LOCAL GOVERNMENT GRANTS COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
The Hon. ANN SYMONDS: Will the Attorney General, representing the Minister for Local Government, advise the House of the new appointments made to the Local Government Grants Commission?
The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I am pleased with the appointments to the Local Government Grants Commission announced by my colleague the Minister for Local Government. As members of this
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House will know, the commission is charged with the responsibility for making recommendations on the allocation of over $390 million in Commonwealth grants to New South Wales.
The Hon. D. J. Gay: Jobs for the girls!
The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I hear interjections that seem impliedly critical of the fact that two women have been appointed to these positions. That objection by the Opposition is extraordinary. Two senior women from local government in New South Wales have been appointed, and they are estimable appointments. Councillor Barbara Armitage, the Mayor of Waverley, has been appointed as chair of the grants commission. She is the longest serving female mayor in New South Wales, having been mayor of Waverley for the past 10 years. She is also a serving member of the Premier’s Crime Prevention Council and an accredited mediator with the Community Justice Centre, a formidable candidate on any analysis. Also appointed as a member of the commission was Pat Dixon, Deputy Mayor of Armidale, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Armidale District Service Incorporated. She has also held a wide range of positions, representing the Aboriginal community, with a number of State and local government bodies. She is also a member of the Minister’s local government reform task force.
In addition to those appointments Emeritus Professor Maurice Daly has been reappointed as a member of the commission. This morning on radio the Hon. D. J. Gay characterised these appointments as jobs for the Labor lasses. I suppose he was using a quaint Scottish term - and I do not object to that - but there seems to be an implied criticism of the fact that two women have been appointed. Those two women are senior respected members of the local government community in New South Wales. They bring skills to the commission that will benefit every council in the State. One wonders whether the same acerbic criticism would have been made if two men had been appointed.
Reverend the Hon. F. J. Nile: Two lads!
The Hon. J. W. SHAW: Two lads. The fact is that these appointments assist to address gender imbalance in significant statutory appointments in this State. I had always thought of the Hon. D. J. Gay as a new-age Nat. I think he has applied that term to himself, and for that reason I find it all the more surprising and enigmatic that he has articulated these criticisms, which undermine the standing of the Opposition in the local government community. I am absolutely confident that in the local government community, irrespective of party politics, these appointments will be applauded, respected and regarded as appropriate.