Poles and Wires Privatisation - Electricity Distribution Network Sell-Off in NSW

Interesting to see in media reports today that National Party MPs opposed to the sale of the State's poles and wires are calling for a referendum on the issue, saying this is the only way that Premier Baird will be able to claim a mandate for the privatisation of the electricity distribution network. This has been my position from the outset, as stated in this press release of April 22, issued following Baird's sudden rise to power and the subsequent Cabinet reshuffle.
http://www.gregpiper1.com/images/2014-04-22_Hunter_Region_the_loser_in_Cabinet_reshuffle_-_web_version.pdf


To claim an election win as a mandate is disingenuous, particularly if the electors haven't been fully informed of the implications. It is likely that the next election will see a "natural" reduction in seats held by the Coalition, maybe 10 to 15 or worse if they have more bad news such as from the ICAC. A 20 seat loss (the worst case scenario) would still give the Coalition a majority of 7 in the Legislative Assembly.

I can't accept that a win where there with a reduced number of seats can be used to claim a mandate. These assets have been built up over many generations, they return a healthy dividend to NSW and are akin to Blue Chip shares giving a safe and reliable return while also keeping them away from the pressure to maximise commercial returns for the benefit of shareholders. The poles and wires are a natural monopoly and as such any claim of downward price pressure from privatisation is a furphy as there will be no true competition.
 


To claim an election win as a mandate is disingenuous, particularly if the electors haven't been fully informed of the implications. It is likely that the next election will see a "natural" reduction in seats held by the Coalition, maybe 10 to 15 or worse if they have more bad news such as from the ICAC. A 20 seat loss (the worst case scenario) would still give the Coalition a majority of 7 in the Legislative Assembly. I can't accept that a win where there is a reduced number of seats can be used to claim a mandate. 

These assets have been built up over many generations, they return a healthy dividend to NSW and are akin to Blue Chip shares giving a safe and reliable return while also keeping them away from the pressure to maximise commercial returns for the benefit of shareholders.

The poles and wires are a natural monopoly and as such any claim of downward price pressure from privatisation is a furphy as there will be no true competition.
It is good that there are some members of the National Party willing to speak out against this part/full sale/lease or other clever mechanism, because even though many members of the Liberals will feel similarly, they are unlikely to openly oppose it, having seen what such a defeat led to with the ALP and then Premier, Morris Iemma.

Anyway, good on the Member for Monaro, John Barillaro, for saying what most people in NSW would agree with.

Lake Macquarie Needs a Suburb!

Please follow this Link to download a pdf file of my report and recommendation on creating a suburb named Lake Macquarie.

Barry O'Farrells First Fifty Days

The Telegraph is running a poll on the NSW Government's first 50 days.  Fascinating to read some of the responses that pander to the papers view that Barry could change the world in that time. How is he going? Overall I thought that he was doing pretty well.  With 69 members in the LA and Labor with 20 (cross bench 4) the dynamic of the Chamber is completely changed and indeed, quite surreal.
I'm sure there's lots of Coalition members that were never expected to win and that having so many backbenchers while at face value might seem great for the Government, will in time produce plenty of problems.  Until that occurs though Barry will be able to observe and draw on some new talent, and I think he has plenty there.

The Government has gotten on with making many changes and honouring promises made while in Opposition.  One of the first things done was to put a hold on the use of Part 3A of the EP&A Act and forecast a start to reviewing ro rewriting the planning legislation.  Long overdue and very welcome.
If there is one thing that they have done wrong it has to be the un-forecast changes to the Solar Bonus Scheme.  This change which will see customers under the scheme have their rebate reduced by 20c a kw/hr is a worry not because of the reasonableness of the rate, but because it is a breach of faith and breach of contract with all those people who signed up to the deal.  Many of those were people who couldn't possibly have afforded to it without the 60c deal offered and assured by the previous government.

The Labor Party clearly got the scheme badly wrong - it was unaffordable, but how you then deal with it says a lot about the Government.  Labor got it wrong in the first place, the Coalition have got the solution badly wrong as well.  Tough as it would have been, a contract should be honoured; and to do otherwise diminishes the Coalition.  For a Government that was doing well overall it seems like a very bad early decision.

Labor's Negative Campaign for Lake Macquarie

Labor candidate, Marcus Mariani, themed his election campaign from the start with a vitriolic attack on me on his website.  His attack was a based on a mass of demonstrably incorrect statements and "facts".  He has been advised by many people, including from his own party, that his material was incorrect.

Not to be deterred, the candidate has issued a newsletter attacking me over what I have achieved in the last four year. He claims that it has been four years of inaction yet on the same page states that Labor has never forgotten Lake Macquarie and that they have invested tens of millions of dollars in Lake Macquarie.  It may have been too obvious for Mr Mariani but much of this investment has occurred while I was the Independent member. The fact is that Lake Macquarie maintained its overall share of state funds invested in capital projects and services during this last term. This success during the last four years must be inconvenient for Mr Mariani.

The Labor candidate also falls back to old rhetoric of attacking me for having two roles and in my role of Mayor having lead the Lake Macquarie City Council into millions of dollars of debt and wanting to cut library services.  At this point Mr Mariani is showing his desperation and at the same time disqualifying himself as a reasonable person to contest public office in the future.  He is either unable to understand the facts or unable to tell the truth on these matters.   Council does carry debt, and yes, it has increased.  The debt is considered debt and is used to fund property acquisitions and capital projects.  The test of what is appropriate is one's ability to pay off the debt, measured by Debt Service Ratio (DSR).  LMCC's DSR remains less than 6% (the amount of annual budget needed to service the debt) while conventional wisdom certainly allows this figure to safely reach or exceed 10%.  LMCC is financially solid in this regard.

His other reference to wishing to cut library services is also untrue.  LMCC is seriously looking at library needs into the future. As the population ages, generations change, technology advances, needs change.  Our review is to ensure that we do not continue to have increasing costs while having reduced customers.  Labor councillors have also supported this review.

With unsubstantiated allegations about damage to his signs and an appeal for his supporters to use "reasonable force" to apprehend the culprits (noting many of his signs were illegally placed across footpaths), this candidate has shown that he really has nothing of substance to campaign on and that he is willing to say almost anything to advance his cause.

In 2007 my election delivered Lake Macquarie a "swinging seat".  While we have done well in the last four years there are "big ticket" items we need.  This election is the chance to capitalise on being a "swinging seat"!

Election Flyer - Policy Items

My Election Policy brochure as shown below can be downloaded as a pdf file from my website under Election 2011.  Click here to be directed to the location.

Labor Ads - Is Kristina Believable?

Give credit to NSW Labor for putting together a slick advertising campaign. The "Presidential" style campaign run by Maurice Iemma worked against all odds - Kristina Keneally's new ads which were run back to back were high on style, low on substance.
How can she be believed? The arrogance of a campaign that totally ignores the betrayal perpetrated on NSW by the Labor Government over the last four years is breathtaking. For Kristina Keneally to introduce a fear campaign about the privatization of Hunter Water and Sydney Water is the height of hypocrisy after her Government's incompetent and highly unpopular disposal of publicly owned energy assets. How can we believe anything they say when State Labor also sold off the highly lucrative NSW Lotteries?
These policies weren't part of Labor's policy platform going into the 2007 election and there is no reason to believe that Labor is listening to the people now but rather that they are saying whatever they believe they need to say to cling to power.

Development Policy

A real concern for residents of NSW is the changes that have occurred to development matters.  With an increasing attack on local planning decisions it should be remembered that the form of our communities has mostly been delivered by local decisions from councillors elected by and answerable to their communities.  Most residents agree that we live an enviable lifestyle in one of the best areas in NSW - the arguments against local decision making just don't stack up yet the NSW Labor Government have been ruthless in transferring decisions to unaccountable and unrepresentative bodies.

Development Planning and Approval

I have a long record of supporting appropriate development in Lake Macquarie – balancing the demands of population growth, job creation, community development, and the environment is a complex task that has overall been well delivered in Lake Macquarie.  Many of the most controversial proposals and approved developments have been taken from local decision makers at Lake Macquarie City Council as the NSW Labor government has increasingly been influenced by the development industry in their attack on local government across NSW.  The NSW Labor government has introduced a variety of ways to centralise decisions away from local communities.  This trend must be reversed.

Part 3A

It is rare that many people would know the name of a particular section of any legislation let alone the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EP&A Act). Part 3A of the EP&A Act may not be well read but its name is well known and the overwhelming reason for that is that communities across NSW resent the way in which it has been used and abused by a state government increasingly inclined to remove local decision making. Part 3A of the EP&A Act has become so abused it must be removed.

Part 3A was created to deal with development that was truly of State significance.  Things such as water and gas pipelines, power stations, mines, port facilities and other major regional infrastructure are appropriately dealt with at this level.  The use of these powers for residential subdivisions, shopping centres and the like has removed the decisions on too many matters from local representatives elected by community. 

Part 3A must be repealed and replaced with a mechanism that restores decision making on local matters to the local community while allowing the State to refer truly state significant matters to an appropriate forum such as the Planning and Assessment Commission.

Joint Regional Planning Panels (JRPPs)

JRPPs were established by former Planning Minister Frank Sartor following a sustained campaign by many in the Development Industry to remove decision making from Councils.  Minister Sartor set a value threshold of $40 million and above for matters to be referred to JRPPS but this was quickly changed to $10 million by his replacement, Kristina Keneally.

Joint Regional Planning Panels have five members of whom only two are nominated by a council.  The members are appointed by the Minister and make use of the local council’s resources to assess Development Proposals.

Councils have generally dealt very well with development in their local areas. Councillors are members of the local community and are contactable by and answerable to their local residents. The use of JRPPs to determine applications is inappropriate and says more about the influence the development lobby has wielded with the current state government than it does about the councils that have lost these powers.

Councils cannot be excused from any responsibility to address legitimate concerns about their performance; these need to be addressed in a positive way, not by the process of continual removal of local representatives from decisions about their community. Joint Regional Planning Panels should be disbanded or their role changed to one of an advisory nature.

Local Government Planning Consent Powers

There are times when a particular council is identified as not performing appropriately or well in considering planning matters. A current method of dealing with this is to remove Planning Consent powers from that Council for a period of time and for those decisions to be dealt with by a Planning Panel appointed by the Minister. Current examples include councils at Wagga Wagga and Cessnock.

This process removes responsibility for decision making from elected representatives and further distances local residents from the decision making process – the panel members are not as accessible to residents as Councillors and they are not accountable to the community.

While the appointment of Planning Panels may clear backlogs of Development Applications and associated decisions, their appointment does nothing to improve the originally identified problem with the Council.  That is why I have put before the Parliament a Bill which addresses the original concerns and at the same time strengthens the administrative and decision making process within the particular council.

The ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT AMENDMENT (MAINTENANCE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT CONSENT POWERS) BILL 2010 would enable legislation that strengthens local decision making and is aimed at identifying and remedying problems in a positive way rather than using a method seen as punitive to the Council and alienating to residents.  The Bill allows for quick action to be taken on the original concerns yet is positive in building the capacity of local decision makers. The text of my introductory speech on the Bill can be read at: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20101203007

Keneally V Gillard

What an amazing response from the NSW Premier in arguing that Sydney siders should pay a lesser Commonwealth Flood Levy than other residents in NSW and around Australia!
I can accept that there is sentiment by some against the levy but I cannot accept there can be a differential levy.  While it is true that the cost of living is overall higher in Sydney, it is also true that the average income in Sydney is higher than most other areas. How can the Premier set the interests of Sydney residents higher than others throughout the state who are also doing it tough?
The Premier perhaps should argue the mechanism for reconstruction funding including borrowing or deficit funding rather than creating another difference between Sydney and Regional NSW. One in, all in.

Truth First Casualty in Labor Campaign

The Labor campaign for Lake Macquarie has begun with the launch of a website by Marcus Mariani. I have been through many elections over the years and I am disappointed to see the way in which it seems this one will be run by Labor. Even during the 2007 State election against incumbent Jeff Hunter, there were no personal attacks by any candidate. Certainly not by Jeff Hunter or myself.


This website launches a broad-ranging attack on me over many issues, including my representation as a State Member since March 2007 and my record with Lake Macquarie City Council (LMCC). By the very nature of Council decision-making and administration, the attacks are also a sleight on current and former councillors, as well as staff.

It is an unfortunate fact that while the Internet is a wonderful tool in so many ways, it is also a useful tool for misinformation. The issues and conclusions presented by this website are unlikely to have made mainstream media without at least some scrutiny. My Labor opponent is unknown in public life and therefore can rightly claim no responsibility for any decisions that may have been made in past years. I, however, have never shirked taking responsibility and while in some 20 years of public life I may have regretted some decisions, on balance I believe that most have been correct and that Lake Macquarie has advanced for the better over this time.

Let me respond to some claims by Marcus Mariani.

The claim that the performance of Lake Macquarie City Council has been dismal is clearly wrong. Councils in NSW are all facing financial difficulty due largely to imposts from the state government, yet LMCC remains one of the most financial councils in NSW. Yes, there is Council debt – an appropriate way of funding infrastructure that is normal practice for most Councils and other organisations including state and federal governments. It means that facilities are paid for by the beneficiaries over the life of the infrastructure. LMCC typically spends around 6% of its annual budget servicing debt – this figure is currently closer to 5%. This figure is very modest and quite manageable. Based on nearly every comparative figure provided by the Division of Local Government, Lake Macquarie is in overall good financial shape and very lean in its operation compared to similar Councils used for these comparisons.

The claim that Council would not fund the Warners Bay fireworks is simply not true. Council did fund the event with $10,000, but based on a policy introduced by Council and understood by all Chambers of Commerce, it could not justify the additional funding. Why didn’t I approach the Government for this funding? – Because it was not my State electorate! I am pleased that the Member for Charlestown did. The fact remains that Council was a major sponsor.

The proposed open cut mine between Cooranbong and Awaba remained a very real threat until just after I declared my candidacy in 2007. I am certain Jeff Hunter wished that it had been ruled out by then Minister Sartor earlier, but the fact is it wasn’t. The subsequent issue of a proposed auger mine however was not ruled out immediately and I am pleased that the campaign I ran on both these issues with the help of local residents, means it is highly unlikely such a proposal will appear again.

The issue of the Pasminco Lead Abatement Strategy (LAS) has also been used against me, but the reality is that the matter has always been a State issue with the LAS having been agreed by the State before I was elected to Parliament. That said, an approval was given and recently an amendment was applied for. I immediately secured an extension and widening of the exhibition. This has helped every affected resident understand the impact of the changes on their properties and allowed strong representation to the Department of Planning and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

I have personally been involved in fighting the pollution from Pasminco long before I was elected to Council in 1991. Along with Ken Winning, an LMCC Councillor through the 1990’s, I successfully campaigned alongside the community against all forms of pollution from the smelter. Not trusting government backed EPA figures we moved for council funded carbon dioxide monitors in two locations. These showed Pasminco was well in excess of World Health Organisation standards for CO2. This exposure led to major production cuts and hastened the smelter’s ultimate closure.

This is hardly a record of inaction by Council; in fact it is the exact opposite and such ill-informed comments are a slap in the face to all councillors and staff over this period. For the record, Council opposed the 2007 Lead Abatement Strategy. A State Labor government approved the LAS with a Labor member in office at the time.

Also on something Mr Mariani clearly does not understand, he accuses me of being opposed to the proposed Trinity Point Marina yet using my casting vote to support it. Wrong! The issue of the marina was never before Council, having been taken over by the Minister for Planning through the infamous Part 3A process. What I did use my casting vote for was a question of whether any apartments built, as part of the land component, could be privately owned. The proposal, recommended by planning staff, was that up to 50% of apartments be allowed to be privately owned. I stand by my decision to support the recommendation. My position in relation to the proposed marina has never changed. I believe that it should have been in the order of 60 to 80 berths and that if there was a demonstrated need in years to come for further berths these should be considered on merit at the time.

As to my politics the website states that I have claimed to be “Green leaning”. It also claims I have thrown my lot in with the Liberal party. As a true Independent I make various calls on a multitude of issues and they are always based on merit, not Party politics. Any aspiring politician who cannot balance the environment and development will ultimately fail his electorate. Marcus’s statement on his web site that “Independents can be beneficial to democracy” followed by “the problem is they have their own agenda” graphically illustrates his ignorance of non party politics. Having invested the larger part of my time as a Councillor in environmental matters including the remediation of a Lake Macquarie I think I can fairly claim that balance on policy.

The claim that I have done nothing to advance a community hospital in western Lake Macquarie once again demonstrates the author’s ignorance of the issue. I called the first public meeting on this issue shortly after being elected and have been a member of a committee which has produced a well researched document for a health facility with hospital beds and multiple health services. Along with John Quinlan the hard working committee chairman, we have personally submitted this proposal to the Health Minister. Hunter New England Area Health is currently reviewing its strategic plans and the arguments we have formulated have been a significant contribution to that review. We must await the outcome of that planning but it has always been recognised that a hospital would take some time to deliver. Mr Mariani may care to attend the next public meeting to hear from local residents on the subject.

To attack my social values based on a review of Council libraries is misguided at best. The fact is that during a workshop with 8 councillors in attendance (including 1 Labor) all councillors agreed that our Library service delivery should be reviewed. With Libraries accounting for roughly 4% of our budget and the fact that closing even one or two make minimal difference to the overall budget, it was never put forward as a way to save money. Libraries are changing particularly with new technology and increased and excellent libraries within schools. Library visits are down and our review is looking to make sure that costs don’t continue to rise while usage drops. The Library service has been running without much change for many years. There have been many suggestions as to how the service can be modernized, including a greater educational and research role, new buildings and café facilities.

Halls today are not as relevant as they were for many reasons, but mostly because Council has been replacing them with new and much more functional facilities such as the multi-purpose centres at Toronto, Morisset, Swansea and Cameron Park. Pools are very costly to operate and should be looked at for efficiency and appropriateness for need. Since I have been Mayor we have upgraded a number of pools and acquired the Toronto centre. I don’t know which recommendation will be adopted, but I make no apology for supporting this necessary review. The schedule for any decision has not been set with an election in mind.

The new website makes an unsubstantiated and ludicrous claim that only 18% of the Council budget is spent on ratepayers. This is of course absurd! Council’s entire budget, apart from State levies and taxes, is spent on ratepayers. Staff deliver services and they must be paid.

The website also makes incorrect statements and assertions about the Coalition and myself. At the 2007 election I declined to give preferences to any Party. The Liberals chose to preference me without any conditions attached. The fact that the Liberal Party is reported to be not contesting Lake Macquarie in 2011 has surprised me but that is a matter for them. At this stage I have heard no confirmation that this is the case but if they do run I have no intention of any preference deal.

If there were a “hung parliament” it would be my intention to support the Party with the most number of seats - or given an equality of seats, the most primary votes. The record of the NSW ALP over the last years or so says that is more than they deserve, however I believe it is the only method of respecting the wishes of the majority.

This Labor campaign is strong on the attack, including claiming that it is hard to know what I stand for. I think that most people do know what I stand for and they know that I stand accountable – something I have never hidden from. The irony is that while I am so accused, the author of this website is unaccountable for the misinformation and the half-truths that it presents.

NSW Ports - a dangerous workplace for Ministers

Well here we go again. Another NSW Minister resigns following one more scandal! Premier Keneally announced at the commencement of Question Time that Minister for Ports and Waterways, Paul McLeay, had resigned this morning at her request after it came to light that he had used a Parliamentary computer to access "adult sites" and online gambling. You could have heard a pin drop in the Chamber!

On one hand this seems unbelievable. On the other hand, another scandal in a now long list for this Government was probably more likely than not. As Peter Besseling (Port Macquarie) said, he wouldn't be surprised if one day the Premier introduced Question Time with advice that one of the Members was an alien! "Yep, I could see that coming" he would say without blinking and return to his inimitable rendition of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5".

More Police for Lake Macquarie - More Spin for Labor!

The federal election has us focused on the way political parties are foundering because the public has lost confidence in them.  While the focus has been on the Federal arena, its not long till full attention will return to the pending NSW election where we have arguably the worst Labor Government ever.  Thankfully even during this “quiet” time, NSW Labor remains committed to timely reminders of how self-serving they are.

Last week the Newcastle Herald included an item about three new probationary constables being assigned to Lake Macquarie police. In self-serving Labor style, the news item was crafted to include quotes from the Labor members for Charlestown and Swansea. I’ve grown accustomed to such childish snubs from Labor, but I shouldn’t be frozen out of this issue because I’m the one who has driven it.

I’ve spoken on Police numbers 6 times in Parliament, written to the Minister and Commissioner and had the Minister visit the local Police Command as well as speaking directly to the Ministers about this a number of times. In 2007 I supported the Police Association staffing campaign and on the basis of the effort my office has made to raise these issues, I think it would not be unreasonable for some credit for the 26 new police we have gained since then to be sent our way. Through all of this I note that neither of these Labor members has spoken on police staffing in the Parliament, although the Member for Charlestown opposed my motion calling for improvements to Toronto Police Station.  To be truly fair I should also note that the Member for Swansea recently stated in the media that we need more police in the Lake Macquarie Command.  This statement is better than nothing I suppose; but barely!

The lesson from this story is that, to Labor, spin is still more important than substance. The deployment of new police was known at the time Community Safety Precinct Committee meetings were held across a number of centres on 19 August including in Lake Macquarie, but in this case it was more advantageous to Labor to keep tighter control the information. It is a disgrace, but not surprising, that Police have been politicised by a government more focused on grooming its own image than delivering services.

Despite all this spin, three new constables is still not a fair share of the 377 new officers. We still have only half of the state average of police per population and I won’t be giving up on this problem – even if I’m never given any credit for the results.

The Outing of David Campbell

Well we all know a bit more than when I first wrote on this matter last Thursday night. David Campbell has lived with a deeply personal secret for who knows how many years.  Clearly someone knew or suspected but we haven't been told how Channel 7 and Adam Walters came to know about the Minister's "personal choices".  I think this is relevant as it goes to the veracity of any claim that 7 and Walters has made that this "outing" was somehow in the public interest. I think we need to know their source, their motivation to follow Campbell, before we could e convinced that this was anything other than a grubby and wicked use of a person's sexuality to add to the ratings of an organisation and to elevate the career of an individual journalist.

Walters has been much more than an arms length observer and reporter of State politics.  He has worked for the Government as an advisor and as long as all matters personal are on the table, we shouldn't forget that he became former Minister for Health, Reba Meagher's lover and partner.  No longer together, they do now share a child.  Walters tried lamely to raise the issue of public interest  as Campbell had used his Ministerial car to visit Ken's at Kensington.  Well, he was entitled to, wasn't he?  He could have even used it to go to Ken's Kebabs at Kellyville if chose.  Walters would no doubt have known this having spent more than a little time with a Minister.  He and Meagher famously apparently enjoyed a night together forgetting to let the Minister's driver know her car wouldn't be needed!  Not so flash for that driver.

With Channel 7 alluding to more to follow I can only imagine that they are desperately trying to find a story to shore up what has become a bit of a PR disaster for them.  This grubby intrusion into the personal life of a politician in this way has been shown to more about titillation and ratings than it ever was to do with public interest.

KK seems to have received some good reports over her stance as well.  She certainly read her script well (shown by cameras peering over her shoulder) though it really was arrogant of her to utter those words that what Campbell had done was "unforgivable".  And this from someone who parades her Christian faith as part of her public life.  This wasn't Christian, it was Old Testament.  Apart from that pious statement from a clearly morally superior person, I think her overall message was correct.  I am glad though  surprised, that David Campbell appears to be facing up to the situation so well.  But then again, this bloke would be one of the most immovable politicians I have ever seen.

Riverina Red Gums

Debate on the Government’s National Park Estate (River Red Gum Reservations) Bill 2010 (No 2) came with the type of emotion and rhetoric from all sides that would be expected from such a divisive matter.

The Bill was not expected on the day, at least not by others than the Government who were in the know. Changing the Standing Orders to bring on such an important Bill at short notice and to push it through within the session is just plain wrong – it reeks of “clever” politics, setting aside the expectation of reasonable notice, usually five days.

Concerns of local effected residents are understandable; after all, life as they know it is going to change and all the assurances in the world that they will be looked after will be viewed with absolute scepticism.

The fact may be disputed by the Government, but the reality is that this Bill was brought on, perhaps not as an outright deal, but if not, at least as an appeasement to the Greens as the Government seeks to shore up support for preferences in March next year; no actual discussion of preferences maybe, but a “nod and a wink” wouldn’t surprise me.  No slur on the Greens; their views on this matter have long been known and they have worked hard for the result.

Having said that I do support the intention of the legislation, which will create an extremely significant National Park protecting a wide range of species within this important ecological system. Inclusion of a greater legislated role for traditional owners in the management of this land was also very significant.

Local industries have been provided with compensation but it remains to be seen if this is enough. Claims that this Park will generate tourism dollars are in my view quite weak and eco-tourism in itself is unlikely to substantially offset losses from industries that have relied on harvesting timber from the River Red Gum forests. Of course, the truth of this will be only known with hindsight. Because of this it will be important for the Government, and the next, to carefully watch the impact on these communities and take action as needed to ensure that these communities can adapt and hopefully prosper.

The debate was extensive and credit to Frank Sartor who I think argued his point well. Properly done, this decision could in the long-term provide benefits for those local communities and ensure the best conditions for the sustainability of the River Red Gum Forests. In short, I don’t like how it was done, possibly not why it was done, but I think the decision is correct.

F3 - in the House - No Confidence Motion

The Minister for Transport today survived a No Confidence Motion moved by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Nationals Leader, Andrew Stoner. There was never any doubt of the outcome, the Government always going to exercise it’s substantial majority in the Legislative Assembly.

David Campbell used his full allocation of twenty minutes to put the case why such a censure shouldn’t succeed. I listened to both his speech and that of Andrew Stoner. A normally effusive speaker, the Minister this time was flat and seemed tired. I’m sure that he believes what he said but you wouldn’t have known it from his delivery.

David Campbell no doubt has many things that he can rightly claim as positive outcomes of his tenure as Minister for Transport but the severity of recent failures deserves a much higher level of scrutiny and contrition than the public has seen.

Supporting the motion was not an easy decision however the appalling situation with the F3 debacle on 12 May and the subsequent limp response demands higher accountability. Thousands of people trapped in their vehicles for in the order of 10 hours without any effort to the implement contra-flow exposed many travellers to very real risks. Diabetics, asthmatics or persons with other medical conditions were surely involved. The fact is, those responsible for managing the crisis would have had no answer to any medical emergency that may have occurred. The fact that this didn’t happen was by good luck and nothing to do with good management.

The Minister carries the ultimate responsibility for this fiasco and his protestation and apologies have been as flat as his defence on the No Confidence Motion. The fact is that David Campbell enjoys executive power and he should have used it. Residents of Lake Macquarie that have been speaking to me and who were caught in this traffic jam would want me to support this motion. They want their anger expressed. More than that, they want answers to how it happened and they want changes that will ensure that it never happens again!

F3 Debacle

With the huge outcry over the debacle on the F3 last Monday night it seems that there could be little more to say.  The incident was blamed on an accident between a truck and a petrol tanker but the reality is the issue is really about the RTA response to that accident.  The incident left thousands of people stranded for hours in gridlock and was not just a major system failure; it was an indication of the contempt, arrogance and incompetence of the Roads and Traffic Authority in dealing with people. 

The accident that caused the problem needed to be dealt with in the most appropriate way by the emergency services however the management of the resulting problems also needed to be considered equally as seriously.  The risk of another medical emergency amongst people including many families was high, and I consider it only good luck that such an event didn’t occur.  It certainly wasn’t thanks to any action by the RTA! 

The standing aside of RTA CEO Michael Bushby is only part of the appropriate response and is no doubt in part an attempt to apportion blame neatly to one person.  The reality is that in this instance the Minister does share blame but steadfastly refuses to acknowledge it.  It is a farce for the Minister and the Premier to distance themselves from responsibility by stating that it would have been inappropriate to intervene in RTA operational matters.  Just when would interference be warranted? How many hours? How much distress or how many people? 

The reality is that Ministers and the Premier frequently involve themselves in operational matters and an example of being able to act quickly occurred only hours before when the Premier directed the Health Department to investigate claims of a cancer cluster in the Upper Hunter.  What were they thinking? Why when it came to the F3 was the Minister not on the phone to Mr Bushby ensuring that he was getting regular situation reports and stressing the urgency of implementing the contra-flow system? 

Residents of the Central Coast and Hunter or others needing to travel this road are rightly furious with the Government.  The impact on business in dollar terms would be huge but nobody should discount the value of the time lost to commuters returning home or other travellers needing to get somewhere as well.  

Ken Moroney has been appointed to head an inquiry into what occurred. I don’t know where he lives but I think it would be preferable if whoever was carrying out the inquiry regularly needed to commute on the F3. 

One outcome that must come from the inquiry is a change in culture of the RTA.  They are notorious for being difficult to deal with and even members of Parliament report that they are treated with disdain.  I feel a certain irony in that only two months ago in a speech to parliament I specifically referenced the contra-flow system and said “I compliment the Roads and Traffic Authority on its implementation of that strategy.”  I sure got that wrong!

Our State of Health – The Rudd plan

While Kevin Rudd has previously talked of the Commonwealth assuming broader responsibility for health, it would be fair to say that the issue had slipped below the horizon for quite a while. No doubt the deaths and injuries associated with the Insulation program spurred his memory and his admission that the Government could have done better across a range of issues made a further major initiative timely.

The implications for the states are substantial and while some of the apparent reluctance from states may include an element of “turf” protection, it is evident that there just wasn’t a level of detail in the proposal that would allow the states to be able to understand the full implications.

Public sentiment in favour of the proposal is high but that is based on a broad perception that the states have, or are failing to provide the level of care demanded by the community. The reality is that the public are also unaware of how the proposed Commonwealth intervention will work. Premier Keneally has given support to the principle but has rightly identified some major issues that would need to be addressed or understood before NSW can agree to the proposal. She is right to be cautious and the failure to understand the proposal falls squarely on Mr Rudd and the Commonwealth for having announced their intention without sufficient detail or discussion with the states.

On the other hand, the implications of the growing health budgets are huge and the need for a new model to deal with increasing demand is clear. If done properly I have no doubt that Australians will benefit but this will be a further reduction in state autonomy. With so many other nationalised polices and programs, the argument that states are becoming increasingly irrelevant will grow.

NSW Parliament 2010 - Sitting 1 in review

With the NSW Parliament resuming this week with a new Premier and a re-jigged Cabinet people could have been worried that there might have been a change in the way the Parliament behaves.  They need not have worried! If consistency is a significant benchmark of how a Government, or for that matter, an Opposition performs, both sides did very well. 

It is true that Kristina Keneally works the crowd well – media opportunities that her predecessor, Nathan Rees would have failed to make an impact with even though he threw everything into it, have been masterfully managed by Premier Keneally.  Under the glare of the Parliamentary spotlights, Ms Keneally took to the stage in the latest episode of the longest running theatre production in Australia – “Question Time”. 

The critics have given mixed reviews including the predictable commentary on the Premiers attire.  In that regard she apparently did well.  The rest of the show seemed to draw heavily from old scripts with the main theme being allegations by the Opposition of Government incompetence.  David Campbell, now sporting the addition of Roads to his Ministerial titles certainly helped the Opposition.  His attack on the media for having apparently illegally obtained and then published details of the new Transport Blueprint was great theatre, a real bombshell; which unfortunately for the Minister and Government blew up in their own camp when it was revealed his information was wrong.  An embarrassment that would have seen a lesser performer stumble and freeze.  The masterful improvisation must be commended though it was beneficial that an off stage player, the online consultation website, Bang the Table, was there to take most of the blame.

This unusual mistake from the Minister lead to some improvised lines by the Premier in his support.  Performing to a gallery audience including visiting dignitaries from Vietnam and Bangladesh, the Premier’s defence initiated a raucous response and verbal exchanges across the stage leading to the need for the Speaker to rise and admonish the members for of all things – “unparliamentary behaviour”!  This term always causes some amusement for anyone who has been an observer of parliamentary behaviour.  

The first sitting week of 2010 scored well for consistency – unfortunately, that may be the best that can be said.