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- 21 September 2006
Central Coast Regional Strategy
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Mr PAUL CRITTENDEN (Wyong) [4.37 p.m.]: It is great to have two other Central Coast members with me in the House tonight: the Minister for the Central Coast and the honourable member for Peats. It is with pleasure that I draw to the attention of the House the draft regional strategy that was released by the Minister for Planning last Monday at Iguana Joe's at Gosford. It is fair to say that the honourable member for Peats, who aspires to be Labor's candidate for Gosford, has certainly put a strong case to the Government to ensure that the growth projection over the next 25 years on the Central Coast will be on a lower band, at 64,000.
It is not surprising for those familiar with the Central Coast that the two local councils, who claim to represent the people, are hell-bent on pro-development at any cost. In fact, at last Monday's function, the Mayor of Gosford, Laurie Maher said, starkly, that the strategy was too conservative and not appropriate because more than 100,000 people were needed. It is silly to talk in terms of conservatism on an issue such as that. We should be talking about rational planning rather than irrational planning, which is what the councils want. The Government's draft strategy is very rational; it is logical, it is sensible. It is important that the community should get behind this proposal. After having attended so many functions over so many years and hearing people asking why more people are going to the Central Coast when it cannot handle the ones there already, I am sure they will.
On Tuesday Laurie Maher spoke on radio about water being a short-term problem on the Central Coast. That is not the case. Water is a long-term problem. The water supply on the Central Coast comes under the auspices of two councils: Gosford and Wyong. Shortly after the Carr Government was elected it sought to commission an engineering and financial review of water supply. Councils said, "We know what we are doing; we do not need any help. Just let us get on with it." Councils spent tens of thousands of dollars of water ratepayers' money on a pretty disgraceful media campaign, especially in light of events that have now transpired.
Even more surprising is an article in the Sun Weekly of today's date in which the honourable member for Gosford said that the Central Coast is running out of water. He might well cry crocodile tears now but he is one of the people who worked with those councils to avoid a review that should have been undertaken back in 1995-96. The question we should ask former Councillor Holstein, now the Liberal candidate for Gosford, and other people who have been associated with those councils is: Why are they so pro-development? Why do they want development at any cost? Why have councils that are responsible for the supply of water not dealt with that issue so we can move forward in a meaningful way? That crucial issue must be addressed before we can make any progress in this area.
I am sure that over the next two months Labor members of Parliament will be letting constituents know by way of newsletters exactly how important it is for them to have their say on the future of the Central Coast. Many people on the Central Coast have come from other areas. They have come to the Central Coast because of its environment and unique lifestyle. We desperately need to avoid destroying the very reason people went to the Central Coast in the first place. We must ensure that we cater for people who are there now—young people from the Central Coast in schools who want to live on the Central Coast because it is great place.
We must ensure that growth in that area is not excessive and that we meet people's expectations. After all, politics is about people, and we need a sensible way forward. The challenge for the Liberal Party—and not just at a State level but also for Jim Lloyd-, Federal member for Robertson, and Ken Ticehurst, Federal member for Dobell—is to come clean and start moving away from their big pro-development mates. Members of the Liberal Party must tell the people of the Central Coast where they stand on population growth issues over the longer term. We must ensure that everyone in the Liberal Party works with us to give people on the Central Coast a fair go. People on the Central Coast do not want members of the Liberal Party to play stupid little political games.
Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Central Coast) [4.42 p.m.]: The honourable member for Wyong referred to an important issue relating to the Central Coast: the release of the strategic plan this week by the Minister for Planning, the Hon. Frank Sartor. There has been much speculation on the Central Coast about the reason for the delay in issuing the plan. That reason was revealed the other day, but I think it is well understood by everyone on the Central Coast. The delay related to the sustainability of our water supply. If we have difficulty supplying water to the existing population of 300,000, and if more people are settling on the Central Coast, we have to deal with water sustainability.
The Minister for Water Utilities, the Hon. David Campbell, has been working with both councils to increase governance in regard to the management of water through the joint authority. Some 18 months ago the Minister for Planning took the same approach. Unfortunately, at that time councils were not prepared to co-operate with the Government. I understand that Minister Campbell wrote to councils seeking their support for the introduction of proposed legislation this parliamentary session. It is time for both councils to get on board with the Government on this issue. It is time for them to reorganise and restructure and turn the joint water authority into a well-governed organisation that delivers water on the Central Coast not just for today but into the future. This is a major concern for residents on the Central Coast. It is time that both councils made a decision to support the Government by increasing the governance of the joint water supply on the Central Coast.
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