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- 9 May 2006
Independent Members of Parliament Parliamentary Strategy
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Page: 22756
The Hon. MELINDA PAVEY [10.24 p.m.]: This week in this building a very important meeting will take place, a meeting that highlights the desperateness of this Government to stay in power at any price, a meeting that shows the duplicity, moral bankruptcy and desperation of a group of people to defy the will of their electorates and to do a deal with an incompetent, lazy Government that by the standards of any unbiased assessment has miserably failed the people of New South Wales. Time is up for this Government: the people of New South Wales and in particular regional New South Wales know this Government's time is up. The people of New South Wales cannot afford 16 years of hard Labor and the constituents of Port Macquarie, Dubbo Tamworth, Northern Tablelands and Pittwater cannot reward their unaligned members who, by their own admission, are contemplating keeping the very same Government in office.
The people of Port Macquarie know that Robert Oakeshott was taken for a ride by the previous Roads Minister, Carl Scully, who promised construction would start on the Oxley Highway and who announced a program to replace timber bridges—both commitments broken after the election. Labor has continued to dodge the redevelopment of the Parkes Hospital in the Dubbo electorate and it has failed to support construction of a new road over the Blue Mountains to help local businesses. The people of Tamworth, Gunnedah and the Northern Tablelands are aware of the damage to the region by the draconian changes to the management of the Brigalow belt to keep the voracious Greens happy in Labor's pursuit of Greens preferences. The people of the region also know that keeping Labor in office will mean local businesses facing stiff competition from their Queensland neighbours who operate under a far more business friendly administration.
An Australian Financial Review editorial highlighted the fact that New South Wales has long since ceased to be the "powerhouse" State. We have been treated to the unedifying spectacle of the spoils of government being divided up by power mongers with nothing but self interest in mind, something we in this Chamber see every day. An Australian Financial Review editorial stated:
The Right—fanning out from ALP headquarters in Sydney's Sussex Street—has dominated Labor politics since the mid-1980s. And in NSW they've called the shots for the past decade. Labelling this a boys' club is generous. To most people it's a mafia: appointing cabinet members, selecting leaders and giving jobs to their own—of which the Olympics was the most sickening example.
All the king making and the metaphorical knee-capping has been done with a smile and a "What, me?" look of innocence, of which Graham Richardson [the current Premier's former boss] was the master.
The Right might think it's innocent, but ultimately the public destroys tyrants. Unless Labor focuses on the economic and infrastructure shortcomings that afflict the beleaguered residents of NSW, it'll be devastated at the next election, and wither like its federal counterpart.
In addition to the Australian Financial Review editorial there was a comment by Mark Bethwaite from Australian Business Limited pointing out that to the north, Queensland is enjoying the benefits of a resources boom. In the last year it has created more than 80,000 full-time jobs with employment growth of 6 per cent. Each week 700 New South Wales residents pack up their belongings and move across the border. It is little wonder that New South Wales employment growth now lags behind every State but Tasmania. I raise these issues because I believe the people of this State, particularly regional New South Wales, have had enough.
Earlier today I referred to majority verdicts in my contribution to the debate on the Jury Amendment (Verdicts) Bill. I said that to see the Independents hunting as a pack but calling themselves Independents would be humorous if not so serious. Following the Pittwater by-election they confirmed that they hold a weekly meeting to caucus and discuss their parliamentary strategy, evidenced by their decision to vote as one in opposing the majority verdict legislation first proposed by the Opposition to bring back some justice to the New South Wales justice system. Last Wednesday in the Legislative Assembly on one side of the Chamber were The Nationals, the Liberals and the Labor Party—despite some disquiet within the left-wing ranks of the ALP in regard to this policy about-face by Premier Iemma—and, on the other, Oakeshott, Draper, Fardell, Torbay, Barr McTaggart and Moore voting as a party to block the legislation.
I have checked the policy web site of the member for Port Macquarie and, interestingly, there is no mention on that web site of Mr Oakeshott's policy decision on this matter. There is some general motherhood, fluffy stuff that everyone would agree with, but no explanation as to how he came to reach his decision on majority verdicts and why he coalesced his Independent colleagues to vote in the same way. As the Hon. Peter Breen pointed out in his defection to the Labor Party, one can only do so much as an individual. When you are on your own it is hard to promote major changes in Parliament. The Hon. Peter Breen's comments highlight the fact that Independents are not part of a team and are therefore unable to exert any real influence on the political process. In other words, they have no clout and are ineffectual. As a result, they are relegated to the role of political commentators who merely watch the issues being debated from the sidelines.
The reality is that The Nationals and the Liberals will win the next State election. We will win the seats to govern in our own right because the people of New South Wales have had enough and know that we cannot afford 16 years of hard Labor. They also see through the attempts of the Independents to do sleazy deals with the Labor Party and punish those who attempt to undermine the future of New South Wales for the sake of their own cheap political careers.
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