APPROPRIATION BILL
APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILL
APPROPRIATION (SPECIAL OFFICES) BILL
GENERAL GOVERNMENT LIABILITY MANAGEMENT FUND BILL
PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT OPERATIONS AMENDMENT (TRADEABLE EMISSION SCHEMES FUND) BILL
PUBLIC FINANCE AND AUDIT AMENDMENT (BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING) BILL
STATE REVENUE LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (BUDGET) BILL
Second Reading
GOVERNOR'S SPEECH: ADDRESS-IN-REPLY
Take-note Debate
Debate resumed from 21 June.
Mr IEMMA (Lakemba—Minister for Public Works and Services, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship) [4.50 p.m.]: The media does not always get it right, but the front pages of newspapers after the recent budget were spot-on. "Bob the Builder" was a pretty fair summation of the success of the budget. Since Bob Carr became Premier this State has enjoyed a record run in construction. The $24.6 billion of construction activity during the Olympics was certainly the highlight. But the greatest challenge was always going to be ensuring that the investment, building and jobs continued after the Games. The Government has done just that, and the budget has done just that.
It is no surprise that the construction industry is one of the Government's priorities. It forms an important part of our stated aim of jobs and growth. New South Wales accounts for more than one-third of Australia's construction industry. The industry employs 8 per cent of the State's workforce, about 240,000 people. The recently announced budget has built on that success and will help to ensure that those jobs survive and that new ones are created. The budget revealed the biggest capital works program in the history of the State: $26 billion over the next four years. To put that in perspective, between 1949 and 1974 Australia built the Snowy Mountains Scheme at a cost of $820 million over 25 years, or $8.5 billion in today's terms. The Government will be investing three times more in four years on capital works than Australia spent in 25 years on the Snowy Mountains Scheme. In the next financial year alone the Government will spend a record $6.35 billion, $800 million more than last year, and that is a 12 per cent increase. That increase is focused on many areas.
In Education the Government has committed a budget record of $3 million to the schools program. That is an increase of $44.2 million, or a 16.5 per cent increase on last year. That is on top of a $70 million schoolyard blitz announced in February. The $300 million schools program will go towards 41 major new projects and work will continue on 59 other major projects. The schools program will also fund 27 major TAFE projects worth $72 million. In the Justice and Corrective Services sector the Government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to new gaols including a young women's Juvenile Justice Centre at Lidcombe, and a Children's Court complex at Parramatta. A multiclassification 350-bed Correctional Centre on the mid-North Coast is well under way and will provide a significant boost to jobs in Kempsey. A correctional centre is slated for the mid-west of New South Wales.
In Health the Government has committed a record $504 million to capital works. That includes the first stage of the $452 million total rebuild of the Royal North Shore Hospital. The budget includes $16.4 million to redevelop the Hornsby Hospital, $14.5 million to rebuild the Bourke District Hospital, $10.9 million to rebuild the Hay Hospital, $10.4 million to rebuild the Kyogle Memorial Hospital, $5 million to rebuild the Henty District Hospital, $9.1 million to expand the emergency department of the Liverpool Hospital, $8.6 million to expand the Nepean Hospital, $6 million to redevelop the Blue Mountains hospital, $5 million for the Shellharbour Hospital and $4.4 million to redevelop the Milton-Ulladulla Hospital. Those amounts are on top of the commitment to redevelop health facilities in Wyong and Gosford hospitals valued at $160 million. Those amounts are also on top of a major investment in rebuilding the health infrastructure in the Hunter with the Hunter health strategy of some $235 million, including major redevelopment of the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, the John Hunter Hospital, the Belmont District Hospital and the polyclinic for the Newcastle central business district.
In my electorate the Government has delivered a significant boost. In Lakemba the Government has already committed $25 million for transport, roads and housing, with $9.5 million to improve rail and bus services. An allocation of nearly $6 million will pay for track reconstruction, re-railing, underbridge renewal, signal and electrical renewal and other maintenance work on the East Hills railway line. Other projects include $600,000 to install easy access facilities at Riverwood railway station where construction started with last year's budget, and $130,000 for renovations and maintenance work at Wiley Park railway station.
Punchbowl will also benefit after a commitment of $50,000 for the maintenance of station and passenger facilities. This follows last year's $1.5 million for easy access to Riverwood station, $1 million for the upgrade of Lakemba station and $1 million for Beverly Hills station. People in the Lakemba electorate will be eligible for $2.8 million in bus concessions. Following the successful opening of the $750 million M5 East, this year $8.7 million will be used for improvements to local roads. A budget allocation of $3.5 million will be used to improve and maintain the road network around Lakemba.
The budget provides for four Main Street programs that will revitalise business and shopping districts of four small strip shopping centres. Riverwood is the biggest beneficiary with an additional $200,000 allocation, and that follows the $350,000 allocation over the past two years. Narwee will get an additional $75,000 for its main street program, bringing its total to $125,000 in the past two years. Wiley Park will receive $100,000 and The Boulevard at Punchbowl will be given an additional $50,000. Other initiatives include $609,000 for traffic management improvements and $16,000 for Canterbury council's road safety program. Hurstville, Bankstown and Canterbury councils will receive a total of $1.9 million for maintenance of roads. The State Government has also recognised the need for more public housing in the Lakemba area and allocated $3 million for 18 general housing units. Nine units will be built in Gunyah Crescent, Roselands, seven units in Ferrier Parade, Campsie, and two new units in Kiewarra Street, Lakemba. Another $472,000 has been allocated for 17 units already being built in Narwee and Riverwood.
People in Lakemba will also benefit from significant initiatives in Education including $475,000 allocated towards the $3.5 million upgrade of Beverly Hills Public School. That follows the $3.5 million the Carr Government has allocated for the redevelopment of McCallums Hill Public School, the rebuilding of Hampden Park Public School in Lakemba, and the redevelopment of Beverly Hills North Public School. In the past few months $1 million has been allocated to renovate 14 schools in the electorate as a result of the $70 million bonanza in clearing the backlog of maintenance in our schools. The budget has certainly delivered for the people of Lakemba and the Lakemba electorate. It is very much a case of building on the achievements of the past.
I mentioned the extensive program for the reconstruction of hospitals and the health system. By the time that $504 million program is complete, there will hardly be a major hospital in this State that has not been redeveloped. That stands in stark contrast to the record of the Coalition, when it was in government, especially in the area of Health. The Coalition's record on health care and hospitals was marked by cuts, closures and privatisations. No greater example of that approach can be seen than in my electorate of Lakemba. Canterbury hospital was closed and slated for demolition. The Carr Government stopped Canterbury hospital from being demolished and we rebuilt it at a cost of $79.9 million. We provided 200 new beds in the emergency, critical care, maternity, paediatrics and surgery wards in that brand new hospital. That is an example of the distinction between our approach, which involves investment in public hospitals and health facilities, and that of the Coalition, which was one of cuts, closures and sell-offs.
When we look at investment in education and schools, we also find a significant example of the contrasting approach taken by the Government in investing in public education to that taken by the Coalition Government—and their Canberra colleagues, with whom they have worked hand-in-hand—that is, a record of cuts, closures and sell-offs. As an example, I cite Georges River College, formerly known as the Oatley campus of the University of New South Wales. As a result of Federal funding cuts some years ago, the future of the campus was placed in jeopardy. This Government saved the site for public education and also invested a significant amount of money to give the facility, now called Georges River College, a new life as a multipurpose campus for the people of the inner south-western areas of Sydney. We introduced specific legislation to save the Oatley campus site, keep it in public hands and protect it for public education. The result is a $14 million investment in Georges River College, a jewel in the crown of public education facilities in southern Sydney. The families of Beverly Hills, Peakhurst and Narwee very much welcome this facility. As I said, our approach stands in stark contrast to the cuts, closures and sell-off approach taken by the Coalition.
Another major area of investment that has taken place since the Carr Government came to office in my area has been in transport. The transport infrastructure in my electorate has been almost totally rebuilt. The completion of the M5 and the M5 East has revolutionised the lifestyles of people in my electorate. Travelling times have been dramatically reduced. Those who live in Beverly Hills, Narwee and Riverwood have started to see the beginning of the end of rat runs, which blighted the amenity of residents in those suburbs. A trip to the city, which once would have taken between three-quarters of an hour to one hour during peak hour now takes between 20 to 30 minutes. It is not surprising that as a result property prices in those suburbs have increased significantly. That is not only anecdotal evidence. Local real estate agencies have said that houses on King Georges Road, Stoney Creek Road, Edgbaston Road and Broad Arrow Road, which once would have taken a significant amount of time to sell because of the heavy traffic volumes, now take a matter of weeks to sell. This $794 million project has delivered enormous benefits to the people of Lakemba.
In addition, the East Hills duplication rail project, costing $106 million, increases the capacity of the East Hills railway line and will provide faster and more efficient rail travel for commuters in my electorate. The Government has also made a significant investment in upgrading the facilities at major railway stations in my electorate on the East Hills line at Beverly Hills at a cost of $1 million and at Riverwood at a cost of $2.5 million. Further, there have been significant improvements and the installation of covered walkways at Kingsgrove. The railway station improvements are very much appreciated by the constituents in those suburbs. The most pleasing investment for me that the Government has made, and one that stands in stark contrast to the approach taken by the former Coalition Government, is the redevelopment of Lakemba railway station.
Lakemba railway station was destroyed by fire in about 1988. During the entire time that the Coalition was in Government, it simply refused to allocate funds to rebuild Lakemba railway station following the fire. A temporary facility, similar to a demountable building, was placed at Lakemba railway station and turned into a concession and ticket office. It was put on the top of the platform and there it stood for the whole of the period that the Coalition was in Government. This Government finally gave the people of Lakemba proper railway station facilities. That is the most pleasing small investment for me, and one that vividly paints the contrast of this Government delivering services and improving facilities as opposed to the Coalition Government's approach of neglect and cuts, closures and sell-offs of hospitals and schools. The people of Lakemba very much appreciate the new facilities at Lakemba railway station, which were long overdue. It took the Carr Labor Government to finally end the injustice for rail commuters who use Lakemba railway station by rebuilding the fire-damaged station facilities.
In the area of Environment, the Government has given significant support to the Salt Pan Creek recreation area. Much of the 32-hectare site was old industrial land and some of it had been used as a tip. In the mid-1990s a proposal to construct a concrete crusher caused outrage amongst the residents of Riverwood and Punchbowl. After a significant resident campaign, the concrete crusher proposal was defeated. A master plan was made for the whole site and a decision was taken by the local community and Canterbury City Council to develop a recreation area on the site. I am pleased that the Government has seen fit over a number of years to support the development with cold hard cash to the tune of $275,000. We have also provided $500,000 to treat Salt Pan Creek with pollution traps and stormwater protection, so as to improve the water quality of the creek. That significant investment by the Government has improved those recreational facilities for the people of Riverwood, Punchbowl and Narwee and will benefit them even more when the project is finally completed in a couple of years' time.
In the time I have remaining I want to refer to a number of other local projects that have received support from the Carr Government since it came to office. I again contrast the approach of this Government with the neglect of and the refusal by the previous Coalition Government to support important local projects and initiatives for the people of Lakemba. I refer specifically to the King Georges Road pedestrian safety bridge at Beverly Hills north. This Government allocated $500,000 for the urgently needed project, which was a Government initiative. Planning approval has been given for a similar safety pedestrian bridge on King Georges Road at Wiley Park where Wiley Park Public School and Wiley Park Girls High School are located. That very important project will protect the students of those two schools.
The widening to four lanes of Kingsgrove Road bridge at Kingsgrove railway station at a cost of $1.2 million has removed one of the worst bottlenecks in my electorate. The area blinded vehicle traffic and motorists from the Canterbury end of my electorate moving through to Hurstville and Rockdale. With the allocation of the money for that project and a partnership with the three local councils—Canterbury, Hurstville and Rockdale—that bottleneck has been removed. The traffic now flows freely on Kingsgrove Road across that bridge. Residents living in the Canterbury, Hurstville and Rockdale council areas, who have been severely disadvantaged over many years, no longer have that bottleneck in their area.
I have mentioned the Main Street improvement programs, which are small but important projects for any local community. They are particularly important in places such as Narwee, Beverly Hills and Riverwood, which have small strip shopping centres that have been in long-term decline as a result of the development of super shopping centres such as Westfield at Hurstville, Bankstown and Roselands. Small strip shopping centres are struggling to survive. Main Street improvement programs are important in lifting the amenity of those centres. I hope that they will encourage new investment in the shopping centres so that residents can enjoy their local shops. [Time expired.]
Mr THOMPSON (Rockdale) [5.10 p.m.]: I speak to the take-note debate of the Address-in-Reply to the Governor's Speech. In Professor Marie Bashir, New South Wales has an outstanding Governor. She brings to her role not only a strong intellect and excellent reputation but also a good measure of grace, diligence and compassion. I applaud the Premier's decision to appoint such a remarkable woman to be the thirty-seventh Governor of New South Wales. The Governor's Speech highlighted the Government's education, policing, health, transport, regional and rural affairs, economic management and environment programs. I shall refer to a few of the programs that have particular relevance to my electorate. In her reference to education Her Excellency said:
The Government's key priorities in education are to maintain the highest standards of achievement in our schools, and to value and support our teachers.
She went on to speak about record levels of spending on education that the Government has embarked upon. She made reference to the additional $70 million that has been recently provided to fund priority building and security upgrades of schools across the State in the earlier part of this year, up to the end of June. At that time I was delighted to learn that some $722,000 of that additional $70 million in funding had been allocated to schools in my electorate. That funding has been a tremendous boost to local schools and will be spent on capital and maintenance projects, including repainting of classrooms, replacing worn-out floor coverings, upgrading toilet facilities, building security fencing, upgrading playgrounds and so on. In addition to the obvious benefits for the schools, this expenditure will create work, most of which will go to local tradespersons, workers and small businesses.
Other major capital works are under way at Arncliffe Public School, Brighton-Le-Sands Public School and St George School, which is being entirely rebuilt on the campus of Moorefield Girls High School. Public schools in the Rockdale electorate are being well served by the Carr Labor Government. As well as addressing the crucially important areas of literacy and numeracy, and assisting students by providing programs to deal with behavioural problems, the Government will be implementing a range of strategies to enhance the standing of the teaching profession. These programs are about uplifting and upgrading all aspects of public education in the State.
Another major theme of the Governor's Speech was healthier communities. The Menadue and Sinclair reports addressed the historical inequities of funding between regions. They mapped out a fairer funding system to allow health services to plan on a three-year basis. That system has greatly assisted area health organisations, particularly those in rural New South Wales, to plan over three-year cycles rather than annually, as occurred in the past. The scarcity of qualified nurses in the health system was also referred to by the Governor. The nurses shortage is not a problem only in New South Wales, it is a problem throughout Australia and, indeed, the world. Her Excellency referred to the Government's $20 million-a-year plan to recruit and retrain nursing staff, including offering scholarships for rural students and retraining to attract former nurses back to the profession. In the Sunday Telegraph of 23 June an article appeared under the headline "Carr lures back nurses". I shall quote selectively from the article by Nathan Vass, who wrote:
Up to 500 experienced nurses have returned to the State's health system this year in the biggest recruitment drive undertaken here.
A "nursing reconnect" plan was devised to provide ex-nurses with the chance to refresh their skills so they could quickly re-enter the system.
"This new recruitment plan is bringing nurses back to their chosen field," Premier Bob Carr told The Sunday Telegraph.
"Nurses who have been out of the workforce are now being paid to re-skill on the job."
I applaud the initiative of the Government. It was particularly delightful and appropriate that the 500-odd nurses who have come back into the system were entertained and honoured at a special function at Government House to mark the occasion. Only a few years ago the Government decided to return Government House to daily public use. That was a wonderful initiative. The decision was strongly supported by the former Governor, and it has received the ongoing support and patronage of our current Governor. The Governor made reference to a three-year $107 million program to increase mental health services, including 700 additional staff and 150 new acute care beds, 90 of which will be in rural areas. My electorate is already benefiting from the program, with improved mental health facilities at St George Hospital.
The Governor's Speech also referred to safer communities. We all want our communities to be safer. I applaud the measures the Government has taken in this regard to date and will take in the future. Statistics show that recidivist offenders commit the majority of crime in our society. The removal of the presumption in favour of bail for repeat offenders will undoubtedly lead to greater levels of incarceration, but will also reduce the level of crime because the offenders will be locked up. Never before have police received such strong support from a government, whether it be in the form of new equipment, such as the Glock pistols, capsicum spray, new batons and so on, or new technology, such as DNA testing, Livescan digital fingerprinting or mobile data terminals. The Carr Labor Government is supporting police in a very practical fashion. In her Speech the Governor also outlined the Government's recommitment and program to address illicit drug use in society. This includes a number of initiatives, such as the Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment Program, the adult Drug Court trial, the medically supervised injecting room trial—which was recently extended—and the development of a treatment and prevention strategy for drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines.
Transport and roads are obviously important to our State. The M5 East motorway was completed last December. It is greatly benefiting my electorate. Convoys of heavy vehicles, particularly container trucks, are no longer travelling through our local streets. Residential streets suffered as people tried to find a short cut or a way around the congestion caused by the trucks. It was dangerous and annoying. The M5 East has taken most of the trucks and commuter traffic off local roads. Peace and sanity have largely been restored to local streets and road safety generally has improved. Public transport for Rockdale commuters has been given a large boost, with the $14 million redevelopment of Rockdale railway station. I have spoken about that project previously in the House so I will not reiterate it now. Work is already well under way and the project is scheduled for completion towards the end of the year or soon thereafter. In her Address to the Parliament the Governor said:
2002 marks a highly significant anniversary in the political history of our nation and our State.
This year is the centenary of women's suffrage in both the Commonwealth and New South Wales Parliaments.
I am sure that all Members will join with me in honouring this milestone of equality and democracy.
I certainly join Her Excellency in those sentiments and note the significance of her appointment as this State's first female Governor. I applaud her for the work she is doing for the people of New South Wales and I commend her Speech to the House.
Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Lynch): Order! It being after 5.15 p.m. business is interrupted for the taking of private members' statements.