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- 7 March 2006
Inaugural Speeches
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Mr ALEX McTAGGART (Pittwater) [7.30 p.m.] (Inaugural speech): I stand before you today as the very humble member for Pittwater. The electorate of Pittwater, situated on the Warringah peninsula, contains 62,780 residents, is approximately 150 square kilometres and has one-third of Sydney's magnificent beaches, stretching from Palm Beach in the north to Narrabeen in the south. Within this stretch there are 11 surf clubs, manned in the main by Pittwater volunteers, protecting metropolitan, regional and international visitors from the dangers of the surf.
In addition, Pittwater has within its boundaries Narrabeen Lagoon and the waterway of Pittwater, an open body of water, navigable and as large as Sydney Harbour east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Narrabeen Lagoon, technically called an icol, an intermittently closed or open lagoon or lake, is the largest coastal lagoon in the metropolitan area, with an area of 2 square kilometres, a catchment of 55 square kilometres and containing sensitive seagrass beds. It is a very important ecological and environmentally sensitive waterway and is much loved and protected by the Pittwater community. Within Pittwater is the environmentally sensitive salt marsh and mangrove wetland of Careel Bay, destination of many Northern Hemisphere species of migratory birds. Our waterways and beaches are there to be enjoyed by all people from New South Wales and all we ask is that you leave behind nothing except your footprints in the sand.
Pittwater has an homogenous population and was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald of December 2005 as being one of the most racially tolerant electorates in New South Wales. In 1992 Pittwater Council separated from Warringah, the first new council in 100 years. The reasons for Pittwater seceding from Warringah were very simple: The community rejected the arrogant misuse of power; they were sick of being ignored; and they were sick of not getting their fair share of resources. Sound familiar? Pittwater voted Independent on 26 November 2005 for exactly the same reasons—ignored by the Government, which thought it would never win the seat, and ignored by the Liberals, who thought they could never lose the seat.
I would like to quote from a March 1993 State election pamphlet published by former Pittwater Mayor the late Eric Green, a leader in the council secession movement, who was standing as an Independent. He stood because, "The Libs take us for granted and do nothing. Labor can't win so they do nothing. The Result: 'Nothing for Pittwater'." One of the main issues on which Eric Green campaigned was health. He said he would work hard "to obtain necessary staff and medical resources to enable Mona Vale Hospital to function at its full capacity". As Pittwater's representative in Parliament he said he would work to persuade the Government to scrap its plans "to sell off Collaroy and eight other psychiatric hospitals". His campaign failed, so for the next 12 years, what happened when the Liberals were again returned to power? Nothing. We are still campaigning for Mona Vale Hospital to be brought up to scratch, and Collaroy has been closed for years, despite the appalling state of mental health care in this State.
Another of Eric Green's objectives was to fight for an ambulance station at Avalon. Well, we got one but it did not last long. It has already been sold. So in the 12 year interim between the time that Eric Green stood for election and my candidature, what has happened in Pittwater? Absolutely nothing. I campaigned, and won, on exactly the same basis as Eric Green campaigned unsuccessfully in 1993. Why I won and he lost, I do not know. Maybe it is simply because, finally, the people have woken up. They have woken up to the fact that they have been taken for granted and ignored since 1972, so they have chosen an Independent from the local area—an Independent who has lived in the area all his life; an Independent who knows its concerns and, as mayor and councillor, has been actively involved in the community for seven years; and an Independent determined to fight for its needs. I owe no allegiance to any party and I am beholden to no-one except the Pittwater community which has bestowed on me the incredible honour of representing it in this Chamber.
I am the sixth representative for Pittwater. Formerly part of the seat of Collaroy, the seat was first held by Sir Robert Askin, Premier of New South Wales, until February 1975. And, lastly, it was held by the former Leader of the Opposition, John Brogden. It is interesting to note that since 1975 the last four members have resigned part-way through their terms. The Liberals have been representing the seat of Pittwater since 1972. I have been in this Chamber for only four days. But on my second day, after years of neglect, the Opposition discovered Pittwater and lodged motions for two bills, one on Careel Bay and one on Mona Vale Hospital. The Careel Bay bill, while welcome, does not go far enough. An Act to protect the bay against inappropriate redevelopment of the existing marina ignores the rest of the bay and does not protect the environmentally sensitive mangroves, seagrass beds and salt marshes. The bill also calls on Pittwater Council to be the consent authority for the redevelopment of the marina. And I should point out that this is a vote of confidence, from the Liberals, in the council of which I happen to be mayor.
The Liberal Party, through the shadow Minister for Health, has also given notice to introduce a bill to ensure that the Mona Vale Hospital land remains in public ownership. What a blatant and belated political effort to score a point! Will the bill protect the site from overdevelopment by private health operators? Will the bill prevent the development of buildings on the beachfront? Will the bill protect the golf course encroachments? The community has always regarded this land as community land. They have always, rightly, had a sense of ownership and I will always fight for it to stay in public ownership. Ideally, the land should be used for an upgraded Mona Vale Hospital serving the northern beaches. But we can see what is happening here. The Opposition has just discovered Pittwater. And this is where I come in. Why am I here? Why an Independent after 30 years of safe Liberal representation? The answer is simple. Mona Vale Hospital is the reason for my being here.
Let us look at the history. In October 1999 Dr Stephen Christley, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Sydney Area Health, came to Pittwater Council to outline his new plan to close Mona Vale and Manly hospitals and build a new hospital at Frenchs Forest. When I challenged his statistics on travel times and said, "Our community is well educated, articulate and will challenge this information", he responded, "Then they can afford private health cover". From that time, I opposed his position and, with the help of some friends, I set up the Save Mona Vale Hospital Action Group to validate all information provided by Northern Sydney Area Health: rallies of 6,000, 3,500, 1,500, strategy papers, forums, document reviews, newsletters, postcard campaigns, letter-writing campaigns, public meetings; three Ministers for Health, six years of commitment and six years of being slowly beaten down by area health.
Almost every Tuesday evening for six years, births, deaths, divorces, it has been a family, a band of brothers and sisters. And it has all come down to the next few weeks when Cabinet makes its decision. Mona Vale versus Warriewood versus Frenchs Forest. The community wants and demands Mona Vale as the level 5 hospital for the northern beaches. If that site is not acceptable to the Labor Government, then the community will reluctantly push for Warriewood as our last chance to keep a level 5 hospital in Pittwater. I would now like to turn my attention to the election campaign. This was an election campaign unlike any ever seen in Pittwater. Usually a blue ribbon seat, the Liberals have always been returned without much effort, and the voters have not been exposed to the antics of marginal seats and the politics of desperation. The community was affronted by the nine glossy mail-outs, the barrage of phone surveys and the endless newspaper articles on every issue known to man, promoted by the Liberal campaign team.
The community was disgusted with the Liberals standing on median strips shaking placards during peak-hour traffic and the erection of posters that flooded the polling booths. During November the Liberals brought in the big guns. Heavyweight Bill Heffernan arrived from the bush on Avalon market day. He tried to muscle in on our stall. Most people thought he was a walking advertisement for Country Road clothing. But, nevertheless, at the end of the day, we had a robust discussion and a couple of beers, which he paid for. Then we had the middleweight Mrs Bishop, who still has not accepted the results, followed by Mr Peter Debnam, who, it is alleged, got lost at Manly on his way from Vaucluse. Unfortunately, the Liberals did not address the issues of concern to constituents. Indeed, they held a phone survey to identify the issues. They had to ask the electorate what was important! So, after 30 years of conservative representation, they had lost their way.
So on the nose was the Liberal Party at the local level that it could not adequately man the polling booths. It had to bus people in. Make no mistake: this was a by-election where we faced the full strength of the Liberal Party. It was not a general election with resources spread over the State but a single, focused campaign against a bunch of community people—unprecedented glossy mail-outs, full-page advertisements in the local paper, a compliant press, and bussed-in campaign workers from the Southern Highlands and Emu Plains. So on the nose were the Liberals that not one candidate—Independent, Green, Christian Democrat or Australian Democrat—gave their preferences to the Liberals. The result was a resounding rejection of complacency. From 60 per cent to 34 per cent of the vote, there was a margin of 26 per cent against the Liberals in the third safest Liberal seat in the State. Some say it is the biggest swing in Australian political history. Indeed, it was a wake-up call to both major parties.
There were some funny moments during the election campaign. The former Minister for Roads and I had a meet and greet on Mona Vale Road to discuss Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA] infrastructure issues in Pittwater. We met on the side of the road with plans stretched out over the bonnet of the car. The cameras started to roll and Paul Mullins started an interview while I was pointing to the plans. The Minister reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a press statement bagging the Liberals over a proposed Spit Bridge tunnel. He said to me, "Just read this out for me." There was a lull while the reporter waited for me to utter the words. Needless to say, I refused.
Without wishing to disparage my electoral opponent, I think the photo of Mr. Nicolaou on a horse and being led by the honourable member for Wakehurst summed up a candidate doing anything possible to connect to a section of the electorate. I sympathise, because I do not like horses either. The closing credits on the ABC Stateline program showing Mr. Nicolaou sinking below the waves was almost Shakespearean in its tragedy, and the doctored photo of my head on a young surfer's body, which was picked up and published by the Daily Telegraph, showed the humour in the election media process. Finally, in response to the Liberals standing at intersections and shaking posters of the candidate, who could forget the clowns labelled as "Liberals" and being given an enema over their hospital position?
I take this opportunity to put on the public record some of the issues that face our community. Over the past two weeks I have heard much ado about nothing, other than cost shifting from Federal to State. It happens in local communities, too—cost shifting from State to local government. Take the example of the provision of patrols on our beaches. Subsidies to surf clubs and the provision of paid lifeguards during the swimming season costs $1.2 million, or one twenty-fifth of council's rate revenue. The beaches are available for all the people of New South Wales, but the people of Pittwater subsidise their activities. Further, 25 percent of Pittwater is Ku-ring-gai National Park, which again is available to all the people of New South Wales. Yet Pittwater residents pay a $300,000 Rural Fire Service levy, although the fires come to Pittwater mostly through the national park.
Some 1,600 moorings are licensed from waterways, with fees of $3 million going to government and insignificant grants coming back. So the Pittwater community funds 28 wharves and other public infrastructure for the boating public of New South Wales. Reduced policing means an increase in lighting, private security, graffiti removal and cleaning, the cost of which is again met by the community. There are disgraceful attempts to transfer RTA-controlled roads in Pittwater from regional to local, and to shift the cost of maintenance to the local community.
Rate capping is an issue that needs to be highlighted. Whilst I would agree that rate capping prevents councils from overspending, our rates are capped at 3.5 per cent, costs are going up by 8 per cent plus and the Government has reduced the amount of grants available, which further squeezes a council's ability to deliver services. The Government's recent relaxation under which councils are allowed to raise special levies is nothing more than an attempt to deflect resident criticism from the State Government to the local council. Then there is the threat of the Department of Planning taking away council's planning powers and the uncertainty of the Metropolitan Housing Strategy, leaving the community unsure of the future level of development in Pittwater. The guiding development criterion of Pittwater residents is houses nestling among the trees or, more explicitly, the built form should not dominate. Herein lie the issues for our community.
We want to write the local environment plan [LEP] and the development control plan and we do not want the State Government to dictate to us what sort of development should take place. We do not believe that making all of Sydney the same with template LEPs is good for a community or for a living city. One of the main issues for the separation of Pittwater from Warringah was the high-rise Delmage building in Mona Vale. The new council immediately implemented height limits of 8.5 metres for residential development and 11 metres for commercial development, which are now broken only under the most extenuating circumstances. [Extension of time agreed to.]
The advent of State environmental planning policy No. 5, now Seniors Living, has caused considerable anxiety, frustration and anger within our community. It is seen as de facto overdevelopment of a standard residential block and nothing more than a way for developers to circumvent council's rules and regulations. Such is the desire of Pittwater residents to protect the environment that for the past five years they have been paying a 5 per cent environmental levy to purchase the Warriewood Escarpment, a wide green backdrop between Elanora and Bayview.
I shall now address the issues facing Scotland Island and the western foreshores, which are our offshore communities. It is these people who are most disadvantaged by the lack of services. There are a number of issues relevant to offshore communities which should immediately be addressed by this Parliament. Scotland Island needs town water and town sewerage. There should be an immediate promise by Sydney Water to provide these basic services. Also, it is ridiculous that Scotland Island residents cannot get the rainwater tank rebate because they are not connected to town water, yet during times of drought they must buy their water from the mainland half a kilometre away and from a Sydney Water tap. It is nonsense.
Then there is the stupidity of the Crown Lands Act, which prohibits car parking on a Crown reserve other than for the purposes of recreating in that reserve. The Department of Lands has indicated that car parking must be removed from Church Point Reserve by August 2007. There are 350 car spaces there, used by the offshore communities, and we have had no indication of where they are supposed to go or why they should go. Another issue for the offshore communities is the jetty tax, or rather the tax on Crown Land leases which applies to waterfront properties with wharves that are accessible only by water. These people need to have a reasonable acknowledgment that part of their lease should be exempt from the tax, or at least taxed at a lower rate, to acknowledge that they are water access only.
Whilst on the matter of leases, approximately 700 mainland waterfront properties in Pittwater have permissive occupancy leases or licences. Recently, an Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal [IPART] recommendation was handed down which determined that market rent leaseholders should have reasonable rights and assurances. To date, the IPART recommendations have not been implemented by the Government. This is an issue for a significant number of my constituents, and I call on the Government to adopt the IPART recommendations.
It is interesting to note how things sneak up on you. Take for example the new high-speed ferry from Gosford-Ettalong to Palm Beach. The Department of Transport issued a licence, but has not provided any infrastructure for the ferry service. Pittwater residents fund the wharf. Again, here is a Crown land reserve used as a car park for Gosford people clearly in contravention of the Crown Lands Act. And while we acknowledge the contribution of Central Coast residents to our economy and the approximately 80 students who attend Barrenjoey High School, this ferry service places more strain on our scant resources.
I take this opportunity also to highlight the lack of investment in road infrastructure by the State in recent years. The electorate of Pittwater is served by five arterial roads: The Wakehurst Parkway, Barrenjoey Road, Pittwater Road, McCarrs Creek Road and Mona Vale Road. These roads are in a disgraceful condition and require immediate repairs and upgrading, including replacement of bridges, widening of carriageways and safer pedestrian access. Of most concern is Mona Vale Road, the most talked about neglected piece of metropolitan roadway in New South Wales and, regrettably, the scene of many fatalities. The state of our roads is a classic indication of 30 years of neglect. I give notice that I will not relent in pressuring the Government to carry out these essential works. In summary, it is fair to say that the Pittwater electorate, from the light at Barrenjoey to the lagoon at Narrabeen, has not had its fair share of the State's resources.
I now publicly acknowledge the many volunteer organizations in Pittwater. I mentioned previously that we had 11 surf clubs. Whilst council supports these clubs financially, the clubs themselves struggle for funds to maintain a high level of training and at the same time provide facilities for their members. Why should club members have to stand on street corners on Saturday mornings with begging tins when they provide a service not just for the local community but for the people of New South Wales? It is high time the Government acknowledged the debt that society generally owes to our volunteers, and I give notice that, together with the other Independents, I am working on a bill to provide surety for our lifesavers.
Pittwater has 11 volunteer rural fire brigades: Coal and Candle, Coasters Retreat, Cottage Point, Duffys Forest, Ingleside, Mackerel Beach, Scotland Island, Terrey Hills, Tumbledown Dick, Warringah Headquarters and West Pittwater. They are all on the fringe facing the national park. Indeed, last December members of the Warringah and Pittwater brigades worked on Central Coast fires. These hardworking volunteers are the backbone of our community. On behalf of the people of Pittwater, I thank them for their dedication, service and commitment.
In conclusion, I acknowledge the kind and gracious welcome given to me by the Speaker of the House, Mr John Aquilina, by the Clerk of the House, Mr Russell Grove, and by members of their staff. From the moment I was elected, my staff and I have been given every assistance in all our requirements. I acknowledge the support and warm welcome I have received from the Independents—the honourable members representing the electorates of Northern Tablelands, Tamworth, Bligh, Manly, Dubbo and Port Macquarie. I thank the people who have supported me and helped me to arrive at this position of responsibility. I thank my family, who have shown good humour and strength during an extremely hectic time, including my wife of 35 years, Denise, my daughters, Alexandra, Emma and Lucy, my grandson, Tarna, and my son-in-law, Guy Wright.
My group of loyal supporters and friends_especially Dr Ken Hughes, Harvey Rose, Shane Withington, Mrs Shirley Phelps, Mrs Karen Johns, Mrs Eunice Raymond, Mr Peter Jones, Mr Jim Rivett, and Mr and Mrs Owers_constituted my election team. I acknowledge the support of the various community and sporting groups that offered me guidance and good wishes. I thank the Greens, the Christian Democrats and the Australian Democrats, who directed their preferences to me. Although I won on primary votes, their preferences sent a clear message of dissatisfaction to the major parties. I am honoured to be the representative of the people of Pittwater. As an Independent, I will vote on the merits of each issue, not on an ideological basis. I do not represent a party; I represent the people of Pittwater. I will do my utmost to deliver the best possible outcomes for Pittwater.
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