3735 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday 14 October 2003 ______ Mr Speaker (The Hon. John Joseph Aquilina) took the chair at 2.15 p.m. Mr Speaker offered the Prayer. VARIATIONS OF PAYMENTS ESTIMATES AND APPROPRIATIONS 2003-04 Mr Craig Knowles tabled variations of the payments estimates and appropriations for 2003-04 relating to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the former Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation under section 24 of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983. REGISTER OF DISCLOSURES Mr SPEAKER: I table a copy of the Register of Disclosures by Members of the Legislative Assembly being (a) Primary Returns as at 30 June 2003 and (b) Ordinary Returns as at 30 June 2003. Ordered to be printed. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION Reports Mr Speaker announced the receipt, pursuant to section 78 (2) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988, of the following reports: Report on Investigation into the Theft of Zoological Specimens from the Australian Museum between 1997 and 2002 and Related Matters, dated September 2003. Report on Investigation into the Conduct of an Officer of Integral Energy, dated September 2003. Ordered to be printed. AUDIT OFFICE Reports The Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, of the following performance audit reports of the Auditor-General: Follow-up of Performance Audits: Office of the Protective Commissioner, Office of the Public Guardian—1999; Department of State and Regional Development—1998, dated September 2003 Judging Performance from Annual Reports—Review of Eight Agencies' Annual Reports, dated October 2003 STATE CORONER Report The Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 12A of the Coroners Act 1980, of the report entitled "Report by the NSW State Coroner into Deaths in Custody/Police Operations 2002". LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE Report The Clerk announced the receipt, pursuant to section 10 of the Legislation Review Act 1987, of the report entitled "Legislation Review Digest No 3 of 2003", dated 14 October 2003. 3736 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 14 October 2003 PETITIONS Gaming Machine Tax Petition supporting the increase in gaming machine taxes and welcoming the fact that all extra revenue will be spent on the health system, received from Ms Cherie Burton. Autism Spectrum Disorder Petition requesting additional support for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder in all educational settings in New South Wales government schools, received from Mr Daryl Maguire. Mount Austin High School Petition requesting funding for the installation of airconditioning in all learning spaces at Mount Austin High School, received from Mr Daryl Maguire. Study Fees Petition opposing any increase in fees for all institutions of studies, received from Mr John Price. Gaming Machine Tax Petitions opposing the decision to increase poker machine tax, received from Mr Ian Armstrong, Mr Alan Ashton, Ms Gladys Berejiklian, Mr Thomas George, Mrs Katrina Hodgkinson, Mrs Judy Hopwood, Mr Malcolm Kerr, Mr Daryl Maguire, Ms Peta Saliba, Ms Marianne Seaton, Mr George Souris and Mr Andrew Tink. Cudgen Creek Seaway Petitions requesting that the Cudgen Creek seaway at Kingscliff be cleared of silt, received from Mr Steve Cansdell, Mr Andrew Fraser and Mr Russell Turner. Dunoon Dam Petition requesting the fast-tracking of plans to build a dam at Dunoon, received from Mr Thomas George. Bushfires and Hazard Reduction Petition requesting an inquiry into the causes of bush fires and their relationship to the lack of hazard reduction, received from Ms Katrina Hodgkinson. Crime Control Petition requesting a bipartisan discussion to find new ways to deal with an increase in crime, received from Mr Andrew Stoner. Trunk Road 120 Upgrade Petition requesting substantial upgrades to Trunk Road 120, known as the Megan Road, and installation of guard rails at Deep Creek and Bielsdown Creek, received from Mr Andrew Fraser. Jingellic to Holbrook Road Upgrading Petition requesting funding for the upgrading of the Jingellic to Holbrook road, received from Mr Daryl Maguire. The Alpine Way Upgrade Petition requesting funding to repair, upgrade and realign eleven kilometres of The Alpine Way between the State border at Bringenbrong Bridge and the beginning of Kosciuszko National Park, received from Mr Daryl Maguire. 14 October 2003 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 3737 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 Greg Aplin and Ms Katrina Hodgkinson. Community-based Preschools Petition requesting adjustment of funding to ensure viability of community-based preschools, received from Mr Thomas George. Wagga Wagga Electorate Fruit Fly Control Petition requesting funding for fruit fly control/eradication in Wagga Wagga, Lockhart, Holbrook and Tumbarumba, received from Mr Daryl Maguire. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE _________ GAMING MACHINE TAX Mr JOHN BROGDEN: My question is to the Premier. Given the Government's appalling record of waste, including blow-outs totalling half a billion dollars in the cost of the Millennium train, the Lane Cove tunnel and the Parramatta to Liverpool bus transitway, how can the Premier justify putting at risk thousands of jobs—including hundreds at one club in his own electorate, South Sydney Juniors, as evidenced by 184 letters delivered to me last night by Anthony Brereton—in a greedy tax grab that will put clubs out of business? Mr SPEAKER: Order! On this occasion I will allow the question. However, I draw the attention of the Leader of the Opposition to the standing orders relating to questions without notice. Questions should seek information. They should not be argumentative or derogatory, and they should not debate the issue. Until now I have allowed members a degree of latitude. I will not continue to do so. I warn all members that in future the Chair will carefully examine the wording of questions. Mr BOB CARR: Notice, to start with, the quality of research in the Opposition's question! It is all out of this morning's papers. Without the media, Opposition members would have nothing to ask or put to the Government. They do no research and no fact checking. The question demonstrates yet again this is a lazy Opposition. Mr Andrew Tink: Point of order— Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has been speaking for less than thirty seconds. I trust sufficient has been said to enable the honourable member to base a point of order. Mr Andrew Tink: My point of order relates to relevance. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Epping will resume his seat. Mr Andrew Tink: It is not out of this morning's paper. It is out of last night's meeting, which the Premier did not have the guts to attend, in his own electorate. He is a coward in his own electorate. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Epping will resume his seat. I place him on three calls to order. Mr BOB CARR: What a little charmer he is! When asked on 6 August on radio 2HD about poker machine taxation the Leader of the Opposition said, "I think the clubs can afford to give more." When faced with another question on the South Coast—about a tax applying only to one-third of clubs—the Leader of the Opposition is reported by the local newspaper to have said that he could not guarantee "a future Coalition Government would not increase poker machine taxation". What does the chair of Penrith football club say? He said, as was reported in the press last week— Mr John Brogden: Point of order— 3738 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 14 October 2003 Mr BOB CARR: I have been asked a question about clubs' capacity to pay, and I want to answer it. I am answering the question directly. Mr SPEAKER: Order! What is the Leader of the Opposition's point of order? Mr John Brogden: Can I tell you what George Piggins said about you last night? Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. Mr BOB CARR: Here is what the football club at Penrith says about this tax. Mr John Brogden: What did George Piggins say about you, mate? Mr SPEAKER: Order! I place the Leader of the Opposition on two calls to order. Mr BOB CARR: The weaker their case, the louder their noise. Shane Richardson said, "There was an attitude at Penrith that the Panthers Leagues Club would always throw money at the football club, no matter what." Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Willoughby to order. Mr BOB CARR: He said, "From the outset we worked hard to change that mindset." He said, "If a rugby league club cannot stand on its own two feet financially when it is part of the No. 1 television sport on the eastern seaboard then there is something wrong." He said, "I've worked towards that goal since I joined the Panthers last year. I am working towards the club becoming self-sufficient without poker machine money." Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order— Mr BOB CARR: I am answering the question. Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order: My point of order is relevance. The question the Leader of the Opposition asked was about the future of employees in leagues clubs. Anthony Brereton wants to know what you're doing about his job. You took care of his mother's job. What are you going to do about his job? Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr BOB CARR: There he goes again: the fight in this Chamber comes from the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. He is the one with the gusto and the fight, and we respect that. Across the party political divide we recognise the slap of leadership. Shane Richardson went on to say, "I've worked towards that goal since I joined the Panthers last year.