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- 1 June 2007
Bankstown City Council Services
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Speakers - Stewart Mr Tony
Business - Private Members Statements
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Page: 668
Mr TONY STEWART (Bankstown) [10.45 a.m.]: I draw to the attention of the House two issues concerning the Bankstown City Council. Over the past 12 years as a member of this Parliament I have had the opportunity, with the support of a strong Labor Government in New South Wales led by former Premier Carr and Premier Iemma, to achieve a great deal in my electorate, including a $55 million upgrade of the intersection of Centenary Drive and the Hume Highway at Chullora, multimillion-dollar upgrades of Stacey Street, millions of dollars worth of improvements for the Bankstown Hospital, saving Canterbury Hospital by the construction of a $75 million replacement building program, and many other projects that have eventuated as a result of a good team effort on the part of the Labor Government of New South Wales. But I met my match with Bankstown City Council. On many occasions when I have made requests to Bankstown City Council they seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
When I deal with surrounding councils—Canterbury City Council, Strathfield Municipal Council, Hurstville City Council, and even Liverpool City Council—I do not seem to have the communication problems I continually have with Bankstown City Council. To bring this to a head, recently I requested that one extra garbage bin be placed in Georges Hall shopping centre—not a big request, and I did not think there was going to be any real drama. But what happened after that request was quite perplexing and also funny in some ways—although not funny for the people of Bankstown. Bankstown City Council contacted me by email to say it would do an audit of the garbage bin services at Georges Hall. The council carried out inspections at the shopping centre on successive occasions: on 20, 23, 24, 26 and 30 April and again on 3, 7 and 9 May. Inspections were carried out again on two occasions after that and then the general manager also went out to the shopping centre and inspected the garbage bins. I received information back saying that on some days the garbage bins were overfull and on other days they were not.
One does not need to be a garbologist, if I can say that, to work out there is a problem with the current system of garbage collection. The shopping centre simply needs one more bin—that is what the shopkeepers ask for. Bankstown has been delivered multimillion-dollar services but this request for one extra garbage bin has taken three officers from Bankstown City Council and the general manager to investigate. They say there is no need for an extra garbage bin, but they will continue to monitor the garbage services. Monitoring means they will go out there, take the rubbish out of the bins, look at it, count it, weigh it and identify it.
Mr Thomas George: Bins only cost $100.
Mr TONY STEWART: I know. It is just a simple service. Now they are investigating whether some of that garbage may not be relevant to Georges Hall. Dare I say, the investigation might lead to the finding that someone out of Georges Hall has put garbage in the Georges Hall garbage bins. I know this is terrible for the people of Bankstown because they are not going to get the garbage service they deserve in Georges Hall due to the ongoing investigation. In the meantime, my simple request for one extra garbage bin in Georges Hall is continuing to be audited.
I estimate that Bankstown City Council could have purchased a garbage truck and sat it at Georges Hall shopping centre instead of all the time and effort that has been put into this investigation just for the council to simply to say to me, "You are not getting what you asked for." I will continue to pressure Bankstown City Council in sensible and constructive ways for the service delivery I think the people of Bankstown are missing out on. Georges Hall is a lovely area that people take pride in and take care of themselves. These people are not rubbish dumpers: they are simply people who want a service in line with what is accepted and provided elsewhere.
If I made the same request to Canterbury Council I believe there would be an extra garbage bin in that area the next day, no questions asked, because my 12 years of experience might be acknowledged and the council might see there is a need there for that service. But not Bankstown City Council. I hope it comes to grips with the situation and provides this extra garbage bin service. I am going to be relentless in pursuing it with the council. I will leave no stone unturned in getting Georges Hall shopping centre one extra garbage bin and, hopefully, that might save Bankstown City Council the tens of thousands of dollars it expends on its investigation of the garbage services in Georges Hall shopping centre, which, incidentally, is not much bigger than the Parliament precinct in which I stand. I hope we can come to grips with the needs of these people and that Bankstown City Council drops its over-officiousness to bring this matter to a realistic end.
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