PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS
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SUTHERLAND SHIRE TRAFFIC AND TOURISM
Mr KERR (Cronulla) [5.30]: Once again I draw the attention of the House to the failure by the Sutherland shire council to place on public display the tourism plan for the Sutherland shire and the Cronulla traffic parking study. I am pleased that the Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism is in the Chamber, for he has a great interest in and knowledge of State development and tourism. The Government provided funding for the shire tourism plan and the Cronulla traffic plan when I called for the preparation of those plans in 1989. It is about time the people of the Sutherland shire were given the opportunity to participate in the future directions of the shire. I was pleased with the way the Sutherland shire tourism plan was prepared, in the sense that a steering committee was set up to ensure residents had input to the plan. However, it is necessary that all residents of the shire have an opportunity to inspect the plan and make submissions in relation to it. It is their future and their shire that are being talked about.
The bottom line for any tourism plan is the need to make the area more attractive to the residents. Sutherland shire residents should be able to determine which features of the plan they find attractive and those they believe should be rejected. The Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism is knowledgeable of economic and environment factors to be taken into consideration so that jobs are provided and the local environment is enhanced to make it even more attractive to visitors. The other matter I raise is the Cronulla traffic plan. It is essential that the plan be made available and that the council should make no attempt to implement it without having heard from the public in the region. Traffic congestion and unacceptable road conditions should not be part of people's daily lives. The parking and traffic plan is designed to make life easier for the residents of Cronulla and those who visit the area.
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Mr Hartcher: Hear, hear!
Mr KERR: I am pleased that the honourable member for Gosford has some empathy with my problem, because of the pleasant nature of his electorate. It is not good when local residents do not have parking available in their suburbs. On that topic, a study and overview of the arterial roads and traffic conditions in the Sutherland shire was prepared. It was made available following representations to the Minister, Mr Baird, in May 1989. The plan should be looked at by the Sutherland shire council, which should give a response about its intentions for Sutherland shire roads. The population of the shire will increase from 188,000 in 1988 to about 205,000 in 2001. The State Government has seen the need to prioritise responsibility for roadworks in the State. The Sutherland shire council should do the same in relation to the shire's proposed road and drainage works. After all, taxpayers have put millions of dollars into shire roadworks. The people of the shire are entitled to have a plan based on merit for five or 10 years for the proposed road and drainage works, so that they have confidence in the priorities set by the council, which receives more than $109 million in ratepayers' funds. It is time for the council to take the public into its confidence.
Mr YABSLEY (Vaucluse), Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism [5.35]: I understand the difficulties raised by the honourable member for Cronulla. It is now two years since the draft tourism plan was prepared. Part of the essence of the various tourism plans prepared by local government with the co-operation of the New South Wales Tourism Commission is that a period be provided for public discussion. That was the intention in relation to the draft tourism plan for the Sutherland shire. That is a means by which the local community can feel a sense of ownership of the document that ultimately emerges from the public consultation process and participatory democracy. It is a great pity, especially as two years have now elapsed, that the process of public participation has not been activated by the Sutherland shire council. For my part as Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism I exhort the council to ensure that that happens. If the council has particular problems with the tourism plan, the Tourism Commission will offer, and has offered, every co-operation to make sure that the plan is made available for public debate. I take the point made by the honourable member in regard to the parking and traffic plan. He has done all he can to make sure that public participation occurs and his constituents have the opportunity to give input on two important aspects for the local community: tourism and traffic management. At the very least the Sutherland shire council should ensure that public discussion takes place to facilitate a desirable outcome.