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Mr STEVEN PRINGLE (Hawkesbury) [5.37 p.m.]: As most honourable members would be aware, land owners in my electorate and many neighbouring electorates have been very much affected by the appalling plans, drawn up by the faceless bureaucrats and assented to by the Minister for Planning, that bring about the disenfranchisement of those property owners' rights—rights that extend way back to the time of Lachlan Macquarie, that visionary Governor of New South Wales who realised the value to our society of freehold property rights and granted land to settlers and emancipists alike. Those rights were reinforced in 1942 by Robert Menzies, who outlined his vision for the forgotten people, the middle classes, who depended upon the stability of the family home. At the end of World War II land was released for immigrants and many ex-service personnel to purchase, and many of those land releases were in north-western Sydney, in areas that I represent today. An essential pillar of out society is the attractive lifestyle and the freedom, which are the envy of many other countries. Those freedoms were outlined by Thomas Paine, who, when writing about the rights of man, spoke of:
… the right of property being secured and inviolable, no one ought to be deprived of it, except in cases of evident public necessity, legally ascertained and in condition of a previous just indemnity.
If only that were with the case in New South Wales. The landowners of north-western and south-western Sydney have been disenfranchised, and much of the value of their superannuation investments has been taken away from them. It is a disgrace that with the stroke of a pen the Government considered locking away the futures of thousands of families. Indeed, some 9,000-odd properties would have been affected by the unjust aspects of the metropolitan strategy. Many of the property owners were second-generation and third-generation immigrants whose parents came to Australia after the Second World War with the promise of a better future for their families. They have worked hard and, through the sweat of their brow, taken advantage of sensible investment opportunities. They would have had that taken away. They brought a philosophy with them about providing for themselves and for future generations. In short, their property, their land and their house became their superannuation fund. Literally hundreds of constituents and thousands of people have been affected. Hundreds of people have attended my office and various rallies. Perhaps it is best summed up by one 78-year-old, who says:
Things are going to change under this Government. Why is that? I am so scared that I won't have my home any more and my husband will be so angry. He and I have worked hard all our lives and we pay our taxes and now the Government is going to take it all away and I don't know how I will be able to live if I do not have my land and my home. I'm 78 and I don't know where else to go.
A 78-year-old is being harassed by the Government. Does that sound familiar? It is totally un-Australian. On 7 August this year Angela Muller and a group of dedicated and determined landowners organised a huge rally at Rouse Hill, which was attended by more than 3,500 people, including the former Leader of the Opposition and the honourable member for Riverstone, Mr Speaker, who was outraged by the plans of his Government. He has been calling for major changes, just as the Opposition has. The Government's planning strategy for New South Wales is totally wrong. The Mayor of Hawkesbury and Hawkesbury councillors Ted Books, Kevin Connolly and Trevor Devine attended the rally to support local landowners.
The Coalition Government made a commitment to provide fair compensation for any land that was required for open space. I know that the current Leader of the Opposition, Peter Debnam, and the shadow Minister for Planning, Chris Hartcher, regard these commitments as rock solid. That is in stark contrast to the Government's proposal to lock up property for green space without adequate compensation. I am pleased to hear that some changes have been mooted from the Minister for Planning, but it is time he spelled out exactly what he is planning to do so that thousands of people—
Mr Grant McBride: Good work by the new Minister.
Mr STEVEN PRINGLE: It is about time. The vendor duty should have been done away with straightaway to. This fight for a just cause would not have taken place if it were not for the arbitrary and unjust actions of the Government, which is out of control.