State Election 2007

Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro—Parliamentary Secretary) [12.35 p.m.]: I move:

That this House notes the result of the 2007 State election.

As members might realise from the date that notice of this motion was originally given, 9 May 2007, just a few weeks after the election, it was obviously put on the notice paper at a time of great excitement about the result. It was also tempered, of course, by the great challenges we faced. At the time I gave notice of the motion I certainly intended it to be an opportunity to say thank you to the people of Monaro for their terrific support in returning me with an increased majority. I also wanted to report on some of the matters that had contributed to that result. Given that almost a year has passed, this is a great opportunity for me to run through some of the progress that is being made in the Monaro electorate on matters that I had spoken about and which were issues in the election campaign. Some good progress has been made. What I wanted to do, having been elected for a second term, was to build on the delivery of results. That was the reason the electorate re-endorsed me. I put on record at the outset my gratitude for the support those people gave me.

The electorate of Monaro is very diverse, and I very proudly said during my first four years as its member that I was delivering for Monaro. That was the key reason I won the seat for the Labor Party in the first place. The people of Monaro were really sick of having members who blamed other people for not delivering. That was the pattern over a long time. It was always someone else's fault that something was not done. That is why they elected me as member for Monaro and that is what I have proceeded to do. I want to discuss some areas of the electorate and outline how some of the important developments are progressing. I refer first to Queanbeyan, where I live. The Queanbeyan community once again gave me a wonderful endorsement, particularly at my local booth where my majority increased. Queanbeyan hospital was the major commitment I made for Queanbeyan. I am very pleased to say that its construction is really going well. It is currently ahead of schedule for its mid-year opening.

The staff will move into the new hospital mid year and then the old hospital, which is next door, will be demolished. It is growing well on the site, with two storeys and a part underneath already built—I suppose one could call that three storeys. It is making great progress and will be delivered on time, as promised way back in my first election campaign. It is something I am very proud of and the people of the region are very pleased about it as well. The State Government office block, another building that I committed to, is almost complete. That is near the Queanbeyan showground. It is nearing completion despite a few mischievous visits from members of the Opposition who have come down—

Mr John Williams: Like you do. Country Labor is going to visit Deniliquin—

Mr STEVE WHAN: The member for Murray-Darling says that my visits to his area are mischievous—like those of the National Party. They are positive visits to show people the Government cares about them. That is something Country Labor likes to do. The office block is underway, despite some mischievous comment about car parking at the showgrounds. Somehow the National Party managed to justify flying one of its upper House members all the way from Coffs Harbour to Queanbeyan to do a press release and a photo opportunity with a local branch member who used to be a stalwart of One Nation, and then fly that member back home again. I had the great pleasure a couple of weeks ago of visiting with Premier Iemma the nearly completed trades school, which is one of the first in New South Wales. This school is focusing on metalwork and the facilities will be absolutely fantastic. It is a great advance for the Queanbeyan area to get that trades school.

During the last election I told the people of Braidwood that I would continue to work with them to resolve the problems they were having with their town sewerage system. It was not an election promise, but since then I have secured $3.3 million to help them with that project, which I was very pleased about. In the lead-up to the Federal election I was pleased to have the assistance of our new Federal member, Mike Kelly. He managed to get the Federal Labor Government to commit to matching that grant, which was terrific news for people in that area. In Braidwood there was a swing of 2.88 per cent to the Labor Party on a two-party preferred basis, which was pleasing indeed. I thank the people in Braidwood for voting for me.

I understand the reason for the swing against me in Bungendore: people in Bungendore remain frustrated about some of the things that happened in the past. I have worked in that area to try to deliver some of the things to which I committed. At the moment construction of a basketball court and a skate park are underway. Just before the last election the Michelago community had a meeting with me and said, "How come you have not done anything about getting us a water tank for the fire station?" I said, "As you just raised that issue with me now I will take it on board." A week later I delivered funding for that water tank. There was a 7 per cent swing to Labor in the Bredbo area, where new tennis courts have been constructed, which is terrific. I committed to those tennis courts before the last election. As I said, they have now been constructed and they look fantastic.

Jerangle has also seen improvements to its sporting facilities. At the last election I committed to an oncology service in Cooma, which is now up and running. It means that people do not have to drive all the way to Canberra every couple of days to obtain that service. The jail expansion to which I committed, which is open, is employing more people in Cooma. Unfortunately, The Nationals opposed that proposal at the last election, which might be why I won the Cooma booths for the first time. Berridale has seen an increase in its sporting facilities. Just the other day I received a terrific visit from the Minister for Sport. Since the election I officially opened a school in Jindabyne, which is wonderful. This is the first time there has been secondary education at a public school there. At the opening of that central school I was able to announce that it would go through to years 11 and 12.

I also opened facilities at the Gaden Trout Hatchery. When Cabinet came to the region a couple of weeks ago following up on my commitments, the Minister for Health and I went to Bombala and opened a brand new hospital, which is absolutely fantastic. We could not get the smiles off the faces of people in the area. I am disappointed that that hospital, a wonderful facility, was not featured on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald. The doctor said that going to work in the new facility was like having a new job. I have been working on some issues at Bemboka showground—a wonderful community that I have the privilege of representing. At the last State election some key issues relating to Jerrabomberra were raised—issues that have been raised in the last few days, that is, whether or not development should take place.

I backed the community 100 per cent on what it wanted, but The Nationals decided not to do so and I won 56 per cent of the vote in that conservative booth. That is the second time I won that booth and I am the only Labor candidate to have won it. I apologise for my lack of modesty but I hope Mike Kelly will match that at the next election. It was pleasing to get a result such as that after I had gone out of my way to work hard to represent that community, despite the Opposition's incredibly negative and misleading statements. Last night we heard some of those negative comments in the upper House. Opposition members are too cowardly to make comments like that in this Chamber, but last night in the upper House they made some outrageous and unfounded accusations that have already been dealt with.

One ridiculous comment was that my office in Sydney was being used as a base by a lobbyist. That bloke has never been into my office in Sydney in its current location. He might have visited me in the past but he has never made a phone call out of that office. I suppose I should take that as a compliment. If Opposition members believe they have to make up stories to try to diminish what I am doing, I must be doing a good job. The Labor Party had a terrific outcome at the last election. Since then Country Labor in Monaro and around New South Wales has been trying to get out, talk to country communities and show them that Country Labor can deliver for the people of rural New South Wales. Labor has provided additional oncology services, established dialysis extension in a number of places around the State, and introduced ethanol. That was reflected in the Federal election that occurred in 2007.

Labor members were elected in a number of country seats in New South Wales, taking out members of The Nationals and members of the Liberal Party who simply had not done the job. The other day when I happened to be watching Federal Parliament it was interesting to hear Bob Katter giving his interpretation of what had happened. He took each point in turn and asked, "Who is responsible for these losses?" The current Leader of The Nationals is responsible. [Time expired.]

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS (Murray-Darling) [12.45 p.m.] I am amazed at the contribution by the member for Monaro, who did nothing other than congratulate himself on what he has done. I say to any members who are listening to this debate upstairs, "We have a Minister in waiting." Are any Government members listening to this debate? The member for Monaro just promoted himself and he should be given a go. He has to build up his ego because he is paranoid about losing his seat. He is a shaking, trembling mess because he knows that The Nationals are coming to get him. He bags The Nationals at every opportunity because he knows that one day—and that day is not far away—they will take his seat. He said earlier that it was great that Colonel Klink was elected to the Federal seat of Monaro. If there is a change of government at the next election voters might be playing eenie, meenie, miney, mo.

Mr Steve Whan: Point of order: I do not usually object when the member for Murray-Darling is attempting to be funny, but I think that calling Mike Kelly Colonel Klink is not very respectful. Mike Kelly is a distinguished soldier who served in a lot of battle theatres around the world, so a bit of respect might be nice.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Wayne Merton): Order! I do not think the member for Murray-Darling meant any harm in his comment. There was no malice. However, I ask him to refrain from making such comments.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: If there is a change of government at the next Federal election voters in Eden Monaro will be playing eenie, meenie, miney, mo with the ballot paper, as they will not know which way to go. We might have the best member in the world, for example, Gary Nairn, a great member and Minister in the former Federal Government who did a lot for the community. Everyone in Eden-Monaro said what a great guy he was but, come election day, voters thought there was a change of government and they played eenie, meenie, miney, mo and crossed to the other side.

People in the Monaro electorate might do the same if they thought there was a change of government, and the good work that this member has done and his self-promotion will all be forgotten. The member for Monaro knows that we might see a change in his electorate after the next election. After we signed the Kyoto Protocol he came out of hiding from under the bed. He told us in this Chamber about the catastrophes that would occur as a result of environmental changes. He said earlier that a new hospital would be built in Queanbeyan. How many years has it been since that announcement was made?

Mr Steve Whan: Quite a long time.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: The member for Monaro probably used his tape measure to ensure that the door openings were wide enough to get beds through them. Members would be aware that another hospital did not quite match the specifications and all the professionals said how bad it was, but the problems were simply passed off as teething problems. The member for Bathurst has had problems with the hospital and power stations in his electorate. At the moment he is like a one-legged frog in a snake pit.

Mr Steve Whan: We built 50.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: Government members can thank the Coalition for those 50 hospitals. Is the member for Monaro aware of hospital lead times? This Government constantly reminds Opposition members how long the planning stage takes, so we will take the blame for that. The Queanbeyan hospital proposal was thought of before the member for Monaro was elected. He is riding on the back of a Coalition government's decision to replace that hospital. The member for Monaro should ensure that everyone is able to fit through the doors of the emergency department and that it is big enough to accommodate patients.

Mr Steve Whan: They will have trouble fitting you in.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: At Bathurst patients have to be able to walk into the hospital. What a good way to run a hospital! Patients have to walk into the hospital rather than being wheeled into the hospital on a trolley. The Minister for Health does not seem to want to know about the long-term bed blocks that are occurring in our hospitals. I hope we see some development out in the new area because we might just start telling those new householders why their homes are under the flight path for Canberra airport, why they have to listen to jets flying overhead all day, and why their washing is covered in kerosene. They will love it when they are reminded by us that the member for Monaro copped himself a large highland sling to make sure that went ahead and that he is basically responsible for the selection of that area.

There were enough people saying it was not a good idea, and we will be testing that at the next election. There will be a bell ringing. Houses have not been built there yet but one day people will build houses there and they will find out that the area is not as good as the member for Monaro promised. He had his arm around the property developer saying, "Guess what I have got for you. It's coming. It's under the flight path, but don't worry about that, you'll really enjoy this. It's a great place to live. You want cheap housing? Well, you have it. The only thing is that the family will be up early in the morning." I believe the first flight out of the airport is about 5.30 a.m.

Mr Steve Whan: Gary Nairn supported it. Remember that great member you were talking about before?

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: Gary Nairn has gone. You are in the seat now. You have to wear this on the chin. So that will be good for you.

Mr Steve Whan: He supported it. You just told us he was a great member.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: According to the people in Eden-Monaro he was a great member, but now he is out the door. I would hate to suffer that uneasiness. The member for Monaro could go a long way; he has a great future in this place. He could be a Minister sitting in his high-back lazyboy recliner, enjoying his warm milk and yo-yo biscuits, with six urgers running around at his beck and call. How absolutely lovely! He has plenty of opportunity to achieve that through the way he promotes himself. He has worked hard to increase his votes. He has done a good job but, unfortunately, history shows that a seat like Monaro is held only temporarily.

As a new member in this House I am amazed at what happens in rock-solid Labor electorates. The incumbent accepts the job, but does not have to do a lot—does not even have to live in the electorate. They can live outside the electorate and enjoy the coast. Some western suburbs are not so good to reside in and people like the smell of a nice sea breeze when they awake in the morning. Two members of Parliament could live in the one electorate—an arrangement that really shows constituents that their members are right behind their electorates!

Mr Steve Whan: Your candidate in my electorate did not live there either.

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: Well, so what?

Mr Steve Whan: So what, exactly!

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: The member for Monaro does not have to live in the Monaro electorate because members representing temporary electorates—swinging and changing seats—should not make long-term plans, as he well knows. The member for Monaro is fortunate as he will be able to enjoy a nice pension, a bit of walkabout money. He can sit at the post office corner at the shopping centre on Saturday and tell people what a great member he was: "Remember what I did for you?" It will all be forgotten; he will just slide out the door and a great career will be down the drain.

The sad fact of politics is that it tears you up when you are in the prime of your life. Just when the member for Monaro thinks he is going to make it, with his eyes set on being Premier of New South Wales, something awful happens, an election is held and out he goes. I am sure the member for Monaro has put on that special suit, looked at himself in the mirror and thought, "This is it, I can make it." It was a good result in Monaro and I say well done to the elected member, but at the next election there might be a change of government—maybe it will happen, maybe we will get the numbers. Then the Monaro electorate will be back in the hands of the party that can truly represent country people—The Nationals.

Mr David Harris: How many are left?

Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: There are enough of us. There are 18 in this Parliament and the numbers are growing. A grey cloud is hanging over Bathurst, where things are looking a bit dodgy for the Government. We only have to ring the bell on the hospital to find out how pleased the locals are about it, so that is another seat that might slide our way. A couple of other seats are on the brink and might come our way at the next election. We might see 22 members of The Nationals in this place. It will be sad to look across the House and not see the member for Monaro. He knows that if he gets back in he will be sitting with the Opposition. Unfortunately, a great career will have gone down the drain. Even though he will have fought hard, he will have to accept the will of the electorate.

Mr FRANK TERENZINI (Maitland) [12.55 p.m.]: I commend my colleague the member for Monaro for moving this timely and relevant motion. It is a good motion because everybody in this House should take note of the result of the last State election—especially the Opposition, which continues to oppose everything. I contested the election against a popularly elected mayor, a former member of this House and known to everyone in Maitland. It was a great achievement to defeat him at the election because I put my name with the Australian Labor Party and the Government, which had a strategic plan—the State Plan. This plan has a vision for New South Wales with a clearly announced set of objectives so every member of the community can monitor and watch the Government's progress.

The Government's vision is in stark contrast to that of the Opposition. The Coalition continues to oppose everything and pull political stunts. I recall one in this very House in the days leading up to the election that put Opposition members on the rope and revealed them as members of a party that only pulled political stunts. A political party promoting itself as an alternative government will not gain office unless it puts together a strategy and vision to form government. Political parties will not be elected to office by continually opposing government proposals for the State. That is what happened at the 2007 State election.

It is easy to imagine the discussion when the Opposition met to form its election tactics: "What are we going to oppose today?" Its members would be looking through the papers for a story to oppose. The Opposition has no creativity and no plan. It cannot say to this House, "This is our policy." One can imagine a new Opposition member sitting at the back putting up his hand and asking, "What is our policy on this?" The reply would be, "Don't worry about that son. We don't worry about those things. We just oppose. That's what we do." That is all the Opposition does daily in this place.

Debates in this place in recent days have clearly demonstrated that the Opposition continues to degrade and oppose other members of Parliament without coming up with an alternative plan. While Opposition members continue to put down the public servants of this State—police, nurses and others—they will remain in opposition. If they do not present an alternative plan, they will remain on that the opposite side of the House. This motion is a timely reminder to us all. The Leader of the Opposition today compared running a government to driving a car. All I can say is that the Opposition is in a very slow car on the wrong side of the road, going nowhere.

Mr David Harris: And missing a few tyres.

Mr FRANK TERENZINI: Yes, it is missing a few tyres and something is wrong with its electrical system. The Opposition is going nowhere; the Government is getting on with the job. It has its strategies in place with record spending on mental health and on business regulation reform. My electorate has a new emergency department at Maitland hospital, a new third river crossing and record spending on sports grants—things are happening. The Government has a plan for New South Wales; the Opposition does not.

Mr KEVIN HUMPHRIES (Barwon) [12.59 p.m.]: I join in debating the motion to discuss the New South Wales 2007 State election result. I appreciate the comments made by my colleague the member for Murray-Darling. It is great to have two new members on our side who collectively represent 61 per cent of the State. It is recognised throughout western New South Wales that geographically the member for Murray-Darling and I punch way above our weight. Barwon does not have a city or a base hospital. While Murray-Darling may be greater in area, Barwon has a widely dispersed population. It is a pleasure to work with the member for Murray-Darling. His gaining of the seat has been a positive result of the 2007 State election. We are now able to work together on issues that have been ignored for far too long. Representation of the people of western New South Wales is now coming to the fore, and I am sure that Government members recognise that.

The comments made by Government members in this debate were quite interesting. I point out to Government members that the election was not about them or me, but about the people of New South Wales and the electorates we represent. Members opposite do not seem to appreciate that representing an electorate is a privilege. I suspect that if an election were held this week the tables would be turned. It will become clearer in the next couple of years that the people of New South Wales will not wear wall-to-wall Labor governments in this country, let alone the Labor Government in this State.

The current New South Wales Labor Government can no longer blame the Federal Government for programs and systems that do not work. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, visited Walgett last week. Yesterday in Parliament the Minister referred to Federal housing and indigenous issues. She said that State governments must take off their blinkers, start working harder, start making some hard decisions, come to grips with grassroots policy matters, and put in place strategies that actually work. She also said that the Federal Government is considering a new form of federalism whereby the States will no longer be able to blame the Federal Government.

I congratulate the Prime Minister on his apology and on some of the bipartisan strategies that he has offered, the like of which are yet to be seen from the New South Wales Government in respect of housing and indigenous housing. The Prime Minister foreshadowed a new era in federalism. I suspect that the Federal Labor Government will bypass the States and deal with people directly. The Federal Government, by the manner in which it is operating already in respect of climate change, rail, road, water, electricity, housing, tourism, community services, health, policing, education and infrastructure, has hinted that it will bypass the New South Wales State Labor Government and deal with issues directly. In my electorate significant events indicate the Federal Government's intention. For example, the Federal Government is bypassing the State Labor Government in respect of climate change because New South Wales has had a revolving door series of Ministers and bureaucrats who have achieved nothing of substance, as alluded to recently by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett.

I predict that we will notice the Federal Labor Government bypassing the result of the 2007 Clayton's State election. While the Opposition's role for the next three years is to keep the New South Wales State Government honest, if Government members allow us to work with them they will be in for an interesting ride. If they choose otherwise, they will become redundant on a number of big issues that they have failed to address, not the least of which is the privatisation of rail signed off by the Government six years ago. Everything in this State that does not work is for sale, including some Ministers. It is a disgrace.

The Government cannot get off the front page of the newspapers. When people vote in 2011 they will remember all the things for which the New South Wales Labor Government is responsible. In conclusion, I congratulate the new member for Murray-Darling on his election. I enjoy being a member of this House, and I will continue to represent the seat of Barwon to the best of my ability. The 2007 State election should be viewed as redundant, like the State Government.

Mr ALAN ASHTON (East Hills) [1.04 p.m.]: I ask the House to note the results of the 2007, 2003, 1999 and 1995 State elections—they were all perfectly excellent! The 2007 State election results for my electorate of East Hills show that I was returned with 53.6 per cent of the primary vote and 64.1 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis. I mention that because there was a swing against me of 1.6 per cent of primary votes, but the redistribution for the 2007 election accounts for that minor aberration. I am still trying to find out the names of those people who did the wrong thing!

Mr David Harris: What, the two of them?

Mr ALAN ASHTON: It would not be many, for a swing of 1.6 per cent. Since the election my electorate has gained a great deal of infrastructure. I will highlight several projects to illustrate the importance of election results and what is gained from properly representing an electorate, as the member for Monaro can confirm. The Revesby turnback facility is a project worth $98 million, and it will become fully operational this year. The lifts are already working. My electorate office is in Revesby and frequently I take a look at how the project is progressing. I also catch trains into the city, and when I caught a train to the city last Monday it was exactly on time. My electorate is served by excellent trains.

Quadruplication of the rail tracks from Kingsgrove to Revesby has commenced and construction is well underway. The project is worth $400 million and for people who live in the outer suburbs and those who live in my electorate it will make catching a train to Sydney much easier. At the same time it will take pressure off some western suburbs roads that are congested with traffic. Within the next few weeks construction of the Alfords Point Bridge will be completed. This will provide a second crossing of the Georges River—great news for the people of the Sutherland shire, for the member for Menai, Alison Megarrity, and for me. The bridge will reduce travelling times for those from the Sutherland shire who traverse my electorate to access the M5 and major roads at Bankstown. Construction of the original Alfords Point Bridge was commenced in the late 1960s and completed in the 1970s when Sir Robert Askin was in government, and there was some skulduggery associated with that.

Mr Steve Whan: They built something?

Mr ALAN ASHTON: They did, but they only half built it.

Mr Steve Whan: They had to hold the bag?

Mr ALAN ASHTON: There were some allegations at the time, but we will not go into those in the present climate. Suffice it to say there were allegations about what happened in relation to some of the money and some of Sir Robert's friends. The main point I want to focus on is that the State Labor Government is getting on with the job. That massive capital expenditure project will soon be completed and everybody will be happy—especially, as I have already noted, the people who live in my electorate, because traffic will move more quickly, as well as people who live in Sutherland who will benefit from quicker access to the major thoroughfares of Sydney.

The East Hills Girls Technology High School, which I opened in November last year, will receive $100,000 worth of technology rooms. Funds for that excellent school are greatly appreciated. All schools want improved facilities, and I am busy working on trying to obtain additional funding for security fences. As schools in my electorate have been very successful in obtaining security fences it is only natural that all the other schools that do not yet have security fences also want them. Another project in the East Hills electorate involves the horticultural facilities of the Padstow TAFE, for which $500,000 has been allocated. In November last year I had the privilege of jointly opening that facility. Just this month my electorate received almost $50,000 for sporting facility upgrades for the clubhouse at Sydney Smith Park for the East Hills Bulldogs, additional funds for the Canterbury Bankstown Tennis Association and funds to upgrade facilities at Playford Park. All those projects are the result of consultation and commitment by the Bankstown City Council, but it should be noted that much of the council's finances comes from State grants.

Earlier in the debate health care was mentioned. Let us not forget that a new health agreement will be completed soon. As a result of the 2007 State election we are in a position to do the best we can with declining revenue disbursements. An interesting feature of meetings between the Federal and State health Ministers will be statistics showing the decline in funds by the Federal Government over the last few years. Federal funding has declined to as low as 41 per cent—a decrease from the Federal Government's commitment to provide 45 per cent of funding to maintain the public hospitals system. While members opposite may wish to discuss the Opposition's prospects of winning a couple of seats in the 2011 election and moving a little closer to gaining government, let us not forget that the Opposition's Federal colleagues have not helped them very much. Labor members will be happy to remind the public of that.

I thank the electors of East Hills for again supporting me and returning me for a third term as their parliamentary representative. Although I am not being critical of the new member for Murray-Darling, I was sad to see the previous member for Murray-Darling lose his seat, largely, it must be acknowledged, as a result of the redistribution rather than because of anything to do with his personality or the work he did. It was all about changes in the electorate.

Mr John Williams: Point of order: The member for East Hills is misleading the House. The redistribution made a difference of about 1 per cent, but the result shows that the swing was a little more than 1 per cent. I do not think that the redistribution is the only reason for Labor's loss of the seat.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Wayne Merton): Order! There is no point of order.

Mr STEVE WHAN (Monaro—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.09 p.m.], in reply: I thank the members who participated in the debate. If the member for Murray-Darling wants to refer to his result, that is fine. I thank him for all his glowing endorsements of me in my capacity. Whether I will become a Minister is a question for my colleagues. On several occasions the member for Murray-Darling pointed out that Monaro is a marginal seat. I keep pointing that out to head office and to the Premier's office. The key reason for being able to deliver in those places is the fact that I never take a vote for granted; and neither does any other member on this side of the House. We should never take voters for granted; it is important to keep serving them, and that is what I do. And I absolutely respect the right of voters to change their mind.

The member for Murray-Darling talked about the uncertainty of elections. That is true. Going into an election, a candidate does not know whether they will be elected. If I am not re-elected at the next election I would be satisfied with the things I have delivered. But obviously I would like the opportunity to deliver much more. I do not think the people of Monaro want to go back to the 15 years of representation by The Nationals, when all they ever heard was, "We need something done here, but it is not our fault it is not done. It is somebody else's fault it is not done." Indeed, the Coalition Government was in office for the seven years that the electorate of Monaro was represented by The Nationals. What did The Nationals deliver? They closed the Cooma railway line, and they delivered fewer services.

The member for Murray-Darling said that The Nationals deserve credit for providing hospitals. I will tell members what happened to hospitals in our area. When the Liberals and Nationals were in government not one new hospital was built. Cooma Hospital was built by the Wran Government. This Government is building new hospitals in Queanbeyan and Bombala, and it will build a new hospital in Bega, which services people in the Monaro electorate. So Labor Governments are delivering on those things. The member for Maitland pointed out that the Opposition has no policy. That is absolutely right. As people said during the election campaign, the Opposition had no policies, and it still has no policies.

The member for Barwon thinks that Labor members will be in trouble at the next election because people will not like wall-to-wall Labor governments. That seems to sum up the Opposition's strategy for the next four years: do nothing except criticise and hope that at the next election they will be rolled into office because people will be sick of Labor governments. It is not very charitable but I have to say that it is a little like the Kim Beazley strategy, the small target strategy that people did not like. I did not have a problem with my opponent during the election campaign; he is a nice bloke. However, I had a problem with the way The Nationals dodged providing policy and providing what the community wanted. The member for Murray-Darling mentioned the Tralee development again. On that matter I have gone with what the community wants: I have represented the local community. Most importantly, I have held the same position since well before the developer acquired the land.

I told Canberra airport in 2000 that I supported residential development on that land. The developer did not buy the land until some time later. Once again The Nationals cannot cope with putting forward positive policy. Sometimes I wonder about The Nationals' campaign in the Monaro electorate. The campaign manager, who was a member of the New South Wales upper House, spent weeks in the Monaro electorate. She flew from Coffs Harbour to Monaro and back—it is the same person I mentioned earlier. Who paid for that? Did the taxpayers pay for that? Former member of The Nationals, Bob Katter, in referring to the Federal result, said:

No responsibility has been taken by this ex Minister—

He was talking about the current leader of the Federal Nationals. The ex-Minister should take responsibility for losing four of his party's seats and one Liberal Party seat at the last election: Page, Flynn, Dawson and the Liberal seat of Leichhardt. Katter went through a range of policy issues on which The Nationals failed to stand up for country New South Wales. I have pointed that out in this place over the past four or five years. He gave one example that I agree with—ethanol. He talked about what Brazil is doing with ethanol. Whose fault is it that we are behind Brazil? It is the fault of the then Minister for Transport and Regional Services—he is the current Federal Leader of The Nationals—because he did not react to it. All we get from The Nationals in New South Wales is negative, negative, negative! [Time expired.]

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.