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Consideration of Urgent Motions

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About this Item
Subjects -  Football; Sydney City Council; Redfern
Speakers - Keneally Ms Kristina; Debnam Mr Peter; Speaker
Business - Consideration of Urgent Motion, Motion
Commentary - Procedural Debate to determine precedence, Clover Moore


    CONSIDERATION OF URGENT MOTIONS
Page: 19984


    Redfern Oval

    Ms KRISTINA KENEALLY (Heffron) [3.32 p.m.]: My matter is urgent because the bulldozers stand poised to knock down Redfern Oval, and the lord mayor is putting the keys in the ignition. This matter is urgent because the city of Sydney council will vote next week on the future of Redfern Oval. This matter is urgent because nothing less than the heart and soul of South Sydney is at stake. This matter is urgent because 31 local businesses, three local schools, more than 15 Aboriginal organisations and local churches of all denominations cannot get the council to listen to the hopes and desires of the local community. This matter is urgent because the lord mayor is not considering the views of thousands of residents who have signed petitions or the several hundred who have attended community consultation meetings, all desiring the redevelopment of Redfern Oval.

    This matter is urgent because this may be the last opportunity this House has to speak to those people in south Sydney whose voices are being ignored. With the council vote looming, with the result of the council's environment and heritage committee meeting this week—where the lord mayor used her casting vote twice to knock back any opportunity for the proposal of the police and community youth club [PCYC] to go ahead—the situation is crucial. The barbarians are at the gate, threatening the heart and soul of south Sydney.

    Honourable members will be aware of the socioeconomic challenges facing Redfern and Waterloo. They will be aware that the Iemma Government is looking to address those challenges through a whole-of-government approach through the Redfern and Waterloo Authority. It is essential and urgent that this House today expresses the view that Redfern Oval offers a wonderful opportunity for active recreational infrastructure for the community. If we wait, it may be too late. The council will vote next week, and if we have any hope at all of convincing just one of the independent councillors—and I say the independent councillors—to evaluate this proposal in an objective way, not in the way their caucus or the lord mayor wants them to—we must have this debate today and send a clear message from this House that Redfern Oval ought to be redeveloped and the PCYC should lead the way.

    Anwar Hisam Al Barq Prisons Access

    Mr PETER DEBNAM (Vaucluse—Leader of the Opposition) [3.34 p.m.]: As much as I can understand the honourable member for Heffron's concerns for her motion, one must understand that the urgency today is about terrorism, the Government's response to terrorism and the Government's counter-terrorism measures. As each day unfolds we will see a little more about how this Government over the past 10 years has dealt with counter-terrorism and how the Ministers and the Labor Party have dealt with the issue. The motion of which I gave notice today reads:

    That this House notes with concern the extent of political pressure brought to bear to continue Muslim cleric Anwar Al Barq's employment in New South Wales prisons and the education department.

    It is important that we all understand that in question time yesterday we were talking about the New South Wales prison system. The Government came a little bit clean. Yesterday, when it had to remove the cleric from the prison system, it had to find another job for him. It found that job with the education department.

    Mr Steve Whan: Point of order: It is clear that the Leader of the Opposition is now going into the substance of his motion. He is not justifying urgency. He has already outlined the arguments when he tried to put them forward yesterday in question time.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is substance in the point of order of the honourable member for Monaro, but I will listen further to the Leader of the Opposition before ruling on it.

    Mr PETER DEBNAM: I think everybody in New South Wales would agree that this matter is urgent. If they listened to question time yesterday and again today they would rate this as the most urgent issue in the administration of government in New South Wales. That is why we are looking forward to that bill. This is an opportunity to debate an issue of real concern to the community. We should debate the political pressure and interference brought to bear to ensure Al Barq got a job in New South Wales prisons and again in the education department.

    Mr Steve Whan: Point of order: The Leader of the Opposition in his comments then and earlier in question time made unsubstantiated allegations about political interference as if they are fact. That is casting a reflection on members of the Government. As a member of the Government I take offence at those reflections.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! Although the aspect of the contribution of the Leader of the Opposition referred to by the honourable member for Monaro does not contravene the standing orders, the Leader of the Opposition is dealing with the substance of the motion. That contravenes the standing orders. Again I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he must show why his motion should have priority over the motion of the honourable member for Heffron.

    Mr PETER DEBNAM: The honourable member for Monaro said they were unsubstantiated allegations. His Government confessed yesterday afternoon, but to only half the story. We are going to get the other half of the story.

    Mr Milton Orkopoulos: Point of order: Again, the first words the Leader of the Opposition uttered went against your ruling. He is continuing the debate. The substance of the debate he proposes has nothing to do with the presentation he has to make now. He has to make out a case for his motion being given priority over that of the honourable member for Heffron. Clearly he is floundering.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! Again I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he cannot debate the substance of the motion under the guise of establishing why it should have priority.

    Mr PETER DEBNAM: The most urgent thing before the community of New South Wales today is the extent of infiltration of government departments and agencies by Islamic fundamentalists. What we need to do—

    Mr Steve Whan: Point of Order: The standing orders say that you cannot cast aspersions on officials in the Government without a substantive motion. There is no substantive motion that lets him cast that sort of aspersion.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition was making a general comment and did not name any specific person. I do not uphold the point of order. The speaking time of the Leader of the Opposition has expired.

    Question—That the motion for urgent consideration of the honourable member for Heffron be proceeded with—put.

    The House divided.
    Ayes, 49
    Mr Amery
    Ms Andrews
    Mr Bartlett
    Ms Beamer
    Mr Black
    Mr Brown
    Ms Burney
    Miss Burton
    Mr Campbell
    Mr Chaytor
    Mr Collier
    Mr Corrigan
    Mr Crittenden
    Mr Daley
    Ms D'Amore
    Mr Debus
    Ms Gadiel    		Mr Gaudry
    Mr Gibson
    Mr Greene
    Ms Hay
    Mr Hunter
    Ms Judge
    Ms Keneally
    Mr Lynch
    Mr McBride
    Mr McLeay
    Ms Meagher
    Ms Megarrity
    Mr Mills
    Mr Morris
    Mr Newell
    Ms Nori
    Mr Orkopoulos    		Mrs Paluzzano
    Mr Pearce
    Mrs Perry
    Ms Saliba
    Mr Sartor
    Mr Scully
    Mr Shearan
    Mr Stewart
    Mr Tripodi
    Mr Watkins
    Mr West
    Mr Whan
    Mr Yeadon

    Tellers,
    Mr Ashton
    Mr Martin
    Noes, 34
    Mr Aplin
    Mr Barr
    Ms Berejiklian
    Mr Cansdell
    Mr Constance
    Mr Debnam
    Mr Draper
    Mrs Fardell
    Mrs Hancock
    Mr Hazzard
    Ms Hodgkinson
    Mrs Hopwood    		Mr Humpherson
    Mr Kerr
    Mr Merton
    Ms Moore
    Mr Oakeshott
    Mr O'Farrell
    Mr Page
    Mr Piccoli
    Mr Pringle
    Mr Richardson
    Mr Roberts
    Ms Seaton    		Mrs Skinner
    Mr Slack-Smith
    Mr Souris
    Mr Stoner
    Mr Tink
    Mr Torbay
    Mr J. H. Turner
    Mr R. W. Turner

    Tellers,
    Mr George
    Mr Maguire

    Pairs
    Ms Allan
    Mr Price
    		Mr Armstrong
    Mr Hartcher
    Question resolved in the affirmative.


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