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- 1 December 2005
Environmental Package Community Response
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Page: 20541
Mr ALLAN SHEARAN: My question without notice is directed to the Premier. What is the Government's response to community reaction to Tuesday's comprehensive environmental package?
Mr Gerard Martin: It has been outstanding.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: That is right, outstanding. At least there has been support from the community. There has been silence from the Opposition—not a word. It is the single biggest investment to save our inland rivers, to harvest stormwater and to undertake recycling and there is not one word from the Opposition except to focus on the 20¢ increase in the levy by 2011. That presents a very good contrast for the next election. The Opposition wants our inland rivers saved, it wants our wetlands saved, it wants stormwater harvested and it wants recycling and reuse, so its position is clear. It should support the desalination plant, something that the Opposition was urging us to do five months ago.
Mr Andrew Stoner: Rubbish!
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: Read Hansard of 22 June. Don't make us repeat it here every day. Pull it out yourself—and get Tim Webster's tape from 21 July as well. Don't make us repeat what the Leader of The Nationals said on his program. The contrast could not be starker. The complete lack of response presents a clear contrast. If the Opposition wants our inland rivers saved, our wetlands saved and our urban environment protected it should support the plan of the Government. If it does not want them saved there is plenty of support for it on the Opposition benches. There is plenty of support in the community for the biggest environment package ever, a $425 million investment to support recycling, stormwater programs, local community programs to save local rivers, our inland rivers and wetlands and our marine parks.
Mrs Shelley Hancock: How are you going to save the Shoalhaven?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for South Coast will come to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The honourable member for South Coast says, "Wipe out the environment plan that was announced on Tuesday." I am sure her constituents will be very interested to get a copy of today's Hansard, in which the honourable member for South Coast says, "Wipe out the environment plan announced on Tuesday night." She would not support recycling and programs to save our inland rivers. What a terrible thing for the honourable member for South Coast—of all places, the mighty Shoalhaven—to say. Professor Peter Cullen, one of the country's leading scientists on rivers and waterways, had this to say:
I'm delighted that the NSW Government has started to address the over-allocated rivers in NSW in a fair and equitable way...
Doug Miell of the New South Wales Irrigators Council said:
We have no problem with the Riverbank program if the water was bought on the open market from willing sellers and retained its original status.
SITA Environmental Solutions—the industry—stated:
SITA Environmental Solutions supports the government's increase of the ... landfill levy. This decision will significantly increase resource recovery, recycling and diversion of waste from landfill. This decision is good for the environment and for recycling in NSW.
Professor Richard Kingsford, a national expert on healthy rivers, stated:
The announcement by the NSW Government to buy water for rivers is critically important to restore the health of the State's rivers. Communities realise that to ensure the future sustainability of our rivers ... government will need to buy water.
[Interruption]
The Coalition might think that it is wasteful; we do not. Industry, the irrigators, environmentalists and scientists have endorsed the package. There was not a single word from the Opposition. The National Parks Association stated:
[The Government] has risen to the challenge in [its] $420 million environment statement ... creating two new marine parks, improving protection of Crown leases and allocating new funds for buying water for our rivers and wetlands.
[Interruption]
The Leader of the Nationals keeps referring to the desalination plant. That is what he was talking about five months ago. Someone should give him a copy of Hansard. I am sick and tired of his interjections. I am sure the library can give him a tape of the Tim Webster interview just for good measure.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Epping will come to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The Government's policy has endorsement from environment groups, scientists and the industry but the only comment from the Opposition has been to criticise the modest increase in the waste levy. The average householder will pay an extra $10 in 2011—less than 20¢ extra each week. That is a small investment for a massive return in supporting the environment, urban sustainability of our inland rivers and wetlands. There was not a single word of support for a levy that was introduced in 1970 by the Askin Liberal Government. Bob Askin would be proud to see that the waste levy is still serving the people of New South Wales.
Mr Carl Scully: Which seat?
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: He was the Premier of New South Wales. His seat was once called Collaroy but the name was changed to Pittwater. Remember that seat? Last Saturday the Labor Party did not run a candidate. It left the Coalition with a one-horse race and, as I said on Tuesday, the Coalition could not win it. Pittwater was once the jewel in the Liberal Crown. Poor old Bob Askin would be turning in his grave now. The waste levy that he introduced in 1970 is still serving the people of New South Wales but there is no Liberal serving Pittwater any more. The Liberal Party on the Northern Beaches started with four members.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Members of the Government will come to order.
Mr MORRIS IEMMA: Brad Hazzard is still there and Andrew Humpherson is still there. There was once a Liberal in Manly and there was once a Liberal in Pittwater. They are gone. Those two jewels in the Liberal crown have gone. Poor old Bob Askin would be turning in his grave. When he retired the swing was 1 per cent. When Jim Longley retired the swing was 11 per cent. When John Brogden retired the swing was 26 per cent—the greatest ever swing in New South Wales electoral history. The question from the honourable member for Cronulla and the previous questions from the Leader of The Nationals show that they have not learnt one thing from the Pittwater by-election. As I said yesterday, it has been a record-breaking week: Brian Lara scored the most runs ever and Peter Debnam had the biggest swing ever. Welcome to the record books!
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