Mr J. H. MURRAY (Drummoyne) [5.53]: I wish to draw the attention of the House to the continuing saga of the Gladesville Bridge Marina. Honourable members would be aware of the sham of this Government's actions in handing over a public park to a private developer against the wishes and better judgment of the local residents and local council. In fact, Howley Park is the only park on the Sydney foreshores from which a developer can now earn money. Unfortunately, this will not be a park any longer because it now belongs to the Minister's mates, for only $7,500 per annum. A proper valuation of the leasing fee would be closer to $95,000 per annum. Honourable members would also be aware that the actions of the proprietors of the Gladesville Bridge Marina have been the subject of a number of legal actions by Drummoyne council. In case the Minister has forgotten, one of these matters has been decided, with Justice Stein being most critical of the Gladesville Bridge Marina in extending without authority its moorings from 45 to 90. The judgment directed the marina to hand back these illegal moorings but gave it a six-month period of grace. This court case exposed the shady and dubious activities of a number of Maritime Services Board employees and Ministers of this Government.

The proposed sale of this marina now fully supports the stand I have constantly taken over the past three years in relation to decisions by this Government concerning the dubious and unlawful activities of the Gladesville Bridge Marina. At the same time, other matters were before the court relating to illegal use of the park - lack of environmental impact statements and illegal building work. I fully comprehend why this Government has been protecting the Gladesville Bridge Marina but in all my time in Parliament never have I seen such heavy-handed and authoritarian action as that of the Minister for Local Government and Minister for Cooperatives last week when he sent the head of his department, Gary Payne, to coerce the council into dropping its legal challenges. The day before council considered a rescission motion to withdraw all legal actions against the Gladesville Bridge Marina the head of the local government department met with senior officers and the mayor obviously in an attempt to place pressure on the council to drop its actions. Not satisfied with this meeting, the
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departmental head then stayed behind and spoke in confidence with the mayor in the council car park. I understand that two or three days prior to this meeting the proprietors of the Gladesville Bridge Marina also had a meeting with the head of the local government department.


It is interesting to note that now that legal action has been withdrawn and the State Government has legitimised the takeover of public parkland by private developers there is a "for sale" notice in the Sydney Morning Herald. It is obvious that the developers are now going to flog off their enhanced development. In summary, the proprietors of the Gladesville Bridge Marina will benefit materially from this Government's actions and the taxpayers of New South Wales will lose parkland which originally was theirs. To compound this sham, recent evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption revealed that a past Liberal alderman had been paid money by the proprietors of the Gladesville Bridge Marina to lobby on their behalf whilst in council. To recap, the Government has given public parkland to a private developer. The rent is only a token rent. Objections by the local elected council and local residents have been overruled by the Government. The State Government has undertaken a series of actions aimed at intimidating Drummoyne council into withdrawing its legitimate objections to the actions of the developers. Now the activities of the Gladesville Bridge Marina have been legitimised by the Government the developers are taking their profits and running.


The State Government's actions have created a precedent which will allow any developer to take over public parkland for his own benefit. Tonight I call on the Minister to give an undertaking that when the marina is sold that section of public land in Howley Park given over to the Gladesville Bridge Marina will be withheld from sale and returned to the people of Sydney. Alternatively, if the Government once again caves in to its mates, surely the Minister should seek recompense on behalf of the taxpayers as a consequence of the increased value of the marina arising from the Government's actions in handing over public land to the marina. I also ask that the Minister advise the Attorney General to refer evidence from the Independent Commission Against Corruption regarding the activities of the proprietors of the Gladesville Bridge Marina to the Director of Public Prosecutions.


Mr YABSLEY (Vaucluse), Minister for State Development and Minister for Tourism [5.57]: The allegations of the honourable member for Drummoyne are very serious, but he often makes serious allegations which have absolutely no substance. Whether they have substance or not, what we have just heard must be one of the greatest examples of the pot calling the kettle black. The honourable member for Drummoyne counts amongst his closest friends some of the greatest shonks and con men who have ever operated in the area of local government. Oh how he cringes when we mention the name Fitzgerald, who fits in perfectly to the category of persons I described. Apart from the shonks that the honourable member for Drummoyne has fraternised with and counted as his close colleagues in local government, let us cast our minds back and focus attention on the arrant hypocrisy of the honourable member for Drummoyne. What did he do or say when the previous Government -


[Interruption]


Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Chappell): Order! The honourable member for Drummoyne has had his opportunity to speak.


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Mr YABSLEY: - was about to hand over a large slice of the Hermitage Reserve in Vaucluse to one of its close mates? There was not a murmur. In one of the most humiliating exposures of a shonky, crook and putrid deal involving the allocation of public land to a private individual, it was forced to back down because the whistle was blown on it by one of my very distinguished predecessors, the member for Vaucluse, Mrs Rosemary Foot. In saying all of that I do not seek to make any judgment on the matter that the honourable member brings to the House, because I do not know anything about it. However, I am sure it will be considered in the appropriate way. It is beyond the pale for the honourable member for Drummoyne to make judgments about anyone. He is totally unqualified to do so for the reason that I mentioned: amongst his close friends and colleagues are some of the greatest shonks and crooks local government in New South Wales has ever seen.