumstances certificates issued to 8 July 2004 was 16,983.
Total drought support measures provided by the State Government, with the encouragement and support of Country Labor, now exceeds $130 million. The 10 per cent for exceptional circumstances assistance was essentially a Commonwealth measure and the State Government has contributed $8 million towards that. In the financial year 2002-03 the State Government has paid out $22.3 million in transport subsidies, $12.7 million in special conservation loans, $0.6 million to alleviate town water supply problems in places like Coolabah in the Murray-Darling electorate, and $1.37 million in waived Wild Dog Destruction Board fees. I highlight that because The Nationals have asked what the Government has done about wild dogs.
We have been aerial baiting wild dogs for years in Sturt National Park, which is something that The Nationals should acknowledge. The Government has spent $1.4 million in waived fees for Western Lands leases in the Western Division in one year—right across the board and not subjected to an assets test—amounting to $900 for every Western Lands lessee. These are the facts, but The Nationals do not like to hear them because their Federal counterparts have been cruel to so many graziers.
I know that Clive Linnette, a great grazier from Ivanhoe—which received good rain last night—would not mind me saying that in the middle of a drought his lovely wife, Fay, obtained employment two days a week at Wilcannia Central School to help with their cash flow. Yet because of her actions the Federal Government has withdrawn their farm income. That is totally wrong, and the honourable member for Barwon knows that it is wrong. The New South Wales Government has spent $0.3 million in waiving permit fees for bees in national parks, $1.5 million in payroll tax concessions to rural businesses, $0.1 million in small business assistance, and $5.3 million in interest rate subsidies. This is a grand total of $52 million for the 2003-04 financial year, whereas the Federal Government has only given $72 million since 2002.
The honourable member for Barwon knows that his graziers and farmers are hurting as badly as my constituents. I have Bourke in my electorate, and he has Brewarrina. They are adjacent and they have been rolled over, but not without a battle, which I shall mention in conclusion. This Government has gone out of its way to assist drought-affected farmers simply because New South Wales is the State most drought affected. It is not too late for The Nationals, Warren Truss, John Anderson or the useless member for Parkes, John Cobb, who will not do anything to support his graziers and farmers, to come on board with Country Labor to tell the Federal Nationals Ministers about the drought. These people are proud and they do not seek charity. My graziers and farmers are dinky-di people who only seek a leg up, a bit of assistance to restock. The honourable member for Murrumbidgee and the honourable member for Barwon have many farmers and graziers in their electorates and it is ridiculous that they are not seeking assistance for people who have been wiped out because they have not been able to sow a crop for more than two years. It is disgraceful. [Time expired.]
Mr ADRIAN PICCOLI (Murrumbidgee) [4.05 p.m.]: Every member of this Parliament and the Federal Parliament would appreciate the difficulties being faced by many farmers across New South Wales and in other parts of Australia because of the drought. It is unbelievable that after so many years it still continues. We live in hope that the drought will break, but that has not happened to date. From a public policy point of view the one issue of concern to farmers in the midst of this devastating drought is who is responsible for dealing with exceptional circumstances assistance—the State or the Federal Government. I acknowledge that it is not easy to establish a proper relationship between the State and the Commonwealth with respect to funding exceptional circumstances assistance. However, I take this opportunity to defend the Federal Government because it has acted responsibly in dealing with the drought. On 12 July Warren Truss issued a press release in which he stated:
The Australian Government will make it easier for farmers who have not experienced a break in drought over the past 18 months to have Exceptional Circumstances (EC) drought declarations rolled over for a 12-month extension.
I am sure that the Hon. Warren Truss and others hoped that the drought would end, but that has not happened and, following representations, the Federal Government continued the exceptional circumstances assistance. In his press release the Hon. Warren Truss stated further:
There are some 35,000 farmers in current EC declared areas that could be assessed under these streamlined arrangements before the end of the year. In most areas, eligibility for EC benefits expires on 9 December 2004.
The changes mean that a streamlined assessment will be undertaken in the final six months of all EC declarations announced in 2002/03. This means that people in the affected areas will not have to wait for state governments to go through the EC application process a second time. 10520 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Most members of this House would acknowledge that that is a responsible move by the Federal Government. They understand the frustration felt by many farmers about the application process, the argument between State and Federal governments as to responsibility for exceptional circumstances assistance and the difficulty in proving that an area should be given an exceptional circumstances declaration. This has been a difficult and cumbersome process and I commend the Federal Government and the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for rolling over the exceptional circumstances drought declarations. Also, I have a report from Nick Grimm of the ABC program AM, who stated:
The Government says it's taking an "open chequebook" approach to the problem, as some primary producers endure their fourth successive year without sufficient rain. With the drought already having cost taxpayers $1.1 billion, it's estimated the new assistance package could run to $300 million dollars.
Those comments were made by a journalist, who I suppose is paraphrasing the Federal Government. That goes to show how much money has been spent on the current drought by both State and Federal governments. At the end of the day the farmers most adversely affected are concerned not only about the future of their businesses but about their families first and foremost. I think any farmer in that situation would give up his farm any day for the future of his family. For many of these farmers, a lot of family history is tied up in their farms, which makes it very emotional. Any assistance they have been able to get from both the Federal and State governments has been welcomed, but again I stress that they are concerned about this whole process.
The best time to develop a better system of drought assistance to help farmers in these bleak times, and to do it with level heads and less passion, is when the drought breaks. I hope that whoever is in government, State and Federal, will come together and we will end up with an ideal solution. That is very idealistic. Unfortunately, politics plays a large part in this, but at the end of the day the farmers and their families want proper answers to this complex problem. The thoughts of both National and Liberal members of this House go out to the families that are still suffering enormous hardship during this drought. We feel for them. We understand that there has been a bit of rain in the past couple of days: may it continue so that, hopefully, the families that have suffered many years of hardship get a reprieve at last.
Mr GERARD MARTIN (Bathurst) [4.12 p.m.]: I support the motion moved by the honourable member for Murray-Darling. No doubt this drought has been a challenge for everyone concerned. Never before have we endured such a protracted period without rain, and never before has there been such a widespread need for government assistance. Faced with severe stock and crop losses, water shortages and emotional strain, rural and regional communities have sent one simple message to governments: they need help and they need it fast. They want leadership from those whom they voted into government.
Unfortunately, rather than standing up for those who it supposedly represents, we have witnessed a master class in bureaucratic bungling from the Federal Government. We know the exceptional circumstances [EC] system was too complicated. Country Labor members have said that in the Chamber many times in the past three or four years. We know it tied farmers up in endless reams of red tape. But the other major failing on the part of the Federal Government has been over the question of leadership. Federal agriculture Minister Warren Truss and the rest of the Coalition have stumbled through this crisis blindfolded. When farmers needed expediency the Federal Government dragged its feet. Its priority has only ever been to try to shift ever more responsibility for drought support onto the State governments.
Honourable members will recall that the Coalition has already ripped more than $350 million out of New South Wales through the Commonwealth Grants Commission. One can only presume that the Federal Government's coffers are still not full. It wants to siphon off even more funds from New South Wales. Such incompetence is matched only by that of the New South Wales Coalition, which has not had a single, constructive comment to offer. It has been left up to the State governments to work constructively together and to push through real EC reform. I particularly commend the New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, the Hon. Ian Macdonald, for successfully campaigning over the past few months to make a series of logical improvements to the EC system.
The most recent achievement was a breakthrough at the drought roundtable in Melbourne in July. Months of lobbying by the State Government finally paid off when the Federal Government caved in and agreed to investigate a climate event-based EC declaration process. Minister Macdonald, backed by the other Labor States, argued that the current system unfairly forced farmers to endure two rounds of applications for EC support—firstly by region and then secondly as individuals. The more logical approach, as put by the State Ministers, was for regions to automatically receive EC declarations once a rare and severe drought event occurred. Specifically, the declaration would be based on criteria such as rainfall, soil moisture, water 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10521 availability and pasture growth. That is a much more simple, straightforward and sensible approach to helping farmers. It made perfect sense when all individuals had to prove their own financial needs anyway.
New South Wales also successfully moved a motion calling for the Bureau of Rural Sciences to investigate how these climate-based EC systems would work. The Federal Government agreed to present the results of this study and cost analysis at the next Primary Industries Ministerial Council. And the good news did not stop there. New South Wales also successfully moved a motion designed to cut red tape for the next generation of farmers and encourage them to remain on the land. The motion aimed to give young or new farmers access to EC business assistance, without first having to prove they have implemented drought preparedness measures. Clearly, drought preparedness is a long-term goal. It is not realistic to expect people who have only recently taken up farming to have made the necessary provisions for a one-in-25-year event. Ironically, after the conference Minister Truss waxed lyrical about the merit of the changes championed by the States. He told ABC radio:
It's our objective to deliver exceptional circumstances and other drought assistance measures in a timely way at the time that farmers need them.
Those are nice words, but the record will show that it was the State Labor governments, not the Coalition, that rolled up their sleeves and fought for the real changes—and it was not the first time. The same patterns emerged at the Primary Industries Ministerial Council in Adelaide in May. At that meeting New South Wales successfully moved a motion encouraging the Federal Government to make other critical changes to the EC assistance program. Minister Macdonald called for an automatic EC roll-over process. That was of great concern to farmers in regions which had been EC-declared for nearly two years. Under the old system, those farmers would have been forced to endure a second lengthy application process when that declaration expired. Again, it was a useful and sensible suggestion, and it made life easier for our farmers, and again it was passed with the support of the other States. Unfortunately, it has become apparent more recently that the Federal Government has not followed that motion to the letter of the law. The streamlined process that has since been implemented is not quite the specific automatic roll-over outcome approved by the States.
Mr IAN SLACK-SMITH (Barwon) [4.17 p.m.]: I totally agree that this House should express concern about the criteria for exceptional circumstances assistance to assist New South Wales farmers and graziers in drought. The honourable member for Bathurst said that drought is a once-in-25-years occurrence. However, drought has been an annual event in the past few years. Indeed, the honourable member for Murray-Darling spoke about the people in the area around Brewarrina-Bourke. Brewarrina went into drought two years ahead of any other area—that was four years ago—and it is in drought again now. People in that area have been carting drinking water for about four years straight. It is time the good Lord decided to take pity on the poor cows in that area and gave them a break.
The drought is increasing; I have not had a wheat crop for three years. I welcomed rain a couple of days ago, and there was more last night. That gave us some respite. As for the age-old debate about who blames whom, exceptional circumstances assistance for farmers in New South Wales has a lot of hairs on it. It is hard to get that assistance. Our learned colleagues in the Government have been quick to blame the Federal Government. However, the main reason the criteria for exceptional circumstances have not changed is the reluctance of all State governments to follow the suggestions of Warren Truss and make the provision of funding a bit fairer so far as the Federal Government is concerned. Since the drought started a few years ago 71 areas have applied for drought funding and 58 areas have been declared eligible. With State boundaries, rivers and pastures protection boards, it is difficult to meet the criteria for exceptional circumstances. If one is slightly outside a certain area, securing assistance is pretty damn hard.
The biggest problem is the failure of State governments to come on board and work with the Federal Government. State governments want it all their own way. They want the Federal Government to supply all the money and then hang on to its shirt tails and get all the credit. That will not wash. While there is this continual brawl between the State and Federal governments the farmers will remain the poor cows in the middle. Securing assistance is difficult. It is also difficult to supply all the necessary information, only to be knocked back by some bureaucratic red tape. The reason the process has not been made easier is the reluctance of State governments to come on board and simplify matters. They are scared they will have to spend more money. In particular, the New South Wales Government is keen to spend in metropolitan areas but not in rural New South Wales. Anyone looking at all aspects of the budget, not only agriculture, will see that I am right.
I want to refer to freight subsidies. What has happened in relation to freight subsidies is typical of what happens with all subsidies. It is all well and good to provide interest rate relief, health care cards, youth 10522 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 allowances, Austudy and a reduction in leasehold payments in the Western Division, but within two days of freight subsidies being announced by the State Government freight rates in New South Wales doubled. There must be a better way. There is no co-operation between State and Federal governments. While that continues, and until the State Government agrees with the Commonwealth and works towards a solution, farmers in New South Wales remain be in dire straits.
Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro) [4.22 p.m.]: It is a pleasure to support the motion moved by the honourable member for Murray-Darling. Exceptional circumstances [EC] funding is of ongoing importance to the electorate I represent. The drought is hitting harder and harder every day. It was pleasing to hear the honourable member for Murrumbidgee, who led for the Opposition, speak about the drought. A few months ago when he spoke to a motion he moved about the drought, he did not mention it—much to my dismay. He was rescued by the honourable member for Lachlan, who spoke about the drought and displayed some knowledge of it. That makes me wonder yet again whether The Nationals decided to abolish the wrong electorate.
I agree with a lot of what the honourable member for Barwon said about the difficulties with EC assistance. The disagreement I have with him—and this is fundamental to what I am saying today—is that it is all very well to negotiate a change to the system but I fail to understand how the Federal Government's agenda of shifting the cost of the system on to the States is helping. We need a system that is easier to access. One fundamental part of that is income assistance for farmers. Of 45,570 farmers in EC-declared areas in New South Wales only 5,800 have so far applied for EC support. I am told that as of last week only 4,236 farmers have successfully won the right to receive EC drought support. We have all heard already how convoluted and complex the EC system is. We cannot blame farmers across the State for becoming frustrated with the process.
As I said, the area I represent seems to be going further and further into drought. It is becoming quite distressing, yet the Monaro area has only just received EC support. It was applied for once before and rejected, and for many months our rural lands protection boards decided not to put in submissions because they felt they could not meet the criteria set by the Federal Government. Finally we have it, but it is a long time overdue. Some months ago I had the terrible experience—and things have got worse since then—of speaking to a farmer who was literally breaking down on the phone as he described how he was sending his breeding stock to Queensland to help them to survive. While driving towards Boboyan Road the other day from Adaminaby I saw basically brown earth with no pasture left at all. We are getting dust storms. The treeless plain is now the grassless plain as well. It is becoming a red, browny colour and is blowing away. It is a tragedy in the Monaro that will take years to overcome once we start to get rain.
It is so easy to understand that these people deserved exceptional circumstances long ago. One wonders whether there is any consistency or logic in the Federal Government's program. The area I represent is not alone. In February 2003 the Armidale region put in an application to have the entire Armidale Rural Lands Protection Board areas EC declared. The region suffered from 20 straight months of drought. It led to high levels of destocking and lack of water. For five weeks producers waited anxiously for an outcome, only to have the application rejected. A second application was prepared and submitted in May and three months later a decision was made. Most of the area was EC declared except for one small patch. Farmers in that area were not eligible for interest rate subsidies, while their neighbours to the north, south, east and west were all EC approved.
I understand other areas did not submit applications for four months. In areas with cropping industries—and there are not a great deal in Monaro—there have been massive inconsistencies in eligibility between people who have no restrictions at all, people who have been limited to areas with consecutive crop failures and people who have to show just below-average production. There is a range of inconsistencies across the State, and that has to be dealt with. One member opposite said that in the cool light of day, when this drought eventually ends, we would all like to hear some constructive discussion. That constructive discussion has to be not only about cost shifting from the Federal Government, which controls the vast majority of revenue- raising measures in Australia, to the States, who are unfortunately left in the position of attempting to provide most of the expenditure, but about revenue-raising capacity. We do not want cost shifting. For the benefit of our farmers in the Monaro and right across New South Wales we need governments to work together to make the system better in future as well as address the current tragic drought.
Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [4.27 p.m.], in reply: I thank the honourable member honourable member for Murrumbidgee, the honourable member for Bathurst, the honourable member for Barwon and the honourable member for Monaro for taking part in this debate. I especially thank the honourable member for Bathurst and the honourable member for Monaro, who are both members of Country Labor, for their support. I repeat what I said at the outset of this debate. Midnight is eight hours away. It is eight hours until 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10523 there may be an announcement of a caretaker government. There is still eight hours to make a decision that is of critical importance to people in the bush.
I could not believe what the honourable member for Murrumbidgee said about Warren Truss. Warren Truss had to be forced into doing what he did—and he did not go all the way. We asked him to roll over exceptional circumstances [EC]-declared areas, but he decided not to do that. All States and farming groups have been pushing for a simpler, more equitable system. The Federal Government has fallen short every time it has the chance to do the right thing by our farmers. The Commonwealth Government convened a national drought review panel in 2003. Not one representative of New South Wales was on the panel.
When State and Territory Ministers meet at the Primary Industries Ministerial Council meeting, the State governments drive change, not the Federal Government. In May, the New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries lobbied the Federal Government to consider implementing an automatic rollover of EC- declared areas. This is the important thing we wanted, but there has not been an improvement in the two-year eligibility period in the Western Division that the honourable member for Barwon and I represent.
Such a measure would have saved a great deal of expense. It would have saved all the people running around at the State level dealing with this incredibly cumbersome assessment process a great deal of trouble, and it would have been in the best interests of our graziers. It would have given graziers the security of knowing they would not be temporarily cut off from vital assistance. The motion was supported by all the other States and Territories. Yet it took the Commonwealth nearly two months to finally act. In answer to a point made by the honourable member for Murrumbidgee, when the Commonwealth did act it did not opt for an automatic rollover. Instead, it went with a "streamlined" process and then failed to consult with any of the State governments on how the new process would work. Whenever we try to do something about drought assistance the Commonwealth whinges about the State governments, but the fact is that our State Government has contributed $130 million in drought support.
The honourable member for Barwon would agree that the most popular drought assistance measure we have implemented is freight subsidies. It has been said that the freight subsidy increased costs. However, the cost per prime mover remained at $2.60 per kilometre. The fact is that the costs did not increase. The State Government has made mighty contributions to the drought assistance effort and we are putting in more dollars than the Commonwealth. The figures are on the table. The Opposition can go over the figures, inside and out, but that is the fact. It has cost the New South Wales Government $3 million just to lodge applications to the Federal Government EC assistance program. Since September 2002, 36 applications have been lodged, and the average cost of each area application in man hours and resources has been $90,000. We have faced a massive amount of red tape and continuous requests by Federal bodies for more information or reassessments.
The Federal travelling circus is a joke. They say, "We want more information, we want more information." They led our graziers up the garden path, and the net result was a 29 per cent swing at Ivanhoe. We got 56 per cent of the vote there because the graziers were led up the garden path in their expectations of getting EC. They did not get the EC, so we got 56 per cent of the vote. Generally, such a swing would be unheard of. Once an application has been lodged, it takes an average of nine weeks to get a decision from the Federal Government. Approximately 20 full-time staff at the Department of Primary Industries and the Rural Assistance Authority now wade through red tape on behalf of New South Wales farmers. The State Government is talking about putting workers on the front line, but our workers are tied up by the Federal Government in red tape while they try to assist farmers and graziers. [Time expired.]
Motion agreed to.
LIQUOR ACCORDS
Matter of Public Importance
Ms VIRGINIA JUDGE (Strathfield) [4.33 p.m.]: The matter of public importance I present to the House today is the importance of liquor accords. Liquor accords aim to bind local licensees, police and councils to a set of principles governing the daily handling of liquor and hotel patrons. I wish to present the Ashfield liquor accord to the House as a model for liquor accords. The Ashfield liquor accord, which was signed on 26 May this year, was struck between Ashfield Local Area Command, the Department of Gaming and Racing, Canterbury City Council, Ashfield Municipal Council and local licensees. The official agreement states:
The Accord is an agreement between licensees and other stakeholders aimed at minimising alcohol related crime. 10524 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
The accord formally confirms an agreement between the signing parties that they will uphold the principles of the accord and work towards a safe and friendly environment for the community, an objective we would all positively endorse. Licensees who have signed the accord are committed to reviewing their responsible service practices and ensuring that their venue complies with their conditions of licence and liquor harm minimisation. The accord is based upon seven strategies, which the accord members have pledged to promote and uphold. These strategies are, first, to adopt the responsible service of alcohol and harm minimisation principles. That means not serving alcohol to persons who are intoxicated or allowing them entry. That strategy also prohibits activities that encourage excessive drinking, such as two drinks for one and games such as toss the boss. The selling or promotion of alcoholic beverages designed to induce rapid intoxication is also prohibited.
The second strategy is a focus on age-identification checking. That means not only checking the identification of people suspected to be under the age of 18, but checking any person who appears to be under the age of 25 and asking them to provide accepted proof of age. This principle also pledges the prompt reporting to police of incidents of false identification presentations and tracking these occurrences, confiscating false identification when deemed appropriate. The third strategy is improved safety and security. Actively monitoring the behaviour and state of patrons is important so as to detect early signs of intoxication, drug abuse or inappropriate behaviour. Where appropriate, maintaining high levels of security in licensed premises is essential, as well as ensuring that all staff are clearly identifiable. High-visibility policing on and near licensed premises contributes greatly to improved safety and security. However, licensees must also take responsibility for not permitting criminal activity or disorderly conduct to occur on the premises, as well as notifying police immediately if something illegal or suspicious occurs.
The fourth strategy relates to the use of standard incident logs. All members of the accord are responsible for maintaining accurate records when a safety incident occurs. That means noting the time, date and nature of the incident in an incident book and also the response of staff, management and the police, if they are involved. Strategy five relates to communication with police and other accord members, and includes establishing good communication with the local police and actively notifying the police when unruly patrons have been ejected. It also includes notifying police well in advance of large gatherings, with special attention being given to functions on council property involving those under 18 years of age.
Strategy six is a commitment to being a good neighbour. That means encouraging patrons to depart from licensed premises quickly and quietly, responding to legitimate complaints from residents and taking all necessary steps to reduce disruptive activities by patrons on licensed premises. The last strategy, but certainly not the least, is co-operation between police and the community to improve local outcomes. We would all benefit from that strategy. Co-operation means ensuring that staff are fully trained in the responsible serving of alcohol, promoting the accord and its principles, and actively participating with the police in education programs. Those seven strategies will ensure that the Ashfield liquor accord is effectively in place within the community and in my electorate of Strathfield.
It will be clear to anyone who has even the faintest knowledge of the responsible service of alcohol that many of those strategies are not new or revolutionary. However, what is new and revolutionary is the bringing together of the principles in one document and obtaining the commitment and pledge of all parties involved in the liquor industry in a particular area to uphold them. Liquor accords bring together piecemeal strategies to form a cohesive, simple and strong policy document that can be used daily by police, councils and licensees alike. The Ashfield liquor accord has been warmly welcomed, not only by the police and councils for the increased harmony it has engendered in the community, but also by the clubs, hotels and bars that have signed up to it. Jeff Williams from the Crocodile Inn has found the accord to be useful in the three months since its implementation. He said:
It is important that the community knows that the RSA—Responsible Serving of Alcohol, that is—is enforced within the industry. The Accord reinforces that.
The reason for the Accord is to show unity between licensed premises. It means that an intoxicated patron can't go to another pub and expect to be served if he has been refused.
Jeff went on to say:
Perhaps the Accord could be expanded in the future to include bottle shops, so that the community doesn't have the problem of people drinking in the streets.
Jeff has struck upon a compelling reason for the introduction of liquor accords—where there is unity across a geographical area between licensees, councils and police, patrons have no hope of shirking the rules by going to 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10525 another, more lenient establishment. No licensee need fear that he or she will be penalised for doing the right thing in refusing to serve alcohol to intoxicated or underage persons. The licensing officer at the Ashfield Local Area Command, Constable Simon Kelly, says that the accord is effective. He noted in particular the increased communication between the police and licensees and the willingness of all participants to tell unruly patrons, "Look, mate, we're part of a liquor accord." The constable found that prior to the accord, if a patron had been shut out of one pub he would wander to the next one. The pubs now work together to exclude the intoxicated, the underage and the unruly.
The pledge between accord members means that licensees are all working to consistent standards, which benefits the pubs, clubs and hotels and the patrons themselves. In fact, the Summer Hill Hotel manager, Cass Kearns, has found the accord useful when she is explaining to patrons why they cannot be served more alcohol or permitted entry if they are underage. Cass said that the accord requires hoteliers to identify people who appear to be less than 25 years of age. She uses the accord to explain the reasons for the rules being enforced. She said that she refers to it when she talks to people and that it works. What could be more simple or helpful for bar managers? They have said that it is very effective. I wholeheartedly encourage honourable members to support their local councils, police local area commands and hoteliers in the introduction of liquor accords. I particularly acknowledge the hard work of the Hon. Grant McBride and his officers, the Ashfield Local Area Commander—Donald Graham—and Senior Constable Natasha Kitson, who co-ordinated the Ashfield liquor accord.
I also extend my thanks to my esteemed colleague Linda Burney, the hardworking and diligent member for Canterbury, who has been fundamentally involved in the local accord. Acknowledgement must also be given to those many hotels, pubs and clubs that have stepped up to the challenge and pledged their support for the liquor accord. They are the Ashfield Bowling Club, the Ashfield Catholic and Community Club, Ashfield Hotel, the Ashfield RSL Club, the Canterbury Hotel, the Canterbury Bowling and Pentaque Club, Crocodile Farm Hotel, the Earlwood Ex-serviceman's Club, Earlwood Hotel, the EBP RSL Club, Grumpy's Inn, Summer Hill Hotel, UTS Haberfield, the Western Suburbs Australian Football Club, the Western Suburbs Bowling Club and the Western Suburbs Leagues Club. They all deserve high commendation for taking on this challenge and being proactive in doing their best to ensure community safety. The introduction of liquor accords across the State is a positive move for the entire community and I eagerly await their widespread implementation.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [4.43 p.m.]: I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Coalition to this matter of public importance dealing with liquor accords. The Liberal Party and The Nationals strongly support the concept and its implementation. Although they have been around for a while, accords are still in their infancy and, although the take-up rate has been good, they still have a long way to go; many communities have yet to embrace the concept. I think I am correct in saying that my electorate, which is characterised by many medium-size towns rather than a regional city, does not have any liquor accords. In the lead-up to this debate a number of my colleagues stated that they support liquor accords and some have observed their successful implementation in their electorates. The honourable member for Myall Lakes proudly told me that Sergeant Tony Day, who is acting superintendent of the Manning-Great Lakes Local Area Command, pioneered liquor accords.
Accords are generally designed to address problems arising in a neighbourhood or shopping precinct, particularly late at night. As the title suggests, the accords involve localised, not statewide, agreements between those responsible for the service of alcohol and the local police. Many licensees, and in some cases all licensees, in a local area commit to the accord. The program requires the co-operation of licensees, the police and the community and input from local government and the State member of Parliament. Accords have led to a decline in the number of complaints lodged and a lower incidence of crimes such as unreported damage to shopfronts. They encourage licensees, as a group, to place greater emphasis on and are an emphatic statement about the responsible service of alcohol.
I had a discussion yesterday with the president—John Thorpe—the senior vice president and the chief executive officer of the Australian Hotels Association during which they voiced their strong support for liquor accords. I had the opportunity only a couple of days ago to visit the Hornsby electorate with the local member, the honourable member for Hornsby. We met at a hotel with a number of hoteliers and Brian Ross, the chief executive officer of the Australian Hotels Association. The question of liquor accords arose and I was pleased to note that the hoteliers were keen to be involved and to initiate an accord in the local area. Clubs New South Wales, the Leagues Clubs Association of New South Wales and the Services Clubs Association support the concept. I would be surprised if any honourable member opposed the establishment of a local liquor accord. I look forward to their continuing successful implementation locality by locality and I hope that we can report in the not too distant future their universal acceptance and adoption. The Coalition fully supports liquor accords. 10526 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Mr PAUL PEARCE (Coogee) [4.48 p.m.]: There are now more than 100 active liquor accords across New South Wales. This is an excellent testimony to their success in addressing liquor abuse issues and antisocial behaviour at the community level. Liquor accords have been successful because they bring together licensees, police, local government, State Government agencies and community leaders to develop local solutions to liquor abuse problems. They are built on goodwill between these groups; they are a social contract to address alcohol abuse problems. Licensee participation in liquor accords ensures that they can set their own high bar for compliance. In this way, liquor accords encourage best practice responsible service of alcohol, and reduce the potential for alcohol abuse at the point of sale. Liquor accords ensure that licensed premises are safer places in which to drink and socialise. Making licensed premises safer is also good for business, as a number of licensees have discovered. Liquor accords have broad support from the industry, indicating the benefits to their business and the local community.
As other members have said, liquor accords have been earmarked by the Government as an important and effective mechanism in addressing problems such as antisocial behaviour, public damage and drink-driving. The Government is providing more resources to establish and foster new liquor accords across the State. Within the Department of Gaming and Racing a liquor accord unit has been established to provide support and program evaluation for individual liquor accords. In November this year the unit will run an annual conference for liquor accord co-ordinators. The event will provide a forum for liquor accord participants to share ideas and solutions for addressing alcohol-related harm in the community. I am proud that a second liquor accord has been established by the licensees in my electorate. Some time ago an accord was established in the Coogee area in conjunction with the Eastern Beaches Area Command, which covers the area south of Clovelly Road and takes in Coogee and Maroubra. The second liquor accord was established recently within the Eastern Suburbs Area Command, which covers Bondi, Bronte, Bondi Junction and Charing Cross.
It was my pleasure to be able to speak at the launch of the second liquor accord in my electorate on 2 August. This very important initiative was actively supported by the council. The launch, which was hosted by the Mayor of Waverley, Councillor Peter Moscatt, was held at Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club. I wish to compliment the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club, Bob Riddle, on his efforts in working with hoteliers, restaurant and club licensees and local police in getting the liquor accord process up and running. Area Commander Mark Walton did a tremendous job, as did the licensing sergeant, in pulling together all the players involved. Some two years ago the previous area commander, Bob May, attempted to establish a liquor accord. At that stage, for reasons that still escape me, the Australian Hotels Association was less than enthusiastic about the issue, and organised a number of its members to disrupt the proceedings. Thankfully, the association has now acknowledged that licensees in the area have recognised that there are benefits in having a liquor accord, and that the local area command was not simply out to close down the businesses but, rather, was trying to make it safer and better for everyone to involve themselves.
The eastern suburbs area, which is a major part of the social hub of Sydney, has issues relating to under-age drinking and public drunkenness, and the detriment that flows from that. I believe that the liquor accord will be for the benefit of everyone. The liquor accord is not about stopping people having a drink, or stopping people enjoying their socialisation; it is about making it safer for people. It is well known that a large proportion of street assaults occur outside licensed premises where there is not proper control of the service of alcohol. I wish to place on the public record my compliments to Area Commander Mark Walton, the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Suburb Leagues Club, Bob Riddle, and the other members of the task force who have pulled this together for us in the Eastern Suburbs Area Command. I wish the Eastern Beaches Area Command ongoing success with the accord.
Ms VIRGINIA JUDGE (Strathfield) [4.53 p.m.], in reply: I thank all members who have contributed to this debate. The honourable member for Upper Hunter raised the localised and inclusive nature of accords that makes them special and gives them local quality and character. The hardworking honourable member for Coogee, in speaking about elements of the accord, used terms such as "goodwill" and "social contract", which highlight that these accords are collaborative in nature. When people are brought together with that sort of spirit, we always end up with a good result. Everyone's talent and expertise is shared, and there is a genuine commitment to ensuring that the accords work. In light of all that has been debated this afternoon, as a sobering thought to close the debate, I bring to the House's attention the social costs of drinking irresponsibly and its effect on the community. The New South Wales Alcohol Summit in August 2003 exposed and examined many of the problems and issues surrounding alcohol in the State, and the Premier and Minister Della Bosca deserve our congratulations on their great initiative and hard work on that cutting-edge Summit. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10527
A preliminary background paper for the Summit illustrated the vast effect liquor can have on communities when it is misused. As liquor accords aim to minimise the harm that liquor can cause and alleviate the strain this places on communities, it is helpful to examine and reflect upon some of the realities of the Summit's background paper. The social cost of alcohol in 1998-99 was estimated at $7.5 billion. This includes costs associated with health and medical services, a $225 million net cost; road accidents, at $1.8 billion; lost productivity in the workplace, at $1.9 billion; and the cost of alcohol-related crime, at $1.2 billion. According to the background paper, approximately $3.9 billion of these costs, or 62.1 per cent, was estimated to be potentially preventable and amenable to public policy initiatives. The Government spends almost $1 billion annually on drug and alcohol services, and dealing with the problems caused in the community by drugs and alcohol.
I relate a series of statistics that highlight the vital importance of responsible liquor handling policies to this State, and thus the effect liquor accords could have in preventing these problems. Approximately 3,300 deaths per annum in Australia are attributed to alcohol use, second only to tobacco as a preventable cause of death and hospitalisation. More than 72,000 hospital admissions per annum in Australia are estimated to be caused by high-risk drinking. One-third of all driver and pedestrian deaths are alcohol-related. Twelve per cent of suicides, 16 per cent of child abuse incidents, 44 per cent of fire injuries, and 34 per cent of falls and drownings are associated with alcohol consumption.
Between 41 and 70 per cent of violent crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol. In New South Wales alcohol was estimated to be prevalent in 42 per cent of homicide incidents. Organisational records of NSW Police indicate that an estimated 70 per cent of incidents attended by police each year are alcohol related. Almost 80 per cent of domestic violence and street incidents—that is, assaults, offensive behaviour or conduct, malicious damage and noise complaints—are alcohol related. These statistics are truly shocking, and I trust that my parliamentary colleagues will join with me in promoting whatever measures can prevent this senseless waste of life and health, as well as the resources of our State.
The 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey reported that more than 60 per cent of young adults and 45 per cent of teenagers have at least one drinking session per year that is risky or high risk for short- term harm. We have all heard about binge drinking lately. The introduction of liquor accords statewide is an essential step in ensuring that this behaviour does not, and cannot, continue. By ensuring that liquor is served responsibly, we can improve the condition of our community and preserve the precious resources of this State: its people. I once again give liquor accords my full endorsement.
Discussion concluded.
Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr John Mills): Order! It being before 5.15 p.m., with the leave of the House I propose to proceed to the taking of private members' statements.
PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS
______
FINGAL BEACH SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Mr JOHN BARTLETT (Port Stephens) [5.00 p.m.]: On Saturday 21 August it was my great pleasure to attend the Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club's fortieth anniversary. In 1962 I was a student at Nelson Bay Primary School, in 1963 I attended Nelson Bay High School, and in 1964 the Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club was formed at a meeting at the country club on 24 August 1964. After a great deal of discussion it was decided that the club would be set at Fingal Beach rather than at Zenith Beach because of the demand of holidaymakers from the workers club and the Fingal Bay caravan park.
I thought the evening was a huge success. It was a delightful evening for me in renewing friendships with students with whom I used to go to school in 1962-1963. From 1975 to 1999 I was a teacher at Nelson Bay High School and I taught many of the students who turned up to the fortieth anniversary celebration. It was a great time to see what had become of those students. Some had returned from Queensland for the celebration. There were close to 250 people in the Fingal Beach Surf Club on the night and the camaraderie, the shared stories, the friendships and the shared values of the club in serving the community over 40 years were obvious to everyone in attendance.
That first committee 40 years ago was made up of its president Alan Wallbridge and committee members Anthony Stephens, Gordon Simmonds, Norman Karlson and Ernest Payne. Many of the foundation members turned up to the fortieth anniversary. There were Mick Edgar, Lionel Fines, Eddy Bergsma—Eddy is basically Mr Fingal Surf Club in the Port Stephens community—Joe Clayworth, Tony McGrath, Charlie 10528 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Dobson, Rodger Pryor, Guy Reynders, Jim Sowerby and Jarvis Fairbanks. The first surf carnival was held on Boxing Day 1965 with a boat marathon from Fingal to Shoal Bay Country Club Hotel.
To the organisers of the evening I say well done. It was an excellent night and everybody enjoyed themselves. It was great to see the camaraderie in the room. A group of people came together because of their sport but they also, obviously, provided safety on the beaches of Fingal Bay for the Port Stephens community, and they did a wonderful job during the years. During the next 40 years Fingal Bay produced the Lifesaver of the Year Hunter Branch in Lionel Fines; Eddy Bergsma was made a Life Member Hunter Branch; and the Little Nippers were formed on 24 January 1967. On 27 October 1972 an annual ball was held as a fund-raiser; the cost for a double, which included supper and the band, was all of $6. I am not quite sure if the club made much money on that occasion.
The original club cost about $4,000 to build. The first female full club members in 1977 were two students of mine, Michelle Stuhmcke and Susan Love. The Nipperettes were formed from 1977 to 1982. Members on the tour representing the Hunter Branch on the New Zealand tour were Michael Pont and Eddy Bergsma. Fingal Surf Club had Australian champions: Ty Dowker and Guy Andrews. Brett Dowker was a New South Wales champion and the female State champion was also another former student of mine, as were the aforementioned. In the outstanding achievements category over that time there was a ski paddle from Forster to Sydney, and Col Andrews and Eddy Bergsma did it twice, in 1982 and 1986. Alex Dowker did it in 1984. The oldest member to gain the bronze medallion was my good friend George D'Aran, and he did that at the age of 67. I congratulate all the members, past and present, who served the Port Stephens community as members of the Fingal Surf Club. It was a great fortieth anniversary and I am sure everyone enjoyed themselves.
STROUD ROAD PUBLIC SCHOOL ROAD SAFETY
Mr JOHN TURNER (Myall Lakes) [5.04 p.m.]: I raise concerns about road safety outside the Stroud Road Public School on the Bucketts Way in my electorate. I have been contacted by Karen Bratfield, the secretary of the school council, and Valerie Allen, the secretary of the parents and citizens association, concerning this matter. It is not the first time that this matter has been brought to my attention. Regrettably, the school, which is in a tiny village called Stroud Road, is situated geographically in a very difficult area. Even though it is well signposted with 60 kilometre per hour signs and the 40 kilometre per hour school signs, vehicles still speed through this area. I inspected the area a few weeks ago and while I was standing there with Mrs Bratfield and Mrs Allen a number of cars and trucks went by that were certainly exceeding the speed limit by up to 30 or 40 kilometres an hour, if not more. Many of these were heavy vehicles going by, and some were overtaking at high-speed in that vicinity. Obviously this is of great concern to the school community.
When the school contacted me before I went out to the inspection I wrote to the Minister and asked that there be some meetings about this issue with the Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA], the school council, the parents and citizens association and the rest of the community. I also wrote to Superintendent Haggett of the Lower Hunter Local Area Command. He acknowledged that letter—and I thank him for doing that—and said that the Minister would respond in due course. I am pleased to say that there was some police action up there and it did result in some fines being handed out. But, of course, at best the police can only be there on a spasmodic basis. Nevertheless, it did help. What really is needed is a good look at the situation. As Mrs Bratfield says in her letter:
The school is situated on the Bucketts Way, and with no side street access or bus service, the area immediately adjacent to the front of the school becomes congested at drop off and pick up times. Due to the number of cars and people present at these times of the day, visibility is reduced considerably.
She goes on to talk about the upgrade of Thunderbolts Way—the road from Gloucester up through Nowendoc on to Walcha—which has now been fully sealed. For people going through to Queensland travelling from the south, in other words, from Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast, that route is now 80 kilometres shorter and it has lifted the traffic rates considerably. As I mentioned, because of the geographical position where there is a long sweep going west into Stroud Road, which is a big wide road providing plenty of vision, cars are speeding up. Coming from the west there is a downhill run through the village going out to the eastern side and the school is set in virtually the vale of the road. Because of the beautiful setting of the school with the trees and so on, it is often difficult to see the school.
It is clear that over and above what is already provided, something has to be done to highlight to the travelling public that the school is there. It has been put to me by both Mrs Allen and Mrs Bratfield that such things could be double lines, speed bumps, safety officers, road crossing personnel or more police presence. As I 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10529 said, I am pleased with the police presence, but when I went out to the school for an inspection just recently we discussed the idea of putting the school area into the trial for flashing school zone lights. I have written to the Minister in recent days asking him to look at putting the school into that program and reinforcing the need for a meeting with the RTA in regard to the safety aspects out there. I know that they would be loath to put in traffic calming devices, but maybe that should be a consideration. It is quite clear that road safety in this area is an ongoing problem. Over the past 10 or 12 years a number of representations have been made to me in relation to this matter. I know the area well. I am aware of cars speeding through there and heavy trucks going through at high speed as well. It is fortunate that we have not had any accidents that have led to serious injury. But one would be one too many. Mrs Allen says in her letter to me:
With 40km/h signs erected on either end of the school they seem to be invisible to the traffic. Even the presence of parents outside the front gate does not have any impact.
I reiterate that clearly what is there at the present time is not working. Clearly there needs to be an innovative solution and in my view that innovation would be to include the school in the flashing lights school zone program.
NEPEAN HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH @ THE WORKPLACE INITIATIVE
Mrs KARYN PALUZZANO (Penrith) [5.09 p.m.]: On 25 June I spoke in this House about the Penrith Students Forum, an initiative of mine involving local students coming to my office on a monthly basis to discuss youth issues. To date environmental issues have been raised and more recently the subject of youth at the workplace has been discussed. In August this year Nepean High School held an event called Youth @ the Workplace, an initiative of the Penrith Youth Forum. I commend the staff and students of that school for hosting the event, in which a number of high schools participated to learn about their rights and entitlements within the workplace. The event was proudly supported by the New South Wales Department of Commerce, the Office of Industrial Relations, WorkCover and the Labor Council of New South Wales.
During the morning there were three presentations during which students from local high schools received advice on their rights and entitlements within the workplace. Information was provided with respect to awards, holiday and sick pay, minimum hours of work, occupational health and safety issues, and employer and employee relations. We were told on the day that Penrith youth enter a variety of workplaces on a casual basis, as apprentices or by balancing work and school. The forum provided them with an opportunity to gain a further insight into various workplaces. The schools that were represented on the day were Kingswood High School, Jamison High School, Nepean High School, Penrith High School and a local independent school, St Dominic's College.
I acknowledge the initiators of this wonderful event: Christian Burner and Danielle Gregory from Nepean High School; Zac Law and Samantha Dawson from Jamison High School; Alison Madden and Glen Pink from Penrith High School; Vanessa Robinson, Wayne Roy and Natalie Cartwright from Kingswood High School; and Rina Anwar and Wayne Warren from Cranebrook High School. Most of those students conducted the sessions; introduced and thanked the speakers, and participated in workshops. I was pleased to witness the interaction and I commend in particular the contribution by the Labor Council presenter, who spoke about the role of employers in casual workplaces and about details that should be recorded on pay slips.
For young people aged 17 or 18 years or a younger member of a family firm entering the work force, the information presented on the day was extremely useful. A teacher from St Dominic's College said that the forum filled a void within the present school system. Vocational information and career days are available but this event outlined what happens within the workplace, the rights of young people, and where they can go for advice and to access information about their entitlements. I commend the youth forum for its initiative. It was an extremely successful day.
Also during August I visited two expos, the first being the creative arts expo organised by the Nepean cluster of Catholic schools, which included performances from Mary McKillop Primary School, St Joseph's Primary School and St Nicholas Primary School. The following week I attended the creative arts expo organised by the Blue Mountains cluster of Catholic schools. On that day I witnessed performances by St Finbar's Primary School and Our Lady of the Way Primary School, which had a different focus and celebrated 100 years of Catholic education in the area.
BONVILLE BYPASS
Mr ANDREW FRASER (Coffs Harbour) [5.14 p.m.]: I speak tonight about a section of highway known locally in Coffs Harbour as the Bonville bypass or the Pine Creek deviation. Reference to this section of road first appeared in the budget papers in 1997-98. In 1998-99, $1 million was allocated out of a total estimated 10530 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 cost of $85 million. At that time the completion date for the project was 2003. In 1999-2000 the estimated total cost was $121 million, with $2 million allocated and $3 million estimated expenditure to date. In the 2000-01 budget papers the estimated cost was $127 million, with $1 million allocated and estimated expenditure to date of $4.3 million, and the completion date had blown out to 2005.
In the 2001-02 budget papers the estimated completion date is 2008, with $127 million as the estimated total cost, $2 million allocated and estimated expenditure to date of $9.6 million. In the 2002-03 budget the estimated completion date is 2008, the estimated total cost remained at $127 million, with $1.5 million allocated and estimated expenditure to date of $10.6 million. In the 2003-04 budget papers the estimated completion date is 2008, with $127 million still the estimated total cost, $1 million allocated and estimated expenditure to date of $11.3 million. In this year's budget $11.92 million is estimated to be expended, with $1 million allocated but no start or completion dates.
In the past two years this section of road has claimed seven lives. In the most recent accident Patricia Ann Taylor, 39, from the Central Coast; her daughter, Gabrielle Taylor, 6; and her niece Teelah Taylor, 16, lost their lives on 10 July 2004. What makes this tragedy even worse is that on 12 July the Premier visited Kempsey and the media asked him about the state of the deviation following all the Government's promises. The Premier stated:
The full upgrade will be jointly funded by the State and Federal governments.
The Premier stated that so far the Government has spent $12 million on planning to upgrade this section of the Pacific Highway. What really gets up my nose is that the Government's own web site refers to the Bonville deviation and states:
The Bonville Deviation is fully funded by the NSW Government as part of its $1.6 billion commitment to the Pacific Highway Upgrading Program.
For the sake of politics, when the Premier was on the North Coast he said the project was jointly funded. We all know that is a lie and an excuse on his behalf following the deaths of these three people from the Central Coast. Seven deaths have occurred on this section of roadway in two years while the Government has sat on its hands and done nothing. At 8.00 a.m. on 13 July the Roads and Traffic Authority web site referred to the Bonville deviation and stated, "9.6 km; Dual carriageway upgrade; Final design in progress; Fully funded by the NSW State Government". By the close of business that day the web site read: "9.6 km, Dual carriageway upgrade: Final design in progress; Planning for this project is funded by the NSW Government". That web site was altered to reflect the Premier's words to the media on that day and to hide the responsibility of the Premier and the Minister for Roads for the deaths of a mother, her daughter and her niece. When contacted, the Minister's office said:
Mr Scully is on leave but an office spokesman says the web site report was from 2002— in fact it was 2003—
and needed to be updated.
What a load of rot! Three people died on that day and the Government ordered the web site to be changed to cover up its negligence and its responsibility to upgrade that section of road. As my Federal colleague said, rather than order web sites to be closed, perhaps the Premier should order bulldozers to start work immediately on this dangerous piece of road. It is a disgrace. It is cowardice on the Premier's part to try to get himself out of a responsibility that has been on a budget paper since 1997. My message to the Premier is this: Get the job done. Stop blaming others for your incompetence.
PRINCES HIGHWAY UPGRADE
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL (Keira—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Illawarra, and Minister for Small Business) [5.19 p.m.]: A petition tabled earlier today calls for more spending on the Princes Highway. It is the result of a vigorous campaign by the Illawarra Mercury. On 8 October the Illawarra Mercury will celebrate its 149th birthday. It has a proud record of covering the news without fear or favour, and of lobbying for the Illawarra. On 17 April the paper published an open letter to all politicians and a petition supporting its call for increased spending on the Princes Highway. It has subsequently published more than 70 stories and editorials on this important issue. More than 10,000 signatures were collected for the petition which was tabled earlier today. No-one can argue with the fundamental proposition of the case put by the Illawarra 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10531
Mercury, that is, the people of the Illawarra and the South Coast need a better highway. That is why the New South Wales Government has committed a massive $380 million to improve the road by 2010. Every New South Wales resident thinks their local roads and highways are critical.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! Members on the Opposition benches will remain silent.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: My colleague the Minister for Roads receives countless delegations from people who believe that their roads have the greatest claim to increased spending. However, the reality is that government is about competing demands and balancing those demands against limited budgets. It is especially difficult in the current climate, when the Federal Government has ripped more than $300 million a year out of New South Wales, punishing this State for being a strong, go-ahead State. The New South Wales Government has been forced into invidious belt tightening by the mean and desperate Howard-Costello Federal Government. Yet the Federal Treasurer has a $2.4 billion surplus, even if he spends himself silly in the election campaign.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! I again warn members on the Opposition benches to remain silent.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: Just think of it—the Federal Government has stashed away the equivalent of the entire State roads budget. Why on earth is it not spending some of that money on our Princes Highway? We have never denied that the Princes Highway is a State road, but we have consistently said that we would like some help. We want the Federal Government to contribute to the work so that it can be done sooner. The Federal Government has the money but it lacks the will. It has no interest in the people of the Illawarra and South Coast. It is happy to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on other State roads such as the Pacific Highway and the Great Western Highway, yet it has repeatedly refused to help with the Princes Highway in New South Wales. The situation must be very humiliating for the Federal member for Gilmore, Joanna Gash, who has failed to make her Government realise that it should help the people of the Illawarra and South Coast.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! The honourable member for South Coast will remain silent.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: On 2 April she promised that the Princes Highway would be the first issue she discussed with Prime Minister Howard when he visited the region. One might ask when that will be. Don't ask Wollongong Lord Mayor Alex Darling about it!
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! I place the honourable member for Bega on three calls to order. I place the honourable member for South Coast on three calls to order.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: It was 1 April—yes, April Fool's Day—when the Prime Minister made his now infamous pledge to the Lord Mayor that he would visit Wollongong in the near future.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! I remind the honourable member for South Coast that she is on three calls to order.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: Councillor Darling understood that commitment to mean that the visit would be within weeks, not months, and happily announced to the people of the Illawarra and South Coast that a prime ministerial visit was pending.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! I remind the honourable member for Bega that he is on three calls to order.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: Tomorrow it is five months since the Prime Minister promised to visit Wollongong. Five months! I think that says a lot about his feelings for the Illawarra. Our region is not on his radar and he could not care less. And the honourable member for Bega, the honourable member for South Coast and the honourable member for Southern Highlands know it. In April Joanna Gash—the Prime Minister's Liberal member of Parliament—said:
I do believe it's time he did visit the Illawarra, and certainly visited Wollongong.
All I can say is: Do not hold your breath. Joanna Gash is on record as saying that she wanted the Princes Highway in the much-vaunted AusLink, but that did not happen. The Federal Government's failure to include 10532 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 our highway in AusLink was disgraceful. We were dudded. Yet the Federal Government saw fit to include the Geelong bypass in AusLink after originally knocking it back. At first, Federal transport Minister John Anderson refused to include the Geelong bypass in AusLink because it is a State road project.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! The honourable member for South Coast is trying the patience of the chair.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: Yet, hey presto, that project received $186 million under AusLink. Mr Anderson changed his mind. I urge him and his colleagues to change their minds on our Princes Highway too. The depressing irony of all this is that the Geelong bypass project is part of the Princes Highway. That is right. The Federal Government can fund State roads, including the Princes Highway, when it suits.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! Members on the Opposition benches will remain silent.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL: Another AusLink beneficiary—this time it is $121 million—is the road that links Melbourne and Sale. Once again, that road is the Princes Highway, and once again it is a State road. So it happens in Victoria by the Howard-Costello Government; it does not happen in New South Wales. It does not happen in the electorates of members opposite because they are too lazy to make it happen, to make the Federal Government contribute to this important project. The New South Wales Government is committed to upgrading the Princes Highway, and I call again on the Federal Government to play a role.
Mr CARL SCULLY (Smithfield—Minister for Roads, and Minister for Housing) [5.24 p.m.]: I take this opportunity to congratulate the Illawarra Mercury on its strong advocacy on behalf of the people of the South Coast.
Mr Andrew Constance: Have you been listening?
Mr CARL SCULLY: I have been listening. I have now written three letters to the Deputy Prime Minister—on 21 May, 24 June and last night—asking for a meeting with a delegation from South Coast stakeholders interested in discussing this issue with him.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! The honourable member for Bega will remain quiet.
Mr CARL SCULLY: The Deputy Prime Minister has not bothered to indicate that he is prepared to meet a delegation. So I nominated a date; I said I would go to the South Coast on 10 September and meet with him, and I would still like to hear his response. The Federal budget has a $2 billion surplus. I would like to see some of that allocated to the Princes Highway, some of the petrol taxes we pay. One member opposite said that this is not a Federal road but a State road. I have always said that. I have said that in the House and I will say it again: Yes, it is a State road, and we are putting $380 million into the Princes Highway. Also, the Pacific Highway is a State road, and we are putting in $1.6 billion. So we are doing our bit.
I cannot understand why North Kiama bypass, the Princes Highway in Victoria, the Kidman Way, the Alstonville bypass and the bridge over the Macquarie River are all roads of national importance but the people of the South Coast do not count. So the Federal Government sets up a tax cash register. Each time the people in the South Coast community fill up their tanks they are sending $30 to $40 to Peter Costello to help him pay for that $2 billion surplus. We would like some of that money back. We would like Federal funding for the Princes Highway. We will continue to do our bit, in the face of members opposite not being alarmed and affronted by New South Wales GST entitlements going to Queensland, so that Queensland can also have a $2 billion surplus. Plenty of money could be earmarked for the Princes Highway. So congratulations to the Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Illawarra, and Minister for Small Business. Well done, Minister, and well done to the Illawarra Mercury. We want some money from the Commonwealth.
ADULT TRAINING, LEARNING AND SUPPORT PROGRAM FUNDING
Mrs JUDY HOPWOOD (Hornsby) [5.26 p.m.]: I speak today about the lack of funding for the Adult Training, Learning and Support program [ATLAS] and the revision of the post schools options scheme. The Carr Government has reduced funding to disability support services by reforming ATLAS after a major backflip in relation to post school options funding. The Government has replaced this funding with the Community 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10533
Participation Program, which will reduce funding to $13,500 for individuals with high support needs and $9,000 for individuals with moderate support needs. The reforms will also affect the Work Transition Program, with each placement reduced to $15,699. One main concern from disability support industries is that the reforms were not adequately discussed with the service providers, and many families are concerned that the effects of the reforms will be disastrous on them.
An article by Adele Horin in the Sydney Morning Herald of 13 August stated that about 1,500 young adults with disabilities would not have their funding levels reduced, but that a further 1,500 young adults with identical levels of disability in relation to ATLAS funding will have their funding cut by up to one-half, as initially announced. The distinction between the two groups is that they entered the program on different dates. This is totally inequitable. The article further stated that it will place a huge burden on families. After persistent pressure from the Liberal Party and The Nationals , the Government's initial decision relating to post school options funding and ATLAS funding was reversed. This has pleased some people, but many people are not pleased. There is a lot of anger in the community. I have been approached by many parents and relatives who are concerned about what will happen to their disabled young people not only now but in the future. The cuts are seen as heartless and cost-cutting measures.
Yesterday I met one of my constituents, Mrs Ransley. She has a son named Graham who attends Crowle, which provides a wide spectrum of services for clients, including successful work placement training, work placement, outcome monitoring and retraining when necessary. Day care services offer a wide spectrum of learning and activity opportunities for both young and older clients. Currently, Crowle services 40 clients at a cost of $1 million a year. Grants from the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care cover 92 per cent of the cost, but this year costs are increasing by 7 per cent and the grants will increase by just 1 per cent. These details are listed in a letter dated 27 July from Crowle's chief executive officer, David Hancock, who states:
Currently our success rate, defined by the Department as a transition to work, is ahead of the quoted overall programme success rate of 3% at 40%: a remarkable result for a programme and our clients. However, the new programme will fund two years of training and then be cut off. What will happen to those clients who we know take three years to reach the level of training and confidence that results in successful work force participation?
That contradicts the Minister's statement that one size fits all. David Hancock wrote to Mrs Ransley on 16 August and stated:
The impact on The Crowle Foundation and on our ATLAS clients remains most serious. The issues of reduced funding impacting the duration and quality of the services we provide remain. The issue of being asked to tender for a service we already provide at a reduced level of grant continues to present us with the prospect of operating services at unsustainable deficits.
Mrs Ransley detailed a long list of consequences that would affect her family and Graham, including loss of two days of programs per week. I was also approached by Mrs Margaret Smith from Minimbah Challenge, whose son is funded by the Commonwealth, State and Territories disability agreement. Her concern is that with the overall reduction of funds everybody, not just the ATLAS-funded people, will be affected because of the lack of staff and the lack of ability to service needs. The peak group Disabilities Australia says that the New South Wales Government backdown on removing the disability program will not quell parents' and clients' anger. Family Advocacy is also concerned about the reduction in funding.
DEATH OF MR HARRY ROBERT HOYE
Mr JOHN MILLS (Wallsend) [5.31 p.m.]: My dear friend Harry Hoye made a strong contribution to the community life of the Hunter region throughout his long life. He passed away at Mercy Hospice, at the Mater hospital, Waratah, on 15 August. Harry Robert Hoye was born at Hamilton in 1921. He left school at 13 and entered an apprenticeship in boilermaking at Goninans, one of the great Hunter metal industry firms. On completion of his apprenticeship he worked at Goninans and later at Mount Morgan mines in Queensland, as well as at Walker Shipbuilding in Maryborough in Queensland. In Maryborough he met Shirley, the girl who was to become his wife, and they married in 1947. He had five children, 12 grandchildren and two great- grandchildren. I extend my condolences to all members of the Hoye family on his passing. Harry's funeral was attended by his five children—Bill, Janene, Michele, Glenn and Dianne—as well as his two surviving sisters, Elsie and Coral, and their families.
After he married, Harry returned to the Hunter, where he worked at the State Dockyard, Cardiff railway workshops and finally BHP, from which he retired in 1983. For quite a few years he was secretary of the Retired Metalworkers Union. As his cancer worsened in the last few months he was treated by Palliative Care Outreach, but spent the last eight hours of his life in Mercy Hospice. I recall visiting Shirley Hoye at the hospice 11 years 10534 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 earlier. She died in 1993. When speaking with Harry in recent years he said, "John, it is not the same without Shirley." He had a loving and very loyal family who cared for him well in his months of need. His daughter Janene came from Tasmania to live in his house and look after him.
Harry was a member of the New Lambton Heights Progress Association, one of only a couple of Labor people amongst all those conservative voters. People work together in the progress association on local issues, including saving Blackbutt Reserve from the national highway proposed in the 1970s. Instead, the F3 is now on the western side of Lake Macquarie. As recently as last year Harry was active with the local community in getting traffic lights at the corner of Wimbledon Grove and Charlestown Road following the completion of the Newcastle intercity bypass around Charlestown.
I first met Harry in 1972, when I moved into my new house in Rankin Park and transferred to the local ALP branch. Harry was working at the Cardiff Heights polling booth at the Baptist church hall. In those days he would work there all day. He lived in the street below the hall, which was a 183-step walk away. On polling day he would walk from his home to the hall two or three times a day. In recent years, when Harry was not well enough to spend the whole day there, people would ask me, "Where is Harry?" My kids grew up listening to his stories on polling days. He was a good storyteller: he told stories of work, of travelling to some wonderful places in Australia, of ideas and how to shape them into reality, and of leadership, mateship and hardship. He was a very strong trade unionist and was especially proud of his boilermakers union. He stood up for his principles and on many occasions throughout his life he spoke at workplace meetings. He believed in collective action. He was a socialist, a humanist and an internationalist.
Harry always tried to help out a mate in trouble. At his funeral his son Bill told the story of a member of the Retired Metalworkers Union who came from Old Bar, near Taree. This fellow had a euthanasia pact with his wife. His wife passed away but this fellow woke in the morning and was arrested by police. Harry heard about it on the radio. He hopped in his van and drove to Taree. He bailed the fellow out because he was a fellow retired metalworker, and got him organised so he could defend himself.
At home Harry was the doer and Shirley was the organiser. He built his house himself in the late 1940s, he made his own bricks, and fixed things in his own workshop. He was a life member of the Australian Labor Party, the union and the local progress association. Despite his lack of formal education he took a personal interest in things like nuclear physics and black holes. Harry was one of those people from whom I would seek advice. He was a great character, and a lifelong contributor to his community and to his nation. We in the Hunter will miss him. He was very proud of his family and his family is rightly very proud of him and Shirley. May he rest in peace.
GAMING MACHINE TAX
Mr MALCOLM KERR (Cronulla) [5.36 p.m.]: Last week, at the request of clubs in my electorate, I attended a meeting with them at the Sharks Leagues Club. They shared their concerns about this Government's taxation of clubs. It might be said that they have very well-founded concerns, particularly in relation to employment. They have advised me that shire clubs will lose about 400 people when this taxation regime is fully implemented. They also pointed out the enormous work that clubs have done in my electorate, something that I have been aware of since my election. I do not think the general public are aware that clubs have made a significant contribution to the social, sporting and cultural life of the shire, as well as to employment, with the number of jobs they provide. They were particularly concerned that because of the taxation they will not be in a position to show the generosity to the various charities and community groups that they have in the past.
The Treasurer does not seem to understand the difference between gross profit and net profit. Often he will quote the gross profit, which seems to be a large amount of money, but neglects to deduct the deficit from the gross profit to arrive at the net profit. The net profit is the return for the year. The Cronulla electorate is not alone in this situation. I know that the Lismore electorate also has problems in this area. The honourable member for Lismore attended a meeting in my electorate at the Sharks League Club. He saw that the club provides facilities for use by various community groups to hold meetings and he was most impressed with the support the club gave the community. As to employment, I attended a meeting convened by the Sutherland Trade Union Club, which has a long association with Elouera surf club.
Mr Thomas George: And the Treasurer.
Mr MALCOLM KERR: There is an association between the club industry and the Treasurer. The Treasurer held the position of president of Cronulla Workers Club. It is fair to say he did not meet with the 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10535 degree of success in that position that he would have hoped for. Many members of the club industry will recall his presidency of the workers club and wonder whether it may have contributed to his views of the club movement. A large number of people in the club movement will be at a rally tomorrow. I am not sure whether the honourable member for Miranda will attend that rally.
Mr Barry Collier: Will you?
Mr MALCOLM KERR: Yes, I will. I know a number of people from his electorate will be there and they would be happy to see him.
Mr Barry Collier: I have met with them.
Mr MALCOLM KERR: They mentioned that to me. Will he be meeting with them tomorrow? They would certainly be keen to see him. They were keen to point out to me that they were simply asking the Treasurer to meet with representatives of the club industry to have a dialogue to bring about an understanding of their position. They want to make the Treasurer aware of the consequences of the increase in poker machine tax for the club industry and its capacity to serve their members, but also for the Sutherland shire community in terms of its impact on employment and the shire's capacity to provide for welfare and charity. They simply ask for a meeting with the Treasurer.
F6 CORRIDOR COMMUNITY USE
Mr BARRY COLLIER (Miranda) [5.41 p.m.]: In September 2002 the Minister for Roads formally abandoned the F6 between Loftus and Alexandria. The now-abandoned F6 corridor runs through the Royal National Park, the Sutherland shire and the council areas of Rockdale and Marrickville. The Minister abandoned the construction of the freeway in favour of community use, open space and public transport options. In February 2003 he gazetted a direction that the portion of the corridor south of the railway line at Gymea would be preserved, as far as possible, for open space and use by the community. The Minister said that the Roads and Traffic Authority land would not be sold off to developers. The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader reported that the abandonment of the freeway was supported by Sutherland and Rockdale councils. On 13 March 2003, just before the State election, the front page of the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader reported:
The Liberal candidate for Miranda, Kevin Schreiber, said the Coalition would support the Government's decision to remove the freeway reservation between Gymea and Loftus.
According to the same report there would be "no rethink" by the Coalition about this section of the freeway. Kevin Schreiber committed the Coalition to the abandonment of the freeway south of Gymea rail and its use by the community. In accordance with the Minister's wishes, I sought residents' views as to how the land could best be used by the community. I also wrote to the council in January asking for its views on how the now abandoned corridor could be used by the community. Senior council staff, to their credit, on 27 April produced a report consistent with the Minister's intentions. The general objectives of the report are:
To utilise the land within the abandoned corridor for the maximum benefit of the community, whilst enhancing and protecting the local biodiversity and environment.
But the Sutherland Shire Council has effectively ignored this report and now proposes to spend approximately $5,000 of ratepayers' money on a survey, in conjunction with the NRMA, which is clearly aimed at supporting the construction of the F6 through the shire. The NRMA has publicly supported the construction of the F6, so I believe the outcome of the survey is a foregone conclusion. What has happened? Kevin Schreiber is now the mayor of Sutherland shire. One might ask why the mayor would want a six-lane scar across the heart of God's country. Why does our mayor, Councillor Schreiber, want to turn this little bit of heaven into hell for the residents of Kirrawee, Grays Point, Gymea, Miranda and Sylvania Waters? If the F6 were built we would lose part of the Royal National Park, a community dog walking track, tennis courts, a natural stone bridge, a school, parking for churches, commuters and shops, a golf course, playing fields, a caravan park, several local businesses and wetlands. I have not even mentioned what would be lost in the electorate of Rockdale.
Why the back-flip by Concrete Kev? Why does he now promote the construction of the F6, contrary to his staff report, which recognises that "the greater reliance on car use is environmentally unsustainable" and acknowledges that "council has a major role to play in encouraging greater public transport use"? The answer is clear: Kevin has another agenda, not his own. Concrete Kev is promoting the agenda of Bulldozer Bruce Baird, the member for Cook. The turnaround by Schreiber is designed merely to give Baird a local platform as he goes 10536 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 into the Federal election. Like Baird, he does not care about the shire. He does not care about regenerating the fear that was put to one side by the Minister's announcement in September 2002. Both Baird and Schreiber are ignoring the council staff's thoughtful and detailed report, which identifies a shortage of playgrounds and open space in the southern portion of the now-abandoned corridor. Bruce Baird is beating his chest about the F6 to divert attention from the Federal Government's failure to deliver meaningful improvements in the shire over the last 25 years. Councillor Kevin Schreiber should stop behaving like Bulldozer Bruce's puppet, flipping and flopping as Bruce pulls the strings.
Mr Malcolm Kerr: Point of order: I reluctantly take this point of order. The Chamber should not be used to denigrate people with the use of nicknames.
Madam ACTING-SPEAKER (Ms Marie Andrews): Order! There is no point of order. The honourable member for Cronulla will resume his seat. The honourable member for Miranda may continue.
Mr BARRY COLLIER: I call on Kevin Schreiber to stop wasting ratepayers' money, to support his community and to be his own man. I call on him to support the Coalition's policy on retaining the portion of the corridor south of the Gymea rail line for community use. He needs to stop supporting Bulldozer Bruce's campaign on the F6 in his ambitions and attempts to be re-elected to the seat of Cook.
STATE DEBT RECOVERY OFFICE AND MR KEN MORDEN
Mr DARYL MAGUIRE (Wagga Wagga) [5.46 p.m.]: I raise concerns on behalf of constituent Mr Ken Morden, proprietor of a Hertz rental vehicle franchise which owns approximately 180 vehicles. Mr Morden received penalty notice enforcement No. 237919690 dated 11 January 2004 from the State Debt Recovery Office [SDRO] for a speeding offence that occurred on 24 August 2003. No prior infringement notice had been received. After several unsuccessful attempts to phone the SDRO, on 30 January 2004 Ken Morden emailed the SDRO. Receipt of the email was confirmed and he was advised to expect a reply within three working days. On 5 and 6 February he again phoned the SDRO, which gave instructions and faxed a "disputed fine pack" to be completed and returned. The disputed fine pack was completed and, together with a statutory declaration, express posted on 6 February 2004. The statutory declaration was rejected because the person renting was named and not the driver.
On 10 February he received an email from the SDRO advising that the disputed fine pack was faxed on 6 February and it should be completed and returned. Ken Morden replied, advising that he had returned it by express post on 6 February. On 10 February he received a further email from the SDRO advising that the office was experiencing a high volume of inquiries and there would be a delay in responding to his email. On 16 February he received an email from the SDRO confirming receipt and the staying of the enforcement order. On 24 March his application was rejected and the SDRO advised him they cannot accept a driver nomination after the fine has been referred to them. He was given 21 days to pay in full or he could dispute his liability and apply for annulment of the enforcement order and incur a non-refundable fee of $50. On 16 April he advised the SDRO that its letter dated 24 March had been posted on 2 April, thus reducing the time to pay. An application to take the matter to court was enclosed with a further statutory declaration stating the name of the person believed to have been driving at the time. On 24 April he sent a statement applying for annulment of the penalty notice.
On 26 May Mr Morden received a letter from the SDRO advising the date and location of the court hearing. He was under the impression that all matters had been stayed until my office received a reply from the New South Wales Treasurer and, therefore, did not attend the hearing. He has been issued with a notice of penalty with a due date of 3 September 2004 and has been advised that intervention by my office does not offer a stay of proceedings. On 14 April the SDRO advised of eight previous outstanding notices for dates between 22 March 2002 and 24 January 2003 and copies were sent. An application for annulment of fines totalling $1,425 was made and on 1 June an SDRO officer telephoned Mr Morden about the outstanding notices.
A reply was faxed on the same day. On 3 June I raised his plight in the debate on the Fines Amendment Bill. On 7 June Mr Morden received a fax from Mr Sharma requesting further information and the reply was sent on the same day. On 1 July SDRO requested more information on one enforcement order and that information was supplied on the same day. No further response has been received. Last week Mr Morden received a further notice for an offence that took place on 26 September 2003. All these penalty notice enforcement orders have been received without Mr Morden's having received the original penalty notices.
I have referred to this issue time and again in this House. It is a comedy of errors on the part of the SDRO. The Treasurer is responsible for this situation. My file contains at least 80 pages of correspondence 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10537 about debt recovery actions, copies of letters I have written to the Treasurer and contributions I have made on the issue in this place. However, Mr Morden is still experiencing problems. He has informed me that his is not the only franchise suffering. These incidents are not isolated; other franchisees are having the same problems. My good friend the honourable member for Lismore has also been involved in trying to resolve this issue. When will this department get its act together and give business proprietors like Mr Morden a fair go? This issue is taking an inordinate amount of time to address daily. Mr Morden runs a car rental business and obviously renters will speed and incur penalties. We need a system that will allow this man to have his concerns addressed in a professional manner. Once again, this is Daily Telegraph stuff.
Private members' statements noted.
[Madam Acting-Speaker (Ms Marie Andrews) left the chair at 5.51 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m.]
DEATH OF THE HONOURABLE WALLACE TELFORD JOHN MURRAY, A FORMER DEPUTY PREMIER AND MINISTER OF THE CROWN
Mr BOB CARR (Maroubra—Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Citizenship) [7.30 p.m.]: I move:
That this House extends to Mrs Murray and family the deep sympathy of members of the Legislative Assembly in the loss sustained by the death on 15 July 2004 of the Hon. Wallace Telford John Murray, a former Deputy Premier and Minister of the Crown.
He was Wal—always Wal. He was never Wallace, but plain Wal. Wal to his friends, Wal to his colleagues, Wal to his opponents—a name that spoke of decency, of warmth and humour, of humility and honest-to-goodness values. I am told there were nicknames as well: the Barwon Bomber, the Man Mountain of Moree, the Colossus of Roads. Wal Murray was the first to laugh at them. He was a big man in every way: big in heart, big in spirit. And somehow his size was a badge of honour. When the National Party issued official profiles of its members in the new ministry in 1988, they said of Wal Murray:
His huge frame has become a symbol of Coalition strength in this country.
His home and his heart were in the north-west plains and the towns he knew so well—Moree, Narrabri, Lightning Ridge and Walgett. It was in Moree that he was born, and in Moree that he died. I think people would believe he had a close, instinctive affinity with the voters he represented—a swifter and surer access to the hearts of country people. After all, he was one of them—a farmer—and he lived through all the hardships farmers experience. In his maiden speech in this House, his first thoughts were for the farmers and townsfolk who had suffered in the disastrous floods of 1976, the year of his election. He said then:
It is impossible to put a price on human hardship, loss of confidence, or the will of the people to crawl up out of the mud and rebuild what has been continuously damaged over the years.
As a young man Wal Murray had knocked around for years as a jackaroo before settling down to a bank job. In 1954 he married Daphne Allen, a post-war arrival who had come to Australia from England. In 1957 they settled on the Murray family farm. His political instincts, his party loyalties, were already formed. I will keep my comments here brief, because I want to hear the stories of those who knew him so much better than I did. I understand he was driven into politics by a number of factors, first and foremost of which was a hostility to the politics of someone who is one of the heroes of this side of the House—Gough Whitlam. I am told it was Gough Whitlam who kindled Wal Murray's first stirrings of political fervour. I imagine Gough would be proud to think that he had been a catalyst, if not a mentor, in Wal's political career. In an obituary he wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald, Gerard Noonan records that the best speeches Wal ever made—at least by his own estimation—were "anti-Gough tirades delivered to uncomprehending farm animals while riding around a paddock on his horse".
Wal's rise through his party's ranks was rapid. He first experienced ministerial office in 1988, when he became Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development and Minister for Public Works in the first Greiner ministry. His finest days were, without doubt, those in which he provided support for the economic reform agenda of Nick Greiner. It is hard to imagine a lot of the restructuring and the fiscal reform of government in those years proceeding had it not been for the rock-solid support that Wal Murray was able to deliver to that aspect of Coalition policy. It was clear to us that the relationship between Wal Murray and Nick Greiner was a very close one, founded in mutual trust and a deep, common sense of a Coalition view of politics and political priority in New South Wales. Wal's capacity for work, his loyalty and his integrity would be nominated by those 10538 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 who got to know him well as being among his foremost qualities. It was probably impossible to dislike Wal Murray; there was a lot of genuine affection flowing towards him from outside the House.
Wal Murray was passionate about public works, roads in particular. I am sure that at budget committee meetings of the Coalition in those years he was able to present a powerful case for getting a greater slice of government revenue for what he regarded as fundamental priorities for New South Wales, especially country New South Wales: works, roads, and development. But at heart he was a country man, in the highest sense a local man. Members who will speak in this tribute tonight will refer to the depth and spread of his local interests.
I want to record one thing I regret when we were in Opposition. Being in Opposition drives one to desperation at times. From time to time Michael Knight took over the waste watch committee. He assisted in getting out a brochure showing a picture of Wal with a tape measure around his middle with the slogan "Help us cut government waste—cut the fat in government". Unfortunately, it got through the system, and I heard that Wal had been hurt by it. I simply place on record my regret that it slipped through the editorial process. We should not have been reduced to such an obvious attempt at humour, especially if it ran any risk that Wal might have been hurt by it. From the Labor side of politics we extend our sincere condolences to the Murray family, and to Wal's colleagues. Wal captured the heartiness of his political view when he said in his final speech:
More than ever, there is a need to maintain this as the best State in the best nation in the world.
Wal Murray acquired his deep-felt patriotism out there on the western plains. That was his corner of this wide, brown land, which he served so notably. We will remember Wal Murray with affection. To Daphne, his wife, and to his daughters, Paula and Katrina, and their families, I extend our deepest sympathy.
Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [7.38 p.m.]: Country New South Wales is a far better place for the life of the Hon. Wallace Telford John Murray, AO. Wal was a big man, both in frame and in spirit. His booming voice resonated equally strongly in this Chamber as it did in the many country halls he visited during his illustrious career. Wal epitomised the strength of The Nationals and what our great political party has and can achieve in rural, regional and coastal New South Wales. Wal's entire adult life was devoted to equalling up the ledger for country New South Wales. He fought tirelessly for a better deal for the bush. Country and city communities are still reaping the rewards of his work today. A champion of infrastructure in New South Wales, from the Anzac Bridge in Sydney to the highly successful 3 x 3 road funding program and many other initiatives and infrastructure projects, Wal left his mark on this State. As he told the Land in 1993:
Unless you have got good roads the bush can't function, economically or socially.
He was a key player in the electrification of western New South Wales. Wal Murray also introduced the just terms legislation, guaranteeing for the first time the right of property owners to receive fair and just compensation if their land was resumed. During Wal's time as Deputy Premier, Minister for Public Works, and Minister for Roads and State Development between 1988 and 1993 he was a strong advocate for regional development, infrastructure and quality services for country communities. He had an excellent record of decentralisation, with Roads and Traffic Authority offices and the Department of Agriculture being moved out of Sydney under his leadership.
Wal took a great interest in water management across the State and was responsible for the decision to pipe bores in western New South Wales. His achievements are many and will no doubt be further explored by those members who had the privilege of serving in this Parliament with Wal. No doubt tonight we will also hear some fairly amusing anecdotes. Wal was a man with a great sense of humour and there are many occasions and instances which bring a smile to those who remember him fondly. Wal's opinion and advice were always well- respected, especially around the Cabinet table. He will always be remembered for his resolute loyalty to his family, his electorate, his party and the people of rural and regional New South Wales. The unlikely, but strong, political partnership of Wal and Liberal Premier Nick Greiner was highly successful and paid great dividends for country people. Nick Greiner recently said of Wal:
He did a superb job in helping get the Coalition elected in 1988 and was a huge help in getting the radical reform program through.
Born in 1931, Wal was a boarder at Scots College here in Sydney between 1938 and 1949. He jackarooed on his family property near Moree for two years after leaving school before joining the Bank of New South Wales for five years at Collarenebri, where he was fortunate enough to meet Daphne. A Sunday Telegraph article succinctly described the pairing of Wal and Daph in part. It said: 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10539
In many ways Wal has found in Daph a kindred spirit. They are of sturdy stock and don't like to shirk responsibility, let alone shy away from blister-raising tasks.
From the bank Wal returned to farm the family property. Wal and Daph married in 1954. Wal was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1976 as the member for Barwon, geographically one of the largest in the State. He followed Geoff Crawford, who had been a member of Parliament for 26 years. Wal told the Sun Herald in 1986 that he "fell into" politics, crediting Gough Whitlam, being the villain, as the Premier said earlier, and Leon Punch, being the hero, as influential forces. Wal told the same paper:
Being in Opposition is the most debilitating occupation anyone could wish for. You see so many things that should and could be done but can do little about it.
I, for one, must agree with him on that score. Prior to his entry into politics Wal was actively involved in National Country Party affairs in a variety of local and regional organisations, including local government, community sporting groups and farming and water use groups. He was also a keen cricketer and tennis player and later took up bowls. A former Nationals member of Parliament and schoolmate of Wal's, Ralph Hunt, remembered Wal as "one of the best fast bowlers in the GPS circuit".
Wal and his family moved to live in Moree in 1981 after resolving to sell the farm, given the major demands of both farming and politics, and to devote himself full-time to his parliamentary duties. Between 1976 and 1978 he was the National Country Party spokesman on Finance and Federal Affairs. He was Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries between 1978 and 1984. He was also a shadow Minister for Local Government and Roads. Wal became Leader of The Nationals in 1985 and served in that capacity until 1993. In 1993 Wal announced that he would step down as Leader and Deputy Premier. It is really an object study in how to step down gracefully in politics when one is at the top, and in how to hand over the baton to one's successors both in leadership and in representing an electorate. The then Premier John Fahey said of Wal, upon his announcement:
He has an enormous ability to get to the bottom of any issue, to see it simply and not in the complexities that many others see in most issues, and to come out with some plain talk which is invariably very close to the mark of what the result should be.
A Daily Telegraph Mirror editorial in 1993 stated:
In the bearpit of the Parliament, Mr Murray's blunt bush dependability was a major asset for the Government and in his role as unshakable defender of Coalition philosophies, he will be difficult to replace.
In his farewell speech to this Chamber in 1994 Wal told his colleagues that he had had a "rather charmed life" in politics. He said:
To enter the political scene as a backbencher in Opposition and then progress not many years later to be shadow spokesman for agriculture, then Deputy Leader and Leader of the Party in Opposition, then Leader of the Party and Deputy Premier and Minister in Government; and then sit once more as a backbencher, but this time in government, one can only be satisfied to have turned the full wheel of politics. It has been a very interesting 19 years.
He told a Sydney newspaper in 1989 that two of his greatest influences and role models were Henry VIII and Winston Churchill. Like both, he spoke his mind and stood up for what he believed. Former Federal National Party Leader Ian Sinclair recently described Wal as "a big man with a heart and a character to match" who stood up for the causes in which he believed. And a long-time friend of Wal's, Moree farmer John Seery, summed it up pretty well on the ABC's Country Hour on 16 July when he said:
Wal was a real visionary and people listened to him.
One thing you had to admire about the man was that he was a true politician. He visited towns and the villages and listened to the small problems and he listened to the big problems and he tackled them all, with vigour.
I don't think you could have got a better representative for the North West.
He was the size of two men and he worked as hard as two men.
To conclude, Wal made an enormous contribution to country and city New South Wales and he will be truly missed. At 72 he was too young to be lost but his legacy will live on for many generations. I regret that I did not have the privilege to serve in this Parliament with Wal Murray. However, I did know him through the National Party and over that time I formed an enormous respect for Wal. I am honoured to follow in his footsteps as Leader of this great party.
Sadly, Wal's family could not attend the Parliament tonight for this condolence motion, due in part to Daphne's inability to travel the long distance from Moree as a result of a recent injury. In a typically humble 10540 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 fashion, Daphne's wish was that the condolence motion should proceed in her absence so that it was not held up. Similarly, Daphne declined a State funeral because Wal had expressed a wish that his funeral should not inconvenience those attending. I must acknowledge the graciousness of the Premier who agreed to a State funeral even though this honour is not automatically extended to former Deputy Premiers. My condolences and those of the entire Nationals team go to Wal's wife Daphne, his daughters, Paula and Katrina, and to Katrina's husband, Greg, and grandchildren Robbie and Belinda.
Mr JOHN BROGDEN (Pittwater—Leader of the Opposition) [7.48 p.m.]: In July there was a great gathering of the Liberal and Nationals clan to farewell Wal Murray. Wal's funeral was a very personal, family service, not a political service. In that sense, although there were some of the trappings of a formal funeral, those of us who attended felt we were made part of the family for the day. We gathered to farewell Wal Murray and to thank him for his great contribution to public service in New South Wales. I have a view that the most tribal of the political parties in New South Wales is not the Labor Party but The Nationals, and I mean that in the most positive sense.
At Wal Murray's funeral I was most touched by the speeches by his daughters. There is no doubt that the children of people in politics either love it or hate it. It was clear from the way Paula and Katrina spoke that the highlight of Wal Murray's political career for them was the day he announced his resignation and came back home. Clearly, that was the feeling of the family; as much as they were enormously proud of the significant contribution he made to the National Party, to the Coalition, to the Parliament of New South Wales but, most particularly, to the people of New South Wales, he was their father first and foremost and to have him back home after 1995 were clearly their happiest days.
Before I go further, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of Ray Chappell, former member for Northern Tablelands, and Ian Causley, former member for Clarence and now Federal member for Page, both of whom were colleagues of Wal Murray and who have joined us here this evening, along with a number of Wal's former staff—I note mostly the women, the loyal women from Wal Murray's offices. I recall them very well.
If there is one great contribution for which Wal Murray was responsible and should be remembered— and it is a significant contribution in the annals of the State of New South Wales—it is the just terms legislation. It is hard to imagine today the concept of governments actually requiring people to sell their land on unfair terms and at an unfair price. It was one of the significant issues on which the National Party and Liberal Party campaigned in the run-up to government in 1988 and one of the greatest deliveries of a political commitment by Wal Murray. As I said, it is hard to imagine governments requiring the purchase of land at an unfair price, but it did happen. However, Wal Murray made sure that it did not happen from that period forward—a significant achievement!
Wal was probably one of the last, if not the last great Public Works Ministers. In the modern administration of government the Public Works portfolio is nowhere near as significant as it used to be. In the old days nothing happened without the Public Works Minister signing off, and Wal was one of the great Public Works Ministers, if not the last. He served two complete periods in Parliament—the Wran-Unsworth years and then the Greiner-Fahey years. Much has been said of the enormously close relationship that he and Nick Greiner shared—a very unlikely relationship in many ways but, in the sense that opposites often attract, a very close relationship and undoubtedly a pivotal relationship in ensuring that the Greiner-Murray Government came to power in 1988.
Wal Murray made a significant contribution to politics in this Parliament and around country New South Wales. To me, as a young staffer here during much of the Greiner-Fahey years, he was, as everyone has described, large in stature and large in character. I recall one incident on a parliamentary sitting day when I was working as a staffer for Ted Pickering, who was then the Minister for Police. There was a Cabinet meeting. Ian Armstrong will recall those crazy, short-notice Wednesday morning Cabinet meetings. Ted Pickering came back to his office, and as he did so he grabbed the hand of his private secretary, and his hand was very clammy. He said to Lydia, "There is something wrong with me. I'm feeling very ill and this jacket doesn't fit me. It's enormous". Wal Murray burst through the door with this tiny jacket and said, "Ted." He then handed one jacket over, took the other one back and walked out quite happily.
He was a phenomenally loyal deputy to Nick Greiner and there is no doubt that the demise of Nick Greiner by the Labor-Independent control of the House at that point was probably a signal to Wal to move on as well. It hit him hard; it hurt him to see that happen to Nick Greiner, a man he was obviously proud to have as a leader, and he made the decision to move on. He did not cause a by-election but saw out his term. As his 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10541 daughter said at the funeral, he hated by-elections, so he saw out his term to the very end. The gathering of Nick Greiner, John Fahey and many of his former colleagues, right back to Matt Singleton, who turned up to honour him, was enormously significant. It is interesting to look at some of the things that Wal Murray left on the public record. In his last speech in the House, on 2 December 1994, he recounted the day he was elected to Parliament on 1 May 1976. He said:
On 1 May 1976 I left home to do a tour of the electorate. When I walked out the door of my home I said to Daphne, "We'll get two votes anyway." She looked me up and down and said, "Don't bet on it."
Nick Greiner spoke very fondly of Wal Murray, and the Leader of The Nationals quoted this in part earlier. Nick Greiner described him as "the perfect lieutenant". He said:
He did a superb job in helping to get the Coalition elected in 1988 and was a huge help in getting the radical reform program through. It's fair to say that when he was first chosen I was a bit sceptical, as he presented as a very country sort of bloke, but I soon found he tended to go with what was best for the State rather than take a knee-jerk, traditional country view.
That can be very fairly said. No doubt other people will be better briefed with stories about how Wal brought the National Party to consider a Liberal Party decision, not always an easy task but a source of one of the obvious tensions that have to be managed between two parties in coalition, one with a traditional country base—more so then than now—and one with a stronger city base. The relationship between Wal and Nick will be remembered as one of the greatest Premier and Deputy Premier teams this State has ever seen. He had a very successful political career, measured by the portfolios he had and his achieving leadership of his party while relatively new to the Parliament. It was very interesting and special to be in attendance at his funeral and to see that it was not the public Wal Murray who was celebrated but the private Wal Murray. His daughters obviously loved him dearly, although it was clear from the funeral service that he had been more ill than we had known.
That his family gathered at his funeral and so many people gathered from all around the State, having travelled from far and wide to pay tribute to this great man, this champion of country New South Wales, this champion of the National Party, this champion of farmers in New South Wales, was a strong indication of the high esteem in which this man, who came into politics with respect and who left with greater respect, was held. As the Leader of The Nationals said, there is no doubt that country New South Wales is a better place for Wal Murray having been a member of this Parliament and Deputy Premier of New South Wales.
Mr IAN ARMSTRONG (Lachlan) [7.58 p.m.]: I join with the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of The Nationals and all members in expressing my deepest sympathy, and that of my wife, to Wal Murray's family: his wife, Daphne, his daughters, Paula and Katrina, his grandchildren, Belinda and Robert, and his son-in-law, Greg. It is always a loss to lose a family member; it is always a loss to lose a friend. We have lost a great man who served this State so well over the years. As has been said by previous speakers, who have given a good account of Wal's history in this place, Wal came here in 1976. I looked up his maiden speech today, and although there are many extracts I would like to recount, there is one in particular that I would like to mention. I am sure honourable members are familiar with the painting of her Majesty the Queen with Wal Murray standing beside her, which is located between the foyer and the lifts of Parliament House. Bearing in mind that Wal Murray succeeded Geoff Crawford as the member for Barwon, in his maiden speech in 1976 Wal said:
Geoff Crawford and I hold one great principle in common—the principle of democratic government, under which the government of this nation is based on the constitutional monarchy, with the monarch represented in the federal sphere by the Governor-General and in the States by the State Governors. The rejection by the Premier of New South Wales of the Governor- General in this State is a rejection of the principles of democratic government operating under a constitutional monarchy. The Governor-General is an integral part of the system, and so is the Premier of a State. Because of the Premier's position and the fact that he has accepted the law as his profession, involving the swearing of an oath to maintain the law, one would expect him to accept the system. By rejecting the Governor-General he is rejecting law and order. If a man is elected under a system, I suggest that he is bound to accept and uphold that system. If he is unwilling to do this, he should have told the people before they made their choice at the election.
I think that shows that Wal Murray was a monarchist, by any stretch of the imagination. It also means that he was a loyalist; he was absolutely loyal to his country and to his own beliefs. I extend my apologies to Daphne, to whom I spoke the night before last. I guessed that she had some angst about whether she should come down to Sydney. However, as the previous speaker said, she is not necessarily in good health, and she will have her knee operated on towards the end of the week. Wal Murray was quite a simple man in many ways. It was easy to see what his values were and where they started. They started with his enormous love for his wife and his two daughters. He had a wonderful love of people in general. He also loved sport, particularly cricket. He enjoyed people but he did not suffer fools easily. He liked doing figures, because he was an ex-bank johnny. He spent four years in the Collarenebri branch of the then Bank of New South Wales. 10542 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
One would be debating a road or something else with Wal and he would pull an old notebook out of his pocket and start to do the figures. He was a human calculator. He loved to produce the figures, and he could do it very well indeed. Every mental trip that Wal started always had a well thought out destination. He was never one of those people who made plans by simply throwing out something to see what happened. He always knew where he was going. When he started every trip, both mental and physical, he knew his destination; he had thought it out well before he started. He was a planner and an achiever.
Of course, Wal had a difficult life in many ways. While mention has been made of his early days at school and so on, I shall add a little more. Wal's mother died when he was a mere boy, some five years of age. At the age of seven he was packed off to Scots College at Bellevue Hill, just before World War II. Scots College virtually reared him; he spent the next 11 years there. It was pretty tough because in those days when he went home a couple of times a year to Moree, where his aunty and his father lived, it was something like a 14-hour train trip in the Moree Mail. That was fairly rugged. It has not changed much since then, but that is beside the point. As has been said, despite being reared by Scots College—I was chuffed to see some of his schoolboy friends at his funeral at Moree the other day, a fitting testimony to the man—Wal was good at tennis and, in particular, cricket, a sport that he followed after he left school.
Wal played zone cricket at home, and I think he was the captain of the Collarenebri Colts at one stage. He became the drum major for the Scots College band. One can see him standing there, a very tall lad—I understand that he was quite thin in those days—with a bearskin on his head and a mace. I guess that was the start of his leadership. I suspect he was a leader in the making at that point. That probably was the start of his becoming one of the best political leaders of the then Country Party and now National Party we have seen in this State since 1919. For all the accolades for Wal, what did he do? What did he do in politics and in this place? What did he do after the Coalition came to government in 1988? Honourable members have heard about the economic reforms and the just terms legislation. Just look around this city. The Anzac bridge was built during Wal Murray's time as Minister for Roads and Minister for Public Works.
Wal Murray also introduced the 3 x 3 road program—the 3¢ per litre over three years tax, which did more for the roads in New South Wales than any other action in recent memory and probably in the past 40 years. We made a mistake with that, though, which Wal acknowledged after a couple of drinks one night. We should have made it 5¢ per litre over five years. Think how much better still the roads would have been! I am sure Wal would agree that it is a pity we do not have some arrangement like that now. Wal decentralised the Roads and Traffic Authority. That was not easy because in those days the bureaucracy did not like being decentralised. But Wal, with his charm, firmness and excellent planning capacity, managed to achieve that significant decentralisation of a very bureaucratic department.
As for water and sewerage to towns and villages, one of Wal's favourite subjects was potable water— water that people could drink. When we came to government in 1988 there was something like a 13-year works backlog so that many towns and villages did not have adequate water and in many cases they did not have any public water and/or sewerage. Under Wal Murray's leadership as Minister for Public Works, in about four years, that was reduced to a 10-year backlog. He did that by extracting more money from the Treasurer, who at that time was Nick Greiner, and Treasury. Again, he made up his mind that he would do it, and he just went out and did it. He provided enormous benefits to people living in villages and towns such as Quandialla and Bribbaree, just to name a couple. The traffic lighting system that we will all go through tonight as we go home was brought in under Wal's leadership. With the departments, Wal developed Sydney's traffic lighting system. Wal and departmental officers then sold the system to Argentina, to South America and to China.
Wal Murray had many mixed successes. It has already been mentioned that he was responsible for the electrification of outback New South Wales. That had been sought for years, but Wal just did it. Every other day in this House we talk about what we will do about helping the environment and how it needs more attention. Wal did not talk about it too much; he just did it. The piping of the bores was one of the best environmental moves in management of water in Western New South Wales. Prior to Wal Murray's work, many thousands of kilometres of bore drains ran across the plains in the west. At artesian bores the water would come to the surface naturally and erupt into a drain, and off it would snake across the plains. The kangaroos and so on would not only drink the water but bog up the drains, which would be full of weeds. For every litre of water that left the bore and travelled 30 kilometres down the track, probably 10 litres were lost. But Wal piped the water and saved a lot of money and a bit of water. He also restored the balance in terms of fauna in particular, with the escalation in numbers of kangaroos, wallabies and other animals.
I shall tell one little story that probably has not been widely chronicled. The finish of the Olympics in Athens reminded me of the very start of the Sydney Olympics. I can still remember this vividly. We had just 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10543 come into government; Wal was the Minister for Public Works and I was the Minister for Agriculture. The Minister for Agriculture was responsible for the Royal Agricultural Society [RAS], which ran the Royal Easter Show, and Wal was responsible for the showground at Paddington, where Fox Studio is now located. Representatives of the show society, the RAS, had been to see me to tell me that the society was in trouble; it had lost a lot of money on the previous two shows because of the condition of the showground. In many ways, the water and electricity systems were beyond repair. We commissioned a study, which found that under occupational health and safety, and fire regulations the showground society was probably at fault in many areas.
As Minister for Public Works, Wal received that report and had a talk to Nick Greiner. At the same time we realised that the Homebush site, which in those days was a saleyard for animals and a meat distribution centre, had outlived its usefulness and its facilities had run down. One morning Wal came to my office and said, "Ian, how about we move the show out to Homebush?" That was the start of that process. We went through the process and the opportunity then arose to bid for the Olympic Games. Of course, we had a place to put them— Homebush! Wal Murray steered that through Cabinet and the bureaucracy, until the principle was established that we could bid for the Olympics and we could build an Olympic site at Homebush. That is not very well recorded, but I still have records to support it. Wal Murray's influence on the infrastructure of New South Wales and our hosting the Olympic Games is far greater than the records indicate.
Reference has been made to some press articles regarding Wal Murray and the ICAC inquiry. Several writers have said that probably finished Wal Murray. I say that is dead wrong. It hurt Wal Murray, it annoyed Wal Murray, and it was an extraordinarily unfair accusation that Wal Murray faced. He was dragged before ICAC for doing no more than what Ministers and members here do every other day; that is, represent their constituency and seek to put forward to Ministers the case for their constituents. The words he said to the bureaucracy that led to his appearing before ICAC were, "Stop stuffing around." Wal Murray said to Ian Causley, who was the Minister at the time, "Stop stuffing around." That is what opened the whole ICAC inquiry. It was a travesty of justice, but in hindsight I suppose it pointed out the weaknesses in the ICAC system. I regretted that: I believed that a number of members had been unfairly vilified, and Wal Murray was one of them.
It is fair to say that Wal was a big man. He ate big. There are many stories about that; I could talk for half an hour. One night we were in the dining room, and Col Fisher, the member for Upper Hunter, was sitting on one side of Wal and it might have been Jack Boyd, the member for Byron, was sitting on his other side. One of the items on the menu was lamb cutlets. A serving consisted of three cutlets and vegetables. As was Wal's wont from time to time, he said, " I will have the lamb cutlets, but make it a double helping." The meal arrived and was consumed. Col Fisher, who also had a mind for figures, looked at Wal's plate and said, "Wal, how many cutlets did you order?" Wal said, "A double helping." Col said, "How many would that be?" Wal said, "That would be six." Col said, "How come you only have five bones on the plate?" "Oh, gee," Wal said, "one of the bones must have disappeared in the eating."
He not only ate big, he thought big. He had a charm for both men and women. When new members came into the party room he would say to them, "This is the only room you will go into in your life where everybody's ego is bigger than yours when you walked in." Yet he was an extremely modest man in all ways. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know him, work with him or associate with him are the richer for the experience, because of his modesty and his simple tastes. Wal was the personality we would all like our families to be. If we were drawing a model person—somebody we thought was a good, nice, honest person, an ambitious and proud person—we would draw somebody like Wal Murray. Wal believed in the principles of Christianity, decency and honesty. He was small of ego and large of vision. This Parliament and this State are the richer for his presence. Once again, I extend my sympathy to his family and particularly to his staff who have come here tonight, and his former colleagues, Mr Ray Chappell, a former Minister, and Mr Ian Causley, a former Minister.
Mr IAN SLACK-SMITH (Barwon) [8.14 p.m.]: I support the motion of condolence on the death of Wallace Telford Murray, former member for Barwon. I speak as Wal's successor. He left a huge stamp on the electorate of Barwon as well as on all of New South Wales. I first met Wal many years ago, when a beautiful young lady, just off the boat from England, got a job as a governess teaching my cousins Robert, David, Margaret and Bill Slack-Smith at their parents' property, "Clareview" at Rowena. It did not take long before news of Daphne's arrival in the area reached the ears of a long, skinny, lanky, bank johnny at Collarenebri. That is when I first met Wal.
As we all know, they married and had two lovely daughters. In the years before he entered politics Wal and Daphne formed a perfect team. Wal was always the public figure, championing rural lands protection 10544 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 boards—or pasture protection boards as they were then—and a shire councillor. He was a devastating fast bowler for Garah, and Andrew Fraser bears the bruises to prove it. He was the public figure and Daphne was the full stop, the home base, the support when Wal returned. It was not long after that that Wal entered the main game of politics, the New South Wales State Parliament. I am proud to say that during Wal's preselection I was active as secretary of the Wee Waa branch of the Country Party, as it was in those days. It was a tough, hard campaign for preselection, it was very close. There were some outstanding candidates. I take a certain pride in knowing that it was the Wee Waa branch that got Wal over the line. Subsequently he became member for Barwon.
While Daphne was the great support at home, in his electorate office he had an extraordinary young lady called Toni Hunt. Toni was the backbone for Wal in the electorate office. She protected him; she wrote his speeches and told him what to do. I know exactly how Wal Murray felt, because Pam Callachor, in my office, does exactly the same for me. Wal was very lucky in having two ladies in his life—Daphne, who loved him, and Toni, who protected him. Both showed extraordinary loyalty to the future Deputy Premier of New South Wales.
Wal came to the seat of Barwon in September 1976, when the community was ravaged by floods. When he retired in 1995 the electorate was ravaged by a drought so serious that people referred to it as the worst drought in 200 years. When Wal passed away we were having the worst drought in 200 years, the drought we are still suffering from. Barwon is, and was then, the greatest agricultural electorate in New South Wales. It contributes more than $9 billion annually to the economy, and employs more than 122,000 people. Wal Murray was arguably one of the staunchest and most resolute advocates for agriculture in New South Wales. As a former member and Leader of the National Party, his strength of purpose and unquestioning integrity set a very high standard indeed.
In 1976, in his maiden speech as the newly elected member, he said, "Water is the future of the Barwon electorate." How little did he know how visionary those words were. Wal was right 28 years ago. We all know that what was then a fledgling cotton industry is a multimillion dollar industry and agriculture is a multibillion dollar industry. Wal described Barwon as the "shopping basket for the nation," and so it remains today. Water is the future of Barwon, and Wal was always a champion for water reform in New South Wales. Federal Minister John Anderson secured the future of water use and the recognition of water rights for our farmers, which will benefit the electorate of Barwon for decades to come. Wal and John did not see eye to eye on some occasions. Despite their differences, they were both true visionaries, they were both dedicated to agriculture and they were both staunch representatives of rural New South Wales. In 1976 Wal Murray felt the pressures being placed upon farmers and made it his primary goal to fight on their behalf. He said, and hark these words because the situation has not changed much:
Primary producers are sick of fighting to protect themselves—
And to protect what they already have—
They are tired of having their produce mutilated and destroyed. They are sick of being persecuted.
Now 28 years later our farmers again find themselves under attack from a barrage of anti-farmer legislation, from misinformed, irresponsible, ratbag environmental activists and bureaucrats and from crippling red tape, making the farmers' jobs all but impossible. But perhaps all those years ago Wal Murray was pre-emptive in his maiden speech when he suggested that farmers have a right to strike. He said:
No-one would dispute that we all have the right to strike. However if the rural industry in this country were to go on strike it would be a strike everyone would regret
Australia was built on the back of agriculture. Today it enjoys a reputation as a world leader because of agriculture. The only way Australia will remain a world leader is if the agriculture industry has the unequivocal support of all three tiers of government working in unity to pave the way forward. That does not happen at present. Wal Murray was a passionate man who called a spade a spade. He subscribed to the great principle of a democratic government based on the constitutional monarchy. He was a champion of the little people and was proud to be their voice. The honourable member for Lachlan referred to his various achievements: the Anzac bridge, 3x3 road funding, piping and capping bores and the Homebush Bay development. I believe the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act was his greatest achievement for all the people of New South Wales. In 1976 in his maiden speech he said: 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10545
Our community faces a situation of many people preferring to dictate rather than to assist. There is a desire at large to force a way of life upon the community rather than to attempt to influence the community to improve itself. There is a desire to kill initiative rather than reward it.
He was right. Wal Murray said:
What is the point in breaking down one area to build up another? Natural assets and the future are correlated.
Please listen to those words. Wal Murray was a statesman, a leader, and a true friend to me and my family. To Daph, Katrina, Greg, Paula, Robert and Belinda, our thoughts are with you at this time. Wal Murray, rest in peace.
Mr BRYCE GAUDRY (Newcastle—Parliamentary Secretary) [8.23 p.m.]: I join with the Premier, the leaders of The Nationals and the Liberal Party and members of the House in reflecting on the enormous contribution of Wallace Telford John Murray to this place. The tribal affiliations of The Nationals are so close in many ways to those of the Labor Party, though we are diametrically opposed in many policy areas. Members of the House could not be but impressed with the contribution of Wal Murray as the Leader of the National Party and Deputy Premier. When I came here in 1991 Wal Murray was a formidable man, big in size and big in approach.
I recall very early in my parliamentary career differing with Wal Murray quite strongly on a restructuring within the public sector, which impacted on 14 jobs in my electorate. I wrote in perhaps somewhat intemperate language, as someone new to the Parliament, to the Deputy Premier at the time castigating him on the action that was being taken to remove those 14 men from employment. He trounced me up and down both within and without the Parliament. But he was a big man in many ways because beyond that he extended a friendly and open approach in his relationship with me as a member.
As members opposite have said, his introduction in the Parliament of the just terms compensation legislation had a profound impact on people in the country who had lost areas of property because, in many cases, of the needs of government or industry. The Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act was very important legislation. Present today in the House are the Hon. Ian Causley and the Hon. Ray Chappell, and former staff members of Wal Murray. Their presence is an indication of both the affection in which he was held and the loyalty he engendered within his staff.
The Premier in his contribution made clear the impact of Wal Murray. I recall sitting opposite him. Not only was his impact in size and demeanour, he actually impacted on the seats in the House. At one stage some work had to be done to reconstitute one of the pews on which he sat. He was a big man in so many ways and a man proud and strong in standing up for his community. Some years ago when I was involved in the north-west of the State, a bypass was contemplated for Moree. That was another time when Wal Murray and John Anderson differed very strongly about the future benefits for the town of Moree. Wal Murray was not prepared to cavil at taking on his Federal colleague on that particular issue. He was a man dedicated to his community, to country people and to the tribal allegiance within the National Party. I join with colleagues on both sides of the House in remembering a big man who made a contribution to the public life of New south Wales and, as so eloquently put by his colleagues opposite, who had a great sense of love for his family. To his wife, Daphne, his daughters, Paula and Katrina, their partners and family, I extend my condolences.
Mr JOHN PRICE (Maitland) [8.28 p.m.]: I wish to briefly say a few words about Wal Murray, a man whom I learned to respect and who, as far as I was concerned, was an absolute gentleman in this place. It was my role to shadow Wal Murray in the Public Works portfolio between 1988 and 1991. Do not ask me how you shadow Wal Murray. You used to stand in the shadow of Wal Murray. He passed only one piece of legislation during that time, which was very frustrating for a young and aspiring shadow Minister, who ultimately failed anyway. How does one argue against the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act? It was the right Act at the right time by the right man, and he had his heart in it. There was no way anyone could seriously argue any defect with that legislation, which I am sure we are all grateful exists today.
I always thought Wal was pretty good on the computer. I often saw him at the computer in the Deputy Speaker's room and I thought, "This bloke is terrific." But one night I poked my head into the room and saw that he was playing poker, and I thought, "Well, there is a chance for me yet." But Wal did not offer to teach me computer poker, he just kept playing. I recall another time when I was with my wife at the front of Parliament House. Wal came jogging past in sandshoes and shorts. Again I thought, "Well, there is a chance for me" because he told me only the day before that both his brothers had died in their late fifties from serious heart 10546 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 problems. For Wal that was not only a sign of extreme courage, but one bordering on high risk. But Wal was resolute in whatever he did, whether playing poker, dealing with his community, or dealing with a shadow Minister—and they were tough times.
The last time I saw Wal was in February last year, in New Zealand, where I was on holiday and he was on a bus trip, walking with the aid of a stick, clearly not all that well. That demonstrated to me that Wal was still a special person, because he stood out from the crowd, and not just through his bulk, which one could not miss. Wal always had a presence, one that by and large engendered respect from all sides. He was a good guy to work with and he had a sense of humour and a great laugh. Vale, Wal, you made a great contribution. Your memorial is here.
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Deputy Leader of The Nationals) [8.31 p.m.]: I join with other members in extending my condolences to Wal's wife, Daphne, their children, Paula and Katrina, their son-in- law, Greg, and, indeed, the whole Murray family. Recently, together with other members, I attended Wal's funeral in Moree, which was a tribute to Wal Murray the man and the high regard in which he was held as both a politician and a family man. I acknowledge the presence in the House of Ian Causley and Ray Chappell and members of staff who served with Wal Murray. I acknowledge in particular the presence of Margie and Bryce Osmond. Bryce gave a wonderful eulogy at Wal's funeral, a wonderful tribute to Wal, and captured the man very well.
I first met Wal Murray in June 1987 in Ballina, at my final preselection meeting. I had heard about Wal but I had never met him. I was very green to politics in those days and my first impression was that he was a big man: big in height, big in bulk and, as I was to learn later, big in heart. I publicly acknowledge Wal's and Daphne's contribution in assisting me as a new candidate running for public office, and subsequently with my election. Morag and I owe Wal and Daphne a debt of gratitude for their support in those early years, particularly the first 12 months during the campaign. They understood exactly how a candidate became an elected member.
Wal certainly was not the sort of guy who made many promises, and he certainly did not make promises that he did not intend to keep. He made two promises on my behalf: one for a 24-hour police station in Ballina, which was sorely needed, and the other was to build the Ballina cutting, a section of the Bruxner Highway between Alstonville and Ballina. They were the two big issues in my electorate, and Wal said he could provide them. And true to his word, within three months of the change of government in March 1988, Ballina had the 24-hour police station and within 18 months we had the Ballina cutting. That was the sort of guy Wal Murray was. If he gave a commitment to do something, he did it.
I worked as Wal's Parliamentary Secretary some 12 months later. He was an interesting boss and seemed to have a fairly easygoing management style, and he was very fond of post-it stickers. Earlier the honourable member for Lachlan told us how one post-it sticker was directed to the then Minister for Lands, Ian Causley, telling him to stop stuffing around. Later that was to become important evidence in the ICAC inquiry. Wal was fond of giving direct messages, and that was good for those who worked for him. He was a popular boss in a happy office. I had never worked in a political or ministerial office before and it was very encouraging to see how Wal, through his leadership skills, was able to make that office run efficiently. The fact that people who served with him so many years ago are here tonight is testimony to that.
I remember Wal hosting many get-togethers in Parliament House, something we do not seem to have anymore. They were good times and Wal really enjoyed seeing people enjoy themselves. That is how I describe Wal: he did not seem to go overboard himself but he loved to see other people enjoy themselves. I have many delightful memories of something that happened that I cannot put on the public record. I recall one awards night when we all received different awards. I think I got the Bic Biro award for signing more ministerials than anyone else. I think I had Roads and Transport and there were 25,000 letters in each portfolio each year, which was enough to give one writer's cramp. There was a tremendous sense of camaraderie in those days. Wal and Daphne were instrumental in bringing the team together, which was quite important. I know the staff certainly appreciated the coconut ice and the cakes that Daphne sent down with Wal when he came to Sydney for a parliamentary sitting week.
Wal was very pro-country, a conservative politician, but he was not afraid to oppose a trendy view if he thought it lacked substance. Wal was a sceptic when it came to global warming, and I do not know whether he changed his mind on that later. He certainly called a spade a spade on many trendy environmental issues that he saw as quite destructive to intelligent farm management. He understood not only farmers and farming but also townsfolk, and he presented the same friendly approach to everyone he met, whether governors, heads of State, 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10547 road workers, or shopkeepers. He was always a smiling, friendly Wal with his hand out. He was a big man, an imposing man, but a friendly man.
There was a soft side to Wal that I saw a few times. The time I remember most, as do my colleagues who served with me, was those terrible days when Nick Greiner was forced to resign, and Wal took that very hard. He and Nick were very close. Wal and Nick had forged a wonderful friendship, a political alliance that was to the benefit of the State. Wal knew that Nick was what the State needed, and we all knew that Nick was what the State needed. Unfortunately, because of circumstances, we were going to lose a great Premier. That really struck Wal hard and I will never forget the support that Wal and the National team gave to Nick Greiner during those dying hours of his premiership. We were very keen to make sure that he stayed on. Wal, in particular, was a very emotional person. Notwithstanding that he was a good friend of Nick Greiner, he thought an injustice was being done. Indeed, the same thing applied to the people who went through the ICAC inquiry, including myself.
Wal was upset because people were being done an injustice. Wal was also very keen to lend a helping hand. I remember when he retired from government and I became the shadow Minister for water, he said, "Don, water is one of the most complex issues you will ever deal with. I feel a bit sorry for you getting that portfolio. However, there are two things you have to remember: first, you can allocate only what is available, and, second, you have to allocate it fairly." He meant one should allocate it between farmers fairly and between farmers and the environment fairly. It was a simple but a good policy. Wal was good at distilling complex issues, but he did not trivialise them.
Wal was also keen on cricket. Towards the end of his career, when he was a backbencher, if the cricket was on he could always provide an up-to-date match score. I remember occasions coming into the Chamber before question time and telling Wal a test score or him telling me. Honourable members will remember that Wal would rattle the coins in his pockets when speaking in this Chamber. Even though he was a good parliamentary performer, I think he felt self-conscious. Of course, he did not notice the noise and it never occurred to him to remove the coins.
[Interruption]
It might have been his worry beads. I will not repeat the stories about the lamb cutlets and Daphne asking why he was sure they had two votes when they came out of the polling booth. However, I will add to the list of achievements identified by the honourable member for Lachlan. The Basic Flying Training School at Tamworth was his initiative after he became Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Works, and other honourable members have referred to the "just terms" legislation. As the honourable member for Lachlan said, many of Wal's achievements are not on the statute books. He was a very good Deputy Premier of the State and a very good Leader of The Nationals. He was a genuine country person, a good bloke, and a straight shooter. He gave a great deal to his family, his electorate, this State, and the nation.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [8.42 p.m.]: I am proud to have this opportunity to speak to the condolence motion for the late Wal Murray. I acknowledge the contributions of previous speakers and the presence of two of Wal's former ministerial colleagues, the Hon. Ian Causley and the Hon. Ray Chappell. It is also a great pleasure to see so many of Wal's former staff members, led by Bryce Osmond, his former chief of staff, who gave such a wonderful eulogy at the funeral. It has been said already, but I will repeat that it is an indication of his popularity, his warmth, and his sincerity that after so many years his staff still feel so strongly and caringly about him. That regard shows on their faces tonight. I first met Wal Murray at a Local Government Association annual conference held in Wollongong, of all places.
Mr David Campbell: A great part of the country.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: Yes. In fact, I think Minister Campbell may have been on the council at the time; it was in the late 1980s.
Mr David Campbell: It was 1984.
Mr GEORGE SOURIS: I was there as a Singleton councillor. One person giving a presentation had a tough job. Wal Murray was in the Labor heartland representing the Coalition as the shadow Minister for Roads. He was stoically giving a speech about the future direction of a Coalition Government, which as it turned out was some four years away. Wal's greatest political achievement, in co-operation with his friend Nick Greiner 10548 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 and the Liberal Party, was the great 1988 election landslide. That was the start of the wonderful partnership that honourable members have referred to between Wal and Nick. It was no wonder in those last days of the Greiner premiership, particularly at the last Cabinet meeting, that there were emotional scenes, even tears, when it became clear that both the partnership and the premiership were rapidly coming to an end.
One of the most difficult tasks following the landslide and the euphoria that it generated would have been confronting the financial situation the Coalition inherited and the massive 1988 property crash, which resulted in stamp duty revenue being halved within a year. During that year New South Wales was also placed on a credit watch and our triple-A credit rating was under threat. They were icon items for an incoming Conservative Government. Confronting those huge issues so early in Government would have brought the reality of running the State crashing starkly into focus. New members could not comprehend the situation in the initial days. We recognised the enormity of the issue, but not the reality of dealing with it.
The Leader of the Opposition quoted the very fine obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald by Mr Gerard Noonan. Another wonderful tribute was written by Mr Malcolm Farr, who said, "Wal Murray got on well with just about everyone." That characterised the man and his time in office. When confronting those issues on coming to Government and being the Deputy Premier and a Minister in such a vital and difficult portfolio I can imagine how easy it would have been to climb into the stratosphere and forget about the ordinary people in the world beneath. I clearly remember that Wal did not succumb to that terrible trap as others have. As honourable members have said, Wal Murray's legislative achievements include the "just terms" legislation, the 3 x 3 roads program, the Anzac Bridge, and the Basic Flying Training School at Tamworth. I will add one other achievement: the Xplorer trains that now ply the route between Sydney, Armidale and Moree. They are very much a result of his involvement and influence.
I have a few stories to tell about Wal Murray, and I hope I will be forgiven if could be considered a little blue. Wal always had a great turn of phrase and offered good advice. When I first met him I was contemplating preselection, and he gave me a piece of advice that I have relayed to every prospective candidate who has approached me since. He advised me to visit every delegate in his or her home. He said that if I did that I would probably be the only one to do so and I would undoubtedly win preselection. I did and it proved to be very telling and good advice.
As I said earlier, I repeated that advice to every candidate who expressed such an interest. Wal gave me another good piece of advice relating to my eating habits. When I showed a propensity for eating as well as he could, he said to me, "You had better watch out, you had better stop doing that because you will end up looking like me." On one occasion I had the privilege of hosting to dinner some lovely girls who were participating in the Miss Australia contest. Wal Murray was speaking in the Chamber when I escorted the girls into the gallery. Later I said to him, "Wal, did you notice me leading in those beautiful girls? Did you see them all lined up in the gallery? Did you see me leading them in like a rooster?" He said, "If you were a rooster you would have followed them in."
All members who know me would be aware of what I think about flying, and flying in small aeroplanes. I once had to go with Wal Murray on a flight in a small Cessna aircraft. Wal got on board, back end first as he always did, and shuffled into position on a seat. There were only two rows of seats. The engine of the plane had not been started but the plane tilted back and went down on its tail. I do not think I need to complete the story. Imagine how I felt after that about getting on board any aircraft that was carrying Wal Murray! I had serious doubts that we would take wing that day, but we did. I suppose I got on board then because I was young and silly, but now I would never get on board such an aircraft. I have lasting and fond memories of that event.
The funeral that was held in Moree was a wonderful and fitting tribute to Wal. It was a pleasure to see so many former colleagues from the Liberal Party. The Hon. Tony Kelly represented the Labor Party at the funeral. I thank all those from the Liberal Party who made the occasion such a good one: Nick and Kathryn Greiner, John Fahey, John and Lucy Brogden, Ted and Elaine Pickering, Andrew Humpherson, the Hon. Patricia Forsythe and all those I have missed. I also thank Wal's former colleagues from the National Party: Garry and Libby West, Ray Chappell, Matt Singleton and Bill Baxter, a serving member in the Victorian Parliament.
While I did not serve with these people in the years leading up to the landslide victory in 1988, it was good to see Ian Kortlang and Ken Hooper, a large number of members of The Nationals from the upper and lower Houses and a large contingent of former staffers. It was a pleasure to see what unfolded at Wal Murray's funeral. From my observations, Wal Murray entered politics humbly. Physically he was an ample man but 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10549 emotionally he was a generous man. He was a generous man as leader of his party. He left a legacy of gentlemanly behaviour in this place. He was a staunch constitutional monarchist and a great builder. He left politics humbly, once again on the backbench.
Mr DAVID CAMPBELL (Keira—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Illawarra, and Minister for Small Business) [8.53 p.m.]: I did not have the opportunity or the privilege of serving in this place with Wal Murray, but I want to join in this debate and extend my condolences to his family, his colleagues and his former members of staff. I come from a political party that is somewhat tribal, so I am aware that Wal's death would have left a large hole in The Nationals. The honourable member for Upper Hunter referred earlier to a local government conference in Wollongong. That conference took place in 1984 when I was an employee of the city council. I was running around in the background like a madman trying to help to organise that conference. In 1987 I was elected to council and in 1991 I was elected Lord Mayor.
I am reminded of the one occasion on which I met Wal Murray. On many nights I had invited him into my lounge room as I turned on the television to watch the news and he was featured on it. However, I met him when he came to my electorate to open a stretch of road known as the Northern Distributor. Since the 1940s that road had been a line on a map in an area in which I lived and grew up and which I now represent. Wal came to open a stretch of that road—a road that has not yet been completed but a road that the Government is committed to completing. But that is another story. I remember meeting and being introduced to a booming, beaming, big bloke who was extremely jovial and who wanted to listen to what I had to say.
I am not sure whether I should admit this, but on that occasion I learned something from a member of the National Party: When a member of Parliament goes into an electorate he or she should listen to people rather than talk to them. I believe that Wal Murray listened to a number of things that I said on behalf of the community that I represented at that time as Lord Mayor of Wollongong. That stretch of the Northern Distributor to which I referred remains unbuilt. In my term as local member for Keira I have been working on plans and negotiating with the Roads and Traffic Authority and with local residents.
One of the local residents whose property needs to be acquired because of the route taken by the Northern Distributor talked to me about the problems with which he had been confronted. He referred to the just terms compensation legislation and said, "Wal Murray introduced that legislation." That is one of the things that stuck in my mind. I take part briefly in this debate to acknowledge that I learned something from Wal Murray. I am sure that his family, his colleagues and his party are mourning his passing. From what I have heard there is no doubt that the State should be mourning his passing. He made a great contribution as a human being, as a Minister and as Deputy Premier.
Mr BARRY O'FARRELL (Ku-ring-gai—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [8.56 p.m.]: In a profile that was written about Wal Murray shortly after he became Deputy Premier someone described as a senior Liberal adviser—I suspect it was Ken Hooper—said "People underestimate Wal and that's the way he likes it." This evening, after listening to contributions from members on both sides of the House, I realise that Wal Murray may well have been underestimated, but what cannot and should not be underestimated is the impact that he made on this Chamber and on this State.
In many ways Wal Murray was fortunate to become leader of his party, having lost the deputy leadership by a vote a year before to the honourable member for Lachlan—who spoke very generously about his former leader this evening—and then a year later being elected leader of the National Party after the retirement of Leon Punch. I suspect that the case of the honourable member for Lachlan was not helped by the fact that senior Liberals were running around briefing members of the press that Ian Armstrong was the Liberals' candidate because he would offer a more middle-of-the-road approach to the Coalition. Ian has been trying to live down that reputation ever since.
It was an interesting start to Wal's leadership because no doubt Leon Punch, in his last days, escaped the clutches of Bryce Osmond and presented the suggestion that perhaps the Liberal and National parties ought to merge. That was something with which the new leader had to deal. Wal, in his inimitable style, quickly scotched the suggestion and always argued that the Liberals should stick to the city and leave the country to the National Party. At the time he argued that if the members of the National Party went to the city they would lose their identity. I think he was right. Whilst the Liberals never followed his recipe, under Wal Murray there is no doubt that the National Party thrived.
As is often the case in arranged marriages—or so I am led to believe—the relationship between Nick Greiner and Wal Murray commenced warily with a bit of distrust. I was reading another profile of Wal shortly 10550 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 after he became leader in which a Pallamallawa local was quoted. I am one of the few people in this House other than members of The Nationals who has been to Pallamallawa. I went there to open a bridge when Wal was the local member. I have to say that I never had such a terrific morning tea, which no doubt contributed to the weight problems that I have had over the years. I could only sympathise with the continuing battle that Wal had with his weight. Shortly after Wal was elected as leader one of the Pallamallawa locals was quoted as saying, "Greiner is clever but Wal has great commonsense, and that is what the bush needs most." Clearly that was part of his recipe for success.
I thank the organisational wings of the National and Liberal parties for the great relationship forged between Nick Greiner and Wal Murray. Thanks to the antics and ambitions of our respective parties' central council and State executives, the two men soon realised they had to take charge and lead the Coalition, both the parliamentary and organisational wings, if they were to win in 1988. I know from a Liberal perspective that the Liberal State organisation used to be furious about the way in which Nick Greiner took control, and I know it was reciprocated on both sides. Both men had simply had enough of the antics between the parties, which kept leading them down blind alleys and getting negative publicity for them. They were determined to win in 1988, and they did.
There were stoushes with each party organisation, but more importantly these episodes forged a bond between the two men that laid the basis for the enormous trust that aided them when the Greiner-Murray Government was elected in 1988. It is a recipe for success that I believe will be repeated in 2007. I do not agree with the Minister's comment that there is a hole in The Nationals. I can see in the relationship between John Brogden and Andrew Stoner echoes of the Greiner-Murray partnership, and long may it continue and grow, and be successful.
I have another reason to be grateful to Wal Murray. Before working as a ministerial adviser in this place, I worked for the then Federal Leader of the Opposition, John Howard. John Howard should have become Prime Minister of this country in 1987. The reason that he did not was that his ambitions were thwarted by a peanut farmer and Premier of Queensland. The "Joh for Canberra" push saw the Federal Coalition split on the eve of the 1987 election, and it threatened the Coalition structures, both Federal and State, here in New South Wales. While some in the National Party, including Federal and State members of Parliament, dithered and prevaricated, Wal was clear: there was no room in New South Wales for the "Joh for Canberra" movement. The New South Wales Coalition survived, and a year later it won office.
I probably should not be telling this story, but as the member for Ku-ring-gai I now feel qualified to do so. Within 12 months of becoming Premier, Wal made headlines by arguing that young people who swore should be charged and, indeed, even locked up. Wal was one of those who, like me, believed that public officeholders ought to do everything they can to raise the standard of language. I say "Hear! Hear!" to that.
Mr David Campbell: Don't mention Ray Hadley, please!
Mr BARRY O'FARRELL: I was not thinking of Ray Hadley. As has been said previously, Wal was a gentleman. He had a certain bearing, and he was determined to use public office and public institutions to raise standards, and not simply to accept the deterioration in standards we have seen, which means that all sorts of words are now commonplace in our communities. Given what went on last week, I say "Hear! Hear!" to Wal Murray.
I worked as an adviser in the Greiner-Murray Government and I have three particular memories from that period. That Government sought to reform the railway system in this State. Despite the rewriting of history by the former Minister for Transport, those reforms led to real improvements in rail transport across this State: the introduction of additional XPT services, including XPT sleeper services for the first time, and, as the honourable member for Upper Hunter said, the introduction of Xplorers and other diesel rolling stock to Canberra, the South Coast, the north-west, Maitland and the Hunter Valley. None of those improvements could have occurred without the rail reform program pursued by Bruce Baird. As every member of The Nationals knows, that rail reform program could not have proceeded were it not for the strong support of Wal Murray. It was one of many cases of Wal putting public interest ahead of sectional interest when he was convinced that benefits would flow.
My second memory from that period is that in 1989 this State witnessed two terrible bus accidents, one at Grafton involving a bus and semitrailer in which 20 people were killed, and another at Kempsey involving two buses in which 35 people were killed and 20 were injured. The second accident happened in the early hours 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10551 of the morning after the staff Christmas party held by the Minister for Transport, Bruce Baird. Having got to bed late, I was woken early to be told about the accident and the arrangements to get Bruce and Wal to the site. We flew to the site by helicopter. I cannot, and will not ever, forget the sight of 35 covered bodies lined up beside the Pacific Highway at Clybucca.
I also will not forget Wal's emotional reaction at the site, and then his amazing stoicism as he wandered the highway to talk to the residents. As the honourable member for Oxley knows well, the homes along the highway there are not very close together. Notwithstanding that, Wal simply charged up to the residents, who were the first people at the scene of the accident, to talk to them and listen to what they had seen. It was an horrific bus accident. Wal showed great compassion to those residents and the emergency workers who attended the scene. As I drive along that stretch of the Pacific Highway, I cannot do so without recalling Wal's action and his compassion, and also his determination that changes should occur to ensure that such events do not happen again.
Wal led the charge for duplication of the Pacific Highway from Sydney to the Queensland border, a call that successive Federal and State governments have pursued. He backed the decisions to drop the speed limit for trucks and buses in New South Wales to 100 kilometres per hour and to introduce tachographs. The New South Wales Government made those decisions on its own, outside the Council of Australian Governments process, despite enormous concerns expressed by industry, and national and other State governments. Those decisions would not have been made if Wal Murray had not remained the solid rock in ensuring the improvement of passenger safety on the Pacific Highway.
In such close proximity to the Athens Olympics, it should be acknowledged that without Wal's support there would not have been a Sydney 2000 Olympics. Both Nick Greiner and Wal Murray were sceptics about bidding for the 2000 Games. They gave to Bruce Baird—someone they thought was an economic rationalist and a fellow sceptic—the task of chairing a feasibility committee into that process. But again, after much analysis and testing of Bruce Baird's report, both were convinced that Sydney should have a go. It would not have happened if Wal Murray had objected. While he is an unlikely sporting hero, despite his bowls, tennis and cricket background, Wal Murray deserves to be remembered as one of the progenitors of the greatest Olympics ever.
There are many achievements to which Wal Murray can lay claim. We have heard about some of them this evening. The Minister has been generous enough to talk about the Northern Distributor in Wollongong. I do not know whether the people who live in the Blue Mountains understand that Wal Murray committed an incoming Coalition government, for the first time ever, to $12 million worth of paving of unsealed roads in the Blue Mountains. As Bruce Baird's chief of staff, for the first 18 months the most difficult task I had was ensuring that the Roads and Traffic Authority delivered on that promise. Certainly it secured Barry Morris's re- election, and it would have continued to secure that re-election given the real benefits that were being delivered in areas that were not traditional National Party areas but in which Wal had seen the need and responded, as he always did.
There is another measure I will always use to judge Ministers, and I used to judge Wal Murray this way: by the staff he surrounded himself with. Wal's team was first class. They forged a great relationship with the very different characters that made up Bruce Baird's ministerial team, and we had some terrific times together. I want to acknowledge all of them in the Chamber this evening: Bryce Osmond, who has been acknowledged by most members in this debate; Di McDougal; Sara Pantzer; Jenny Thompson; Melinda Shaw, as she then was; Paula Tardy; and Warren Pavey in absentia, who, as Wal's driver, was as important in that office as Bryce or anyone else. On the basis of a survey I conducted outside this Chamber, I also include Margy Osmond, who was associated by a number of arrangements and who continues to conduct surveys for the State Chamber of Commerce.
The drinks afternoons that Wal held in the offices on the thirtieth floor of the State Office Block were amongst the great memories of my period as a ministerial staffer. As the honourable member for Ballina said, they were a close-knit team. I recall Mrs Murray supplying coconut ice when Wal would come down to Sydney on Mondays. As I discovered over dinner this evening, when Paula Tardy joined the team as a receptionist, having returned from the United States where she had worked as a beautician, she started to earn a bit of pocket money by doing the nails of some of the girls in the office. Paula complained to Mrs Murray about the quality of the cotton balls available in Australia. Apparently, in the United States you can get a large variety of cotton balls. These are matters that male members of this House would not understand. Apparently, the cotton balls in America range from 100 per cent cotton all the way through to synthetic—and probably even non-dairy cotton 10552 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 balls. The next week that Wal was in Sydney he delivered a garbage bag—which Daphne had directed him to pick up from the local cotton gin—that was full of natural cotton balls that Paula then used when doing the nails of her friends in the office.
My all-time favourite story about Wal involves Sara Pantzer, who was the proud owner of a yellow Datsun 120Y. Sara has never spent a lot of money on her cars; most of it has gone into property investments— and I am sure that she is paying a lot more tax these days under Michael Egan than she did under the Greiner- Murray Government. One night Sara gave Wal Murray a lift home. Now 120Ys are not big cars and I can appreciate—as I am sure the Minister can—the difficulty that some of us have getting in and out of them. Sara pulled up and Wal took off his seatbelt and leaned towards her. Sara naturally thought that because this was very much a family office in which there were great relationships Wal was going to kiss her. She reciprocated by giving him a kiss on the cheek and only then realised that Wal was levering himself out of the car. No doubt Wal did not tell his wife that he had been kissed by his policy advisor—and no doubt there was some touch of embarrassment. But I have always enjoyed that story. I must say that Bruce Baird's policy advisors never kissed him.
The Bruce Baird-Wal Murray relationship was a terrific one because both men were tall individuals who carried different weights and had different approaches to exercise—one exercised and one did not. When health checks were introduced Ministers and members would go next door to Sydney Hospital for a check-up. I remember Bruce coming back from his first health check. He had wandered over with Wal, who had come out with no adverse reports about anything. But Bruce, who exercised daily and watched his weight, had come out with adverse reports about high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He simply could not believe what he had heard, having walked in and left with Wal. All credit to Bruce Baird that he continues to exercise to this day.
Finally, I associate my wife, Rosemary, and her father, Bruce Cowan, with these comments. Bruce served with Wal in this Chamber for seven years and he had the utmost respect for the job that Wal did as leader. I think Wal was Bruce's ideal National Party leader. I am not sure, Bryce, that Bruce was a terrific fan of Leon's, but he was an even greater fan of Wal's. Rosemary, like most other female staffers, had a real soft spot for Wal. He was courteous, friendly and, in the best biblical tradition, treated others as he hoped to be treated himself. As someone said this evening, Wal was the perfect gentleman—which meant that he was terrific for women to be around.
I respected the man, particularly his departure. Wal stepped down from being Deputy Premier and a Minister and sat on the backbench for a number of years because he did not believe in by-elections. As a former party director, I wholeheartedly endorse that view and I hope one day, many years hence, I am able to emulate him. I think it was a great display of the character of the man that he was prepared to sit in the Chamber and discover the joys of playing patience on the computer and the early virtues of cable television and overseas cricket broadcasts. I was away when Wal died and when I returned I wrote to his wife and daughters to indicate that they should be proud of his contribution to the State. Perhaps Wal was underestimated and perhaps he liked to be, but none of us should ever underestimate his contribution to this State.
Mr JOHN TURNER (Myall Lakes) [9.13 p.m.]: I first knew Wal as "Mr Murray". The first time I met him was just after my preselection and he came to do a run through the electorate of Myall Lakes. I had not met Wal before, and there in front of me was a very large, jovial man of whom I was in awe from the start because of his presence, because he was the leader of my party and because I was just the new boy on the block. I recall showing him around the electorate. Mr Murray and I went to Forster and attended a number of functions. Wal told me that he had to be back in Sydney, and I was looking at my watch and thinking, "We'll have to cut this a bit short." We had just left the radio station and I said, "Right, we've got to head back down to Maitland to fly back to Sydney." But Wal insisted on going to Graham Barclay Oysters. Graham Barclay is one of the biggest oyster producers in Australia and Wal was his friend—but that had nothing to do with why he wanted to go. Wal wanted to go for the oysters.
We arrived and sat down. Now one would expect them to bring out a dozen oysters but for Wal they brought out the polystyrene box, stacked high with layer upon layer of oysters, and two forks. He speared three oysters with one fork and three oysters with the other fork and started to eat. The time for the flight was getting closer and I kept pleading with Wal that we had to leave. But, no, he had to talk and eat more oysters. We soon reached the point of no return and I simply did not have the courage to tell Wal that he was not going to make his flight. So we drove back—me sitting there in fear for two hours, knowing full well that he would not catch his plane. Sure enough, his plane was gone and I got both barrels because Wal was the guest of honour at the British High Commission that night and Daphne had flown down specially to attend the function. I farewelled 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10553
Wal and thought I had farewelled my preselection as he disappeared down the hill out of Maitland in a hire car. But Wal was very forgiving and here I am today. The episode was never raised again.
Wal was a legend in both his larger-than-life attitude and in the way that he managed the State of New South Wales as Deputy Premier and as Minister of the various portfolios he held. But before I go into that I will tell some more anecdotes. My colleagues have touched on a number of these subjects. They have talked about when Wal stepped down. Wal used to spend a bit of time working on the computer in my room when I was Deputy Speaker. I remember how people would come through—we now know the story—and say, "Gee, Wal is dedicated; he's stood down and he's up there working and thumping on that computer", which was right up in the corner. Every so often he would call me over and say, "I've got this solitaire down but I can't handle minesweeper; I don't know how it works." Wal was really in my office because his hips stopped him from getting to the Chamber from his office in time for divisions. So he used to stay in my room from where he could get to the Chamber easily.
The other legend about Wal was that he could shell prawns with one hand—which is no mean feat! We all know about his great desire for food. I remember the night the two of us went to the Bucketts Way Motel for dinner. Fawlty Towers could have been written about the guy who owned the motel then. Wal and I were having dinner before we had to go to a function—Wal was having his usual small meal of a plate of chips, a big steak and everything else—and the proprietor came over, sat down and starting to take chips of Wal's plate. I said, "Mate, you have got to be the gamest guy in New South Wales." But Wal was extremely patient and allowed the guy to continue to take chips from his plate. Many of us were fearful of Wal during divisions. The division bells would ring, everyone would be running late—our offices were on the eleventh floor in those days and Wal was on the tenth floor—and the lifts would be absolutely chock-a-block. Wal was notorious for running late. The lift doors would open, Wal would be there and he would have to get in. That was a pretty terrifying experience for the new arrivals, because he always made room and got in.
There is another famous story—which I will not take too far—about Wal giving a speech. He was very nervous and took a big swig from a bottle of lemon squash on a nearby counter—except it was detergent. Wal had a difficult time delivering the speech at that particular function that afternoon, and it went for some time. I also remember the other side of Wal—the straight shooter; the guy who did not muck around too much and who told it like it was. My preselection was extremely controversial, to the extent that there were meetings to have it overturned and goodness knows what else. Before the meeting I asked Wal what I should do and he said, "Earn their respect." I always remember that comment, and it was very true. Shortly afterwards I had strong words with Wal about standing a candidate in a particular seat. Of course, we had a very good policy of no three- cornered contests unless it was agreed. He simply said to me, "Do you still want to be preselected in your seat?" I said, "Yes." And he said, "Well, you'll stop talking about that"—and I did.
On another occasion I had been involved in a Federal election where there was a three-cornered contest. Nick Greiner had come in and campaigned for the Liberal candidate. Whilst there was no animosity, I thought that Nick was probably in the other camp. I commented to one of the branches that I was going to be where Nick was going to be the guest of honour. I said, "I don't get on very well with Nick." I got a telephone call four or five hours later from Wal, who said, " If you don't get on with Nick come down here, we will close the door and sort it out." I said, "There's no problem, Mr Murray, I'm sure Mr Greiner is a lovely man and we will get on very well", which we did. Wal was straight. When I was elected—all of us are hyperactive when we are elected—I rang Wal and said, "Look, you are the Minister for Public Works. Now, I have a few things in my electorate I want fixed. Can I order a hospital, a new bridge between Forster and Tuncurry and a police station?" I cannot tell you what he said—but he sorted out the processes of how one goes about that. From then on I realised where we were going.
Wal had integrity—it oozed out of him and flowed across all of us. He was my first boss because, other than for a very short time, I always worked for myself. I set my guidelines according to what Wal set for me. Wal's integrity was important. The honourable member for Upper Hunter was going to read a quote from the Daily Telegraph but, unfortunately, he did not get a chance to do so. It is a quote from Malcolm Farr. I think it is one of the loveliest things Malcolm has written. He concluded his article by saying:
He was never a crook, never corrupt and to my mind he died as fine and decent a man who ever entered New South Wales politics.
That is true of Wal Murray. He had commonsense, he was practical and he was approachable. I remember Kerry Chikarovski relating a story about when she first became a member of Parliament. She rang the various Ministers to see whether she could meet with them. She remarked that all she was getting was minders and they 10554 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004 were making arrangements for her to meet with other minders. She rang Wal Murray, was put through and said, "Oh, Mr Murray, I just wanted to see if I could make an appointment to come and talk to you about how it all works in your portfolio and introduce myself." He said, "Well, what are you doing now?" And up she went. Wal was approachable. You could go and talk to him at any time—the door was always open.
We have talked about the leadership and the balance of Greiner and Fahey with Wal Murray. That has been one of the most unique things in the recent political history of New South Wales. That balance was just terrific—a good country-style balance. Wal was a tireless worker, as we all know. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition referred to the Clybucca tragedy and Wal's going there. I remember the Newcastle earthquake. I was at Nelson Bay when the reports were coming in about deaths. I think Wal was Acting Premier at the time. I rang his home and spoke to Daph. She said that he was up at the memorial service for the Clybucca people, and I explained what had happened in Newcastle. She was distressed and got straight through to Wal. Wal went straight from there to Newcastle. He was exposed to a lot of tragedy during his time because his portfolios, unfortunately, lent themselves to tragedy. However, he never baulked at it. He was tireless in his approach, but pragmatic enough to realise and understand the vagaries of city and country life to ensure that there was no real rivalry; that everything was a balance between what was needed and what was not needed.
We have heard about the initiatives and programs that Wal was responsible for. I do not want to go into them because they have already been discussed. However, I recall another anecdote. I remember that the people who design swimming pools came to Wal during the preparations for the Sydney Olympic Games and said, "Mr Murray, do you want a fast pool or a slow pool for the Olympic Games?" Wal said, "I just want a swimming pool. What's the difference?" They said, "Well, you can have a fast one or a slow one." He said, "I'll have a fast one." A number of world records were delivered at that pool in Sydney. I wonder how many were the result of swimming and how many were because of the foresight of Wal to order a fast pool for the Games. Daphne was always there for Wal. When Wal retired he said, "I owe that lady at home some time and I am going to give it to her." And that is what he did. He was a wise man, a friend and I am saddened by his passing. My wife used to say both when Wal was alive and after he died, "I always loved Wal." I think that is the way I feel about Wal as well.
Mr MALCOLM KERR (Cronulla) [9.24 p.m.]: I join the tribute to Wal Murray. When I came to this place in 1984 he was a senior member of the Opposition. He was always a warm, generous and positive person. He was totally unaffected. Anyone could go and speak to him at any time and raise any issue. It is pleasing to see that Ray Chappell is here, as is Ian Causley, who would remember that 1984 to 1988 period. One would think that after a landslide win in 1988 it would have been all plain sailing between 1984 and 1988. It certainly was not. There were a lot of tensions in the Coalition that were overcome by Wal Murray's generosity and courage. I think the Deputy Leader of the Opposition mentioned the Joh for Canberra push, and Ian Causley would certainly recall that period—it was a surreal period. It could have destroyed any hope of the New South Wales Coalition of getting into government. Remarkably, it strengthened the Coalition; it did not weaken it, let alone fracture it.
The courage and wisdom that Wal Murray showed provided a depth of trust and understanding between him and Nick Greiner that was instrumental in their success in government. It has been said that the just terms legislation was a landmark. I think it was a landmark and a revolution in relation to government attitude towards private property and citizens. It will be the lasting legacy of Wal Murray. As has been said tonight, he was a great builder in public works, he had innovation and he brought forward water policies. All of those things were immensely important. As I said, legislation was changed in relation to just compensation. Wal's life was a great benefit to this State. It is pleasing to see that he was so loved, not only by his family but also by the staff who are here tonight. It has been pleasing to hear what has been said by members on both sides of this Parliament. We wish his family well. We certainly share their loss.
Mr ANDREW FRASER (Coffs Harbour) [9.27 p.m.]: I feel somewhat insignificant standing here tonight reflecting on the political life of Wallace Telford John Murray. Wal was a great man. He was a great friend and a great mentor. He was a truly wise man. It is somewhat apt that tonight in August we reflect on his life in New South Wales and what he did for the people of New South Wales on the night of a blue moon— although it might have been last night—because I would say that a bloke like Wal Murray comes along once in a blue moon. I first met Wal when I went to live in Moree in the early 1970s. Wal played cricket for Garah and, as the honourable member for Barwon said, I had the misfortune of coming from a third-grade side in Newcastle to play first grade—there are two grades in Moree. Coming up against a bloke of Wal's size scared the hell out of you—I am sure Don Page would appreciate this—and you learned fairly quickly that Wal could make a ball rise off a very good length and belt you in the ribs. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10555
Batsmen wished Wal got them out, otherwise they went home bruised. I got to know and like him then. In 1976 I had the privilege of handing out leaflets in his campaign. I was also involved in the Moree gun club. Wal had a great reputation as a farmer and man of the bush but he did not love or know much about guns. Wal was invited to open the new clay target club and facilities. He was handed a gun and told to put two shots up the spout and knock the clay out. He shot at the first clay, missed, laughed and turned around to the gathering holding the shotgun, with a bullet up the spout. I have never seen so many gun owners duck, and officials tried to grab the gun because Wal did not know about the live shot up the spout. That was one of my earliest memories of him. Little did I know that many years later I would be in Parliament under his leadership.
The next time I met him was in 1990 at a conference in Coffs Harbour following the sacking of Matt Singleton from the Ministry. Matt was Wal's great friend and that was a very hard for him. He was literally in tears. Later I found out that the tears were caused either by the loss of Matt from the Ministry—and I feel sure they were—or by the concoction mentioned by the honourable member for Myall Lakes that Wal drank prior to addressing the conference that day. I met Wal the day after winning preselection and the first thing I said to him was "What do I call you?" He said, "Wal." He sat on the bonnet of a car outside the campaign office and gave me one of his business cards. On the card—which I still have because it is a great memento of my political life—was every telephone number at which he could be contacted. He said, "I do not care what time of day or night it is, if you need something, you ring." Wal Murray stayed like that as Leader and after his retirement. Anyone could ring him about a problem and he would return the call.
After being a member of Parliament for about six or seven months I decided that it was about time that I had some recognition for working hard—I had come through a by-election and an election. My reputation was of upsetting Ministers and kicking down doors even when were in government—I do not have it these days. One night I was summoned to Wal's office. After waiting for about 15 minutes I entered his office and he closed the door. I sat down and Wal leant back, twiddled his thumbs and said, "I just want to inform you that you have upset most of the Ministers in this Cabinet." I said, "Let me know who the others are and I will soon sort them out." Wal said, "There is only one. It is me and you are doing a fairly good job at the moment." During the years Wal and I had many discussions and we knew that whoever closed his door first had the upper hand, although I tend to think I did not ever have the upper hand.
Wal's appetite has been mentioned. Wal came to Coffs Harbour in his twin engine Beechcraft Baron and before he left he said, "Can we duck down to the fishing co-operative?" I said, "Yes, certainly." I was not sure why he wanted to go there. He bought two kilos of king prawns. The next day I rang his home and Daph answered the phone and I said, "How were the king prawns?" She said, "What king prawns?" Wal had eaten two kilograms on the way back to Moree and, I assume, then sat down and had a decent meal. Another memory I have, which I mentioned to Daph the night prior to the funeral, was when Kerry and my three children visited him at his home. I told him he had a magnificent new library-sitting room on his house. He said, "Yes, it is the Herald room." I said, "Do you read the Herald in here?" He said, "No, it paid for it."
He invited us for lunch and asked the three children what they wanted. Alexander, Elizabeth and Angus―who was knee high to a grasshopper at the time―only wanted a piece of steak each. Wal said he would put on extra chops and sausages in case they changed their mind. He cooked lunch on the internal barbeque and there was a large tray of meat not eaten. The children were full and Wal said, "Waste not, want not," and cleaned it all up. That was typical of Wal—a big man in appetite, nature and everything else. When I first knew Wal in politics he was under enormous pressure over the purported scams that the National Party were involved in which were later proved absolutely baseless. Wal Murray real estate stories were spread but it was not the same Wal Murray.
I have at home a cartoon that was in the Daily Telegraph. It depicted Bob Carr with mud in his hand and mud dripping from his body. Wal was standing there like the Saint. The mud that was being thrown at Wal was bouncing off him and hanging from Carr. The caption was of Carr saying, "Is the mud sticking?" Someone else was saying "Yes, it is." It bounced off Wal because of his reputation. He was a man who was right in what he said. He believed in what he said and did what he believed in. No matter what was thrown at Wal during those times he came out publicly unscathed, though not unmarked. Wal also had a great sense of humour. I think the honourable member for Ballina mentioned the 1992 Wally awards that everyone in the party got. On the night of the awards Wal said, "Most of the awards I have given out tonight I had to change slightly. They were presented to me by staff, who did a good job naming them, but there was one I did not have to change." I have a copy of it on my notice board and it states:
Wally's 1992 Christmas Awards presented to ANDREW FRASER for the "Look at me now", I'm in the shit again award. Wal 10556 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Mr Andrew Stoner: It never changes.
Mr ANDREW FRASER: It does not change. Its dual meaning would be well remembered by Ian Causley. After 1991 Ian said to me, "All the shit is now in your electorate," and that problem still continued. If Wal Murray had been listened to, the problem would have been solved for $3 million but the scheme is now costing the people of the Coffs Harbour electorate $120 million and it is still not finished. I know Wal would not be happy with that. Wal took a lot of flak for many other honourable members and colleagues. Prior to the 1991 elections no-one wanted a toxic waste incinerator in their electorate. Jim Small was rabidly against it, in Jim's own fashion. Wal said, "If it has got to go somewhere we will say it will be in Barwon." Wal wore that for the sake of the party and the Coalition, which had never had any intention originally to put it in Barwon. He lost a lot of votes but he still won the seat. It shows the character of the man that he was prepared to sacrifice himself above any other member on that particular issue.
I refer also to the Wal Way on the North Coast when we were lobbying for a new highway in the area. I remember Wal saying that if nothing else the one thing for which he will be remembered is that his name is on more sewerage treatment plants than any other Deputy Premier in New South Wales. Only the workers see those little brass plaques but I know he opened at least two, if not three, plants in my electorate during his time as Deputy Premier. Wal never lost his great passion for helping people in the bush. Indeed, when he retired from this place he undertook considerable work as lobbyist for the Gwydir Valley Water Users Association to ensure the people got a fair deal. I know that Ian Causley and Wal had words over the water bill, but in the end those differences were resolved and they remained firm friends.
Wal was a man of great wisdom and great patience. Barry O'Farrell should beware of one of his humorous comments. When someone died, Wal would say, "There goes another skinny one." It was quite funny that on the night before his funeral Katrina showed some photos depicting Wal losing weight and we were reminded of that great saying of his. Wal was like a second father to me. He rebuked you when you deserved it and he praised you when you deserved it. He always rang you back; he never used a voice message or turned the phone off. You got Wal Murray or Daph. Even if it was 11.00 p.m. the phone would be answered: "Hello, Wal Murray." And the problem would be discussed and resolved.
As demonstrated by the presence of his staff here tonight, Wal was held in great esteem and was loved by many, no more so than by Bryce Osmond. I admired the obituary Bryce gave at Wal's funeral. How he did it I will never know. There many stories about Wal Murray that probably only Bryce can tell the way they should be told, but they should not go on the record in this Parliament this evening. There was a lot of fun in the man and I know the great relationship that existed between Bryce and Wal. Quite often when I needed my bum kicked, Bryce Osmond was sent down to do it. When Bryce spoke, Wal spoke. I wish to read one small passage from his last speech in this place, which I commend to those who have not read it, because it is significant that Wal left this to us. He said:
I recognise that political ploys will always take place, but more than ever there is a need to maintain this as the best State and the best nation in the world and for us to recognise that a political point scored is not always the best point achieved.
That typifies Wal Murray. To Daphne, the author of that great cookbook that gave Wal the girth that he had, my sincere condolences. Her support of him and of us as members will not be forgotten. To Robbie and Belinda, his grandchildren, who spoke at the funeral: great job, well done. The way Katrina and Paula spoke at the funeral was a credit both to Wal and to Daph. It was a great honour to be invited back to his house the night before the funeral with Melinda and Warren, Matt Singleton, Bill Baxter and Kerrie. To actually sit around the table and talk with close friends and relatives, reminiscing on his great humour yet acknowledging the great hole he has left, was a great privilege. His family left us with a great legacy in that his funeral was dignified. It befitted the man. As someone said, the only thing bigger than Wal Murray was his heart. Wal Murray lived respected and died regretted. Vale, Wal Murray.
Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [9.45 p.m.]: I join previous speakers in paying tribute to the late Hon. Wal Murray. Although I came into the Parliament after Wal had retired, it was clear to a new member like myself that Wal had set a high standard in the outcomes he achieved for regional New South Wales and the gentlemanly manner with which he approached all things. Firstly, I acknowledge former members and colleagues of Wal's who are present in the gallery. I refer to the former State Minister and member for Clarence, Ian Causley; the former member for Northern Tablelands and Minister for Small Business and Regional Development, the Hon. Ray Chappell; and members of the upper House who are present in the Chamber— Melinda Pavey, Jenny Gardiner and Duncan Gay. Wal will be remembered as a supporter of all things country. He had a strong affinity with farmers and representatives from all rural industries. 31 August 2004 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 10557
He was a great local member, and if the outpouring of support from his former colleagues is anything to go by, he was a competent and respected leader as well as an all-round great bloke. In recent weeks, many of the party's former members of Parliament who had served with Wal have written to me, asking that I extend their deepest sympathies in the House. I would like to read a few of these in my capacity as The Nationals Whip. Former member for Goulburn and Minister Robert Webster wrote:
I was privileged to serve under Wal Murray as National Party Leader and as Deputy Premier. I was a Minister in various portfolios. Wal always shared great leadership, demonstrated concern for country people and a capacity to hold up under pressure. He will be remembered as a supporter of much needed micro economic reform within Government, which then yielded great benefits to the State's infrastructure. Importantly Wal was tolerant, compassionate and fair. He was an outstanding countryman.
Former Minister and member for Clarence, the Hon Ian Causley, wrote to me as follows:
Dear Thomas,
Could you record on behalf of June and myself our sorrow at the passing of Wal. Our condolences go to Daph and the girls on the loss of a larger than life identity. As strong characters Wal and I often disagreed on matters but never held grudges. I am grateful Wal made me a Minister in the Greiner/Murray government. I hope I lived up to the faith he showed and delivered some results particularly in lands, forestry, irrigation, fishing and agriculture. I always respected the way Wal stood up for National Party policy with our coalition colleagues. He never left any doubt either within Cabinet or in the public arena as to where the National Party stood on issues. Wal was a great foil for Nick Greiner and I believe their achievements in NSW should be rightly recognised. Wal set out to represent the electorate of Gwydir. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and achieved the highest honour a member of the National Party can achieve in NSW. Daph, you and your family can be justly proud of your collective achievement.
Yours sincerely, Ian Causley.
Former member for The Tweed and National Party Whip, Don Beck, wrote:
I had the pleasure to serve the National Party under the leadership of the late Wal Murray until his retirement in 1995. When elected to government in 1988 I was proud to be appointed as Whip of the National Party by Wal. Wal Murray is a man who stood tall not only in the parliament of NSW but with all of the people of NSW and Australia. His leadership was exceptional and respected by all. It was a pleasure and an honour to be part of his team.
Former upper House MLC Rick Bull says:
Wal was fiercely loyal to the Party and the MPs and guided us into Government in 1988. He was a great advocate for the bush and portrayed a real 'Country Party' spirit in everything he did. He was respected and loved by all who knew him and served with him. He deserves the very special place he has in the history of both the Parliament and the National Party. I join with past and present colleagues in offering my condolences to Daphne and the family.
Garry West, former member for Orange, Minister and Leader of the House, writes:
I shared an office with Wal when he was first elected to Parliament. It was a tiny office made to appear even smaller by the presence of Wal and myself. It was quite an experience and what was said remains in those walls. I went on to serve Wal as the Party Whip in opposition and then as a Minister during his term as Leader. He always said it as it was, not how it should be. You could only have the greatest respect for his honesty and ability to get to the heart of an issue without stuffing around. He was a great bloke!
Tim Bruxner, former member for Tenterfield and Minister, writes:
Wal Murray was an excellent friend to work with and most enjoyable company in leisure hours. Wal upheld the old traditions of the Country Party.
From Deniliquin, former member for Murray, Jim Small, writes:
The Honourable Wal Murray AO was a true statesman in every sense of the word—big in stature, big in leadership and big in action, but at the same time so caring and thoughtful. Wal was a trump card when in Government and was greatly admired by the big end of town and developing areas including the rural regions of NSW. I admired and respected him greatly for his help to the Murray Electorate which I represented, also his honesty and integrity was the stamp of the wonderful parliamentarian he proved himself to be. Daphne, his most loyal and devoted wife, together with daughters, Katrina and Paula, helped make the family unit so highly regarded and respected. My wife Judy and I wish to express our deepest sympathy to them and may God's Blessing strengthen them in this time of need. 10558 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 31 August 2004
Other former members who have asked that I convey their deepest sympathies include former member for Monaro, Peter Webb; former member of the upper House, Geoffrey Keighley; former member for Oxley and Party Whip, Bruce Jeffery; former member for Dubbo and Minister, Gerry Peacock; former member of the upper House, Bruce Cowan; former chairman of the party in New South Wales and member of the upper House, Sir John Fuller; former member for Castlereagh, Roger Wotton; former Member of the upper House, Jack Doohan; former member for Monaro, Peter Cochran; former member for Northern Tablelands and Minister, Ray Chappell, who is here tonight; and former upper House member and later Federal member for New England and former Federal leader of the party, Ian Sinclair.
On behalf of myself and all of the party's former members of Parliament and staff here tonight, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to Daphne and their daughters Paula and Katrina, son-in-law Greg and grandchildren Robbie and Belinda. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Members and officers of the House stood in their places.
Motion agreed to.
The House adjourned at 9.53 p.m. until Wednesday 1 September 2004 at 10.00 a.m. ______