The two Houses met in the Legislative Assembly Chamber at 3.30 p.m. to hear an address by Her Excellency Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland.

Her Excellency was conducted to her chair on the dais by Mr Speaker and the President.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! Pursuant to resolutions of both Houses today, I have great pleasure in welcoming Her Excellency the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, to the New South Wales Parliament. Your Excellency, this Parliament and your Dáil bear some interesting historical comparisons. This Parliament was first established by an Act of the British Parliament in 1823. Some 100 years later, in 1920, a similar Act was passed by the British Parliament under which separate Parliaments were established for Southern and Northern Ireland. Fortunately, the Dáil, like our Parliament, has changed dramatically over time, both in numbers elected and powers therein. Thus constitutional links between Ireland and the United Kingdom were gradually removed by the Dáil. The last formal association with the British Commonwealth was severed when the Republic of Ireland Act came into operation in 1949.

The New South Wales Parliament has also moved on, for originally we consisted of one House of five to seven members appointed by the Monarch, and those members had few law-making powers, with only the Governor having the power to initiate a bill. Our Parliaments, although from similar origins, remain quite different, with the Dáil having 166 members elected from multiple-member constituencies, and the upper House with 60 members having 11 nominated by the Prime Minister and the other 49 being elected from among academic and community constituencies.

Your Excellency, on a personal note, might I acknowledge that the Leader of the House, the Hon. Paul Francis Whelan, who is of Irish background, has played a major role in securing your presence with us today. I should also recognise the presence in the gallery of three other distinguished guests who have also been instrumental in providing for this historic occasion. The Chair recognises the Irish Ambassador to Australia, Mr Richard O’Brien; the Australian Ambassador to Ireland, Mr Edward Stevens; and the Minister for the Environment of Ireland, Mr Noel Dempsey, TD. We welcome those distinguished guests to our Parliament.

Your Excellency, I am delighted, on behalf of the New South Wales Parliament, to extend to you the warmest welcome to the first and the oldest Parliament in Australia.

Mr CARR (Maroubra - Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs): As we welcome the President of the Republic of Ireland on this historic occasion I cannot help feeling that I also speak on behalf of the five or six generations of Irish Australians who have served in this senior of the Australian Parliaments. The Irish set their distinctive mark on this Parliament from the very beginning. So I recall today a few of those who sat in the first Legislative Assembly in this Chamber in 1856 and 1857. I mention first two members who drew up the constitution of New South Wales which created this Parliament. They are second in importance only to William Charles Wentworth.

John Hubert Plunkett was born in County Rosscommon in 1802 and Terence Aubrey Murray was born in County Limerick in 1810. Plunkett was the first Irish Catholic to be appointed to high civil office in New South Wales, in 1832. He was always proud to point out that he was one of the first people anywhere in the British Empire to benefit from the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. He was the colony’s Attorney General until 1853 and guided all the great legislative and constitutional developments during the lead-up to self-government in 1856. One of his outstanding acts of courage, which it is appropriate for us to recall this year, was to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Myall Creek massacre of Aborigines in 1838. Terence Murray was the pioneer of the Canberra district. He began the house at Yarralumla, which is now the residence of the Governor-General of Australia. Plunkett and Murray later became respectively the second President of the Legislative Council and the second Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in the
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Parliament which they helped to create. They both had close links with Daniel O’Connell, the great liberator. Let me quote briefly two extracts from the Australian Dictionary of Biography. The first extract is as follows:

Daniel O’Connell gave Plunkett the credit for the success of his candidates in Connaught at the 1830 general election [for the House of Commons] which put the Whigs in power.

That led to the great Reform Bill of 1832. The second extract is as follows:

Before leaving Dublin, Murray [aged 17 in 1827] heard lectures by the Irish patriot, Daniel O’Connell who impressed upon him indelibly that moral suasion was more successful than brute force for obtaining rights.

Could there be a more noble homage to the memory of Daniel O’Connell than that the President of an independent Ireland should be giving the same message to Ireland and the world 170 years on? Plunkett and Murray may be taken as splendid representatives of the earlier colonial tradition. The first Legislative Assembly in 1856-57 also began the authentic Irish Australian tradition - represented brilliantly in this place by Daniel Deniehy, aged 28, and William Bede Dalley, aged 25. Both were sons of a father and a mother transported from Ireland.

Deniehy, known as the boy orator, spiked Wentworth’s plans to make the Legislative Council a hereditary chamber - the "bunyip aristocracy" of Deniehy’s devastating phrase. He flashed like a meteor across our political skies and died, a burnt out case, in 1865. Dalley rose to be acting Premier in 1885 before his untimely death in 1888. A statue of Dalley at the Macquarie Street end of Hyde Park bears the inscription, "Patriot Scholar Statesman". Just think! A Premier of New South Wales was a patriot, a scholar and a statesman. How like our own times. Dalley is uniquely commemorated by a memorial plaque in both St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, and St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Such was the quality of those who began the Irish Australian tradition in this Parliament from its foundation in 1856.

The great modern stream of that tradition began with the watershed event in this Parliament’s history - the election of the first 35 Labor members in June 1891. Three decades were to elapse before Irish Australians became a major component in the Labor caucus, from less than 10 per cent of the New South Wales parliamentary Labor Party before the First World War and the conscription split to more than 40 per cent by the 1920s. But from the beginning Irish support in the electorate was strong and grew rapidly. The infant Labor Party was blessed in more than one sense by the support of that great Irish prince of the church, the Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal Moran. There are statues honouring his record at St Mary’s Cathedral. While the Sydney establishment was still reeling under the shock of the eruption of Labor in this Parliament the great Cardinal Moran told the Australian Catholic Guild in August 1891:

Apart from all political considerations of a party character, I feel that I can say that, to Australia, as the youngest of the nations, belongs the glory of being the first to return labour representatives to Parliament to help speak to the world in the name of Australia. Morally speaking, it is a triumph for Australia that the representatives of the working classes have been elected to Parliament to urge the claims and defend the rights of labour and to assist in making the laws of the land.

It is no wonder that the marching strikers of 1891, as they passed the cathedral, said, "Three cheers for our friend the Cardinal". You will note - and I think this is something on which the House can agree - that the Cardinal regarded New South Wales and Australia as being synonymous 10 years before Federation. It is an enduring legacy of these great people that we are a strong parliamentary democracy. In that spirit I have pleasure in calling upon the Leader of the Opposition to share with me the privilege of welcoming the President of Ireland to a parliament which has been enriched by so many Irish-born people and Irish Australians throughout the century and a half of its proud history.

Mr COLLINS (Willoughby - Leader of the Opposition): President McAleese, on behalf of the Liberal and National parties in this Parliament it is a great honour for me to join with the Premier in welcoming you to Australia’s oldest Parliament. Ireland and its people have played a prominent role in the story of our young nation. From the arrival of the first fleet of settlers, through the development of the colony, Federation and now in the global economy we share, Ireland and its people have always profoundly influenced our nation and the Australian people. All the time we have watched from a world away as Ireland has grown and its world influence has increased. Of course, we should remind ourselves that the population of Ireland is the same as that of Sydney.

Today we see a powerful energy at work in Ireland. We see a nation harnessing the great opportunities of the information age, a nation nurturing its great creative talent and now a nation building peace for the dawning of the new century. Most of us here have links with your country and your people. I recall a prominent monarchist in Australia, Bruce Ruxton, attributing my republican
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beliefs to the great Irish patriot Michael Collins whom he assumed to be my grandfather. Sadly, I must reveal to the Parliament that that is not the case. My Irish antecedents are the O’Rourkes and the Kennedys. My eldest son, Ben, visited Ireland before me. A year later I sat in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel recounting to my two youngest children, their eyes wide with amazement, the story of Michael Collins sitting in that very same room presiding over the Irish Constitution as it was being drawn up in that great Dublin landmark.

I also told young John and Peter the story of their ancestor, their first Irish link with Australia, Peter Kennedy who bravely left County Galway in the early nineteenth century and sailed to the new world of Australia to start the Irish Australian family to which they now belong. I told them of my education in the care of the Christian Brothers at Waverley College, one of the family of schools established by Edmund Ignatius Rice in the nineteenth century, schools designed to provide an education for a better life for thousands of less-advantaged young boys both in Ireland and in Australia. Without the care and education of the often maligned Christian Brothers, I and many of my parliamentary colleagues on both sides of this House would not be here. So before anyone turns the light out on the Christian Brothers and their contribution to education in Ireland and in Australia, let their great contribution to the betterment of our two nations be remembered and respected.

Education is but one of the great exports of Ireland. History also records the contribution to western culture of Irishmen such as George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and, more recently, Connor Cruise-O’Brien and the screenwriter, Neil Jordan, the latter two of whom I was honoured to meet here in Sydney. These writers have been great ambassadors for your nation, symbols of the rich Irish influence on our culture and history - an influence beyond all proportion to your nation’s tiny population. At a time when the Industrial Revolution took the machinery of Europe to a developing world, Ireland exported its most precious possessions: its humanity, its humour and its people.

Those ambassadors will undoubtedly be joined by new names in the century ahead. The new ambassadors will be spawned by the new, confident Ireland we see poised on the brink of the new millennium, a nation that respects its colourful and vibrant past, a nation that energetically celebrates the present, a nation that looks confidently forward to a peaceful and prosperous future. I join with all of my colleagues, every man and woman in this Chamber, in renewing our commitment to a strong and enduring bond between Australia and Ireland, the country that has given us and the world so much.

Her Excellency was accompanied to the lectern by the Serjeant-at-Arms.

HER EXCELLENCY MARY McALEESE (President of Ireland): Mr Speaker, Madam President, Premier Bob Carr, Opposition Leader Peter Collins, Ministers, representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on this the first State visit of my presidency I am particularly honoured to be the first President of Ireland to have been asked to address both Houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, the first Parliament of Australia. I have been told that the only other Irish leader to have been invited onto the floor of this Parliament was another great ambassador for Ireland, the late President Eamon de Valera, who visited Australia in 1948 - although at that time he was Leader of the Opposition in the Irish Parliament. Half a century separates us, decades of remarkable change for our two countries.

In addressing you today I am very conscious that I do so in the presence of many of Irish heritage - including the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition. I also feel very comfortable here. There is an atmosphere in this House of serenity and grace that moves rapidly to barracking, which is very familiar. It is indeed wonderful to see those contradictory Irish spirits so manifest in this House. The Premier related the story about the epitaph of a previous Premier, a great patriot. If I am correct, there is an association between this particular building and a church. This building, or part of it, may have been, or was intended to be, a church but instead became a Parliament. The Premier also mentioned a cardinal.

It is worth remembering the Irish tendency to put down the great epitaph. I tell this story not about politicians, but about the church, in order to save your blushes. In recent years my father visited a town in Donegal. Coming out of mass one morning he noticed a group of women gathered around a grave site and he went over to see whose grave they were tending. It was the grave of their immediately previous parish priest whose epitaph read wonderfully. He, too, was a patriot, a scholar, a philosopher and a distinguished theologian. My father, thinking to make conversation, said to one of the elderly ladies, "You were indeed very blessed. You had a great man as a parish priest, an erudite man and a scholar." She fixed my father with one of those great Irish mother’s stares and said, "Yes, that may very well be true but a far stupider one would
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have done us." If that rings true for you, who am I to argue.

Today I am truly in a place that epitomises, in many very special ways, the essential nature of the relationship between Ireland and Australia; between the Irish and Australians. In this place we are indeed surrounded by history and heritage, common values, shared experiences, the unique sense of humour that we share and, above all, a unique friendship that not only spans the lifetime of this great institution - this people’s House - but goes beyond that to the very earliest days of European settlement. For it was here in Sydney, when the tall ships first sailed into Botany Bay over 200 years ago, that the Irish-Australian relationship was born. Sydney and the State of New South Wales remain at what could even be described as the heartland of that relationship.

From the very beginning of that European settlement of this ancient land Irish women and men have so often been at the forefront of the decisive events that have shaped its destiny, enhanced its personality and promoted its democratic institutions. Many of the Irish who came here were themselves restless spirits who had a profound and abiding faith in the ideals of freedom, justice and human dignity - a faith that they bequeathed to their new homeland. I think, especially in this 200th anniversary year, of the leaders of the Great Irish Rebellion of 1798. They fought for their homeland, for civil rights, for parliamentary reform, for religious emancipation and, ultimately, for the right of the people of Ireland to choose their own destiny. At that time it seemed that they fought in vain - they certainly felt that at the end of their desperate and unsuccessful struggle. Of course they did not know the green shoots that they planted would give rise to another time, a time I hope we are about to enter.

In the Australia of their time those who were transported - and, indeed, a subsequent generation of young Irelanders who were sent into exile half a century later in 1848 - were treated in a distinct and separate manner. They were, as Robert Hughes has said, the carriers of a dangerous contagion. That contagion, surprisingly, was a profound belief in the values of democracy, an unshakeable belief in the equality of every single human person, and an unswerving opposition to oppression and injustice. It was a contagion inspired by the American and French revolutions and it left them with a firm determination that the highly ordered class structures of the old European order, which they were leaving behind, should have no place in the great egalitarian society they wished to build with others in this, the lucky country under the Southern Cross.

Tomorrow I conclude my final official engagements in Brisbane. In the days that I have been in Australia I have been profoundly impressed by the graphic and frequent demonstrations of the strong and passionate interest that Australians have in Ireland. This interest is not only confined to that section of the population, large though it is, which can claim Irish ancestry, heritage or birth, but stretches throughout the entire country. I have seen the importance of the academic and cultural resources being utilised to deepen and expand the present-day relevance of those profound bonds of history and heritage that unite us. But every one of us here is mindful that the connections which bind our two countries and peoples must not be confined simply to the pages of history; they cannot be built on nostalgia. They will soon lose their value and their meaning if we do not continue to freshen them.
Those relationships are very alive today; alive and vibrant through our expanding economic and trading partnership, our growing tourism relationship and the working holiday programs for young people. They are kept alive through the many, many cultural interests we share from the rhythms of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, the writings of David Malouf and Thomas Keneally, the poetry of Sèamus Heaney that I know many of you enjoy, and through television, cinema and theatre. In so many ways our cultural lives are meshed.

I chose as the title of this address, "Take a fresh look at Ireland". I am honoured to have been elected to the highest office in the land where I am the first among equals. I was elected by the people of a young, energetic, complex and confident country. It is a country which combines a very rich and ancient tradition with a dynamic and outward-looking vision for the future, supported by a strong sense of its own identity, a firm belief in its identity that has never in its history been sharper than it is today. Above all, today’s Ireland is a place of optimism, an optimism fuelled and sustained by quite a number of important developments. The first is that strong sense of who we are, of the intellectual and cultural traditions of our ancient nation and our renewed determination to celebrate those qualities and characteristics that are often identified as our special contributions to the modern world - our love of language, our imagination and our love of poetry, music, song and humour.

All that has contributed to the great Irish cultural renaissance of recent years, a renaissance I am proud to say that is not peculiar to the island of Ireland, does not just belong to those who live on that island, but is the shared treasure of the global Irish family in Australia and elsewhere. Second, of course, is that our economy, the jewel in Europe’s
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crown, is performing better than it has ever done in the history of our young State. Indeed, we can look with confidence to a future in which there will be sufficient job opportunities to offer our young people, to provide them with the option of staying and working in Ireland - unlike the many previous generations who, for economic reasons, were compelled to seek employment and hope beyond our shores. Many of them found that hope and a new homeland in Australia.

The third key development has been the courageous and widespread endorsement of the Good Friday Agreement, which represents an historic compromise for peace. It has been embraced by our two great traditions. The agreement is the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful Ireland; an Ireland based on partnership, equality and mutual respect. The reaction of the great mass of Irish people to the appalling massacre at Omagh has made clear their determination not to allow the agreement to be subverted by a violent minority. The news from Ireland today, of which I am sure many of you were heartened to hear, tells us that the so-called real IRA has declared a permanent cessation of violence.

We pray that this truly is the dawning of the end, the final death throes of violence - which was what Omagh and the death of the Quinn children was about - and a culture of conflict. We hope it is over. Of course, the cease-fire is small consolation to those who were injured in Omagh or to the families of those who died. It says nothing at all in one respect about our commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators of the outrage and the massacre that was Omagh will most certainly be brought to justice and that there will be no quarter for them. But we are grateful to those who brought about this cease-fire. It is another small and important building block on the path to peace.

I should say in this Parliament that while the Good Friday Agreement was the outcome of very serious and critical negotiations within the community of north and south Ireland - inside Northern Ireland and between the two islands - it was of course the outcome of many years of sympathetic support and understanding by those around the world who love and care for Ireland and its people. On so many vital occasions your interest and concern gave us hope and a voice as we sought political progress and peaceful reconciliation. Your support was so important. Here in Australia that interest and compassionate understanding was always forthcoming and, of course, has taken practical and moral effect.

I think of the efforts of your former Governor-General Sir Ninian Stephen. Earlier this decade he was an important contributor to setting in train the eventual reality of the Good Friday Agreement. As politicians you know better than anyone that Good Friday agreements do not happen by serendipity; they do not happen overnight. There was a long, long apprenticeship and Sir Ninian Stephen served a very distinguished part of that apprenticeship. Of course, we also have, and we welcome, your Government’s support for the International Fund for Ireland, which promotes practical co-operation and reconciliation between both traditions on the island.

We welcome also the extraordinary support from the Australia-Ireland funds which are supported by corporate and individual Australians. Indeed, I met some of them today; some of them significantly with no relationship to Ireland, but drawn to support and love Ireland through their love of the Irish friends they have in Australia. At a time of economic progress, as our horizons widen and our expectations understandably increase, one important challenge Ireland faces is to strive for the greatest level of social inclusion in sharing the wealth of the nation. A good economic performance and a rising standard of living must be shared across the community to ensure that the gap between rich and poor continues to close, and that no-one feels out of or distanced from the mainstream.

To do anything less would be to lose the focus on the individual right to personal fulfilment that was so dear to the united Irishmen and so dear to many people who founded this country. Over the last months I have been deeply impressed by the commitment of State agencies, and government and voluntary organisations across Ireland to ensuring that all our people will share and participate fully in the economic and social success of the Irish nation. There is a welcome consensus to address the issues of social marginalisation and disadvantage. Why? Because we remember the past. We remember what our country was built on. We remember that today’s prosperity was hard won; it was built on the backs of generations who knew only poverty, oppression, emigration and despair. The little they had they shared. The ethos of sharing was their enduring legacy to us.

Many people in this country sent back their hard-earned dollars to keep a young struggling nation on its feet. Today their ancestors in Australia and in America continue to show us that sharing is caring. Today’s prosperity challenges us to commit ourselves to using well our new-found wealth, to develop ourselves humanly, to obliterate greed and
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to embrace generosity. Rising to these challenges and maintaining the level of economic development that we have achieved are not mutually exclusive objectives. There are very important synergies between them. Indeed, in Northern Ireland it has long been accepted that economic development is an important factor in creating and sustaining the conditions for peace.

We look forward to the tremendous prosperity that a new-found partnership between north and south will achieve. These are the challenges that face us as we look beyond the confines of our own nation. There are many other challenges besides those that we face at home. We face many problems with you as we look outwards to the world. Indeed, we have long worked together in seeking to protect and promote human rights. We both contribute directly through international agencies, international relief and development; we advocate and support the political and economic rights and freedoms we have achieved at home for the rest of our world.

Like Australia, Ireland has a proud record of peace-keeping with the United Nations, through its peace-keeping and observer forces. Indeed, our soldiers have often stood side by side in troubled parts of the world. We have been pleased to work with Australia to promote the goals of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. For Ireland, the relationship with Australia is not just special: it is vital. With approximately 40 per cent of the population of this country able to claim Irish ancestry, Australia is, as they say, and as I have been told so many times, the most Irish country on the planet outside of Ireland! It is hardly surprising then that we have an excellent relationship with close bonds of family and kinship.

As I remarked earlier, it is important that it is not based simply on the immigrant trails of the past. Today’s relationship must be constantly strengthened, deepened, freshened and refreshened. I have mentioned the economic relationship as particularly impressive, given the distance between our two countries and their size. I am grateful to those who are working to ensure that bilateral trade between Ireland and Australia will continue to grow exponentially. Indeed, one of the great features of that growth is the huge increase in tourism. Last year 110,000 Australians visited our shores, and 20,000 Irish returned the compliment. I expect that you want to see a greater equality between those two figures. I believe we will all pledge to ensure that those figures apply to both countries.

Both countries have many great resources and legacies. Australia is a wonderful country, with great people and great natural resources. We have a tremendous opportunity to allow both our countries to look forward to a new millennium with optimism, warmth and spirit. Our people have a great humour and our populations are young and outward-looking. We both have the strength of our history, our heritage and, of course, our culture. We have open economies, and the dynamism and flexibility of our business sectors. We have much to be proud of. Our nations have accomplished a lot. Indeed, we can both look forward to the rising tide of opportunity and optimism that will lift our people into the next century. I believe we are entitled, therefore, to show a little joyful curiosity about each other’s future and a certainty that we will share and celebrate many things together in the coming years.

I came to Australia to revive shared memories, to tell you a little about today’s Ireland, and perhaps to boast a little about what we have accomplished - something you can take a righteous pride in because you were a part of it. I do so to remind myself of Ireland’s past, a past which has had a part to play in Australia’s future. Here I met the future; I saw what God intended for his people. Each human is unique; each tribe, each culture, each nation a rich vein of the purest gold. In Australia I met the global Irish family and their friends. I met Lebanese-Irish Australians, Greek-Irish Australians, Italian-Irish Australians, and Greek-Italian-Lebanese Australians. I met people of a mix too complex to explain. And I met people who have no association whatever with Ireland but who, through your love of Ireland, came to love my country. I have listened to each of their stories and I will take them home, profoundly enriched and deeply blessed by this visit to your beautiful country.

Once again, on behalf of my husband, Martin, and all of our party, I thank you all for your invitation and for the genuine bond of warmth and friendship that we have found here. We will leave behind many new friends, whom we hope to meet again over the coming years. I wish you every success in your plans for your country, and I express the hope that this truly remarkable relationship between Ireland and Australia will sustain us all well into our old age, and will sustain our children and grandchildren. Many thanks, or as we say in Irish, go raibh maith agat.

Mr SPEAKER: I call upon the President of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Virginia Chadwick, to formally thank our honoured guest for her attendance.

The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Your Excellency, it is a special time indeed when public duty and personal pleasure coincide. This is
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such a time, as I thank you most sincerely for your visit today and for your address to the joint meeting of both Houses of Parliament. In this our nation’s oldest Parliament we are delighted that you have honoured us on your first State visit as President. You have spoken often of the importance of balance - balance between nostalgia, love, and respect for tradition and history and an eagerness and willingness to grasp contemporary realities and future challenges. As the Legislative Council’s first female President and as a person who is excited by contemporary needs, I have been very encouraged by your words. But today I speak for all members of both Houses of our Parliament.

Your address has shown your understanding of Australia’s evolution over the past 200 years. Many people in Australia would suggest that our early white settlers left their country for their country's good. But you have recognised the real story, which is one of individuals: individual tragedy and triumph, individual fear and courage, and individual challenge and endurance. For indigenous people and for those whom fate has brought to our shores in waves over many generations, this intertwining has woven the rich fabric of our nation of Australia. Yet, despite history, geography and distance, you have made it clear that the people of Ireland and Australia share many goals and many common aspirations. Your visit has done much to reinforce these linkages, and both our countries have benefited. For this we thank you, and we wish you and the people of Ireland well.

Her Excellency left the Chamber and the Council withdrew.


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The President (The Hon. Virginia Chadwick) took the chair at 2.30 p.m.

The President offered the Prayers.

Assent to the following bills of the previous session reported:

Road Improvement (Special Funding) Amendment Bill
Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill
Drug Misuse and Trafficking Amendment (Ongoing Dealing) Bill
Appropriation Bill
Appropriation (Parliament) Bill
Appropriation (Special Offices) Bill
Appropriation (1997-98 Budget Variations) Bill
Electricity Supply Amendment (Transmission Operator’s Levy) Bill
Premium Property Tax Bill
Public Finance and Audit Amendment Bill
State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Bill
Environmental Trust Bill
Legal Profession Amendment (Costs Assessment) Bill
Parliamentary Remuneration Amendment Bill
Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill
Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Bill
Companion Animals Bill

The PRESIDENT: I report the receipt of the following message from His Excellency the Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, Chief Justice of New South Wales, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New South Wales:

J. J. SPIGELMAN, Office of the Governor
Lieutenant Governor. Sydney 2000

The Honourable, Chief Justice of New South Wales, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New South Wales, James Jacob Spigelman, has the honour to inform the Legislative Council that, consequent on the Governor of New South Wales, the Honourable Gordon Samuels, being absent from the State, he has this day assumed the administration of the Government of the State.

13 August 1998.

The PRESIDENT: I report the receipt of a message from His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor transmitting a copy of a despatch from the President of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Australia of 3 September 1998 notifying that a vacancy had happened in the representation of the State of New South Wales in the Senate through the resignation of Senator Belinda Jane Neal.

Motion by the Hon. M. R. Egan agreed to:

That the message be taken into consideration on the receipt of a message from the Legislative Assembly dealing with the same subject.

Message received from the Legislative Assembly agreeing to the Legislative Council’s amendments.

The following bills were returned from the Legislative Assembly without amendment:

Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Bill
Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill

The PRESIDENT: I report the receipt of a Commission authorising me as President of the Legislative Council to administer from time to time, as occasion may require, to any members of the Legislative Council the oath or affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.

The Clerk of the Parliaments read the Commission.

The President tabled, pursuant to section 103 of the Police Integrity Commission Act 1996, the annual report of the Inspector of the Police Integrity Commission for the year ending 30 June 1998, received out of session.

The President announced that pursuant to section 103(2) of the Act she had authorised that the report be made public.

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The President tabled, pursuant to section 78(1) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988, the report entitled "Investigation into the Conduct of a Senior Inspector with the Department of Gaming and Racing", dated September 1998, received out of session.

The President announced that pursuant to section 78(3) of the Act she had authorised that the report be made public.

The PRESIDENT: I inform the House that on 1 September 1998 Mr John Evans, the Clerk of the Parliaments, was served with a subpoena from G. H. Healey and Co., Solicitors, to attend at the District Court of New South Wales at Sydney on 8 September 1998, and thereafter as required, to give evidence in the case of Nathan James Curtain v The State of New South Wales.

I further inform the House that I have written to the solicitors and the Registrar of the District Court advising that, according to the established privileges of the House, members and officers are exempt from attending as a witness whilst the House is sitting.

The Clerk announced the receipt, according to section 70A(1) of the Health Care Complaints Act 1993, of a discussion paper entitled "Unregistered Health Practitioners: The Adequacy and Appropriateness of Current Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints", dated July 1998.

The Clerk announced the receipt, according to the resolution adopted by the House on 7 May 1997, of an interim report entitled "Inquiry into Rural and Regional New South Wales Health Service", dated July 1998.

The Clerk announced the receipt, according to section 95(3) of the Police Integrity Commission Act 1996 and section 31FA of the Ombudsman Act 1974, of the following reports:

Seventh General Meeting with the Ombudsman, dated August 1998.

Third General Meeting with the Commissioner of the Police Integrity Commission, dated August 1998.

Second General Meeting with the Police Integrity Commission Inspector, dated August 1998.

Report on matters arising from the Seventh General Meeting with the Ombudsman; the Third General Meeting with the Commissioner of the Police Integrity Commission; the Second General Meeting with the Police Integrity Commission Inspector, and talks with heads of agencies - the Ombudsman, the Commissioner of the Police Integrity Commission, the Police Integrity Commission Inspector, and the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Service - dated August 1998, together with minutes and evidence.

The Clerk announced the receipt, according to section 33 of the Water Board (Corporatisation) Act 1994, of a report from the licence regulator entitled "1997 Operational Audit of the Sydney Water Corporation", dated July 1998.

Petition praying that the integrity of the family unit be encouraged by support for the Family Impact Commission Bill, received from Reverend the Hon. F. J. Nile

Petition praying that, because of the increase in the incidence of crime on the central coast, courts impose tougher penalties and that adequate policing be made available to the region, received from the Hon. M. J. Gallacher.

Petition praying that within one year of the presentation of the petition there be a ban on animal exploitation such as battery cages for hens, single stalls and farrowing crates for sows, feedlots for cattle and intensive housing for broilers, wildlife and other animals, received from the Hon. R. S. L. Jones.

The PRESIDENT: According to the resolution of the House of 1 July 1998 relating to
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the membership of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice, I advise that on 6 July the Leader of the Opposition nominated the Hon. M. F. Willis as a member of the committee.

Suspension of standing and sessional orders, by leave, agreed to.

Motion by the Hon. M. R. Egan agreed to:

That the sessional order relating to Questions be varied for today’s sitting to allow Questions to commence at 5.00 p.m.

Bill introduced and read a first time.

The Hon. I. COHEN [2.49 p.m.]: I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned on motion by the Hon. I. Cohen.

The PRESIDENT: I report the receipt of the following message from the Legislative Assembly:

Madam PRESIDENT -

The Legislative Assembly desires to acquaint the Legislative Council that on Tuesday, 8 September 1998, it agreed to the following resolution:

The Legislative Assembly invites the members and officers of the Legislative Council to be present in the Legislative Assembly Chamber at 3.25 p.m. this day to hear, at 3.30 p.m., an address by her Excellency Mary McAleese, President of Ireland.

Suspension of standing orders, by leave, agreed to.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN (Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) [2.52 p.m.]: I move:

That this House accepts the invitation of the Legislative Assembly to attend the Legislative Assembly Chamber at 3.25 p.m. today to hear at 3.30 p.m. an address by Her Excellency Mary McAleese, President of Ireland.

I might say that I deplore the lateness of the invitation.

The Hon. J. P. HANNAFORD (Leader of the Opposition) [2.53 p.m.]: Like the Leader of the Government, I deplore the late notice of the invitation to this House. Further, I remind the House that about two years ago the Governor of Tokyo addressed the Parliament in this Chamber. What are the principles that the Government is now adopting about addresses to the Parliament by heads of State? The tradition has been for such addresses to be made in the upper House, although I note that an address by a visiting head of State to the Federal Parliament is made in the House of Representatives. Honourable members are used to the Government operating on the basis of opportunism rather than on the basis of principle. Perhaps it is more than one should expect for the Government to enunciate a principle. The Government is entitled to make such a decision, and we will accede to it, but I want to know what path the Government is leading us down. I suspect it does not know itself.

Reverend the Hon. F. J. NILE [2.54 p.m.]: I support the comments of the Leader of the Opposition. I became a member of this House in 1981 and in that time I have never sat in the lower House, although I have observed its sittings from the visitors’ gallery. I am concerned that a dangerous precedent is being set. Perhaps in future the official opening of Parliament will be transferred to the Legislative Assembly. I put on record my concern and total opposition to any act that undermines the sovereignty of this esteemed Legislative Council, even though some members might want to abolish it. The Christian Democratic Party totally opposes that and it does not want a gradual removal of the authority of this House.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN (Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council) [2.55 p.m.], in reply: This is a dreadful way to deal with a very kind invitation from our colleagues in the other place. If the Leader of the Opposition and Reverend the Hon. F. J. Nile are so concerned about attending the other place they could move a motion that this House invites the members of the lower House to listen to an address by the Irish President in this Chamber. However, arrangements have already been made for the Irish President to address the lower House.

Speaking as the Leader of her Majesty’s Government in this House, and as a former Leader of her Majesty’s loyal Opposition, I note that the seat beside the President is reserved for her Majesty the Queen, not for a republican President of Ireland.
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It is appropriate that we should attend the lower House to hear the address of the Irish President, at the very kind invitation of the lower House members, with whom I hope to partake of afternoon tea afterwards.

Motion agreed to.

Message sent to the Legislative Assembly advising it of the resolution.

Debate resumed from an earlier hour.

The Hon. I. COHEN [2.58 p.m.]: The Greens have introduced the Electricity Supply Amendment (Greenhouse Targets) Bill because they view seriously the problem of emissions from coal burned to produce electricity - the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and New South Wales. Australia is among the top 10 greenhouse gas emitting countries, both in absolute terms and per capita. For those reasons we have introduced this bill, which will make greenhouse gas emission targets binding upon electricity retailers. The Government has gone part of the way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by stipulating requirements in the Electricity Supply Act 1995. However, those targets are not yet enforceable. Electricity retailer greenhouse emission targets must be enforced so that retailers have an incentive to meet their targets.

I understand that the Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti does not believe that there is a greenhouse problem. However, others take the problem very seriously. In the absence of the reduction of emissions, a financial penalty imposed upon those found guilty of transgressing the greenhouse gas emissions benchmark would correct the perverse financial signal now being sent, whereby electricity generated by burning brown coal is cheaper, but creates more pollution, than electricity generated by burning black coal. Al Gore, Vice-President of the United States of America, said:

July (1998) wasn’t just the hottest July on record. It was the hottest month that has ever been recorded, period.

We are not looking at a local issue. This problem has been acknowledged by none less than the Vice-President of the United States of America. He continued:

You don’t have to be a scientist to know it’s been dangerously hot this summer.

Mr Gore warned of the risks:

. . . we will suffer even more of these natural disasters in the future because there is growing evidence that we are dangerously warming our planet. Now when you break the record every single month, seven months in a row, it is really hard to ignore the fact that something is going on.

The recent flooding rains that have been experienced by New South Wales are a timely reminder of what a greenhouse Australia would be like. I know that some honourable members do not believe in greenhouse gas. Should we wait for proof in a legalistic sense or should we look at the precautionary principle? If proven, it could be too late to deal with this significant problem. The far-flung predictions of climatologists are drawing closer. It is predicted that Australia’s climate will be, on average, 2 to 5 degrees warmer by 2030. The rise in air temperatures is predicted to increase the spring-summer rainfall by approximately 20 to 30 per cent, and winter will be 30 to 40 per cent dryer. That change will occur within this generation’s lifetime.

Future generations will inhabit an Australia that will, in climatic terms, be virtually unrecognisable. This will fundamentally change our current agricultural production, our natural ecology, and the structure of our society and economy. Sea level rises are already being observed and many New South Wales coastal dwellers are already familiar with the profile of an eroding beach. This will be a major concern for the future population of coastal Australia. A significant proportion of Australians live on the coast and we have to be aware of the impact on real estate. Losses will be monumental and will have a significant effect on the economy. All attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will act to mitigate this impact - the smaller the climatic changes, the better able the Australia of the future will be to adapt to the changes. Real reductions in emissions now will be a lot cheaper and more effective than mitigation measures two, five or 30 years down the track.

Scientists have shown that a 2 per cent reduction in emissions in 1990 would have saved us almost 1 degree Celsius in 2001 and a sea level rise of 15 centimetres. We should not wait until 2010. There has been indecision and delay in implementing greenhouse gas emission reductions. The increasing emissions will cost New South Wales a great deal of money in 10 to 20 years time. Honourable members who believe the early energy industry rhetoric that greenhouse gas is not
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measurable, that the next ice age will intervene before there is a problem or that volcanic eruptions will cool the planet should update their point of view. The greenhouse effect is both real and measurable. July was the hottest month, on a global scale, ever recorded. Climatologists estimate that the global average temperature has increased by 0.3 to 0.6 degrees Celsius during the past century.

To put that into perspective, in 100 years we have seen a 0.6 degree change, which is expected to accelerate at a rate of 0.3 degrees per decade. The last ice age saw a change of 4 degrees over 1,000 years, or a rate of temperature change of 0.04 degrees per decade. Our current rate of change is greater than that of the last ice age. The latest volcanic eruption on Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines showed that although the dust from the eruption acted to cool global temperatures by 0.1 to 0.2 degrees Celsius the effect applied for only one or two years after the event. In her recent address to the Asia Society at the Opera House Dr Madeline Albright took the opportunity to focus on what she describes as the "most comprehensive long-term environmental challenge facing us all". She took time to point out the dangers of waiting too long:

In both our nations we have those who insist that the scientific warnings are wrong or, that if they are right, we cannot afford to take the steps required to slow the release of greenhouse gases.

But the one thing we cannot afford to do is wait and see. If the warnings are right, the loss of reversing climate change and cleaning up the damage will be infinitely greater than the cost of preventing it.

During the 1995 election campaign the Labor Party set firm targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions and required energy utilities to observe these reductions - known as clean energy plans - through legislation-backed performance agreements. In February 1995 the Australian Labor Party committed itself "to reduce 2005 greenhouse emissions to the 1995 level". This would amount to a reduction of 20 per cent or a cumulative saving of 47 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. In its first term it was committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by two million tonnes. Higher reductions were promised if there was a national commitment and funding. Since the introduction of the national electricity market New South Wales has seen not only an increase in emissions but an acceleration in emissions growth because of the financial incentives that make the more polluting brown coal generated electricity far cheaper than its black coal alternative.

Despite the good work of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority, New South Wales will go to the 1999 election with a dirtier power sector than 1995. Figures from Transgrid indicate that between 5 and 10 per cent of electricity consumed in New South Wales this year was sourced from the dirtiest power stations in Australia. During 1996-97 there was a 2 per cent increase in emissions, or more than one million tonnes. The irony is that the same companies marketing clean green energy are buying cheaper dirty brown power from the national electricity market. Another important issue is the impact of privatisation on greenhouse emissions.

The New South Wales Greens are not the only ones who have identified structural change in the electricity industry as being necessary to meet consumer needs. For example, the ALP Assistant State Secretary, Damian O’Connor, welcomed the decision of the Premier not to push for privatisation of the industry before the next election. I also welcomed that decision. Mr O’Connor said, "The party needs an energy policy to fill the privatisation vacuum." The Hogg committee report on privatisation put forward some ideas on mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gases past the benchmark figures. The benchmark figures do not meet the criteria of the legislation. Greenhouse gas emissions in the year 2000 should be equal to the emissions of the industry in 1990. The environmental guidelines of the Minister for the Environment state:

The National Greenhouse Response Strategy 1992 target is to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions at 1988 levels by the year 2000 and to reduce these emissions by 20% cent by the year 2005.

The NGRS is presently under review. No other target has been set by the Council of Australian Governments.

On this basis, the Minister’s environmental guidelines should have declared an 18 per cent per capita reduction in emissions by 2000, rather than a 5 per cent reduction. The Greens disagree with the Hogg committee recommendations that some of the proceeds of the sales should be used to provide bonuses to the retailers if they exceed the benchmark. This is a waste of money. Electricity retailers should be making money by increasing the energy efficiency of their customers. The Government should be focusing on increasing energy efficiency rather than attempting to subsidise the plantation industry with tradeable greenhouse gas credits. The energy sector is the sector most able to reduce greenhouse gases whilst meeting the needs of its consumers. Government action is sorely needed to create the structures that encourage electrical efficiency and power efficiency in general.

The energy sector contributes over half of our total greenhouse gas emissions in New South Wales.
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It is the key target for effective reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The recent changes to the way in which electricity is traded in New South Wales have significantly changed our greenhouse gas emissions. The national electricity market is a creature of economic rationalism - prices relate directly to market forces. Brown coal generated power is, on average, $3 cheaper per megawatt hour to buy than black coal. Brown coal is far more polluting than black coal. Brown coal emits 1.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas per megawatt hour, while black coal emits 0.95 tonnes per megawatt hour. In a national electricity market retailers buy electricity at the bid price and, in the absence of any financial incentive, they will buy the cheapest electricity. Greenhouse emissions, legislative targets and environmental and social concerns are not taken into consideration.

The cut-price coal has not only increased our greenhouse emissions, but has seriously impacted on the viability of black coal generators in New South Wales. Two black coal generators have announced their inability to compete with cheaper, dirtier brown coal, and may subsequently close. It is quite likely that the electricity industry and the national Government, in response to international directions, will move towards a domestic emissions trading scheme. The greenhouse summit, to be held in Buenos Aires in November, is likely to advance the preliminary discussions that started at Kyoto last December. Among the Green representatives at Kyoto last December was Catherine Moore, who took with her the Australian people’s declaration on global warming which stated:

As citizens of Australia and the Earth, we believe that the consequences of global warming are likely to be horrific for people and for the environment.

We know that it will take concerted effort over many decades to avoid the ill-effects of global warming. Yet our Government has failed to take even simple steps to tackle the problem.

We declare that our Government does not represent us when it undermines international efforts to reach agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and claims the right to increase - not decrease - Australia’s emissions. We are embarrassed by our Government’s stance, which we consider immoral and reprehensible.

We urge all industrialised countries at the Kyoto Climate Change Convention to commit themselves to uniform and binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

That was a clear statement representing the view of people who are not members of Parliament. New South Wales should be at the forefront of discussions to ensure that its commitment to a sustainable energy sector allows it to become more competitive in the domestic emissions trading market and in an international scheme. The more greenhouse gas emissions competitive our electricity sector is prior to the implementation of the emissions trading market the better. We cannot afford to ignore the international and domestic indicators. We cannot continue to operate in a national electricity market without appropriate pricing signals. For New South Wales generators to survive, the market should be given a financial incentive to buy the more expensive but less polluting electricity.

This bill gives retailers a financial incentive to reach their greenhouse emissions targets. The $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions penalty will operate only when retailers exceed their annual greenhouse gas emissions benchmarks. It will work within the existing legislative framework and will penalise only those who choose to ignore the benchmarks. It will provide a financial reason to purchase the marginally more expensive but less polluting energy to meet the benchmarks. It will be onerous only on those retailers who choose to ignore the legislative target. It will not act to penalise any retailer who works within the targets set by the Minister for Energy.

In summary, the greenhouse effect is real. It is having an impact on New South Wales right now. And we are still increasing our greenhouse gas emissions rather than progressively reducing emissions. This is sheer madness. It is irrational on environmental, social and economic grounds. The bill will provide an incentive for electricity retailers to limit emissions to the benchmarks outlined within the New South Wales Electricity Supply Act 1995. It does not ask members to support mandatory goals that would make industry use natural gas rather than coal, which would result in a 40 per cent reduction in emissions; use renewable energy sources, which would drop emissions to zero; implement demand management measures to reduce overall energy consumption; and cease all forest clearing and replant pastures with productive greenhouse reducing forest plantations.

All the above actions would significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and, over time, will need to be implemented. The New South Wales Greens are asking the House at this stage to support a bill which enforces the current legislative target. The bill will give New South Wales electricity retailers an incentive to decrease greenhouse gas emissions rather than increase the rate of emissions. It is a responsible bill and it certainly deserves the House’s support.

Australia’s energy consumption is 215 gigajoules per person - 10 to 20 times greater than that of China, India and Indonesia. The economies of those three countries are growing rapidly and all
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require energy to maintain development. Australia thinks that its fair contribution to greenhouse gas reduction, taking individual circumstances into account, is an increase of 18 per cent. This has been pointed out by Dee Margetts, a Greens senator from Western Australia. It is not appropriate in today’s world for an economy to produce an increase of 18 per cent in greenhouse gases.

Senator Dee Margetts has said that global climate change is a world problem. We have a small population but we are disproportionably affected by climate because of our large land mass, our large exposure to weather and our proximity to our El Nino southern oscillation. Yet governments are still not moving adequately to deal with this major problem - possibly the major environmental problem in the last part of the twentieth century. Senator Bob Brown complained that the Prime Minister’s greenhouse package was too little too late. In a press release dated 20 November 1997 he stated:

It will not convince the rest of the world that Australia is serious about tackling greenhouse gas emissions, and even less that we deserve special treatment at Kyoto.

The package fails because . . . The target of an extra 2% of electricity generation from renewables (making a total of 11% including current large-scale hydro electricity generation) compares miserably with international standards (e.g. Britain’s target of 20% from renewables by 2010).

That relates to the Federal scene. One would hope that in view of the Carr Labor Government’s aspirations to work towards being green in the lead-up to an election in 1999 it will act decisively and support this responsible bill and work towards a clear reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in New South Wales. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned on motion by the Hon. J. H. Jobling.

The PRESIDENT: I will now leave the chair to allow members to attend the joint meeting in the Legislative Assembly Chamber to hear an address from Her Excellency Mary McAleese, President of Ireland. Members are requested to be seated in the Legislative Assembly Chamber no later than 3.20 p.m. Following the joint meeting the bells will ring at 4.55 p.m. for the House to resume at 5.00 p.m.

[The President left the chair at 3.15 p.m. The House resumed at 5.00 p.m.]

The Hon. J. P. HANNAFORD: I ask the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council, representing the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, a question without notice. Does the Minister recall, when introducing the State Owned Corporations Amendment Bill, stating, "A portfolio Minister will be empowered to give written directions to the board of a statutory State-owned corporation if satisfied that it is necessary to do so in the public interest"? Is it a fact that in 1996 the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning identified an emerging problem of cryptosporidium and giardia in Sydney’s water supply? Why, then, did the Minister not issue a ministerial direction to fix the problem?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am not sure which State-owned corporations bill the Leader of the Opposition is referring to.

The Hon. J. P. Hannaford: The 1995 bill, when the Act was amended to give Ministers the power.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: The Act under which the Sydney Water Corporation operates was passed by this Parliament prior to 1995.

The Hon. J. P. Hannaford: It is a State-owned corporation and, therefore, operates under the State Owned Corporations Act.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: No, it operates under the legislation passed prior to 1995.

The Hon. A. B. MANSON: I direct my question without notice to the Minister for Fair Trading. Will the Minister inform the House of initiatives to assist Newcastle workers affected by the closure next year of the BHP steelworks?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: The Hunter region has known for some time that the Newcastle BHP steelworks will close next year, but that prior knowledge will not eliminate the fact that it is a traumatic time for the region. The steelworks has provided employment for generations of Hunter Valley people. Although some BHP Newcastle divisions are not closing, workers employed by the
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steelworks will lose their jobs. BHP has devised a program to assist its employees to adapt to life after the closure, and reports indicate that substantial help is being given to these workers. However, there is a group of BHP workers not covered by the scheme. They are contractors who, although not directly employed by BHP, rely on the steelworks for part or all of their work.

They are mostly small businesses and their employees supply a large range of goods and services to the steelworks but are not employed by BHP. The problem is that nobody knows precisely how many workers fall into that category, and there is a difficulty about taking steps to alleviate the problem until its extent is known. I am pleased to report that the Department of Fair Trading is helping this situation. My department has given $43,560 to Newcastle’s Labour Co-operative to research this problem. The funds come from the Fair Trading’s Co-operatives Development Fund. The Labour Co-operative, in turn, has employed Professor Roy Green to research the extent of the BHP work force who fall into that category. Professor Green is Director of the Employment Studies Centre at the University of Newcastle.

There will also be input from Hunter Workways, which provides vocational assessment, training and help in finding work. BHP has been informed of the survey and has provided details of contractor types and numbers, including both permanent and peak flow numbers. Until the survey is done, no-one will know how many non-BHP businesses and contract employees will lose all or part of their work, and how many will have other work to go to. Once the extent of the problem is known appropriate services can be provided for this group. Services will be provided as part of the whole-of-government strategy to assist the Hunter after the closure of the steelworks. A research team headed by Professor Green has started the project, which should be completed in 10 weeks. This is an important study for workers in the Hunter region, and I am pleased that the Department of Fair Trading can provide funds for this worthy initiative.

The Hon. R. T. M. BULL: I ask the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council whether he will give the House an assurance that no dividends will be taken from Sydney Water Corporation this year. Will he ensure that any funds marked for a dividend payment to the Government are appropriated for capital works to fix Sydney’s water crisis?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: Of course dividends will be paid by Sydney Water to the taxpayers of New South Wales this year. I can inform the House that the dividends will be paid, but will not in any way affect the capital works program the board has under way.

The Hon. B. H. VAUGHAN: I address my question without notice to the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading. WorkCover New South Wales has launched an advertising campaign on workplace safety throughout the television networks of New South Wales. Will the Minister inform the House of the rationale behind these advertisements and the aims of this campaign?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: The Hon. B. H. Vaughan has referred to the workplace safety awareness campaign, which began on 30 August with a television commercial depicting ordinary people saying goodbye to their loved ones before they leave for work. The advertisement, which runs for three weeks, confronts viewers with the grim facts that the workplace kills more people than die on the roads, and that about 60,000 serious work injuries occur every year in New South Wales. It is backed by a series of radio, press and billboard advertisements which, in turn, are supported by a hotline to deliver safety information to callers. New South Wales workers are killed, injured or made ill by unsafe work practices, a fact that this Government and, I imagine, all members of this House consider unacceptable.

The cost of the campaign - approximately $1 million for the safety awareness stage - is money well spent when workers’ lives are at stake. A cost-benefit analysis conducted by WorkCover found that a 1 per cent reduction in injury and illness in the New South Wales workplace would result in a $23.5 million saving in direct costs, and a $79.4 million saving in gross costs. The first phase of the campaign is to raise awareness in the community of the gravity of workplace injury and illness. The second phase will concentrate on the safety responsibilities of everyone in the workplace and on what can be done to make workplaces safer. This publicity campaign is a tripartite response to the mounting toll of workplace casualties. The pressing need for such a campaign was identified by the bipartisan upper House Standing Committee on Law and Justice in its interim report last December.

Peak employer groups and unions, and leading occupational health and safety organisations have
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thrown their full support behind us in our attempt to reduce the toll. New South Wales Labour Council Secretary, Michael Costa, and Greg Patterson, General Manager, Safety, Australian Business Limited, both voiced their support at the launch of the campaign on 27 August this year. Further aspects of the campaign will extend to a direct mail-out targeting the high-risk industries and industry seminars for both union and employer groups. I am sure the Government has the support of every member of this House in its objective to cut the workplace toll and bring New South Wales workers home safer.

The Hon. FRANCA ARENA: I ask the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. Is it a fact that New South Wales police have discovered a legal flaw that prevents them from immediately arresting and charging anyone found in possession of explicit child pornography? Is it a fact that New South Wales police do not have the same powers as police in other States with regard to making such arrests? Will the Minister confirm that that is the situation? How will his Government rectify the situation to give police these important powers?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: Honourable members will recall that amendments were made to the Crimes Act by way of the Crimes Amendment (Child Pornography) Act, which created the offence of possession of child pornography. That Act prohibited the possession of films, publications and computer games that contained child pornography. The maximum penalty for such an offence is a fine of $11,000, two years imprisonment or both. The offence complements other provisions in the Crimes Act which make it an offence to employ or procure a child to be employed for pornographic purposes. The definition of "child pornography" contained in section 578B(1) of the Crimes Act includes material that has been refused classification or would be refused classification on the basis that it depicts a child under 16, or a person who looks like a child under 16, in a manner that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult.

I noted in my second reading speech that the legislation would assist police in taking action against paedophiles. Recently, concerns have been expressed that police may not be able to charge persons who possess apparently prohibited material until that material has been classified. Section 578B(4)(b) stipulates that proceedings for the offence are not to be commenced until the film, publication or computer game concerned has been classified. That provision was designed to ensure that the Office of Film and Literature Classification retained its role in the classification of child pornography. Therefore, the decision to refuse classification of material will not be undertaken by the courts.

This approach was designed to ensure that there will be consistency in determining whether material falls within the prohibited category. Furthermore, the courts will not be placed in a position of acting as a censor. The original intention to classify material prior to the commencement of proceedings was reasonable given that alleged offenders would most frequently be issued with a summons or court attendance notice. Nevertheless, in some instances police may prefer to proceed by way of immediate arrest and charge. For that reason, persons in possession of apparently prohibited child pornography should be able to be charged with the offence prior to the material being classified. However, a court hearing should not commence until classification has occurred. Accordingly, I will propose an amendment to clarify the meaning of the term "commencement of proceedings" in section 578B of the Crimes Act to ensure that persons may be charged with the offence of possession of child pornography prior to classification.

The Hon. J. H. JOBLING: My question without notice is directed to the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading, representing the Minister for Energy. Will the Minister guarantee that the Government will proceed with the opening of a national electricity market next month, given that Powercor Australia Ltd and Pacific Power are now embroiled in litigation over 12 electricity supply contracts worth $625 million, with more legal action to follow?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I thank the Hon. J. H. Jobling for his question and undertake to refer it to the relevant Minister to obtain a response.

The Hon. J. R. JOHNSON: My question without notice is directed to the Treasurer, and Minister for State Development. Will the Minister inform the House of the Government’s progress in attracting international investment to our State, particularly call centres?

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The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am pleased to be able to advise the House that New South Wales is continuing to consolidate its position as the frontrunner in the Asia-Pacific call centre industry.

The Hon. D. J. Gay: That is not true.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: Is the Hon. D. J. Gay serious? Of the 135 Asia-Pacific call centres located throughout the Asia-Pacific region New South Wales has attracted 65 and Melbourne and Singapore have each attracted 20 - a total of 105. The remaining 30 are scattered far and wide across the whole Asia-Pacific region. Sydney, New South Wales, has 65 call centres out of a total of 135. If we are not the frontrunner, given that Victoria is in second place with 20, I do not know what a frontrunner is. I am pleased to inform the House that Stellar Corporation, a 50-50 joint venture between Telstra and the American call centre company Excel Global Services, has selected Sydney for its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters. Stellar’s regional headquarters will provide a focus for the company’s call centre outsourcing services in the Asia-Pacific region.

The regional headquarters will initially employ up to 20 people in Sydney, including executive management, marketing, technical support and training staff. During the next five years Stellar plans to establish up to 10 call centres in Australia, employing more than 2,500 people. The company’s initial focus will be on the domestic call centre market, moving into the Asia-Pacific market in the next 18 months. Stellar plans to position Australia as its call centre hub for the Asia-Pacific region. Sydney is a major information, technology and telecommunications centre and the base for almost half of Australia’s information, technology and telecommunications industry. Three-quarters of Australia’s top 100 information, technology and telecommunications companies have their headquarters in New South Wales. Stellar’s choice of Sydney for its Asia-Pacific headquarters is an important addition to this industry grouping in New South Wales.

In addition to its regional headquarters investment, the Government is working closely with Stellar to highlight the advantages of regional New South Wales for call centres, particularly the Hunter and the Illawarra regions. These areas have a ready work force, good communication and transport infrastructure, and the technical and language skills needed to operate a call centre. More than 700 companies have located their domestic call centres in New South Wales, 65 of which have expanded their centres into Asia-Pacific call centres.

Stellar Corporation is the latest international organisation to invest in the New South Wales call centre industry. Call centres in New South Wales currently employ almost 30,000 people, the majority being women, and inject $11 billion a year into the State economy. During the next 10 years it is expected that the call centre industry will employ as many as 300,000 people in Australia, 150,000 of them in New South Wales. The New South Wales Government will continue to work hard to attract international investment in New South Wales in the call centre industry.

The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: This is a boring answer.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I came briefed to the eyeballs to answer questions about Sydney Water. The third question from the Opposition Whip was not even about Sydney Water. What a pathetic performance! Opposition members asked two questions about Sydney Water and then ran out of questions on that issue. If the Hon. Patricia Forsythe wants an interesting question time, the onus is on the Opposition.

The Hon. ELAINE NILE: I direct my question to the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council, representing the Minister for the Olympics. Is it a fact that on page 42 of the Sydney Morning Herald magazine Good Weekend of 5 September, in response to a question about the policy of transgender people in the Olympic Games, Debbie Simms, of the Australian Sports Commission, stated:

You don’t want to be cruel. If sport is the one outlet that brings transgenders psychological benefits it’s unfair to deny them.

Is the Minister aware that Robyn Barker, a former Olympic Coach, said:

If I’m trying to help women reach their potential with their God-given physical capabilities, then it’s unfair for them to have to compete against someone who was born a male.

What is the Government going to do about this discrimination against genuine women?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am not aware of the Olympic rules about transgender competitors. In any event, as I understand it, it would not be a matter that the New South Wales Government would influence; it would be a matter for the International Olympic Committee. However, I will refer the question to the Minister for the Olympics.

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The Hon. M. J. GALLACHER: I ask the Treasurer a question without notice. Does the Treasurer stand by his comments, made as recently as six months ago, that the privatisation of the New South Wales electricity industry is in the best interests of the people of New South Wales? If so, why is he not undertaking privatisation of the electricity industry?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: The answer to the first part of the question is yes. I might ask the Opposition why the question was not asked by the Hon. M. R. Kersten or Peter Blackmore, the honourable member for Maitland?

The Hon. A. B. KELLY: I ask the Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. How did his department assist New South Wales people to cope with recent disastrous storms and floods in Bathurst, Wollongong and northern New South Wales?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: The Department of Fair Trading has 23 Fair Trading Centres, including 19 regional offices, which means that help is close at hand when natural disasters occur. When substantial damage is done to homes, people are vulnerable to unscrupulous and unlicensed contractors able to take advantage of their position. Itinerant builders, roof tilers and painters, for example, can take advantage of those situations. In recent times Fair Trading Centres have acted to check that those contractors are properly licensed. The department also provides information to tenants on their rights when their residences have been damaged.

Insurance inquiries are referred to the insurance industry’s general insurance inquiries and complaints scheme. If the disputed claims are under $25,000, the matter may be heard by the Consumer Claims Tribunal. When 400 Bathurst people were affected by a record flood on 8 August, the Department of Fair Trading liaised closely with the Bathurst Disaster Welfare Centre, providing information and services in building, tenancy and credit areas. Departmental staff based in Orange travelled to Bathurst to put fair trading information in the letterboxes of flood-affected Bathurst residents, and they also spoke directly with them.

Information on Department of Fair Trading services was broadcast by Bathurst and Orange radio stations, and on Prime television. In Wollongong, Department of Fair Trading staff members immediately began providing information and assistance to affected residents. Many staff were themselves affected. The department assigned experienced staff to answer inquiries. Senior officers inspected damaged properties to provide on-site advice and information. The Department of Fair Trading also liaised with the Department of Community Services and disaster recovery centres.

The wider community was reached through advertising and interviews in the Illawarra media. The Wollongong Fair Trading Centre received 200 storm-related inquiries. Approximately 70 per cent of calls were from tenants whose accommodation had been damaged and 30 per cent of calls related to building issues. Many were from people who had been told their insurance policies did not cover the damage. Finally, in Grafton in northern New South Wales Department of Fair Trading staff went from door to door and spoke to residents after the Junction Hill storms.

Visits were also made to Coffs Harbour households that had been affected. In Narrabri pamphlets on tenancy, building tradespeople, credit and general fair trading services were airlifted on helicopters being used to transport other government agency staff into the disaster area. Department of Fair Trading staff spoke in detail about the department’s services to more than 400 people attending Gunnedah’s Agquip field days.

In summary, the thoughts of all Australia went out to the victims of the storms and floods. The Department of Fair Trading did help in that regard and I commend departmental staff for their efforts, which I believe provided tangible assistance to people affected by these disasters. Many communities will feel the impact of these disasters for some considerable time. I urge them to use the department’s resources to assist them until they are back on their feet.

The Hon. R. S. L. JONES: I ask the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council, representing the Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads: Who came up with the idiotic idea to imprison taxi drivers in plastic cages? Is it a fact that cages now pose a greater risk to drivers because of problems of poor visibility at night related to diffusion of light through the plastic? Is it also a fact that in the United States of America cages were tried but removed when it was discovered that the crime rate, after having initially declined, increased
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significantly? Will the Minister take action to ensure that the bureaucrat who came up with this crazy idea is sacked and forced to endure the torture of 12-hour night shifts driving a cab?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I will refer the question to my colleague the Minister for Transport.

The Hon. J. F. RYAN: I ask a question without notice of the Attorney General, representing the Minister for Tourism. Is it a fact that the Minister for Tourism met with a group of his constituents from the Blue Mountains electorate and told them that if he was not able to get them a grant from New South Wales Tourism for the Springwood Foundation Day he would not be much of a local member? Why did the Springwood Foundation Day event, which last year attracted 25,000 people, miss out on a grant for next year from Tourism New South Wales under the regional flagship event program? Will the Government be able to assist this very successful event in the Blue Mountains next year?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I regret that I am not privy to discussions between the Minister and various constituents, but I will refer the question to him and obtain a response.

The Hon. P. T. PRIMROSE: My question is directed to the Treasurer, and Minister for State Development. What is the Government doing to assist New South Wales land-holders to capitalise on the recent demand for the noxious weed St John’s wort?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: For many years the noxious weed St John’s wort was regarded as a constant menace by land-holders in a number of shires in New South Wales. Interestingly, today people in many regions of New South Wales are encouraging its growth. Since German research released last year proved the herb’s effectiveness in treating mild depression and anxiety, world demand has almost doubled. In fact, St John’s wort is now a $70 million industry in Germany -

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: It did not prove it at all and you know it.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: You are just a quack. You are a quack with a closed mind.

The PRESIDENT: The Treasurer will direct his remarks through the Chair.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am not suggesting, Madam President, that you are a quack, but your colleague the Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti is most assuredly a quack.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: On a point of order. I ask the honourable gentleman to withdraw that. I find it highly offensive. I allowed him to get away with it initially, but he has accused me of being a quack. I find that highly offensive.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am quite happy to withdraw the comment if the honourable gentleman finds it offensive. St John’s wort is now a $70 million industry in Germany, where the herbal extract is prescribed at seven times the rate of Prozac. I do not know whether the Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti would prescribe Prozac to all and sundry.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: I certainly would not prescribe the drug.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I certainly would not take it from you if you did prescribe it. Research has shown that St John’s wort has significantly fewer side effects than other anti-depressants. Demand for the herb has risen from 4,000 to 7,000 tonnes a year and is expected to reach 10,000 tonnes within three years. I am pleased to inform the House that my colleague the Minister for Regional Development and Rural Affairs, Harry Woods, recently launched the St John’s Wort Landholders Association. The association led the development of an industry that may be worth $50 million in the foreseeable future. The association, formed by Wild Herbs Australia Pty Limited, and the Department of State and Regional Development will work with land-holders to ensure supply and quality control.

Also launched last month was the first mechanical harvester designed by Wild Herbs Australia Pty Ltd. Until now St John’s wort has been controlled by chemical or heavy stocking. Mechanical harvesting, if done when the plant is in flower, stops the seed-set and provides the richest source of the active constituent. The new demand for St John’s wort represents a fantastic opportunity for New South Wales land-holders to make money out what has been an expensive menace.

[Interruption]

You are just after a closed shop. You are after a closed shop to look after yourself and your mates. The Government will continue to work with regional organisations such as the St John’s Wort Landholders Association to make the most of the exciting new industry. The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti should be ashamed of himself.

Page 7064

The Hon. D. F. MOPPETT: My question is addressed to the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council. Is the Minister aware of the Redbank fiasco and, more recently, the action taken by Powercor Australia Ltd against Pacific Power? Is the Minister concerned about those examples of uncommercial behaviour by government-owned electricity corporations? Given his power to issue ministerial directions under the State Owned Corporations Act, what action will he take to remedy these situations?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I would have expected that the Redbank question would have been raised by a sillier member of the Opposition rather than by the Hon. D. F. Moppett, who is not a silly man. He is a very intelligent man and he usually does his homework. The Redbank file makes very interesting reading indeed. It opens in 1992. Back then the Wollombi power project, as it was known, was being promoted to the finance Minister, George Souris, by a Mr Stan Howard - the brother of the current Prime Minister, Mr John Howard.

The project won the enthusiastic support of the former Minister for Natural Resources, Ian Causley, because on 2 September 1992 he wrote to the then Premier, John Fahey, seeking an exemption for the project from coal royalties "so that more detailed planning can commence for this very exciting project". Mr Fahey agreed with his Minister’s glowing assessment of the plan and as a result the Redbank proponents were promised a 15-year holiday from coal royalties.

The Hon. Dr MARLENE GOLDSMITH: My question is directed to the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council. Is it a fact that the Robert Bosch group, a multinational German-based designer and manufacturer of automotive equipment, communications technology and consumer goods, has established a new operation for the production of silicon chips in Victoria, with a total investment value of $33 million? Did Robert Bosch Australia approach the New South Wales Government for assistance? If so, why was assistance not provided?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am not aware of whether the company approached my department. However, I shall ascertain that. The investment by the company of $33 million is a very sizeable amount but only a tiny fraction of the total investment which this State attracts each year.

The Hon. Dr MEREDITH BURGMANN: My question is directed to the Attorney General. The Sydney Morning Herald commented on Saturday, 5 September 1998, that courts are not "client focused". What is the Government doing to ensure that the needs of clients are addressed in the New South Wales court system?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: The report to which the Hon. Dr Meredith Burgmann referred emerged from a national survey, as I understand it, of attitudes towards courts. New South Wales has taken very positive steps to make courts more user friendly. May I indicate but some of them. A trial of extended Local Court registry services at Burwood, Gosford, Liverpool and Parramatta was conducted from 5 March 1998 to June 1998. Prior to commencing the trial the department conducted extensive client surveys to determine the types of services required. Full registry services, determination of small claims matters under the civil claims legislation and chamber magistrate services were provided each Thursday between 4.00 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. An evaluation of the trial has been carried out and the report on it will be completed shortly.

The report will make a number of recommendations to me concerning the provision of enhanced services to clients of Local Courts with particular emphasis on making better use of the Parramatta registry, which already provides extended hour services. In relation to consultation, a review of the chamber magistrate service has been completed. It has involved staff focus groups and limited client surveying. Focus groups are being conducted by an independent contractor. All courts with three or more staff have been required to establish court user forums with representation from other justice agencies, advocacy and support groups, and organisations representing the interests of specific target groups.

Court user forums have been asked to prioritise local strategies to improve court safety and security for the public. The Local Court has embarked on a large-scale client service training program. Attendance at the two-day course is mandatory for all staff. Twenty-five courses have been scheduled across the State in the period until December this year and a further 25 courses will be conducted in the first part of 1999. Feedback from the courses to date has been very positive.

Local Courts have appointed an ethnic affairs policy statement network of staff from diverse cultural backgrounds to provide advice and develop
Page 7065
strategies and initiatives to improve services to clients from non-English speaking backgrounds. A Local Courts client service working party, with representatives from Aboriginal court liaison officers, clerks of the court and regional co-ordinators, has been formed to look at client service strategies to improve services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Significantly, Aboriginal court liaison officers have been appointed at four court areas which have significant Aboriginal populations. Their role is to provide direct assistance to defendants, witnesses and victims at court, and to provide community information and education which will assist Aboriginal communities in understanding the roles and functions of the court and the services available to assist those clients.

A number of courts provide regular outreach services to Aboriginal communities, remote and isolated rural communities, and other communities facing transport or mobility disadvantages in accessing the Local Court. I have addressed only some of the developments occurring in the Local Court, the court presided over by magistrates. In all New South Wales courts substantial reforms designed to make those courts more user friendly and more accessible to members of the public are occurring. The heads of jurisdiction are adopting a dynamic approach to court reform and in the very near future more tangible benefits will accrue to the people of New South Wales using the courts.

Reverend the Hon. F. J. NILE: I ask the Attorney General in his own capacity and as Minister representing the Minister for Police: Is it a fact that there has been a strong call for the New South Wales Police Service to assist in the formation of a national DNA database for Australia similar to that introduced into the United Kingdom about three years ago? Will the Attorney General urgently authorise and assist in the formation of such a national database? Will he also legislate for the compulsory DNA testing of criminal suspects so that the national DNA database will give the police a valuable weapon in the war against crime, especially for sexual assaults and rape cases, as 50 per cent of all sexual offenders in the United Kingdom had convictions for assault?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I am not aware of the precise state of the debate or discussions about the move towards a national DNA database. I will refer that aspect of the question to the Minister for Police to obtain a response for Reverend the Hon. F. J. Nile.

The Government put legislation on the statute book in relation to compulsory forensic testing of accused people. That change to the law governing criminal investigation is being reconsidered not with a view to repealing it but with a view to finetuning it and perhaps expanding it. It is distinctly possible that such a legislative proposal will come before the House this sitting, but I reiterate that powers to engage in compulsory forensic testing of persons accused of crime are already vested in the police.

The Hon. CARMEL TEBBUTT: My question without notice is to the Minister for Public Works and Services. Will the Minister inform the House of progress with the construction of the new Broken Hill hospital?

The Hon. R. D. DYER: I have been sitting here quietly minding my own business for 40 minutes and I was starting to despair of being asked a probing question. However, I knew I could rely on the Hon. Carmel Tebbutt to ask such a question, and I am delighted to respond. Honourable members will be aware that recently the Government announced the construction of a new hospital at Broken Hill estimated to cost $32 million.

The Hon. M. R. Kersten: Thanks to me.

The Hon. R. D. DYER: No thanks to the Hon. M. R. Kersten, but thanks to the Carr Government. Yesterday I had the opportunity to inspect the ongoing construction work of this new hospital, and I am pleased to report that work is well under way and that the project is on time and on budget. The project is currently 10 per cent complete; bulk earthworks are largely completed and work has commenced on hydraulic and electrical installation and concrete pouring. I am happy to say that construction work is being undertaken by local businesses employing local workers - an important benefit for an area in which employment in the principal industry, mining, is declining.

Prior to issuing tenders my department held a public meeting of local tradespeople to brief them on the project and to outline opportunities for work on the site. This process was extremely successful and contracts were awarded locally for earthworks, surveying, concreting, bricklaying, labouring, the supply of structural steel and on-site security. As well, the main contractor, Barclay-Mowlem, has employed local workers and firms for site clerical work, safety, carpentry and service co-ordination. I emphasise the employment of local workers because
Page 7066
it gives a double benefit to the region by not only providing essential health services for remote New South Wales but keeping the contract funding in the area.

When the new hospital is opened in 12 months it will have 80 beds, operating theatres, surgical wards, accident and emergency facilities and obstetric, intensive care, paediatric and medical imaging services. For some time the people of Broken Hill have been in desperate need of improved health services; and that need was not addressed by the former Government. The project demonstrates that the Carr Government is all about providing a permanent solution to local needs.

[Interruption]

The Hon. M. R. Kersten is carrying on about promises. The former Government made many promises on which it never delivered. Last week I attended the opening of the Wollongong Entertainment Centre, at which a video was shown featuring John Fahey making promises about what might happen, none of which did. The video also included George Souris, and it looked like a blooper tape that one would see at a press gallery party. He did not know what to say in response to questions he was asked, and he professed to know nothing about funding for the Wollongong Entertainment Centre. However, the Carr Government has delivered on its promise, thanks to the Treasurer and others, and Wollongong now has an excellent entertainment facility that will do wonders for the Illawarra region.

The Hon. M. R. Egan: Tamworth has one too.

The Hon. R. D. DYER: The Treasurer reminds me that Tamworth has a similar centre. It is a credit to this Government that it delivers on its promises, in contradistinction to the record of the coalition Government. I draw to the attention of the House the work being done to restore the heritage Corrindah court building in the grounds of the Broken Hill hospital redevelopment. The Corrindah court building was built by the Department of Public Works in 1906 and over the years has been added to and used for a number of health purposes. The entire building has now been restored and converted into a training facility for rural health students at an approximate cost of $650,000.

Once again work on this project has been managed locally by the Broken Hill office of the Department of Public Works and Services. The principal contract was won by the long-established Broken Hill firm of Steer Contractors, which let a number of subcontracts to Broken Hill firms. Local workers were hired to carry out electrical, mechanical and plumbing services, as well as painting, floor coverings, bricklaying and stonework at Corrindah court. Yesterday I also took the opportunity to inspect Corrindah court and I was impressed with the sympathetic adaptation of this very historic building in Broken Hill.

The Hon. A. G. CORBETT: I ask the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading, representing the Minister for Police, a question without notice. I refer the Attorney General to an article in the Age on 25 July and an article in the Milton-Ulladulla Times on 29 July referring to police investigations into the discovery of a baby’s arm at a waste-water plant in Ulladulla. Will the Attorney advise what steps have been taken to investigate the circumstances surrounding the discovery and the outcome of any such investigations?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I shall refer the question to the Minister for Police and obtain a response.

The Hon. JENNIFER GARDINER: My question without notice is directed to the Attorney General, representing the Minister for Police and the Minister for Corrective Services. On 29 June I asked the Attorney General the following question without notice:

I refer to an undertaking given to the people of Moree by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ryan, to aid the demands of local police by providing corrective services personnel to escort prisoners to and from court hearings in that town. Does the Government intend to honour that commitment by the Commissioner of Police as a way of addressing the law and order resource difficulties at Moree?

Is the Attorney aware of the escalation of law and order problems in Moree in the past couple of weeks? Is it not a fact that the Minister for Police and the Minister for Corrective Services have failed to follow up on Commissioner Ryan’s undertaking? Will the Attorney correct the Government’s tardiness in addressing Moree’s law and order problems? How long does that community have to wait for the undertaking of the Commissioner of Police to be delivered?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I shall refer the honourable member’s question to the relevant Ministers and obtain responses.

Page 7067

The Hon. DOROTHY ISAKSEN: I direct my question without notice to the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council. Will the Minister tell the House the latest developments in the herbal medicine industry in New South Wales?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am pleased to advise the House that just over a month ago I had the pleasure of visiting the site for Australia’s first technology park devoted to the production, manufacture, research and development of herbal medicine products.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: Cellulose Valley.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti is spot-on - Cellulose Valley. Located on a 72-hectare site next to the Southern Cross University just outside Lismore, Cellulose Valley will be the first herbal medicine region in Australia. The park will take the form of a cluster of businesses and manufacturers surrounded by herb gardens. I am advised that the development will ultimately secure some 1,000 jobs in the Lismore area.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: That’s the Premier’s area.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: He is a pretty smart Premier. He has got it spot-on too.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: The Premier has been there. You have not.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I beg your pardon, you should wash your mouth out with soap. I went to Cellulose Valley the day Cabinet met in Tweed Heads, in the seat of Murwillumbah. I missed the last plane out of Tweed Heads because there was a truck accident on the road between Lismore and Tweed Heads, so I had to drive all the way to Coolangatta to catch the last plane there.

The Hon. J. P. Hannaford: You now understand the need for a new highway?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: That is why the Government is spending $100 million a year on a new highway.

The Hon. J. P. Hannaford: That’s Federal money.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: No, that is matching money: $100 million of State money and $100 million of Federal money. So, in fact, $200 million a year is being spent on the Pacific Highway over a period of 10 years. I wonder why the former coalition Government did not allocate that money to the Pacific Highway. Why was it that all of those National Party electorates on the north coast had to wait for a Labor government to build their road?

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: Tell us about Cellulose Valley.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: Members of the Opposition do not want me to talk about the Pacific Highway. They are embarrassed about the Pacific Highway because this Government is spending the money and the coalition Government did not do anything.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: Tell us about Cellulose Valley.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: There is no doubt that this marvellous Cellulose Valley will be connected to the major cities of Brisbane and Sydney by a first-class Pacific Highway, funded by many hundreds of millions of dollars by a Labor government of New South Wales. I am advised that ultimately the Cellulose Valley development will secure some 1,000 jobs in the Lismore area. Nationally, $39 million worth of herbs and related products were exported last financial year into a world market that is growing at 15 per cent a year - and not too many markets are growing at 15 per cent a year. At present the world medicinal plant industry is worth some $14 billion.

[Interruption]

I am surprised that the Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti is supporting this project, but I am glad he is. Perhaps he is not as much of a quack as I thought he was and there is some hope for him. The growth in the use of alternative medicine products in Australia is expected to top 30 per cent a year. The growing demand for alternative medicines presents farmers and other rural and regional producers with tremendous opportunities. Existing producers can diversify into cash crops that provide big returns from small plantings. The region already has a thriving therapeutic plant industry, particularly in tea-tree oil and echinacea. I am glad I pronounced that correctly; that is the benefit of being taught to read phonetically in primary school by the Brigidine nuns at Coogee.

Page 7068

The Hon. D. F. Moppett: Good grounding there.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: It was very good grounding in reading. Cellulose Valley will also be at the leading edge in technical development, with the potential to attract overseas investment in research and manufacturing. The medicinal plant industry offers new opportunities for primary producers. Cellulose Valley will go a long way towards ensuring that New South Wales capitalises on this hot new growth industry.

The Hon. I. COHEN: I ask the Treasurer, representing the Premier, whether it is true that the Government postponed the planned start of negotiations between stakeholders over the future land use of public forests until after the Federal election. If so, why? Did the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union threaten not to support Labor candidates in the marginal Federal seats of Richmond, Page and Paterson unless the Government agreed to postpone negotiations? Will the Government still meet its pre-election promise to complete forest assessments for the Eden and north-east New South Wales regions before the end of the current parliamentary session - a promise, I might add, that is absolutely essential for Greens support?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I am not aware of the matter to which the Hon. I. Cohen has referred, but I will refer his question to my -

The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: Come on! It was on the ABC news this morning.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: Because it was on the ABC news does not mean it is true.

The Hon. R. T. M. Bull: No, but you have staff to tell you what’s on the news.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I do not have my staff sitting around listening to the ABC news - or any radio program, for that matter. How can one rely on what one hears on the radio? Only three weeks ago I was interviewed by Mike Carlton. He is no longer with the ABC; he is with one of the commercial stations.

The Hon. R. T. M. Bull: He is with 2UE.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: With 2UE, is he? Mike Carlton and I had a bit of an argument about long division. Obviously it was beyond him, but I managed to get it right. However, only yesterday I found out that when I got off the air he accused me of being one of those "De La" boys. I was hurt and offended. Not only was I educated by the great Christian Brothers, but I was also the first student enrolled at St Patrick’s Christian Brothers college at Sutherland. I have no animosity towards ex-De La Salle students, but they were cheats at football, and when it came to mathematics they were dunces. I find it most offensive that someone like Mike Carlton should confuse me as a product of a De La Salle college.

The Hon. R. T. M. Bull: I hope you made that point. You got the Greens preferences.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: I will have you know that I played football for the St Patrick’s under-15Bs and that we thrashed the De La Salle Cronulla under-15As.

The Hon. I. Cohen: Is the Treasurer’s answer indicative of his opinion of the conservation movement?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: No, it is indicative of the reference to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition’s instruction that I should listen to radio. I had completed my answer to the Hon. I. Cohen’s question, and I was dealing with the absurd interjection from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. PEZZUTTI: My question is addressed to the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading. Recently the Federal Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Kim Beazley, peremptorily sacked a staff member when he became aware of that person’s illegal and treacherous action in facilitating interference with the Liberal Party web site. Given the unfair dismissal provisions of this State’s current industrial relations legislation, why cannot a New South Wales member of Parliament act in the same responsible manner?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: With respect, the question is rather confused. However, doing the best I can in the circumstances, I would proffer the view that, under either State or Federal laws, a member of Parliament who is an employer can dismiss an employee for significant misconduct.

The Hon. HELEN SHAM-HO: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Public
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Works and Services, representing the Minister for Health. Is the Minister aware that people living around the Sylvania Waters area are very concerned about the rumour that, without consultation, a methadone clinic will soon be set up by the Health Department in the vacant premises at the Sylvania Village shopping centre? Can the Minister clarify whether this rumour is true? If it is true, will the Minister take action to consult the community and address its concerns?

The Hon. R. D. DYER: I have no personal knowledge of whether the facts in the honourable member’s question are accurate. However, I shall refer the question to my colleague the Minister for Health and obtain a response for her.

The Hon. PATRICIA FORSYTHE: My question without notice is to the Attorney General, representing the Minister for Community Services. Did the Government give a commitment in April to introduce report cards for department-run group home parents? Have any reports yet been issued? If not, why not? When is it envisaged that they will be issued?

The Hon. J. W. SHAW: I undertake to refer the honourable member’s question to the Minister and obtain a response.

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. PEZZUTTI: My question is to the Treasurer, and Vice-President of the Executive Council. What advice has the Treasurer received about the action he should take, as a key shareholding Minister in the Sydney Water Corporation, to ensure that public interest is safeguarded, rather than neglected as it has been?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: When it comes to concern for the public interest, there is a stark contrast between the actions of this Government and those of the previous Government. Under this Government testing for giardia and cryptosporidium is now not just ad hoc and rudimentary, as it was under the previous Government; it is standard, routine and, indeed, quite comprehensive.

The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: Why did David Hill say he had never heard of cryptosporidium when interviewed on television last week?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: That is exactly the comment that the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Collins, made a few days ago. On 3 August 1998 he was asked why, as a voting shareholder, he allowed Sydney Water to be corporatised with 15-year-old drinking water standards - in other words, 1980 standards. The Leader of the Opposition said, "Cryptosporidium, to the best of my knowledge, wasn’t around then." This is when he was the Treasurer.

The fact of the matter is that in 1992 the Hon. Robert Webster was telling all the world, and I therefore assume his current Cabinet colleagues, that the new water treatment plants were intended to eradicate cryptosporidium in Sydney’s water supplies. But we subsequently found out that in June 1994, samples taken at the North Richmond water filtration plant had cryptosporidium levels at 6,700 oocysts per 100 litres; and that in December 1993, samples taken at the Orchard Hills water treatment plant had levels of 68,660 oocysts per 100 litres. Keep in mind that the recent Sydney water alert was issued when the levels reached 12,000, not 56,000 -

The Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti: On a point of order. I find this fascinating, but I asked the Minister whether he could tell us what advice he had received about how he, as the shareholder of Sydney Water Corporation, might protect the interests of the people of New South Wales.

The DEPUTY-PRESIDENT (The Hon. D. J. Gay): Order! There is no point of order.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: We are, in fact, taking action to protect the interests and the health of the people of Sydney. Not only are we testing for cryptosporidium on a comprehensive basis, whereas the former Government did not test at all, but when levels were discovered that were of some concern we took the prudent precautionary measure of advising the people of Sydney that they should boil their water. That was at a time when the levels were at 12,000. When the levels were 58,660 in December 1993, the former Water Board and the former Government took no action at all. The coalition Government did not test for cryptosporidium on a regular, comprehensive basis; and even when random tests revealed levels at 56,000 the coalition Government did nothing about them. Honourable members opposite should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

The Hon. R. T. M. Bull: What about 1995?

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: What about 1995?

The Hon. R. T. M. Bull: That is when you came into government.

Page 7070

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: That is right.

The Hon. J. P. Hannaford: And you have done nothing since.

The Hon. R. T. M. Bull: Go back to the 1995-96 report.

The Hon. J. P. Hannaford: You have an annual report that identified it and your Minister did nothing, and you, as shareholder, did nothing.

The Hon. M. R. EGAN: The coalition was working on the 1980 standards of the National Health and Medical Research Council. We almost immediately updated those standards and only very recently, in June this year, we instituted a comprehensive and extensive testing regime - something the coalition never did.

I suggest that if members have further questions they put them on notice.

The following answers to questions without notice were received by the Clerk during the adjournment of the House:

On 30 June the Hon R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding asthma education. The Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs provided the following response:

The Buteyko Breathing method is one of a number of complementary therapies which have attracted community interest. While anecdotal reports attest to the effectiveness of the method in reducing the symptoms of asthma, it has not been formally evaluated by rigorous scientific means. The method’s place in the clinical management of asthma is therefore yet to be established. The Asthma Foundation of New South Wales is a major source of information and educational advice to people with asthma, their families and carers. The foundation has a wide range of educational resources and provides information on complementary therapies, including the Buteyko breathing method. The Department of Health is committed to improving the outcomes of asthma prevention and care as a priority.

The document "Asthma and the Environment: Perspectives on the Prevention of Asthma" was published by the department in 1997. The aims of the document are to synthesise the available evidence for, and to make recommendations regarding, effective interventions to prevent or reduce exposure to environmental allergens that are associated with the development of asthma and its exacerbation in people with asthma. The key points made in the reference document have been published separately as a 16-page summary booklet. The department is funding an evidence-based review of the clinical practice guidelines in the National Asthma Management Handbook. This work is being undertaken by the national asthma campaign and is due for completion in July 1999.

On 1 July the Hon. C. J. S. Lynn asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding small business crime statistics. The Minister for Police provided the following response:

I am advised by the assistant deputy commissioner that local area commanders implement anti-robbery and anti-theft strategies that respond to the particular needs of the communities they serve. The Kogarah local area command, which is responsible for policing Arncliffe, has developed a number of strategies to protect small business from robbery and theft. I am advised by the assistant deputy commissioner that the command has invited members of the small business community to attend an armed hold-up seminar on 3 August 1998. The seminar seeks to minimise small business exposure to armed robbery and maximise police access to evidence and intelligence information that will identify offenders.

I am also advised the command has established a five- officer target team specifically tasked with arresting recidivist property offenders and has allocated five teams the responsibility of reducing crime and increasing community safety within designated areas of the command. Current indicators suggest a reduction in crime in these areas. The command’s community safety officer is working closely with Rockdale Municipal Council and the community in carrying out community safety/risk assessment audits which will be used to develop solutions to crime and community safety concerns. I would urge all members of the Arncliffe community who are concerned with crime in the area to work with the community safety officer in conducting this audit.

On 30 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about drug detoxification on the north coast. The Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs supplied the following response:

In addition to the information provided to the honourable member in my reply of 30 June, 1998, I am now able to confirm that the Lismore drug and alcohol detoxification facility is being introduced as a work in progress in the Department of Health’s 1998-99 forward capital works program. The estimated total cost is $2.799 million with an allocation of $0.5 million for 1998-99 and $2.299 million for 1999-2000. The Northern Rivers Health Service will now proceed to stage two of the planning process and prepare a project definition plan.

On 27 June the Hon. M. J. Gallacher asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding policing on the central coast. The Minister for Police has provided the following response:

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The honourable member may have forgotten that the central coast was policed by six patrols under the previous coalition Government. On 1 July 1997 this Government amalgamated these six patrols into the Brisbane Water and Tuggerah Lakes local area commands. The honourable member’s suggestion that the central coast has been split into two separate police regions is utter nonsense. Both these commands are part of the north metropolitan region. The honourable member’s question demonstrates how local area commands can work together and I applaud the manner in which the Brisbane Water and Tuggerah Lakes local area commands have co-operated in addressing common policing concerns.

On 24 June the Hon. A. G. Corbett asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice about measles control in New South Wales. The Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs provided the following response:

There are a number of reasons why an event such as that referred to by the honourable member is unlikely to occur in New South Wales during the measles control campaign. New South Wales nurses involved in the program have been advised to follow guidelines set out in the Australian Immunisation Handbook. New South Wales nurses accredited to give vaccinations have been trained to check individual vials of vaccine before administration, as set out in the handbook. In addition, New South Wales nurses are required to pass a recent accreditation course or update before being employed for the program. Finally, each morning the nurses will collect the vaccines from the respective distribution points. MMR is the only vaccine which will be supplied in those packages for the program.

On 18 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning Michael Yabsley’s drink driving offence. The Minister for Police provided the following response:

The statistics requested by the honourable member should be available from BOCSAR. The other issues are not within the police portfolio.

On 18 June the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about the death of Anna Wood. The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, and Minister for Housing provided the following answer:

The New South Wales Government guidelines for dance parties has not been developed to educate young dance party patrons about particular drugs, but to provide guidance to party promoters and organisers. The guidelines, accordingly, provide promoters with information on preventing drugs from entering dance parties, expelling people found with drugs and treating people who become ill through taking drugs. If you require any further information I suggest you ask the Minister for Local Government, who is responsible for the administration of the guidelines.

On 18 June the Hon. M. J. Gallacher asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about telephone surveillance. The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, and Minister for Housing, on behalf of the Minister for Police, supplied the following answer:

The police commissioner has already denied any suggestion the phones of media organisations are being tapped by the New South Wales Police Service.

On 29 June the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about prisoner numbers. The Minister for Corrective Services provided the following response:

The New South Wales prison census taken on 30 June 1996 identified 793 remand inmates on that date and the highest number of remand inmates, 1086, was recorded on 12 April 1998. Remand populations usually exhibit the signs of a population group in crisis, with high levels of uncertainty, anxiety and mental disorder. However, departmental staff are trained to deal with the special demands of this population. The number of recorded assaults per 100 inmates in calendar year 1996 was 11.7 while the number in calendar year 1997 was 13.5. This figure includes any reported assault whatsoever, including instances of spitting and shoving where no injury has been incurred. The number of assaults classed as serious actually decreased from 98 in 1996 to 91 in 1997, representing rates of 1.6 and 1.4 per 100 inmates, respectively. Any increase in this population is as a result of increased numbers of inmates remanded to custody by the courts.

On 25 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about shooting galleries. The Minister for Police provided the following response:

The establishment of injecting rooms would likely breach section 19 of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985. Accordingly, the New South Wales Police Service will uphold the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act and other New South Wales laws.

On 24 June the Hon. D. F. Moppett asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning crime statistics in Parkes. The Minister for Police provided the following response:

The Lachlan local area command, responsible for policing the Parkes area, has used intelligence information to generate profiles of drug users and dealers. These profiles are used by plain clothes and anti-theft squad police in carrying out drug operations.

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On 30 June the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice about the death of hospital patients. The Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs supplied the following response:

I have no information additional to that which was provided to the honourable member in response to question on notice No. 190, published in Questions and Answers Paper No. 43 of 2 June 1998.

On 30 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding credit provided to compulsive gamblers. The Minister provided the following answer:

Responsibility for the relevant legislation, the Gaming and Betting Act, the Liquor Act and the Registered Clubs Act, falls primarily within the portfolio of my colleague, the Hon J. R. Face MP, Minister for Gaming and Racing. The honourable member will be aware that the Government also recently announced an inquiry into the social impact of gaming, which is being undertaken by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, chaired by Dr Thomas Parry. The terms of reference of the inquiry include the tribunal investigating the need for and form of a gaming commission or similar authority to oversight gaming in New South Wales; measures, both existing and potential, to foster a responsible gaming environment; co-ordination of problem gaming policies of hotels, registered clubs and the casino and other providers of gambling; and co-ordination of problem gaming support services and research centres to address problem gaming. The Department of Fair Trading is currently examining the issue of the granting of credit for gaming and related fair trading issues, including assessing any pattern of complaints. Upon review, the department will consider making a submission to the inquiry which is to report to Parliament by 26 November 1998.

On 1 July the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about comprehensive education. The Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs supplied the following response:

The Government recognises and acknowledges that comprehensive 7-12 secondary schools are the core provision for secondary education in New South Wales. These schools have made an outstanding contribution for many years and will continue to do so. I am confident that for the most part the current organisation of secondary schooling is sufficiently robust to accommodate the changes flowing from the higher school certificate review and to provide quality education and equity across the State. The Government has already taken a number of steps to provide more effective comprehensive secondary education. In a number of specific local circumstances where an opportunity exists to provide a better range of options for students and to improve Year 11-12 retention rates the Government is investigating new models. This is occurring at Dubbo, Mt Druitt and Nirimba.

On 17 June the Hon R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about flying foxes. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The flying fox colony within the Maclean rainforest reserve is protected by the provisions of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. No action can be taken which affects the flying foxes without the express approvals contained within that legislation. I am aware that there is a body of community and scientific opinion opposed to the trial relocation program, and that there are differing views as to whether the Maclean colony can be moved. The action plan developed by the Government is designed not to remove the entire colony but to reduce, in the short term, the density of flying foxes within the colony and to monitor the impact of the techniques on the animals and their relocation responses. Notwithstanding this I have recently been advised by the NPWS that there has been a rapid natural decline of approximately 80 per cent in the number of flying foxes at the Maclean rainforest reserve. On the basis of these figures, it is not appropriate to conduct disturbance trials at this time. However, a significant component of any future disturbance trials will include monitoring of movement patterns. This question is more appropriately addressed to my colleague, the Hon John Aquilina, Minister for Education and Training and the Maclean Shire Council.

On 18 June the Hon R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about the Maclean flying fox colony. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

I have recently been advised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service that there has been a rapid natural decline of approximately 80 per cent in the number of flying foxes at the Maclean rainforest reserve. On the basis of these figures, it is not appropriate to conduct disturbance trials at this time. However, a significant component of any future disturbance trials will include monitoring of movement patterns. I am advised by the NPWS that a property management planning process has commenced to provide a long-term solution to the issue. The plan will strive to resolve the issue for all stakeholders concerned.

On 4 June the Hon I. Cohen asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about benzene emissions. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The first part of the air toxics pilot study which was recently published showed that one of the substances with the highest levels measured was benzene, with a Sydneywide level of 1.2 parts per billion and a central business district level of 2.5 parts per billion. Although this is well under the proposed United Kingdom standard of five parts per billion, it is still of concern, and would not meet the suggested more stringent United Kingdom

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goal of one part per billion. The main source of benzene in ambient air comes from motor vehicle exhaust emissions. Other sources include evaporative losses during the handling and storage of petrol. To reduce the levels of air toxics such as benzene from motor vehicles the Government has set up a program of vehicle emission testing which by 2004 will see every car and light commercial vehicle over four years old in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle undergoing annual emission testing. This program will identify vehicles which have been poorly maintained, or have had their emission controls tampered with, and ensure they are repaired.

I have also launched a joint program with the petroleum industry to remove some 20 per cent of the reactive compounds which are released from evaporative losses of petrol. Additionally I have provided for the extension of air toxics monitoring at a cost of over $500,000 to better understand the issue and to ensure control strategies are well targeted. The Government's action for air program, launched in March this year sets out a whole-of-government approach to smog and particle pollution. This program recognises that motor vehicles are our greatest problem and that we must act to reduce pollution and congestion resulting from our growing dependence on them. An integrated transport plan, to be completed by November this year, will set out the details of what we need to do to achieve the ambitious targets set in action for air to reduce our dependence on motor vehicles.

On 3 June the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about police random searches. The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, and Minister for Housing, on behalf of the Minister for Police, provided the following answer:

I am advised by Superintendent Tarleton, the Commander of the Tweed-Byron local area command, that inquiries have revealed no instances of, or complaints in regard to, police randomly stopping and searching young people for marijuana or any other substance or thing. However, Superintendent Tarleton advises that on 12 June 1998, in response to the honourable member's question, he issued a memorandum reminding police under his command of their responsibilities in this regard. As the honourable member is aware, random searches of citizens are not permitted in New South Wales and the New South Wales Police Service provides police with a range of materials that appraise them of this fact. If the honourable member wishes to provide me with specific instances where police have conducted random searches I will refer them for appropriate investigation.

On 4 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding the death of Kylie Nash. The Minister for Community Services provided the following answer:

Yes. The Department of Community Services has an extensive data system dealing with children notified to the department as being at risk across New South Wales. This data system would describe children, including adolescents, who have suicide tendencies. However, it should be noted that the suicide research literature states that there are no measurable risk indicators for young people who commit suicide. Only a small number of young people who commit suicide are known to the Department of Community Services. A total of $5.7 million will be invested in 1998-99 in new computer systems, which will include the revision of the current client information system. Adolescents who come to the attention of the Department of Community Services who state depression or suicidal tendency, are assessed and also referred to the Department of Health for appropriate services. Area health services in New South Wales have recently received considerable enhancements for youth psychiatric services, as a result of the Burdekin report on mental illness.

On 16 June the Hon. M. J. Gallacher asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice about central coast oil drilling. The Minister for Public Works and Services provided the following answer:

Approval has not yet been granted to Flare Petroleum NL to carry out exploration for petroleum in the offshore area between Sydney and Newcastle. The company's application is under joint consideration by the Minister for Resources and Energy in Canberra and the New South Wales Minister for Mineral Resources, under the Petroleum Submerged Lands Act. Any offshore petroleum exploration permit which may be granted to Flare Petroleum NL will contain stringent conditioning to ensure that the company does not cause any environmental damage in carrying out exploration.

On 16 June the Deputy Leader of the Opposition asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice about the gaming social impact inquiry. The Minister for Gaming and Racing provided the following answer:

The Gaming Inquiry was announced by the Government on 19 June 1998.

On 29 June the Hon. D. J. Gay asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about Newcastle City Council administration. The Minister for Local Government provided the following answer:

I have been monitoring the situation at Newcastle City Council over recent months and the Department of Local Government has been in regular contact with the Lord Mayor and General Manager. Arrangements have already been made for a visit to the council by the department's Deputy Director General, including meetings with the Lord Mayor and General Manager.

On 29 June the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about adoption policy. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following answer:

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I am aware of the allegations contained in the Sydney Morning Herald article. In the 1997-1998 financial year, 49 children were relinquished for adoption across government and non-government adoption agencies in New South Wales. Of approximately 80 birth parent referrals to the Department of Community Services' adoption services branch this year for adoption counselling, 12 have decided on adoption for their child. Research has shown that in order for children to grow to their full potential the best environment for them is to grow up in their own family. Unfortunately, for some children this is not possible. Adoption can provide the most secure alternative nurturing family. Adoption practices around the world are moving towards more open arrangements regarding exchange of information and contact between birth parents, the child and the adoptive family.

It is certainly not government policy to force birth parents to keep their babies. It is government policy that birth parents are provided with objective, accurate information about adoption and the choices they have when planning for the future of their baby. It is my understanding and expectation that birth parents considering adoption are provided with detailed written information about adoption. Pre-adoption counselling enables them to make an informed decision about the future for their baby. This move toward greater choices, access to information, and support for birth parents has resulted in children being relinquished for adoption for whom adoption is considered the best option. Adoption consents are taken after due consideration by the birth parents and of the 59 consents taken in the last financial year, 10 were revoked. This suggests that even after proceeding to an adoption decision, approximately 17 per cent of birth families change their minds and keep their baby.

On 29 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about Lidcombe waste treatment plant. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The Environment Protection Authority, EPA, has advised me that it has been working with the waste service progressively to address odour issues at the Lidcombe Liquid Waste Treatment Plant. The Environment Protection Authority has negotiated a pollution reduction program with the waste service under which the service has agreed to engage a consultant to examine long-term odour control improvement measures. The Environment Protection Authority has also advised me it has asked the waste service to ensure it responds to odour complaints from all relevant parties, particularly residents. Presuming you are referring to the proposed new stack in the plant upgrade, I understand it is intended volatile organic compounds be destroyed in the thermal process which is the main odour control system for the plant.

On 2 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice concerning the effects of passive smoking. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

The New South Wales Government is committed to working with the hospitality industry and non-government organisations to ensure the successful commencement of the provisions of the Smoking Regulation Act. An excellent example of this collaboration in furthering the aim of the legislation is the seminar that was recently hosted by the New South Wales Cancer Council and the Health Department of New South Wales called "Lets really clear the Air - going smoke free: a seminar to prepare for change in the hospitality industry". This seminar was designed for those with an interest in working with the hospitality industry and with hospitality industry representatives to prepare for changes required by the Smoking Regulation Act 1997.

The seminar covered a range of issues, including the health effects of passive smoking, practical strategies for going smoke free, current issues for the hospitality industry and where to get assistance. For the legislation to be effective, support from both the general community and the hospitality industry are essential. The Government will ensure that the implementation period for this legislation reflects the time required for hospitality venues and other enclosed public places to undertake the required changes.

On 3 June the Hon. M. R. Kersten asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice concerning Goodooga District Hospital. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

Health services in Goodooga are being substantially enhanced to provide more appropriate and accessible services to the local community and to provide immediate and long-term health benefits to the town. The emphasis will be on primary health care and early childhood and family services. While physical renovations are being carried out on Goodooga District Hospital, 24-hour emergency and outpatient services are being maintained from temporary facilities on site. Residential services will reopen in late July and will provide non-hospital accommodation for aged, respite and palliative care, as well as a refuge service. This service enhancement will include much-needed ambulance facilities to provide a service for people requiring transport to regional centres for treatment.

On 4 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice about the birth defects register. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

From 1 January 1998 birth defects became notifiable under the New South Wales Public Health Act 1991. The purpose of the birth defects register is to collect information on the distribution and characteristics of birth defects in New South Wales. This information is required to facilitate the monitoring of birth defect occurrences and to provide information to assist the investigation of apparent geographic clusters of birth defects, support research and assist with the planning of health services for affected families. The Health Department of New South Wales does not recommend that doctors encourage parents to terminate children with birth defects or genetic diseases.

On 17 June the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without

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notice concerning the New South Wales anti-smoking education program. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

New South Wales has had an extensive involvement in the development and facilitation of the national tobacco campaign, with representation on the national ministerial tobacco advisory group - MTAG. The primary aim of the national tobacco campaign, a two-year campaign targeting adult smokers, is to reduce the proportion of the population that smokes on a regular basis. The campaign primarily targets existing smokers, both male and female, aged between 18 and 39 years. Support for the national tobacco campaign is provided by New South Wales QUIT campaign.

An on-going range of initiatives in New South Wales to support and extend the delivery of the campaign includes mass media advertising, public relations, information dissemination and other support strategies. The national tobacco campaign has had a large impact in New South Wales. Of more than 97,000 calls received by the national QUIT telephone line since the campaign commenced over one-third stemmed from New South Wales. That has resulted in the New South Wales QUIT campaign distributing more than 245,000 QUIT kits, representing almost half of the resources distributed Australiawide.

On 18 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice about a quit smoking marijuana campaign. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

The publication "Patterns of Drug Use in Australia 1985-95" has indicated an increase in the number of people in all age groups, including adolescents, using marijuana. The Government shares the honorable member’s concern about this trend, although it should be noted that the number of people reporting long-term cannabis use, as distinct from experimentation or infrequent use, is still a small proportion of the population. The 1998 United National Narcotics Control Board report states that the prevalence of cannabis abuse in Australia is amongst the highest in the world. However, international statistical comparisons on alcohol and other drug use are difficult to make because of differences in data collection mechanisms and coverage. Comparing prevalence rates in Australia with rates in other countries does not provide any clear guidelines on what policies would be most effective in the Australian context.

The honorable member has quoted figures released in the report "A Restrictive Drug Policy, The Swedish Experience", published by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health. In a conflicting report, the "International Journal of Drug Policy", Volume 7, No. 2, 1996, states that according to the National Health Institute 20 per cent of young Swedish people in the major cities use drugs, mostly cannabis. Australia’s drug policies are widely recognised as being among the most effective in the world. This is partly due to the bipartisan support that all Commonwealth and State Governments have given to policies which combine measures to control the supply of drugs, reduce the demand for drugs and reduce the harmful effect on individuals and the community from drug use.

The harm minimisation approach to drug policy adopted across Australia has led to Australia having among the world’s lowest rates of infectious disease transmission through injecting drug use, and has also led to the development of a range of policies to reduce the harm that can arise from alcohol misuse, particularly in relation to road safety, violence and antisocial behaviour. As a result, Australia’s alcohol and other drug policies have saved thousands of Australian lives. There is also clear evidence that the harm minimisation approach has coincided with a marked reduction in illness and death from the use of alcohol and tobacco, which are the drugs which cause most harm to the community. Recently the Commonwealth Government reiterated its commitment to the harm minimisation approach. New South Wales will follow suit because, quite simply, it works. Cannabis use is an issue of concern.

Studies, such as the recent report by a Victorian parliamentary committee, have indicated that mass media education campaigns are likely to be less effective in addressing illicit drug use than education campaigns targeted to groups at particular risk. Therefore, mass media campaigns may not be an efficient use of resources. The New South Wales Government provides drug education in schools from years K-12 and has recently adopted new cannabis education materials produced by the Commonwealth Government under the National Initiatives in Drug Education program for use in the school curriculum. The Government also provides information through a variety of media outlets for parents and families who are concerned that their young people may be at risk of, or already using, cannabis. The Government will continue to monitor data and research to determine efficient and cost-effective ways of addressing cannabis use in the community.

On 18 June the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice concerning funds bequeathed to hospitals. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

Health services are fortunate to receive significant financial support from the community with donations from individuals, associations, services and other clubs and corporations. The New South Wales Health Department requires that bequests and donations are credited to the Special Purposes and Trust Fund, and has prescribed accounting requirements to be observed by all health services which state:

An asset of the Special Purposes and Trust Fund shall be applied only in accordance with the purpose for which it was received and the trust conditions attached to it.

To further protect and recognise community support, it is a departmental requirement that each health service’s audited financial statements contain appropriate disclosure concerning the use or intended use of all donations or bequests.

On 18 June the Hon. A. G. Corbett asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice concerning vaccination of children with the measles-mumps- rubella vaccine. The Minister for Health provided the following answer:

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In July 1998 the National Health Medical Research Council - NHMRC - approved the proposal that the second dose of measles, mumps, rubella - MMR - vaccine be at four to five years of age. The immunisation certificate for primary school enrolment will now need to be updated to make provision for recording the second MMR dose. Both doses are required for the certifying officer to sign for complete immunisation. A child with only one dose recorded would be considered to have incomplete immunisation. Incompletely immunised children may be excluded from school if the situation is considered necessary.

On 25 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice regarding making beaches safer from sharks. The Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for Fisheries provided the following answer:

Research staff from my department, New South Wales Fisheries, are in close contact with shark researchers around the world regarding the various techniques for protecting swimmers from sharks. A number of physical, chemical, electrical and sonic devices are being developed. Each technique has particular advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the type of beach, sea conditions, target shark species and other non-target species in the region. In New South Wales during the swimming season a large number of people use a broad range of beaches with varying physical characteristics. These beaches may be subject to heavy sea conditions and strong currents. The main species of shark that concern swimmers are large aggressive predators. The current assessment is that bottom-set mesh nets are the most appropriate technique to use in these conditions.

Between 1927 and 1937 there were 10 deaths from shark attacks in New South Wales. However, since 1937 there has only been one fatality at a beach that was meshed. The number of incidental, non-target species captured by this technique in New South Wales is insignificant by interstate and international standards. Despite the proven effectiveness of mesh nets in New South Wales, staff from my department will continue to assess developments in other swimmer protection techniques that are used around the world. The shark-protective ocean device - shark-POD - developed by the Natal Sharks Board, is a device for personal use. Long cable electrical devices have been used to generate electrical fields in small bays and gentle sea conditions off South Africa.

Over the years a range of chemicals has been tested for their effect on sharks and baited hooks on drum floats are used in Queensland. New South Wales Fisheries is currently assessing the value of acoustic devices for the reduction of incidental cetacean entanglements. Trials of these devices on meshed New South Wales beaches are planned for the 1998-99 season. The incidental catches of turtles in New South Wales shark nets have been historically very small in number. In 1997-98 only one turtle was caught in New South Wales meshings. Further efforts to reduce turtle mortality are to be considered at a workshop in August 1998, with participants from New South Wales Fisheries, Lifesaving New South Wales, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, university researchers and New South Wales shark-meshing contractors.

On 16 June the Hon. J. F. Ryan asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice regarding classrooms at Westmead Public School. The Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs provided the following answer:

I am pleased to advise that the Department of Education and Training acquired the University of Western Sydney land adjoining Westmead Public School on 30 June 1998. The school will occupy the property very early in term 3, 1998.

On 1 July the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. The Minister for Police supplied the following answer:

Following the inquest into Mr Levi’s death, the Coroner made a number of recommendations regarding police procedures. These recommendations are fully supported by the Government and New South Wales Police Service and are currently in the process of being implemented. The Coroner recommended the introduction of capsicum spray and extendable batons be expedited. Capsicum spray was introduced for all operational police on 1 July 1998, and the commissioner has authorised the use of extendable batons by specific sections of the Police Service which can demonstrate a particular need. The Police Service has advised firearms training reinforces the policy that firearms are to be used as a last resort when the lives of police or members of the public are placed in imminent danger and there is no alternative option.

Capsicum spray provides officers with an effective alternative for use in appropriate circumstances. Mandatory drug and alcohol testing of officers involved in shootings has also been implemented. The Coroner also recommended that police training in dealing with mentally ill people be reviewed and constantly updated, and that a protocol be developed with the Department of Health on dealing with mentally ill and disturbed people. A memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health has been finalised and the Police Service is now reviewing its training practices in light of that memorandum.

On 2 July the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. The Minister for Police supplied the following answer:

The tough new knife laws contained in the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Police and Public Safety) Act 1998 are designed to protect the community from knife crime, whilst allowing people who carry knives for legitimate purposes to continue to do so. People who have a reasonable excuse for carrying a Swiss army knife in public have nothing to fear. Whilst the Act makes it clear that self-defence is not a reasonable excuse for carrying a knife in public, it does not limit the meaning of reasonable excuse in any other way. The Act specifies a number of prima facie reasonable excuses to assist police carry out their functions under the Act. The honourable member will

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be gratified to learn he may continue to enjoy the use of a knife whilst picnicking, as the Act recognises it is a reasonable excuse to have custody of a knife in a public place for the preparation or consumption of food or drink.

On 2 July the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. The Minister for the Environment supplied the following answer:

The Marine Parks Act came into effect in 1997 and drafting instructions have been forwarded to Parliamentary Counsel. The draft regulations are expected to be complete by September 1998, and as provided under the Subordinate Legislation Act, the draft regulations will be placed on public exhibition for a period of 21 days. A regulatory impact statement will also be available to the community concurrently with the draft regulations. No. The enthusiasm of both New South Wales Fisheries and National Parks and Wildlife Service officers highlights a growing ability to foster collaborative expertise between the two agencies in support of the Marine Parks Authority. The secretariat function is rotated between the two agencies on a 12-month cycle.

On 2 July the Hon. J. F. Ryan asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. The Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs supplied the following answer:

On 29 June 1998 a report prepared by a local working party recommending strategies for improving secondary education in the Mount Druitt area was made available as a draft working document to local principals for comment. Following the planned period of consultation a decision will be made on future secondary arrangements for the Mount Druitt area.

On 1 July the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question about chemical spills into the Brunswick River. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The Government recently implemented the Road and Rail Transport (Dangerous Goods) Act 1997, which rationalises the controls on the road transport of dangerous goods as part of the adoption of uniform national road transport legislation. This legislation removes inconsistencies and ambiguities between the requirements of different States. These requirements have been brought in line with best management practices for the transport of dangerous goods recommended by the United Nations. These requirements minimise the possibility of incidents by raising the level of training of all involved in the chemicals and transport industries and ensure higher standards of construction of chemical containers. As there are many factors outside of government control which may cause accidents, it is not possible to provide a guarantee that accidents will not occur.

On 2 July the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question about naltrexone detoxification. The Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs provided the following answer:

The New South Wales Government is concerned to ensure that a comprehensive range of detoxification and treatment alternatives is available for people seeking treatment for opiate dependency. Because the potential of naltrexone in relapse prevention and accelerated detoxification for opiate dependency is as yet unproven, the Government is currently supporting trials in two sites, Sydney Hospital and Westmead Hospital. The Sydney Hospital trial will examine accelerated detoxification without anaesthesia and the Westmead Hospital will examine accelerated detoxification with anaesthesia. Both trials offer potential benefit for illicit opiate users and patients in long-term methadone treatment. While establishing the first such trials, New South Wales has also moved carefully with regard to these trials because there are questions that must be answered regarding their effectiveness and safety as detoxification alternatives and their cost effectiveness. Both trials provide ongoing support, counselling if necessary and monitoring for patients throughout the trials.

These issues must be addressed before the services can be made available in New South Wales. The New South Wales Government also supports a comprehensive range of initiatives to reduce the supply, use and impact of illicit drugs and licit drugs used harmfully. The issue of safe injecting rooms was raised in the context of the 1997 Wood royal commission into police corruption in New South Wales. One of the recommendations of the final report of the royal commission was that a trial of safe injecting rooms should be considered. The Joint Select Committee into Injecting Rooms was established in June 1997 and the committee, after hearing evidence from a range of professional and non-professional interests nationally and internationally, completed its final report in February 1998. The joint select committee recommended that the establishment of a scientific trial of safe injecting rooms to measure the possible health and social benefits for both injecting drugs users - IDU - and the rest of the community should not proceed.

On 2 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Wombarra Stormwater Tunnel environmental impact statement. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

The Rail Access Corporation - RAC - advises that an environmental impact statement was prepared in accordance with the then Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations 1980 for the Wombarra Drainage Tunnel in 1992-93. RAC has a legal consent duly obtained to proceed with the Wombarra Drainage Tunnel from Wollongong City Council and the State Rail Authority. The consent did not require a species impact statement. The tunnel will only come into use in times of heavy rainfall. In regard to the construction phase of the tunnel outlet RAC is currently preparing a brief to engage an environmental consultant to develop an environmental management plan which will examine and advise on ways

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to minimise the impact on the environment, including the sooty oyster catcher.

On 3 June the Hon. B. P. V. Pezzutti asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about Gay Games funding. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

An amount of $75,000 was provided to the Gay Games Bid Committee by Tourism New South Wales to assist the development of the bid. In November 1997 the Gay Games Bid Committee was advised that there would be no further Government funding for the event should the bid be successful. Following the decision to stage the event in Sydney the Director-General of the Premier’s Department met with representatives of the Gay Games Organising Committee and confirmed that the Government would not contribute financially to the Games. Government agencies will work with the organising committee on logistics matters to ensure that the event is a success.

On 3 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about Olympic Games emergency housing. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following response:

I refer the honourable member to Hansard of 30 June 1998, in which I responded to a question without notice on the same issue which he asked on 27 May 1998.

On 4 June the Hon. C. J. S. Lynn asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about Homebush Bay residential development. The Minister for the Olympics provided the following response:

The questions raised by the Hon. C. J. S. Lynn are not directly related to the Olympics. They refer to a range of issues across a range of ministerial portfolios and they are being addressed by the relevant portfolio Ministers.

On 16 June the Hon. J. M. Samios asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Bathurst water supply. The Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Land and Water Conservation provided the following response:

The Government is unable to respond to the member for Bathurst’s comments as reported in a newspaper as their accuracy cannot be verified. My personal experience is that the member for Bathurst supports the Bathurst community at all times, especially in upgrading the Ben Chifley Dam wall. I confirm that the Government is committed to assisting the Bathurst community in the upgrading of Ben Chifley Dam as planned. The total cost of the project is estimated at $16.4 million. This includes $12.9 million to upgrade the dam for safety reasons, $2.7 million to service the future growth of the city and $0.8 million for structural components associated with raising the dam.

From the project's inception a firm allocation of $1.329 million has been made towards all pre-construction activities such as investigation and design. Investigation for this project is complete and design is expected to be completed in October 1998. The project manager expects the project to cost $2 million during the 1998-99 financial year. The Government’s contribution to the forecasted expenditure is $1 million - a 50% subsidy. The Labor Government has a sound record in servicing the needs of regional New South Wales, as has the member for Bathurst.

On 17 June the Hon. C. J. S. Lynn asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about Richmond railway station crime. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

State Rail has advised that it responded to the concerns of staff by providing additional security guards at Richmond and Windsor stations, and security guards on services between Riverstone and Richmond after 8.00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and requesting additional police patrols of Richmond station and environs. The local police were quoted in the press on 10 June 1998 as stating that crime on the rail system had not increased and that policing in the area was being driven by intelligence deployment of police and regular operations co-ordinated through the Macquarie region transit police. In addition, from 1 July 1998 two security guards will be on each CityRail train operating in the network from 7.00 p.m. until the last service each night.

In addition, a master program is currently being developed for the implementation of enhanced security in the form of video surveillance cameras, high-intensity lighting and help points at all CityRail stations, including those on the Richmond line, by July 2000, at a cost of $55 million. The actual timing for completion at individual stations is yet to be determined. These Government initiatives demonstrate our commitment to passenger security. In regard to staff numbers, State Rail is currently undertaking a job and work redesign program in relation to staff at CityRail stations. This is to ensure that staff on stations are located where they are needed, based on customer demand. No decision has been made as to the final staff required.

On 18 June the Hon. Elaine Nile asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question about the M5 east extension. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

It is recognised that the higher a ventilation stack is, the greater it improves the dispersion of emissions-pollutants. In this regard, condition 73 of the conditions of approval for the M5 east project states, "The height of the tunnel exhaust stack must be higher that 25 metres high unless otherwise approved by the Director-General (Department of Urban Affairs and Planning), upon advice from the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority)." Based on dispersion modelling undertaken by Holmes Air Sciences, a stack at least 25 metres high would meet World Health

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Organisation air quality goals as well as emerging Australian goals. On that basis, a ventilation stack considerably higher than 25 metres is not considered necessary. Notwithstanding that the contract for the project will be awarded on a design-construct arrangement, the approved contractor will still be bound by the conditions of approval that formed the basis of the determination given by the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning.

On 18 June the Hon. Helen Sham-Ho asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Maritime Museum migrant welcome wall. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

The Government is aware that the majority of migrants choose to settle in New South Wales. The Ethnic Affairs Commission publication "The People of New South Wales", launched on 22 June 1998, demonstrates that New South Wales is the most culturally diverse of all Australian States. One in five residents of New South Wales was born outside Australia, equating to 1.4 million people in total. The cultural diversity of New South Wales is an asset which strengthens and enriches our community. It has made New South Wales a more rewarding and productive place to live, and has provided the New South Wales economy with a competitive edge in regional trade. The combination of high technology, skilled labour, business real estate and a multilingual work force has been the reason for many multinational companies choosing New South Wales for their regional headquarters.

Of the 240 multinational companies that have made Australia their Asia-Pacific base, some 68 per cent have chosen Sydney as their regional headquarters. The Government is aware that the Australian National Maritime Museum, a Commonwealth-funded institution, has conceived the welcome wall as a tribute to those who have migrated to our shores. Families may have their names engraved on the wall, which adjoins an area where many immigrants first set foot in Australia. Their stories may also be recorded in a database accessible to the public. The welcome wall is a component of a sea change, a program of cultural activities up to the 2000 Olympics. The Government welcomes this initiative celebrating Australia’s cultural diversity. The Government has a wide range of programs in place which aim to recognise the contribution and achievements of our ethnic communities.

In February 1996 the Government amended the Ethnic Affairs Commission Act and enshrined principles of cultural diversity in legislation - the first Government in Australia to do so. In amending the Act, the Government took the opportunity to strengthen the obligations on public sector agencies to implement and report on ethnic affairs policies, and enhanced the powers and responsibilities of the commission. The commission reports annually on initiatives undertaken by government agencies under ethnic affairs priorities statements, and identifies new areas of significance for action under the ethnic affairs action plan 2000. In addition, the Government supports a wide variety of programs and events which celebrate our cultural diversity and the contribution migrants have made to New South Wales. An example is the annual Carnivale celebrations sponsored by the Government.

In 1997 more than 240 events were staged as part of the Carnivale festival of multicultural arts, with over 1,100 performers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Community harmony is supported through the community partnership scheme, sponsored by the Ethnic Affairs Commission. An example of work under the scheme is a project by the Fairfield community resource centre to improve media reporting and reduce stereotyping of the Fairfield and Cabramatta area. Government agencies are also major supporters of the Ethnic Affairs Commission multicultural marketing awards, which showcase public and private sector initiatives to realise the potential value of cultural diversity to the New South Wales economy. The New South Wales Department of Fair Trading, the AMP Society, the Australian Arabic Welfare Council Inc., Macquarie Bank, Malubel Pty Ltd and National Australia Bank-George Patterson Bates received awards in 1997. The Government’s policies will continue to recognise the value of cultural diversity and oppose racism and division in the New South Wales community.

On 25 June the Hon. Elaine Nile asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Woronora Bridge. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

On 23 July 1998 the Minister announced that the Woronora Bridge proposal would be upgraded to include a four-lane bridge and approaches at a revised cost of $47 million. The possibility to enhance the design of the bridge arose out of investigations stemming from the initial announcement. Utility adjustments started in August 1998 and it is anticipated that water quality work in Jannali Reserve will commence in September, with major bridge work starting in January next year. The bridge is scheduled for completion in December 2000.

On 25 June the Hon. Franca Arena asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about multiculturalism. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

The Government is committed to a vision of a tolerant, harmonious and productive society. In February 1996 the Government amended the Ethnic Affairs Commission Act to incorporate the principles of cultural diversity - the first government in Australia to enshrine these principles in legislation. As Premier, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs, I have consistently spoken out on the benefits of cultural diversity for New South Wales, particularly my belief that this diversity strengthens the economy and contributes to development of the State. Since coming to office the Government has created an integrated policy framework to support the development of community harmony in New South Wales. The Government’s social justice directions statement "Fair Go, Fair Share, Fair Say", launched in October 1996, outlines policies and programs to promote a more inclusive society. "Building on our Cultural Diversity", launched in December 1996, is the Government’s ethnic affairs policy to the year 2000, and identifies community harmony as one of the three key result areas for action.

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The Ethnic Affairs Commission reports annually on initiatives undertaken by Government agencies under their ethnic affairs priorities statements, and identifies new areas of significance for action under the Ethnic Affairs action plan 2000. Each agency is also required to outline in its annual report agency achievements in ethnic affairs and plans for the coming year. In the context of this overall policy framework, New South Wales Government agencies have developed substantial programs and initiatives to foster community harmony. Since December 1996 the Ethnic Affairs Commission has convened an interagency forum specifically to discuss community harmony issues. The Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the Anti-Discrimination Board, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the Department of Education and Training and the New South Wales Police Service meet regularly to pool information and work towards the development of strategies to combat racism.

The Ethnic Affairs Commission has focused specifically on community harmony through its 1997 community partnership scheme. Under this scheme the Fairfield community resource centre is producing an education kit for journalists to improve media reporting and reduce stereotyping of the Fairfield and Cabramatta area. The promotion of community harmony is also a priority selection criteria for projects funded under the Commission’s community development grants program. Education is a critical element in promoting community harmony and combatting racism, and several projects and programs are in place to deal with these issues. This year the Anti-Discrimination Board and the Department of Education and Training are working together to promote the understanding of anti-discrimination legislation among students and teachers. Individual schools are also encouraged to develop anti-racism programs to meet the needs of their particular communities.

In 1998 the Department for Education and Training has asked each of the 40 school districts to nominate a school to run a whole school community anti-racism project. The Government continues to promote community awareness of the benefits and richness of a culturally diverse society. Government agencies are major supporters of the multicultural marketing awards which showcase public and private sector initiatives to realise the potential value of cultural diversity to the New South Wales economy. The Ethnic Affairs Commission publication "The People of New South Wales", launched in June 1998, gives a rich insight into the make-up of the population, demonstrating that New South Wales is the most culturally diverse of all Australian States. The Government’s policies will continue to recognise the value of cultural diversity and oppose any form of racism and division in the New South Wales community.

On 25 June the Hon. B. P. V. Pezzutti asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about East Circular Quay. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

At a meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, 22 July 1998, regarding other matters, the building at east Circular Quay was discussed.

On 29 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the children’s care and protection legislation. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

The report of the review of the Children (Care and Protection) Act 1987 took more than three years to compile and contains over 180 recommendations. The Government is committed to protecting children from abuse and neglect and is giving careful consideration to all the recommendations before proposing any legislative change. The Government regards this legislation reform as a top level priority. A proposal will go to Cabinet shortly.

On 29 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about tobacco education expenditure. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

New South Wales Health provides funding for a range of tobacco education programs throughout New South Wales, including $0.895 million in 1997-98 allocated to the New South Wales QUIT campaign. A range of tobacco control activities which prevent and target tobacco-related harm among young people are being developed and implemented by other government departments, non-government organisations, as well as those at the local level, by area health services in co-operation with schools, police, local government and community groups. In 1997-98 New South Wales Health allocated $255,000 to programs specifically targeting young people. In 1997-98 QUIT undertook a substantial media campaign costing $500,000 which targeted tobacco sales to minors. This year the New South Wales Government has allocated $2.26 million for drug education, including tobacco education, in schools through the Department of Education and Training.

The Premier is advised that New South Wales Health is undertaking a range of programs which specifically target the anti-smoking message to young people, including the expansion of the proof-of-age card scheme to include the purchase of tobacco products, undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Gaming and Racing. This is a statewide initiative which began in 1996; training was developed and implemented for health care workers across New South Wales to assist with the enforcement of tobacco sales to minors legislation; a statewide evaluation of the sales to minors program was undertaken; the development and implementation of an education package which included brochures and television advertisements aimed at ensuring retailers complied with sales of cigarettes to minors legislation was undertaken throughout New South Wales; and a pilot project is being developed in Central Sydney Area Health Service which will develop a model of best practice for addressing smoking prevention in schools.

This model will then be promoted statewide to schools and area health services. Effective tobacco control requires a range of initiatives that focus on different aspects of the problem and a balance between supply control and demand reduction. Whilst these outlined initiatives are

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those specifically targeting young people, they fit within the larger overall framework of the New South Wales tobacco and health strategy 1995-1999, which outlines a broad range of initiatives to address such issues as tobacco use by young people, passive smoking cessation, and marketing of tobacco products.

On 29 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the children’s commission legislation. The Premier, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Ethnic Affairs provided the following response:

The Government tabled the Commission for Children and Young People Bill on 3 July 1998. This bill is the result of extensive consultations and the work of an employment screening task force. In December 1997 the Government released a green paper seeking community views on the possible role and responsibilities of a children’s commission. Submissions on the green paper closed on 31 March 1998. The Government gave close consideration to the received submissions prior to drafting this bill. The community will have ample time to examine the bill prior to the resumption of Parliament in September.

On 30 June the Hon. M. R. Kersten asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Broken Hill Roads and Traffic Authority work force. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

In a media release issued on 2 July 1998 the Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads indicated that the Roads and Traffic Authority had planned to reduce its Broken Hill work force, mainly as a result of the diminishing need for flood damage restoration works in the Broken Hill area. The Minister directed the RTA to honour existing voluntary redundancy arrangements for the staff who had already requested redundancy, but that no further job cuts or transfers from Broken Hill were to be pursued. In this regard, the Minister indicated that the Broken Hill region had a vast network of roads to be maintained, and that the State Government was committed to further improving these roads and to continuing to protect the jobs of RTA workers at Broken Hill. As pointed out by the Minister, the annual roads budget for Broken Hill under the Carr Government has averaged $46.7 million, which is in excess of $2 million per annum more than the funding under the previous Government.

On 30 June the Hon. C. J. S. Lynn asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Minnamurra Bends black spot. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

The Princes Highway at Minnamurra, known as the Minnamurra Bends, is a narrow and winding two-lane road skirting the environmentally sensitive Minnamurra River and State environmental planning policy 14 wetlands. Traffic through the Minnamurra bends has now grown to in excess of 25,000 vehicles per day. In 1986 the community rejected all proposals to widen the existing highway between Minnamurra River and the northern end of the Kiama Bypass. An alternative bypass route to the west of Minnamurra River, the north Kiama bypass was then developed and an EIS exhibited. The previous coalition Government took no action to resolve this issue.

However, when the present Labor Government came to power in 1995 the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning announced that he would use his powers under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act to determine the matter. A commission of inquiry commenced in October 1996 and in February 1997 it recommended in favour of the proposal, subject to conditions. The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning determined the development applications for the north Kiama bypass proposal in February 1997. Survey, design, geotechnical investigations and land acquisition have commenced, with $590,000 spent in 1997-98 and a further $2,500,000 allocated in the 1998-99 State Budget.

On 1 July the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the Lake Ainsworth sport and recreation centre. The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, and Minister for Housing provided the following response:

No. Ballina Shire Council was the local planning authority responsible for the determination of the development application for the upgrading of beach revetment works - and replacement of kitchen and dining facilities - by the Department of Public Works and Services on behalf of the Department of Sport and Recreation. A statement of environmental effects - SEE - for the revetment upgrading and the building work accompanied the development application for the council’s determination. The original revetment was constructed in front of the site in 1967-68 to protect facilities at the centre, after severe storms in 1967 resulted in substantial foreshore erosion. Investigations by consultants Geomarine in 1990, the public works department in 1994 and the Department of Land and Water Conservation in 1996 revealed that due to coastal processes - ongoing recession - and in the event of severe storm events, the safety of the Lake Ainsworth centre would be dependent on the revetment.

The Director-General of Urban Affairs and Planning has a concurrence role under clause 32 of Ballina local environmental plan 1987 for proposed development within the 7(f) environmental protection (coastal lands) zone. Clause 32(2) lists three matters to be considered by the director-general. Following consideration of these matters in regard to the upgrade of the revetment and new building facilities, concurrence was granted. In regard to coastal processes, consideration was had to the SEE that indicated the long-term impacts of the upgraded revetment would be no different to those of the existing revetment, and the Department of Land and Water Conservation advice raised no concerns in regard to the beach revetment wall’s effect on coastal processes.

Alternatives to the proposal were presented in the SEE, as documented in the 1996 WP Geomarine report "Lake Ainsworth Lake Sport and Recreation Centre Investigation of Seawall", as an alternative to the development. Alternatives such as relocation of the new facility elsewhere on the site and no redevelopment were

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discounted and not presented to the department as an option. The existing facilities at the Lake Ainsworth centre represent a significant investment, and their damage or destruction through coastal processes would mean a loss of essential education, sport and recreation services to the people of the North Coast and New South Wales generally. Ballina Shire Council, as the consent authority for the proposal, considered the development to be consistent with the New South Wales coastal policy 1997.

On 1 July the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about HomeFund interest rates. The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, and Minister for Housing provided the following response:

HomeFund interest rates are not comparable with current variable rates available on home loans from banks and other financial institutions. HomeFund loans were fixed- rate loans funded by fixed-rate borrowings in the late 1980s and early 1990s when interest rates were much higher than they are today. Because of the scheme’s legacy of high-cost borrowings it has not been possible to reduce all HomeFund mortgage rates to current market levels. Nonetheless, in contrast to the original range of 12.1 per cent to 15.9 per cent in interest rates on HomeFund loans, current interest rates charged range from 4.75 per cent to the new cap of 9.75 per cent which applies for the 12 months from 1 July 1998. The majority of borrowers currently pay less than the 9.75 per cent CAP rate. This results from the provision of income-based subsidies which are intended to assist borrowers who might otherwise experience financial hardship in the repayment of the loans.

The Hon. R. S. L. Jones also asked why former HomeFund borrowers are being pursued to repay outstanding debts. In fact, concessional arrangements are in place for the waiver of outstanding debts when appropriate. Former HomeFund borrowers may approach the Home Purchase Assistance Authority at any time seeking a waiver of an outstanding HomeFund debt. When considering such requests the authority looks at the level of commitment to the loan demonstrated by the applicant during the period of the loan, the applicant’s current circumstances, as well as the prospects of the applicant being able to repay the debt in the foreseeable future. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. It is neither prudent nor sensible to give a unilateral waiver of such debts. Under such a policy existing borrowers could simply cease making repayments in the expectation that they would not be responsible for any resulting loan shortfall.

On 1 July the Hon. D. F. Moppett asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about commercial fisheries closure compensation. The Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for Fisheries provided the following response:

The Minister for Mineral Resources, and Minister for Fisheries has confirmed that there are no proposals by this Government to close down commercial fisheries. Indeed, it must be emphasised that this Government is committed to an ongoing and viable commercial fishing industry. As there are no such proposals there will be no effect on the State’s budget or credit rating.

On 2 July the Hon. D. J. Gay asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about York International Australia Pty Ltd. The Minister for Regional Development provided the following response:

The Government was involved in assisting with the expansion of Thermal Dynamics Pty Ltd at Coffs Harbour in March 1995. This company produced commercial and industrial airconditioning units for York International Australia Pty Ltd. Modest assistance toward relocation costs involving installation of new equipment, associated infrastructure and skills training was offered to Thermal Dynamics Pty Ltd in May 1995. This new equipment allowed Thermal Dynamics to meet quality standards required by their largest customer, York International Australia Pty Ltd. Thermal Dynamics was purchased by York International Australia Pty Ltd in March 1996. In March 1998 the York international company at Coffs Harbour sought registration in the country industries payroll tax rebate scheme.

Assistance is automatically available under the scheme’s legislation to manufacturing activities prescribed by regulation. No assistance was taken up by the company under this scheme. The New South Wales Government will of course continue to make every effort to assist the establishment or expansion of new industries in the Coffs Harbour area. As evidence of this commitment, the local office of the Department of State and Regional Development has recently expanded with the appointment of a specialist export development officer to assist local industries to pursue market opportunities.

On 2 July the Hon. J. P. Hannaford asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about the TAB central monitoring system. The Minister for Gaming and Racing provided the following response:

The Government is well aware of the issues concerning the central monitoring system. The Government has been in consultation with the TAB, clubs and hotels to find an appropriate balance between the economic imperatives and the integrity of the conduct of gaming in this State. The issues raised have also been aired at the Club Industry Advisory Council which has led to me writing to the chairman of the TAB. Honourable members can be assured that there will be continued and adequate consultation as part of the implementation process.

On 2 July the Hon. M. R. Kersten asked the Treasurer, Minister for State Development, and Vice-President of the Executive Council a question without notice about Cockburn School transport. The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads provided the following response:

The Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads has raised the issue of reciprocal travel of interstate students with his South Australian counterpart. The Minister is

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advised that the South Australian Government now proposes to provide transport assistance to the parents concerned for travel to the Railway Town Primary School, Broken Hill.

On 17 June the Hon. J. H. Jobling asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding tyre deflating devices. The Minister for Police supplied the following response:

I am advised by the Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Service that the Roads and Traffic Authority is developing legislation to permit police to carry out operational trials of tyre deflating devices. The service has already prepared appropriate training material and preliminary standard operating procedures for the deployment of these devices. The service will consider Western Australia’s experience with tyre deflating devices, although the Western Australian police advise that the devices are yet to be deployed in an operational situation.

On 18 June the Hon. J. F. Ryan asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding a hall at Lapstone Public School. The Minister for Education and Training, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs supplied the following response:

Lapstone Public School hall has not been previously nominated as a capital works project, nor was it part of the Government’s program. It is not on the current capital works program or priority list. The project does not have any ranking.

On 29 June the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding Moree prisoner escorts. The Minister for Police supplied the following response:

I am advised by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner that the Interdepartmental Committee on Police Functions is currently considering transferring responsibility for Moree prisoner escort duties from the New South Wales Police Service to the Department of Corrective Services. The department, which is represented on the interdepartmental committee, has lead agency responsibility for the transfer of prisoner escort duties. I look forward to being given the opportunity to consider any recommendations the Department of Corrective Services or Interdepartmental Committee on Police Functions make in respect of this matter.

On 29 June the Hon. D. F. Moppett asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice regarding health services at Quambone. The Deputy Premier, and Minister for Health provided the following response:

The Macquarie Area Health Service Board of Directors has replaced the full-time community nurse at Quambone with the following expanded range of community health services: a registered community nurse from Coonamble will be visiting on a fortnightly basis and providing health clinic and home visiting type services, an Aboriginal health education officer will be visiting monthly, an early childhood nurse will be visiting once every school term, and other specialised community health services such as a community midwife and a women's health nurse to be provided on an as needed basis.

Macquarie Area Health Service has informed the Quambone community health auxiliary that staff will work with the Quambone community to identify other visiting services that are needed on a regular or irregular basis. This action will involve discussions with groups such as home care, community transport and other organisations to ensure Quambone residents receive appropriate support.

On 29 June the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generators. The Minister for Energy, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Emergency Services, and Minister Assisting the Minister on the Arts provided the following answer:

The greenhouse gas measurement methodology, "Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity Supplied in NSW: Workbook, July 1997", estimates emissions from power stations supplying electricity to the Victorian-South Australian pool as 1.176 kilograms per kilowatt hour sent out and 0.854 kilograms per kilowatt hour sent out for power stations supplying electricity to the New South Wales pool. Data from TransGrid shows that during the 10 month period from August 1997 to May 1998 net imports of electricity at high voltage from Victoria to New South Wales were reported as 2.531 million megawatt hours.

This results in approximately 815,000 tonnes of additional carbon dioxide compared to electricity sourced from New South Wales. However, the performance of New South Wales coal seam methane generation, cogeneration plant and Snowy hydro electricity supply in 1997-98 have the potential to substantially offset the impact of the increase in net imports of electricity from Victoria on New South Wales electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions.

While carbon dioxide is not included in market pricing for electricity, the New South Wales Government has acted to ensure that market competition delivers environmental as well as economic benefits through the establishment of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority and the application of environmental regulatory requirements for holders of electricity retail supply and electricity distribution licenses. Emission benchmarks for the New South Wales electricity sector are already set by the environmental guidelines approved by the Minister for Energy. Benchmarks for individual retailers are derived by apportioning the sectoral benchmark on the basis of market share.

While the legal and other implications of establishing an emissions contracting scheme in New South Wales - for carbon dioxide and methane and nitrous oxide, the other major greenhouse gases associated with electricity generation - is currently being investigated, the New South Wales Government is promoting in parallel the early

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establishment of a national emissions trading scheme possibly starting with the electricity sector. Such a scheme would effectively incorporate a value for greenhouse gas emissions in the price of electricity. The Government’s approach to penalties is to review the operation of current processes, including negotiation of retailers' greenhouse gas abatement strategies which is nearing finalisation, and consider strengthening of penalties in the light of retailers' greenhouse performance.

On 29 June the Hon. C. J. S. Lynn asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding a citizen's arrest. The Minister for Police provided the following answer:

I am advised by the Assistant Deputy Commissioner that the Police Service will review its previous investigations of Mr Blake's complaints. I am also advised that the Ombudsman may carry out further investigations in respect of those complaints. It would be completely inappropriate for me to make any further comments at this stage, as such comments might be seen to prejudice or pre-empt any findings the Ombudsman or service may make in respect of this matter.

On 17 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding air pollution. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The Government has developed a comprehensive policy framework to protect air quality in New South Wales - Action for Air. Launched on 4 March 1998, this blueprint for action is a whole-of-government attack on smog and particle pollution, and deals with motor vehicles and related transport and planning issues, major industrial sources, smaller commercial and business sources, domestic sources, and open burning for bushfire hazard reduction and agricultural purposes. Action for Air uses health-based ambient air quality goals to protect public health and guide policy and strategy development. These goals are consistent with the national air quality standards recently adopted by the National Environment Protection Council. The Government is also committed to reporting against the most stringent World Health Organisation goals.

This Air Quality Management Plan also recognises that motor vehicles are our greatest problem and that we must act to reduce pollution and congestion resulting from our growing dependence on them. This is the first Government to link air quality goals with urban transport planning. Ambitious and achievable targets have been set to arrest the rapid growth of motor vehicle use by 2011 zero per capita growth in vehicle kilometres travelled and by 2021 zero growth in total vehicle kilometres travelled. This aims to bring about a 43 per cent reduction in projected growth in vehicle travel by both cars and trucks. Action for Air commits to the development of an integrated transport plan by November 1998.

A fundamental plank of the Air Quality Management Plan is the implementation of a new inspection and maintenance program for passenger and light commercial in-service vehicles. The program aims to deliver maximum environmental benefits at a reasonable cost and in a fair and equitable manner, by identifying poorly maintained vehicles or those which have had their emission controls tampered with, and ensuring they are repaired. Action for Air also includes a memorandum of understanding - MOU - with the oil industry to reduce petrol volatility, which will help reduce photochemical smog. This program began during the 1997-98 summer season. Action for Air also identifies educational programs such as the guidelines and resource kit for local councils that are part of an educational campaign to reduce emissions from solid fuel home heaters, which was launched in May 1998.

The Government is strongly committed to ongoing reporting, monitoring and reviewing of the plan's progress with strong community and industry involvement. This will include a public air quality forum every three years following the release of the "State of the Environment Report". The Federal Government's proposal to build a second international airport at Badgerys Creek will only create greater air pollution problems in the western suburbs. I have concerns that there were significant deficiencies in the draft environmental impact statement assessment of air, noise, water and waste impacts associated with a second Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek. The New South Wales Government cannot support any of the airport options which have been proposed due to the environmental impacts it will have on the residents of western Sydney.

On 17 June the Deputy Leader of the Opposition asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice regarding licensed premises gambling loans. The Minister for Gaming and Racing provided the following answer:

I am aware of and concerned about instances of loans being made by licensed premises to gamblers. All such reports have been investigated by officers of my department. If these cases have not been reported, immediate action cannot be taken. I would have expected the honourable member to have provided the information to either myself or my department once it came to his attention, but he has not done so.

On 18 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding Worimi Detention Centre bail release. The Minister for Information Technology, Minister for Forestry, Minister for Ports, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Western Sydney provided the following response on behalf of the Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women:

I am advised that the 13-year-old girl referred to in the question was not discharged unlawfully or mistakenly as inferred by the question. This young person was not placed in a refuge by police but was placed in a refuge by Department of Juvenile Justice staff in consultation with Department of Community Services staff. The refuge provided supervision, however the young girl subsequently breached the bail conditions.

FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES ASSOCIATION

On 1 July the Hon. Dr A. Chesterfield-Evans asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and

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Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding the Family Support Services Association. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following response:

This question would be more appropriately directed to the Presiding Officers. This question should be directed to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Peter Collins. I have no knowledge of the material or matter referred to.

On 1 July the Hon. J. F. Ryan asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice about Ryde Family Support Services Association funding. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following answer:

Yes. The Department of Community Services is currently examining options to assist the Family Support Services Association and Family Support Services in their activities.

On 2 July the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding homeless youth. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following answer:

Yes. Staff at the Department of Community Services Maitland Community Services Centre have made extensive inquiries with police and workers in the youth sector in Maitland in an attempt to identify the young people who are the subject of these allegations.

Further, information obtained has revealed that the allegations which were made in the newspaper article were based on anecdotal information provided to the Director, Bethany House, by young people in the area. Bethany House is unable to provide any identifying information about these young people. At this stage the allegations have not been substantiated. The Department of Community Services will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young people.

On 2 July the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning knife crime racial bias. The Minister for Police provided the following response:

I presume the honourable member has asked his question in response to an article published in the Daily Telegraph on 2 July 1998. I am advised by the Assistant Deputy Commissioner that the article in question contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies that the service has endeavoured to correct.

I am also advised that the boy’s mother has communicated her disappointment with the manner in which elements of the media attempted to make race an issue in this matter, thereby causing distress to her and her family.

The Police Service has implemented an extensive internal education and training campaign to ensure police officers are fully aware of the appropriate use of the powers conferred by the new legislation and the strict controls that are in place to ensure these powers are not abused.

On 2 July the Hon. M. J. Gallacher asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning parking police. The Minister for Police provided the following response:

I am advised by the Deputy Commissioner that allegations of impropriety against a senior parking police officer of the Surry Hills local area command are currently being investigated. It would be completely inappropriate for me to make any further comments at this stage, as such comments might be seen to prejudice or pre-empt the findings of the investigations. The Ombudsman will closely monitor the operation of the new legislation to ensure the additional powers it confers on police are not used in a discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate manner.

On 2 July the Hon. J. H. Jobling asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning Glenbrook police. The Minister for Police provided the following answer:

I am advised by the Assistant Deputy Commissioner that the Blue Mountains local area command has consulted with the local community and used intelligence information in conducting a number of specific operations to reduce crime in Glenbrook. The service has also formed a task force to investigate armed robberies in Glenbrook and surrounding areas. These initiatives have resulted in a number of arrests and charges being laid.

I am particularly heartened by the manner in which the Glenbrook community and local police are working together to combat crime. I am advised by the Assistant Deputy Commissioner that no private security firm has been hired by the local business community and the Glenbrook community has focussed on working with police in developing crime prevention programs tailored to Glenbrook’s particular needs.

The Blue Mountains local area command has carried out community safety audits of Glenbrook. It has been assisted in this task by members of the Glenbrook community, local government, local commerce and tourism bodies and health, education, rail, road and traffic authorities.

I am advised the community safety council model adopted by the Glenbrook community serves as a positive example of police and the community working in partnership to prevent crime, and local police envisage this model being adapted and applied to other communities in the Blue Mountains. The partnership forged between the Glenbrook community and local police demonstrates the success of the Government’s $4.5 million safer communities action plan.

On 2 July the Hon. D. F. Moppett asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding Macquarie Marshes

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tourism and irrigation. The Minister for the Environment supplied the following response:

The application to become a discovery ranger was not refused. The application was considered and the applicant was interviewed, along with a number of other applicants, in accordance with the Public Sector Management Act 1988. I appreciate the proprietor's interest, enthusiasm and contribution to ecotourism in the Macquarie Marshes district, and I understand the service actively promotes and utilises his business as it is the only accommodation in the area.

Qualifications and criteria for this position were included in the job advertisement, which appeared in the Warren Advocate and Gilgandra Weekly newspapers. Training is available to those who are successfully appointed as discovery rangers. This includes at least three days training and orientation. It would be more appropriate to address this question to the Minister for Land and Water Conservation.

On 29 June the Hon. M. R. Kersten asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding the Wirra Warra Station Correctional Centre. The Minister for Energy, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Emergency Services, and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts provided the following answer:

The road in question is not an all-weather road and is closed during times of heavy rain and flood. The Department of Corrective Services already has minimum security correctional centres, such as Oberon Correctional Centre, that are at times inaccessible because of inclement weather. Staff at these centres are trained, as staff at Wirra Warra station would be trained, to respond to all situations which would enable them to deal with any incident which occurs at a time when local police may not be able to attend because of road conditions. Should Wirra Warra station be purchased for correctional purposes, the department has advised local landowners that their current access arrangements through the property will not be altered.

On 1 July the Hon. M. R. Kersten asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding Wirra Warra Station Correctional Centre. The Minister for Energy, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Emergency Services, and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts provided the following answer:

Some local residents have expressed concern about the proposed "second chance" facility at Wirra Warra. The Department of Corrective Services has endeavoured to relieve these concerns by consulting with the local community and providing information about the project. On 30 June and 1 July the Senior Assistant Commissioner, Inmate and Custodial Services, met with the owners of surrounding properties in Enngonia to discuss and attempt to resolve community concerns relating to the use of Wirra Warra station for correctional purposes. Wirra Warra station will be used for a small number of low-risk offenders who have family ties in the western area of the State.

The department is aware that Wirra Warra station becomes isolated during periods of heavy rainfall. The property has sufficient storage, including cooler and freezer capacity, to enable enough stores to be held for extended periods of isolation. The department is also investigating the feasibility of establishing an all-weather airstrip or a helipad which could be used for medical and other emergencies. The department would make access of any airstrip or helipad that is constructed available to the neighbours of Wirra Warra station and provide assistance to them during emergencies.

On 24 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding Minali Youth Centre. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following response:

These staff left on 26 June 1998. No. Not applicable. Minali always has, and will continue to be, staffed by a combination of permanent staff, short- and long-term contract workers and casual staff. It has never been staffed by permanent workers only. There is enough staff to cover the shifts currently needed to provide care to the children at Minali. The Government will continue to work in the best interests of the staff and children at Minali until there are sufficient crisis and short-term services across the State.

On 30 June the Hon. J. F. Ryan asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice concerning the location of the Westmead Public School Accommodation. The Minister for Information Technology, Minister for Forestry, Minister for Ports, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Western Sydney provided the following answer:

The Office of Western Sydney is located at the Westmead North campus of the University of Western Sydney. The office is located in part of a building which has been designed for administrative purposes. The area being used by the Office of Western Sydney is eminently suitable for use for clerical, administration and meeting purposes, but is impracticable and unsuitable for other uses such as primary school classrooms.

On 1 July the Deputy Leader of the Opposition asked a question without notice of the Minister for Public Works and Services concerning restaurant liquor sales. The Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development provided the following response:

This matter is currently under consideration.

On 30 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding New South Wales crisis accommodation. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women has provided the following response:

Yes. However, the draft figure of $35 million has been deleted. This is because the authors of the report advised

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the Department of Community Services that the figure was based on notional projections, which are unable to be substantiated. When resource requirements are accurately assessed, the Government will take up the need for additional resources with the Federal Government. Yes, subject to approval of other Commonwealth and State Ministers.

On 24 June the Hon. J. M. Samios asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding the pollution control regulations. The Minister for the Environment provided the following response:

The load based licensing - LBL - scheme will implement the polluter pays principle and provide real incentives to industry to reduce its discharges. For the first time, the amount of pollution emitted from a company will be linked to its licence fee, and different industries will be treated equally according to the harmfulness of their discharges. The Environment Protection Authority - EPA - has undertaken a massive three-phase consultation program on the proposed scheme to ensure it is fair and workable. I am advised that the reaction of industries involved in the consultation has been predominantly positive. It should also be noted that the scheme is proposed to be phased in over four years to ensure industry has an opportunity to reduce its pollution.

I am aware of the Australian Chamber of Manufactures - ACM - report which I understand was based on an ACM survey of some licence holders conducted during the EPA's consultation program. Apparently the response rate to the chamber's survey was very low - I am told only 55 firms chose to participate of a total of over 3,300 licensees and that the figures are dominated by responses from one or two big polluters. Accordingly, the EPA has advised me that the findings of the ACM report are neither accurate nor representative of the true situation. The claim that the average cost per company would be close to $500,000 a year or that the average increase is 250 times current fees is completely incorrect.

The scheme is not a revenue raising exercise: no additional fee revenue is expected in the first two years of operation and, if industry picks up the challenge to significantly reduce its pollution, total fees could actually fall. I am advised the final LBL scheme will guarantee investment in environmental improvements in companies, thereby creating more jobs; it will not see the Government raising revenue at the expense of economic development. The EPA is in the process of considering all stakeholder comments and is finalising a revised proposal for submission to Government.

On 24 June the Hon. Dr B. P. V. Pezzutti asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning acid sulphate soils. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The Government is committed to addressing the issue of acid sulfate soils and has sought the development of comprehensive short- and long-term strategies for improved management of the issue, in this context, the water chief executive officers established a temporary interagency task force to look at ways of encompassing a range of strategies, including those detailed below, into a comprehensive whole-of-government approach. The Government is currently considering the package of recommendations formulated by the task force. The strategies already initiated by the Government include the Environment Protection Authority's - EPA - Environmental Guidelines: Assessing and Managing Acid Sulfate Soils which provide guidance to land users on ways to investigate and manage these soils.

I understand that the Acid Sulfate Soils Management Advisory Committee - ASSMAC - is updating the guidelines to reflect current best practices in acid sulfate soil management. ASSMAC is chaired by New South Wales Agriculture and comprises representatives of the Department of Land and Water Conservation - DLWC - the EPA, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Fisheries, the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning - DUAP - Local Government, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and fishing, farming and environmental interest groups. Another strategy is the work undertaken by the EPA and New South Wales Agriculture with the tea-tree and sugar cane industries to develop industry-specific best management practice guidelines.

I am advised that DUAP has also been working closely with local councils to better address the inclusion of acid sulfate soil disturbance in the planning system. Further, I understand that DLWC has produced maps showing the risk of acid sulfate soil disturbance along the New South Wales coast, providing an essential tool for local councils and landholders to ensure activities on high-risk lands are planned and managed to avoid acid sulfate soil problems. I am informed that NSW Agriculture has committed more than $2 million over the next three years to trial acid sulfate soil management projects. Funding priorities are being determined by ASSMAC and, given that the Department of Agriculture chairs ASSMAC, it may be more appropriate for the Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Land and Water Conservation to provide further detail on the Government's continuing progress with these acid sulfate soil management projects.

On 24 June the Hon. R. S. L. Jones asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice regarding Timbarra endangered species habitat. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

No. Greenloaning biostudies has advised the National Parks and Wildlife Service that a maximum of 1,300 traps are being set per night. From the results of the pre-clearing surveys provided to date, one threatened species has died from the 31 that have been caught. The animals caught include 10 Hastings River mice, 13 glandular frogs, seven rufous bettongs and one golden-tipped bat. No. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has advised that 10 Hastings River mice were trapped along the access road immediately prior to clearing for the road upgrade, and held in captivity by Ross mining in accordance with the threatened species management plan, to avoid death of individual animals during road works.

Nine of the animals were released on 27 June 1998 at the point of capture when clearing for the road upgrade in the

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immediate area had been completed. One animal died during the holding period. In view of the above responses, I do not consider an investigation is required.

On 24 June the Hon. I. Cohen asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice concerning the Maclean flying foxes. The Minister for Public Works and Services provided the following answer:

I am advised that a colony of bats at Maclean has been the cause of some controversy, because of its location near a school and that consideration is being given to an attempt to relocate the colony. I inquired of State Forests about the ecological role of the bat colony with regard to pollination of eucalypts in native forests and in particular, how the colony would affect future growth, seed set and productivity of the forests. State Forests has advised that there has been recent work, conducted mostly in southern Queensland, which indicates that a large amount of nectar is produced at night by eucalypts. This nectar attracts flying foxes, which pollinate the eucalypts in the process of feeding. This research is quite recent and comparative results are not yet available to give exact details of the importance of this relationship.

However, there is a wide body of research which shows that various types of animals, including birds, insects and non-flying mammals contribute to the pollination process. I am informed that flying foxes cover many kilometres every night in their search for food. The areas in which the Maclean bats may play a role in pollinating are widespread. Should the colony be successfully relocated, the pollination process would be uninterrupted. If the colony is dispersed, individuals would, in all likelihood disperse to other nearby colonies with the same result. State Forests has advised me that there has been no evidence that pollination is solely dependant on flying foxes and eucalypts grow in many places where flying foxes do not occur. The eventual fate of the Maclean colony, therefore, appears likely to have little effect on native forests.

On 2 June the Hon. Dr Marlene Goldsmith asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning Jack Gully and Lynwood Park tips. The Minister for the Environment provided the following answer:

The Government places a very high priority on discouraging the disposal of waste and encouraging environmentally sound alternatives such as recycling. The section 72 waste levy is regarded as a core tool in this effort. It ensures that waste disposal prices cover the significant social and environmental costs of waste disposal which are not usually paid by the landfill operator. The increase in the section 72 levy is designed to both discourage people from disposing of waste and to reflect the real costs to the community of landfill operations. Impacts on local amenities such as increased transport of waste, increased air and noise pollution, traffic congestion and accidents, greenhouse impacts and intergenerational impacts of consumption of natural resources are now taken into account in the pricing of waste disposal.

The section 72 levy must be paid by all licensed landfills in the Sydney region, Hunter, central coast and Illawarra. Non-licensed landfills receiving waste generated within the Sydney or extended regional area must also pay the contribution to ensure a level playing field and ensure landfill operators within the Sydney or extended regional areas are not disadvantaged.

On 3 June Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile asked the Minister for Public Works and Services a question without notice regarding orange concentrate importation. The Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Land and Water Conservation provided the following answer:

Yes. Australia does not produce sufficient quantities of required quality frozen orange juice concentrate at certain times of the year. NSW Agriculture is working closely with the industry to encourage them to plant varieties that will meet the consumer demand for quality juice all year round. Major trials have been planted and the industry believes it has the capacity to quickly move to replace these imports. I am not aware what Mr Peter Crisp has alleged. Perhaps Rev. the Hon. F. J. Nile should ask Mr Crisp.

Yes. The New South Wales Government has always supported the use of Australian orange juice in preference to imported frozen orange juice concentrate. It has also lobbied the Federal Government to change labelling laws so that they more correctly identify the origin of products so that consumers know what they are buying, and where it as produced.

On 3 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning Department of Community Services foster parents. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following answer:

A call for potential foster carers can always be justified as there are never enough carers to meet the demand. As I stated at the launch of the campaign to recruit foster carers, key factors contributing to the shortage of foster carers include the need for more home-like care for children and young people; the stronger emphasis on matching the carer to the child's needs, particularly for Aboriginal children and children of non-English speaking backgrounds, and the increasing demand for short-term placements. Not all applicants are successful. There is a rigorous training and assessment process to ensure that carers have the personal qualities to face the challenge of fostering and to meet the Department of Community Services' standards for substitute care services. No.

On 3 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning the ageing and disabilities teaching staff cuts. The Minister for Information Technology, Minister for Forestry, Minister for Ports, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Western Sydney provided the following answer:

No. Not applicable.

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On 3 June the Hon. M. J. Gallacher asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice concerning the Mount Penang land. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following answer:

No. I have not. A detailed assessment of the future use of the land has been commissioned. Until the assessment is completed, I am not in a position to decide to use the land for a sportsground or any proposed use. Control of the land will not be handed over to the Gosford City Council. Not applicable.

On 29 June the Hon. Patricia Forsythe asked the Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations, and Minister for Fair Trading a question without notice. The Minister for Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Women provided the following answer:

The Home Care Service is not restricting the hours of respite services to the people such as the women mentioned in the Illawarra Mercury on 28 May 1998. There are now some 1,700 Home Care clients who receive in excess of 28 hours per month, at an average of 60 hours per month. Not applicable. Not applicable.

On 7 July the Hon. Jennifer Gardiner asked the Hon. A. B. Kelly a question without notice. The Hon. A. B. Kelly provided the following answer:

My enquiries into this matter found that the Rack Rite report was not overnight freighted to any person. Apparently, three copies of the Rack Rite report were posted late on 31 July 1998 with a view to arriving after the report had been tabled. One went to the Hon Philip Ruddock, Federal Minister for Immigration, one to Mr Jim O'Callaghan, Director Business Skills, Department of Immigration, and the third went to the local newspaper, the Maitland Mercury.

As a precaution, each copy bore an embargo sticker. Enquiries revealed that, as intended by the Secretariat, all three copies were received after the report had been tabled in the House. Given that the Rack Rite report contained a letter from the Hon. Bob Baldwin responding to matters contained therein, it was reasonable for the Secretariat staff to assume that Mr Baldwin was already aware of the contents of the report. Answered above.

Questions without notice concluded.

The Hon. R. D. DYER (Minister for Public Works and Services) [6.05 p.m.]: I move:

That this House do now adjourn.

The Hon. J. F. RYAN [6.05 p.m.]: Honourable members of this House will be aware that yesterday evening the rolls for the forthcoming Federal election closed. For some time I have been concerned about the integrity of Federal electorate rolls, and I wish to raise that concern before the Federal election takes place. My concern has been that I have frequently seen evidence of how people have manipulated and rigged the rolls in a way that is difficult to detect within the time available for complaints to be made to the Court of Disputed Returns. I instance people who have enrolled at fictitious addresses. For example, after the recent by-election for the electorate of Lindsay the then re-elected member, Jackie Kelly, sent letters to all of her constituents at the addresses on the electoral roll, thanking them for re-electing her.

It was amazing to see the large number of envelopes returned to her office because the addresses simply did not exist, or because the envelopes were marked "not known at this address". It has been my concern that it is too easy to enrol in an election and, therefore, fraudulently impact on the outcome of an election. Honourable members of this House will no doubt be aware of the tight result of the 1995 State election, which resulted in the election of the Carr Government, with the final result decided by only a few hundred votes and the slimmest of margins. My concern is based on a current complaint within the Labor Party in the electorate of Lindsay. I have a copy of a letter sent to Mr Della Bosca from councillor Timothy Brown, who, I understand, is a member of the Australian Labor Party. In his letter he complains about branch stacking at the Claremont Meadows branch. He says:

One branch at Claremont Meadows is a blatant example of exploiting an ethnic community through a Trade Union to serve the political ambitions of the branch’s sponsors viz. Cathy O’Toole [who is now the endorsed Labor candidate for Lindsay] and Peter Jones.

Cathy O’Toole and Peter Jones are married to each other. Mr Jones featured some time ago in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald entitled "Lunchtime Legends". Apparently the Sydney Morning Herald has 35 pages of internal ALP letters, memos and statutory declarations that collectively describe the Lindsay preselection as a farce. The Sydney Morning Herald refers to the actions of one Peter Jones, who, it says:

. . . is engaged to Cathy O’Toole. He is president of the Penrith branch. He is one of several CEPU officials [a union that deals with plumbing workers] who played a role in the preselection contest . . .

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Jones’ name first surfaced in the Herald three years ago when he was named in a branch-stacking war in the ALP’s Kingswood branch, also in Lindsay. He was very active in the CEPU election campaigns of 1994 and 1996 in his capacity as information officer of the postal workers’ union.

That famous election was contested by a candidate named Quentin Cook, who was representing the Liberal Party for the first time. It has been proven in court that the result was manipulated, and that one of the manipulators was this person called Peter Jones. Elephants leave footprints, and the padding of the electoral roll is Mr Jones’ indisputable signature. I wish to register my concern that already the ALP preselection in Lindsay has been tainted by this person’s activities. I understand that there is a dispute about 53 members of the ALP who claim their memberships were backdated to validate Cathy O’Toole’s win. I am somewhat concerned that those sorts of activities, which are a regrettable but apparently common part of ALP preselections, might gravitate to even wider instances of electoral roll padding. We have certainly found this to be suspicious in the electorates of Lindsay and Macquarie.

Shortly after the election the Federal member for Macquarie, wanting to meet his constituents, went doorknocking with the electoral roll in his hand. He found that a number of the house addresses listed on the electoral roll did not exist. It is not known whether the people registered under those false addresses had an impact on the result by voting in the election. I am extremely concerned about electoral fraud. It is time to do something on a bipartisan basis about the ease of registering and making sure that no election is tainted by any suggestion of fraud.

Reverend the Hon. F. J. NILE [6.10 p.m.]: As the leader of the Christian Democratic Party I am concerned about the level of gambling in New South Wales. Recent reports state that Australians lose about $10 billion a year on gambling and that the gambling turnover in Australia is about $80 billion, 50 per cent of which is in New South Wales. It is also reported that 52 per cent of regular casino gamblers are unemployed and that a mere 2 per cent of gamblers account for 63 per cent of all money wagered on gambling. I am very concerned about any moves to establish a gambling commission if that commission will have a role in the maintenance and expansion of gambling in New South Wales and in the introduction of new forms of gambling.

Generally, political parties respond to community outcries - although they have not responded to my satisfaction on the impact of gambling - and governments are influenced by public concerns. It worries me that a gambling commission would be further removed from that community input. The Christian Democratic Party strongly supports the family unit and notes the harmful effect on families from gambling. For every problem gambler at least 10 other individuals are directly affected. For example, 50 per cent of male problem gamblers require therapy to solve marriage problems and 66 per cent of wives of gambling addicts borrow money to pay for basic family needs. In other words, the money to buy food is going into poker machines or gambling at a casino. Also, 47 per cent of gambling addicts’ wives report depression and 14 per cent attempt suicide. Problem gambling is a factor in up to 20 per cent of cases where women seek crisis support for domestic violence.

This State does not want to follow the Victorian example. According to research, since the casino was established in Victoria the number of suicides in that State directly attributable to gambling has steadily increased, and the Salvation Army has stated that the number of gambling-related calls for help has increased by 400 per cent. The advent of poker machines in South Australia has resulted in a massive increase in problem gambling amongst women, who in turn channel their guilt and frustration into their parenting.

It has also been reported that an area can experience a tenfold increase in child protection cases within 12 months of a casino being established. For example, between October 1995 and June 1998 more than 230 cases were reported of children being left in cars so that their parents could gamble at the Star City Casino in Sydney. The neglect of these children is a serious matter. There is the possibility of those children being abused when left in a car, or, as has been seen in the past, children might play with a car cigarette lighter and start a fire, resulting in death.

We must respond to these alarming figures and to the impact from gambling on family life and on our society. I urge both the Government and the Opposition to step back from what appears to be an open attitude to allowing all forms of gambling and an increase in gambling. The argument is that the State needs gambling revenue. However, it should be noted that every dollar of gambling tax revenue gained costs the State $3 in social support structures, crime and justice. The Australian Labor Party and the coalition should review their gambling policies.

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The Hon. FRANCA ARENA [6.15 p.m.]: I refer to a paper entitled "Religion and Tax: Above Reform?", which I received from Dr Max Wallace. On 12 August the paper was presented to the sociology seminar series at the Department of Sociology, Australian National University. The paper refers to the work of Richard Lead, a Sydney taxation consultant who has taken issue with the Federal Treasurer’s criticisms of the abuse by religious institutions of taxation exemptions and fringe benefits tax concessions. In a recent media release Dr Wallace and Richard Lead argued that Mr Costello’s statement that the churches cannot "stand for tight tax systems against avoidance but, on the other hand, do not want any of their fringe benefits brought into the tax net" did not go far enough.

In the paper Dr Wallace and Richard Lead point out that religious institutions do not merely attempt to have it both ways, as Mr Costello said, but attempt to have it all ways. The churches receive a blanket exemption from income tax, payroll tax, council and water rates and land tax, and substantial exemptions from sales tax and stamp duties. They also receive a blanket exemption from fringe benefits tax on all benefits provided to their ministers and enjoy a concessional fringe benefits tax rate on benefits provided to other church employees. As Richard Lead pointed out in the Australian Financial Review recently, the mainstream religions have used the taxation exemptions to build substantial investment portfolios. There is no requirement under current taxation laws for religious institutions to use any part of their income for charitable purposes, a defect that is not addressed by the Government’s tax reform proposals.

Mr Lead has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, arguing that the taxation exemptions granted to religious institutions are economic discrimination. He gives the example of Sanitarium Health Food, a company with annual sales exceeding $250 million. Sanitarium is exempt from paying income tax because it is owned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Mr Lead claims that such taxation exemptions breach an international instrument assented to by the Parliament in 1994 - the Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Mr Lead and Dr Wallace urge the Government to extend its tax reform proposals beyond the crackdown on the fringe benefits tax abuse by religious institutions. They point out that repealing the income tax exemptions enjoyed by religious institutions would not result in a reduction of their charitable works because income tax is levied on profits, not on gross income. Legitimate charitable expenditure would be deductible, as it is for all other taxpayers.

All members of Parliament should read this important paper presented to the Australian National University. In particular, the Treasurer of the next government, whether coalition or Labor, should examine this issue very carefully, amend the taxation Act, and evaluate what the Australian Taxation Office is doing about taxing religious organisations. Dr Max Wallace provided an example in his paper. Recently the ATO confirmed that to qualify as a religion an organisation must have a set of beliefs that the office considers acceptable, as defined by the High Court.

The ATO refused tax exemption to an organisation known as the Australian Raelian Movement, which is connected to a French parent organisation. The Raelians believe that the Elohim, referred to in the Bible, are material beings from another galaxy who once colonised Earth. They believe that contemporary world religions have misunderstood the origins of life on Earth. They say that the various prophets of the world religions understood the Elohim as the source of life, but their followers misunderstood the prophets to be supernatural beings.

Because the Raelians do not believe that the Elohim are supernatural beings the ATO denied their claim for tax exemption. However, tax exemption was granted to the Church of Scientology, another organisation which believes that these beings came to Earth many years ago. The Church of Scientology and Raelian beliefs are equally bizarre, but the Church of Scientology has been granted tax exemptions while the Raelians have not. Clearly, that is discriminatory. Either both institutions should pay tax or neither institution should pay tax. It is equally paradoxical that the Church of Scientology, which to my knowledge does not undertake any good works in Australia, is still technically understood to be a charitable organisation for taxation purposes. That example highlights our bizarre taxation laws, which I hope the Treasurer will seriously examine.

I raise this issue in Parliament because payroll tax, land tax and stamp duties are State issues. In particular, payroll tax is critical to State revenue. So-called charitable organisations that receive considerable commercial revenue, yet undertake little or no charitable activity, are exempt. Honourable
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members should ask why. I commend Dr Max Wallace, an esteemed academic, and Richard Lead, a taxation consultant, for their excellent works in this field. I commend this important issue to the attention of all honourable members.

The Hon. I. COHEN [6.20 p.m.]: I refer to the Cessnock proposal for the disposal of Sydney garbage. The fundamental thrust of waste disposal for Sydney garbage appears to be to transport it as far away as possible. The Northern Sydney Waste Board has called for tenders for the disposal of 400,000 tonnes of garage per annum. The short list of tenders are Collex Waste Management Pty Ltd, Muswellbrook and Woodlawn, and Thiess Environmental Services, Singleton. The Cessnock-Waste Service New South Wales bid was rejected by the Northern Sydney Waste Board because of community opposition; a split council - the project was approved seven to six, but all Labor councillors voted against it; an inadequate site; and an insensitive transport system.

The waste was to be moved by truck, not by rail. The Waste Service New South Wales bid for the site in Cessnock was rejected, but the service is bull-headedly continuing with an environmental impact statement. The Department of Urban Affairs and Planning will have problems because under State environmental planning policy 48 - the justification of need - Cessnock has no garbage source, there is no community acceptance and there is no bipartisan support in Cessnock City Council.

The Waste Service New South Wales is a corporatised government department, and this is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. The objections to the proposal include the fact that the waste would be transported to Cessnock in 300 semitrailer loads each week. Therefore, there would be 600 extra semitrailer movements each week, a 73 per cent increase in semitrailer traffic. All truck movements will be in daylight hours, which means one truck will pass a set point every four minutes. During the life of the project there would be an increased incidence of accidents, injuries and death. Aberdare, Kearsley, Elrington, Mulbring, Mt Vincent and Brunkerville will have increased noise and exhaust pollution and greatly increased traffic danger. Cessnock will be seen as the garbage bin outside Sydney’s back door - it will have the image of a smelly garbage town.

The tourist industry - worth $185 million a year and 1,000 jobs - will suffer. Tourists will find it difficult to travel on the roads because of the trucks, and the tainted image of Cessnock will be unpalatable to wine lovers. The project offers no significant employment opportunities. Although some additional employment would be involved, the slightest reduction in tourism would result in a loss of jobs. No matter what lining material is used in the megadump, leachate would eventually escape to the watertable and surrounding streams.

In addition, there has been significant coalmining activity 10 metres below the area of the proposed megadump site and subsidence will cause the liners to tear and crack. Neath, Abermain and East Cessnock residents will have smell, gas and dust pollution. The value of homes in the area will drop by thousands of dollars. The council will earn $1 million per annum, but the community will lose at least $3 million per annum in economic losses and the decreased value of homes and businesses.

Another objection includes the increase in greenhouse emissions and diesel fuel wastage. The semitrailers will burn up 28 large drums of fuel every day. The proposal requires the destruction of an estimated 250,000 trees to provide the dirt and holes for Sydney garbage. In addition to the loss of flora and fauna, there will be a loss of carbon absorption capacity. The community is concerned that the landfill being brought in may contain plant diseases, such as the phylloxera virus, and airborne pathogens, which could destroy the grape crops and the wine industry on which the Cessnock community thrives. New South Wales must reduce its waste by 60 per cent by 2000. It cannot reach that objective by merely relocating the garbage. The proposal is not consistent with the spirit of the current State laws - particularly the Waste Minimisation Act 1996.

The proposals currently being considered do not, on a State-wide level, reflect the intent of the Act, because the entire amount of waste being transported from Sydney will go to landfills. The closest landfill site to Sydney is more than 150 kilometres away. Long-haul waste to landfill is against the intent of the Waste Minimisation Act 1996. The Act should be amended to prohibit long- haul waste. The garbage problem is not being addressed properly.

As Waste Service New South Wales says, we must all reduce, re-use and recycle. The Northern Sydney Waste Board has ignored the most recent technology involving the rotation of drums and the bedminster system, which has been proved in the United States of America and Europe. These
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technologies reduce the amount of garbage that goes to landfill by up to 80 per cent. It has been proved time and again that megadumps leak. If garbage is dumped in a hole that is lined with clay, plastic, gravel or any other material the leachate will eventually escape into the watertable.

This policy defers the problem, it does not solve it. The reason these advances are not widely used in Australia appears to be profit driven. The bedminster system and the breakdown and digesting systems are expensive to operate and greatly reduce the haulage and high-profit component of waste disposal. Waste Service New South Wales has freely admitted that the landfill part of its business is high margin and that it subsidises its other activities.

The Western Sydney Waste Board is the lone voice in Sydney trying to take responsibility for its waste. The board has sought expressions of interest for the breakdown and digestive system and is currently evaluating 17 responses. However, the Northern Sydney Waste Board is determined to fling its garbage as far away as possible - out of sight, out of mind. This is clearly out of step with the Government’s Waste Minimisation Act, which eliminates the linkage between the generation of waste and the responsibility to dispose of it. The CAST Action Group will continue - [Time expired.]

Motion agreed to.