Premier and Wollondilly Electorate

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-98192

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Premier and Wollondilly Electorate

Mr JAI ROWELL (Wollondilly) (12:37:20):

I move:

That this House:

(1)Congratulates Gladys Berejiklian on becoming Premier of New South Wales.

(2)Notes that as Treasurer she was a great friend to Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands.

(3)Looks forward to the Premier visiting Wollondilly.

(4)Thanks the Premier for listening to the community about future projects.

I do not have to speak to paragraph (3) because the Premier has already visited Wollondilly twice in recent weeks. When Ms Gladys Berejiklian was Treasurer, we in Wollondilly had so much money. We had hundreds of millions of dollars for sewerage connections, school upgrades—you name it. When the Premier, then Treasurer, came to Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands, we were amazed by the much-needed pools of money and projects that she delivered. In this year's budget, Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands again have received pools of money, particularly for health and education. In my time as the member for Wollondilly, the Government has delivered billions of dollars of infrastructure and services, but this budget rivals all of the previous budgets put together. It is fantastic news.

Health is a big issue in my electorate. Two hospitals service my electorate, and the Government has committed $50 million to one of them, Bowral hospital. Today I met with the Public Health Community Group—I believe they are in the shadow health Minister's office as we speak—to talk about further increases in funding to Bowral hospital. The allocation of $50 million will result in world-class healthcare facilities being provided to this growing region. I also want to talk about Campbelltown Hospital, which used to be in my electorate but following the redistribution is just outside my electorate. It is one of the major hospitals used by members of the communities I represent.

When this Government came to power, our time in office followed 16 years of neglect by Labor. When those opposite were in government, the best they could do was to spruce up the hospital with a bit of paint. When we went to the 2011 election, as the candidate I promised $40 million for the hospital. Did this Government deliver $40 million? No, we delivered $134 million in the 18 months during which the project was delivered. The project resulted in extra beds, cardiac catheter laboratories, pathology laboratories, you name it, as well as an upgraded emergency department.

At the last election, as the Assistant Minister for Health I was fortunate to promise to the Macarthur and Wollondilly communities $300 million for upgraded services at the Campbelltown Hospital to address issues such as mental health services, which had been neglected by those opposite during their term in government, as well as paediatric services for one of the fastest growing regions in New South Wales, if not the country. Just a week ago I was joined by the Premier, the Treasurer, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Mental Health and the member for Camden, Chris Patterson, to announce that we had changed our minds about delivering $300 million and instead we are delivering $632 million. Now the health wish list of the district is not a pick-and-choose list; rather, we will deliver the whole lot. This is fantastic news for the district.

In one respect, I am a little disappointed in the Premier. My youngest son, Menzies, who is seven years old, accompanied me one day to see what dad does at work. The Premier told my son that he is cute. I thought, "That is nice. It is great that the Premier acknowledges my son." My son thought that perhaps the Premier wanted to be his girlfriend, which made me think that the Premier might become a member of my family. However, the Premier also told Menzies that he could have my job because he would get more votes than I would. Although that is true, I thought I had the Premier's support for the next election—perhaps not. That night, Menzies told his mum about all the wonderful things the Premier had said to him. He then said, "When can I go to dad's office and take over?" I might have a bit of work to do on the family front, but the allocation of $632 million will go a long way to meeting the healthcare needs of our region—not just for today but also into the future.

I now turn to some of the other significant announcements for Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands in the budget, although I will run out of time before I can mention all of them. One of the key commitments is $101 million for a major upgrade of Picton High School, which will completely rebuild the school. We have also announced that planning will start for a new high school in Wilton. At the moment, the Wollondilly shire has only one public high school, despite our burgeoning population. This Government will provide additional education facilities for this population growth. At Campbelltown Hospital, $9 million has been allocated to build car parking facilities. The Government is spending almost $85 million in the towns of Bargo and Buxton to finalise sewage treatment programs. We are spending $26.8 million on major catchment upgrades under the major waterworks program at the Warragamba Dam. We are also spending $1.5 million on pavement upgrades around the Cordeaux Damentrance.

About 70 per cent of the people who live in my electorate travel beyond the boundaries of the shires I represent, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly, to go to work or to places of education. They are forced to commute on congested roads and congested highways. Although the congestion has improved over time, this year's budget will deliver $7.2 billion for the next stage of WestConnex, including the vital M4-M5 Link. That means commuters will get to work and back in a shorter time, giving them more time to spend with their families and friends. As I have run out of time, I will save the rest of the good news from this year's budget for my reply.

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS (Holsworthy) (12:44:30):

I thank the hardworking member for Wollondilly for bringing this motion to the House. He is passionate about his local area. I constantly see and hear of the wins that this active member is providing for his electorate and the broader Southern Highlands region. It is no secret that the Premier is a friend to Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands. She is also a friend to south-west Sydney, an area that I constantly speak with her about, as well as to the rest of New South Wales. The Premier cares very much about our State and its progress. Importantly, she is determined to see that everyone in New South Wales gets their fair share of the budget. This Premier understands that New South Wales is the best State in the country, even if we did not win the second State of Origin game last night.

Mr Kevin Anderson:

Some did.

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS:

The member for Tamworth should not support Queensland. The Premier has helped to foster a period of growth in this State that has aided in the creation of many new jobs. The Premier, in her previous position as Treasurer, met with the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and me at the hotel Country Comfort Hunts Liverpool, Casula. I also was part of a grants writing workshop that was held recently at the Country Comfort Hunts hotel. The owner, Harry Hunt, was a gracious host. The workshop was designed to assist community groups in writing grants and to understand that the paperwork involved in applying for a grant is not as daunting as it seems to be. We want to encourage community groups to give writing grants a go, and our advice was well received by the community.

During the Premier's meeting with the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, she spoke about how well Western Sydney, and specifically south-west Sydney, has been performing economically. To give some insight into this growth, in the 12 months to November 2016 employment in south-west Sydney rose by 23,600, a 15.5 per cent rise, due to the construction of local infrastructure and particularly the Jobs Action Plan. This is a monumental achievement for our region—one that the Premier should be congratulated on. I also note that this Premier listens to the community about the projects that our regions need.

When the Premier was the Minister for Transport, she constantly had me in her ear requesting upgrades to local transport infrastructure, specifically additional commuter parking spaces at Holsworthy, Liverpool and Sutherland train stations. Sutherland was then in my electorate. I am happy to say that she understood the importance of these localised transport infrastructure upgrades and committed to providing additional spaces at Holsworthy, Liverpool and Sutherland. Not only did she commit to providing these spaces, she ensured that they were provided. Through her planning, an additional 100 spaces were delivered at Liverpool, 388 spaces at Sutherland and 462 spaces at Holsworthy.

Originally 200 spaces were proposed for Holsworthy, but she saw that that that number would not be sufficient. There is not much infrastructure around the station at Holsworthy, which makes it impossible to park in a side street, and it is a long drive to the next station. Therefore, it was important to provide the maximum number of parking spaces possible. This project, which is a fantastic achievement for our community, was delivered and planned by the Premier, after listening to the needs and wants of my community. I give the Premier credit for this achievement. When she was the Minister for Transport, I said to her that 200 spaces would not be sufficient, and she worked hard with the department and the Treasury to ensure that 462 spaces were delivered.

Additionally, it was the Premier in her former capacity as the Minister for Transport who laid the groundwork for providing and delivering the South West Rail Link. She listened to my community and knew that it was important for a growing region such as south-west Sydney to have this vital local infrastructure, particularly whilst the region was under construction and before all the houses were built. Not only did the Premier deliver this but she ensured that the rail link was open to customers more than a year ahead of schedule and $300 million under budget—both of which are unheard of for a government project.

In conjunction with the introduction of the rail link, the Premier ensured the provision of four connecting bus routes, which provided a total of 897 weekly services to Leppington station and Edmondson Park station, and 1,250 commuter car parking spaces across both stations. There is room for more spaces, and we will fight for more car parking for the reason that the area is growing and this station is so well used by our community. We will build more commuter car spaces while making sure that the bus services remove any stress in the meantime. Without this Premier's hard work and dedication, those stations would not be up and running. They allow the residents of my region to get to work on time and in comfort.

Leppington station was the first station to have installed an Opal top-up machine. The member for Wollondilly was there on the day it opened, together with the Premier, the member for Camden and me. It was a great day to be able to top up our Opal cards at the station because there are no shops nearby. Commuters who found themselves without money on their Opal card are now able to use the top-up machine at Leppington station. Opal top-up machines have been rolled out across the State, which is great for commuters. One of the Premier's main drivers for these machines at stations was to make train travel easy for people. It is not well known, but the Premier will go to an electorate to attend a lunch or for a catch-up and then have a one-on-one with the local member about the community and their needs.

Mr Jai Rowell:

She's down to earth.

Ms MELANIE GIBBONS:Time expired.

She is down to earth. She will sit in a coffee shop and chat with the local member and community members. I was grateful to receive one of her visits. We went to the new coffee shop, The Shop Hammondville, in Hammondville. Again, I thank the member for Wollondilly for moving this motion. []

Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (12:51:48):

I thank the member for Wollondilly for moving this motion. I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to debate on an important issue that was raised in the budget and to speak on services in Campbelltown, which is directly north of the Wollondilly electorate. Many of the services in Campbelltown, such as the hospital and the motor registry, were provided by the great City of Campbelltown. Much has been said in this Chamber about the budget and the hospital announcement. The Premier, the Treasurer, the relevant Ministers and Government members said that the Government would provide $632 million to upgrade Campbelltown Hospital. I understand that projects are staged, but that is not what was said. They did not say, "We're only putting in $5 million." At no time did the Premier or the Treasurer say that. That is why the people of Campbelltown and the region of Macarthur are so outraged. At no time did anyone mention $5 million; they said $632 million. There is only $5 million in the budget for planning, as well as $5 million for extra car parking, which I acknowledge because it is desperately needed.

The Premier also said, in relation to building new schools and school repairs, that no community would be left out. Just under $10 million of maintenance is required for schools in Campbelltown. Rosemeadow Public School is at capacity. That in itself is a reason for providing the investment required. The Premier said that no community would miss out, but there is not one dollar for school maintenance in Campbelltown, which has a $10 million maintenance backlog. Government members are shown on television programs visiting the great city of Campbelltown. I welcome the member for Wollondilly, who came to Campbelltown for a photo opportunity. I do not blame him for coming; it is a beautiful place to have a photo taken. But what they say is far from the truth. This is the kind of stuff one would see in the corridors of the Kremlin. Bob Askin would be proud of them. Donald Trump is sitting in his presidential suite taking notes and thinking, "Oh, that was a good idea. That was a good stunt. I'll use that."

Communities are tired of misrepresentations of this nature. I ask the Minister for Health to note the concerns I have raised. He becomes infuriated, as he should be, but I make no apologies for standing up for health services and education funding in Campbelltown. At no time did the Government say, "There will be $632 million. It is going to be done in 2024 and we are just putting $5 million in this budget for it." That was never said. The Government said that there would be $632 million in the budget to rebuild and upgrade Campbelltown Hospital. I was pleased with the announcement of that fantastic initiative, but it was untrue and inconsistent with fact. It is a misleading misrepresentation to people who desperately need extra services: our children, cancer sufferers and elderly people. Elective surgery waiting times have skyrocketed, and today it was reported that 44 per cent of people attending Campbelltown Hospital wait longer than four hours. That is why we need this hospital funding and that is why the community deserves the truth.

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (12:56:01):

I thank the member for Wollondilly for moving this motion today, which congratulates the Premier as well as the great work of the Treasurer not just in the electorate of Wollondilly but in my electorate, and the great work of the Government across the State from the beach to the bush, from regional to rural areas, from metropolitan Sydney to my electorate of Oatley. We are standing on the edge of a brand-new frontier when it comes to infrastructure development, boldly going where no government, Liberal or Labor, has ever gone before. It is an exciting new frontier, led by a government that has created a strong economy and is providing a world-class healthcare system across the State from the regions to metropolitan areas. Some examples are upgrades at Tweed and Campbelltown hospitals and a redevelopment of St George Hospital.

The member for Campbelltown has left the Chamber. I did not hear all of his speech but I am sure he said "thank you" on behalf of his community. Maybe he said, "Thank you, Gladys"; maybe he said, "Thank you, Gladys and Dominic"; or maybe he said, "Thank you Gladys, Dominic, and the Liberal‑Nationals Government for delivering a brand-new hospital for Campbelltown"—a hospital for which the people in his electorate waited for 16 years under Labor. Labor did not do it; we are doing it. We are building and rebuilding our hospitals across Sydney and across the State. I note the shadow Minister for Education is in the Chamber listening to my words of wisdom and those of other Government members. The Government is investing in education, with $15.7 billion for the future of our kids, 1,000 more teachers, and $4.2 billion for school infrastructure over four years.

Extension of time

The Government is delivering a total rebuild of Penshurst Public School, major upgrades to Penshurst West Public School, upgrades to schools in the Kogarah and Rockdale electorates, and a major development of Hurstville Public School to cater for the hundreds of thousands of kids in the school. Hurstville Public School is one of the largest schools in the State. But it does not end there. The Government is upgrading schools right across Sydney, including in Labor electorates. []

Last year the Government announced extensive upgrades at Auburn North Public School. The Government understands that education is important, regardless of whether someone lives in Sydney or in New South Wales. The Government is getting on with the job. After six years of upgrades to St George Hospital the Government announced in the budget its plan for the next stage of the hospital. The Government is also delivering on commuter car parks and station upgrades—something that I am excited about.

Mr Jihad Dib:

Point of order: The member, who should be concluding his remarks, is now referring to new issues.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Adam Crouch):

Order! I remind the member for Oatley to keep his concluding remarks brief.

Mr MARK COURE:

No-one can say that this is not a good news budget. The Government is getting on with the job of rebuilding infrastructure in health, education, roads and transport. Beverly Hills is getting a commuter car park, which is something residents and local business owners have wanted and for which they have campaigned for a long time. This Government is delivering. I thank the member for Wollondilly for moving this motion. The Government's budget is a good news budget.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Adam Crouch):

Order! I remind members of Standing Order 79, which states that members should not interject and that the member with the call will be heard in silence. There was too much audible conversation in the Chamber during the contribution of the member for Oatley.

Mr STEPHEN BROMHEAD (Myall Lakes) (13:03:04):

I congratulate the member for Wollondilly on moving this motion. Premier Gladys Berejiklian is a friend not only of people in the Wollondilly electorate but also of people in every New South Wales electorate. The contribution of the member for Campbelltown was taken straight out of the Labor Party's handbook. The member for Cabramatta, Mr Nick Lalich, told me all about the Labor Party's handbook, which was written by Graham Richardson and which says, "Do whatever it takes and say whatever it takes to win. Do not worry about the truth."

The Government is investing $600 million in Campbelltown Hospital, with $5 million allocated in this year's budget. Some Labor Party members do not realise, because they did not deliver any infrastructure in their 16 shameful years in government, that before something can be built there must be a plan. If I bought a block of land and wanted to build a house, I would have to get a plan and ensure that the plan was approved before I could start building. There is $5 million in this year's budget for the Campbelltown Hospital plan, which is fantastic.

Before the last election we promised $20 million for stage one of the Manning Base Hospital redevelopment. In our first budget we allocated $1.5 million. I was condemned and Labor Party members said, "You cannot plan anything with $1.5 million; it will cost $5 million or $10 million. Do not believe him. He is a liar." We did the plan for $1.5 million and now the first stage of the redevelopment has commenced. The people of Campbelltown and the Macarthur district are confident that when this Government says it will build the hospital it will do so.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. There will be new hospitals in Tamworth, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Lismore, Tweed, Campbelltown, Macksville and Nambucca. Port Macquarie is getting a new mental health unit and there have been redevelopments at Parkes, Forbes, and Ballina. The Government is delivering in health right across regional New South Wales, and it is doing the same in education. In this budget there is an allocation for new classrooms for Old Bar Public School. There is $1.5 million in the budget for the Taree police station—a multimillion dollar upgrade, the full amount of which will be known when the planning is finished. There is $10 million for Martin Bridge and funding to complete the first stage of Manning Base Hospital. I am urging the Minister to commit $120 million for stages two and three. There is $1.5 million for the upgrade of Old Bar Road and $1.5 million for planning for the Lakes Way. There is also money for public housing. No matter which way we look at it, this Government is delivering for Campbelltown, the Macarthur district, Wollondilly, Myall Lakes and every other electorate in regional New South Wales.

Mr JAI ROWELL (Wollondilly) (13:07:15):

In reply: I thank the member for Myall Lakes, the member for Oatley, the member for Holsworthy, and the member for Campbelltown for being so passionate about their electorates. The member for Campbelltown made some points about Campbelltown Hospital which I wish to address. The Campbelltown electorate formed part of the Wollondilly electorate before the boundary redistribution and I was a member of Campbelltown Council for 8½ years. The member for Campbelltown is extremely passionate about his community and he is a decent bloke but he and other Labor Party members made some incorrect statements about the $632 million Campbelltown Hospital upgrade. They said that only $5 million was allocated in this year's budget for the Campbelltown Hospital upgrade, but the reason for that is that $632 million cannot be spent in a week. Planning needs to be completed and development applications need to be approved.

This year's money is for planning, and in subsequent years there will be money for construction. The Government's commitment of $632 million is very clear. When Labor was last in office it did a similar thing. We did not criticise it because that is how a hospital is delivered. When a house is built the owner does not go to the bank and take the money straight to the builder. First there is a development application, then the slab is poured, and then the builder might be given a progress payment. Campbelltown Hospital is no different. The hospital will be a state-of-the-art facility. I call on those opposite to be careful about playing politics with health and people who are sick and vulnerable. The $632 million for Campbelltown Hospital is good news. I thank the Premier and Deputy Premier John Barilaro for all their hard work for my region.

I will provide the House with the details of some of the projects that have attracted funding in this year's State budget. The Government allocated $2.718 million for local roads; $7.787 million for maintenance and improvement of State roads; and $485.2 million to continue to build the Northern Road. It is a major road that is utilised by Wollondilly motorists, particularly those travelling from Warragamba and Silverdale. The budget also provides $26.9 million to widen Narellan Road to six lanes from Camden Valley Way to Denham Court. I thank the member for Camden for his advocacy about that improvement. In addition, $17.5 million has been allocated for the Campbelltown Road upgrade from Camden Valley Way to Denham Court, and $4 million for 2,500 defibrillator machines, which can be accessed by local sporting clubs. That is great news for every electorate in this State, not only the Liberal-Nationals electorates.

Extension of time

The budget also provides $51 million to support policing for the Policing for Tomorrow technology fund, which will see the rollout of body-worn video cameras, hand-held narcotic analysers, mobile tablet computers, and fingerprint scanners; $10 million to deliver increased oral health services; $10 million in capital works funding to create up to 700 new preschool places; and $35 million to manage pest animals and weed populations, which is a big issue in my electorate. In addition, $2.9 million has been allocated for the South West Community Transport Program, and $6.24 million has been allocated for corridor identification and reservation for the South West Rail Link Extension North. That funding is being provided for both Labor and Liberal-Nationals electorates. That is fantastic news. The budget also allocates $1.6 billion to deliver cuts to taxes for families, farmers and small businesses. Stamp duty exemptions will be abolished for first home buyers for houses costing up to $650,000 and discounts will be provided for houses costing up to $800,000. The Government has also abolished insurance duty for small businesses on commercial vehicle insurance, including aircraft, professional indemnity insurance, and product and public liability insurance. That is great news. []

The budget contains an allocation of $2.8 billion for the Sydney Metro Northwest and the Sydney Metro City and Southwest, which will have the capacity to move 40,000 people around the city each hour, thus freeing up capacity in peak times. That means a great deal for the residents of Wollondilly, Camden, Campbelltown and Macquarie Fields because even though the increased capacity is being provided in the city, it will free up our lines and we will be able move more people. Increased funding will be provided to a further 60,000 National Disability Insurance Scheme participants by 2017-18; $20 million will be provided over four years for homelessness initiatives; and $25 million has been provided to help people escape violence. Further, $1 billion will be provided over four years for energy rebates. That is a big issue in my electorate. An additional $5 million will contribute to the $29 million upgrade and replacement of general duties and specialist police vehicles.

I could go on and on. The budget also provides $217 million over four years to ensure that all New South Wales children have access to 600 hours of preschool before they start primary school, and $10 million to continue to foster cutting-edge research and clinical innovation. I will skip some items on this list because we could be here for a very long time. However, funding has been provided to Wingecarribee Council for roads and for a bridge assessment. In addition, $14.9 million has been allocated for the Southern Highlands police station, and $100 million has been provided for palliative care services. Given the ageing population in my electorate, that is very welcome. All students in years 11 and 12 in Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands will receive meningococcal W vaccinations as part of a $4.5 million statewide program.

In addition, my electorate is eligible for regional and rural area funding under the Regional Growth Economic Activation Plan, which supports rail, road and energy infrastructure as well as sport and cultural centres and which is aimed at enriching the lives of regional residents. Wollondilly will be the first region addressed under that plan because, although ours is a country area, we are closest to the city. The list goes on and on. The budget also provides support to droughtproof our farmers. That is amazing. My electorate has been blessed with job creation programs. I will leave the other 30 or 40 measures I can report on to my speech on the State budget. I thank Premier Gladys Berejiklian for her support for Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands. She is the best Premier that my electorate has had. I commend the motion to the House.

TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Mr Adam Crouch):

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

The House divided.

Ayes45

Noes35

Majority10

Motion agreed to.