In the News
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (8:48 PM) —I rise tonight to speak on the issue of transport infrastructure in my electorate of Mitchell. It is timely that I raise this matter here tonight in the House, because 2010 was the year that the long-promised north-west rail line for North West Sydney was to commence. Service was to commence in this month, according to the first initial state government promise in 1998. I do not need to remind the House that this promise has been cancelled, re-promised, cancelled and re-promised almost uncannily in sync with every state election. Now we have a timetable that has the completion of the north-west rail link in 2024.
Tonight I want in particular to raise the proposal of Mr Ron Christie. He has written an independent report that calls for an independent agency, Transport for Sydney, to be modelled on the successful Transport for London. It is important that the government, and particularly Infrastructure Australia, take note of this. With the worst government in New South Wales history, people in Sydney and New South Wales have completely lost faith in the ability of government to deliver infrastructure in key parts of our state.
My electorate of Mitchell has the highest rate of car ownership in Australia. That is because of the lack of transport options. It has the second highest proportion of couples with dependent children of any electorate in the country. It was one of the fastest growing corridors in Sydney. It still remains a very fast growth corridor. No government is proposing to put in any transportation options until 2024.
This has led to citizens, independent bodies, newspapers—including the Sydney Morning Herald and the Hill Shire Times—and other agencies, such as the Hill Shire Council, to form their own group, called the Build It Now Coalition. What this represents is a new thrust in New South Wales because government has failed in its job and in its fundamental responsibility. What we see in the Build It Now Coalition is a response to the abject and utter despair of the average citizen in New South Wales because the government will not deliver what it promises—especially in transport infrastructure. Of all the submissions that were put to the independent inquiry by Mr Ron Christie—more than 500 submissions—over 24 per cent were on this issue of the north-west rail line. About a quarter of all submissions to this independent body were on the single item of the north-west rail link. It is a vital and key piece of infrastructure for Sydney.
I want to note that in successive federal budgets since the election of this government and the formation of Infrastructure Australia there has been very little funding of any nature for infrastructure in Sydney. The much vaunted, much claimed and much talked about need to raise taxes, to raise capital and to invest in infrastructure has no application to every single resident of Sydney in every single seat in Sydney because there simply is no infrastructure funding for Sydney.
In last year’s budget we saw a meagre $40 million for a study for a western metro line from the city to Parramatta, which was to go right through the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government’s electorate, uncannily. But the incompetence of the New South Wales government knows no bounds, and that project has been cancelled as well. So the money had to be returned to the Commonwealth. The money provided in last year’s budget for a study for a western metro line through the minister for infrastructure’s own electorate had to be returned to the Commonwealth by the New South Wales state government.
And of course we all know of the absolute and utter failure of the New South Wales government to put a credible submission for infrastructure funding to the federal government in the first year of Infrastructure Australia. Here is a great new body of the federal government to deliver infrastructure in Australia—money on the table—but the New South Wales government fails to put even a credible submission together for any of that infrastructure money for Sydney.
I praise the work of the Build It Now coalition. The north-west rail link was supposed to open this year. We have a timetable from the Build It Now coalition which says that we can complete this by 2017. I urge the New South Wales government to do so, to get on with the job, to put proper applications in to the federal government and to seek all available funding to get this vital piece of transport infrastructure built for the residents of Sydney, north-west Sydney and my electorate of Mitchell.
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (4:06 PM) —I rise today to add my voice to the issue of military superannuation pensions, which is an issue that has been hotly debated in this chamber in recent days and one which many of my constituents from the veterans community of Mitchell have visited me on and raise with me regularly.
I want to acknowledge that defence service is unique and I think it was a poor outcome of the Henry review of taxation which viewed defence service as just another form of Commonwealth employment. I think there is a unique nature to service in the defence forces and I do not think it is appropriate to accept that it is just the same as any other form of employment by the Commonwealth government.
I want to thank my constituents for raising with me matters that apply to military superannuation. Those constituents have been very detailed in their submissions and analysis of how successive governments have failed to act on this important issue. I accept that it is one of the biggest issues affecting the veterans community at the moment.
I also want to acknowledge the motion moved by the member for Lyne about the military superannuation pension and the move to index it twice annually by the greatest divider of either the consumer price index, the pensioner beneficiary living cost index or male total average weekly earnings. While this may not be a motion that was supported by both sides of the House, I know that this issue is going to be an ongoing concern for veterans for some time.
I think that the government, unashamedly, at the last election promised veterans that there would be action in relation to this. Of course, it is yet another broken promise for the veterans community that we have seen. It does seem to me that there is a lot of money for all sorts of projects and all sorts of worthy causes around the country, yet money is being wasted in so many programs. The primary role of government, of course, is the defence of the nation, and looking after men and women who have chosen to serve on an ongoing basis is something that we ought to do first and something that we ought to consider before other important and worthy causes because we have asked those men and women to do something very important and sacrifice something on our behalf.
I want to make it perfectly clear that I consider military service as the highest form of service to the federal government. There is a strong case for action on military superannuation and pensions going forward. If you look at the reviews that have been conducted, such as the Matthews review, which came to the conclusion that there was no need to change the indexation method for military superannuation, or the Podger review, which has been well mentioned in this place, it does appear that superannuation—of course one aspect of the total remuneration package awarded to ADF members—is something that should be looked at again and something that in the future we should consider very seriously.
The visit by the Shadow Minister for Seniors, Bronwyn Bishop MP, to Castle Hill was an important opportunity for local seniors to take their concerns directly to the Shadow Minister, said the Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke.
Mrs Bishop visited the Anglican Retirement Village at Castle Hill and also attended a forum and afternoon tea at the Harvey Lowe Pavilion at the Castle Hill Showground. More than 100 local seniors attended the forum and issues discussed with Mrs Bishop included pensions, superannuation, and increased charges and the cost of living.
“Bronwyn Bishop is deeply committed to helping seniors and I know she was greatly impressed with the feedback she received at Castle Hill,” Mr Hawke said.
“Seniors in the Hills share many of the concerns of seniors right around Australia, although there are some issues, such as local bus services, which particularly affect us here in the Hills.”
Mr Hawke said that he had been seeking to have Mrs Bishop visit the Hills to discuss local seniors concerns since her appointment to the Shadow Ministry by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in December last year.
“Our seniors contribute so much to our local community. Without the volunteer work seniors undertake, the Hills would definitely be worse off.
“I wanted Mrs Bishop to hear first-hand not only the challenges our seniors face, but also their successes. I am sure the views of local Hills seniors will be of great value to her as she continues the Coalition’s development of new policy for seniors.”
Mr Hawke thanked all local residents who were able to attend the forum for their honest and sometimes direct comments about available Government services and programs and said he expected Mrs Bishop will visit the Hills again in the near future.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (6.43 pm)—I rise tonight to speak about the successful year of The Hills Swimming and Life Saving Club in my electorate of Mitchell. The club was formed in early 1967 with the name ‘The Hills Amateur Swimming Club’. The word ‘amateur’ was, of course, compulsory in those days. In 1998 it was changed to ‘The Hills Swimming Club’, and then, in 2006, to ‘The Hills Swimming and Life Saving Club. It is based centrally in Baulkham Hills and run by a fantastic committee of volunteers. It used to be the biggest swimming club in New South Wales, with over 700 members in the seventies. The lifesaving club, of course, is affiliated with the Royal Life Saving Society, whose headquarters is in my electorate of Mitchell. Classes have been held for the first season this year.
I want to offer congratulations on the presentation this year of the Derek Emery trophy to Eleanor Marshall and the Denis Robertson Award to Chelsea Podrow. One hundred and ninety-five club records were broken in the 2009-10 season. The club captains for swimming this year are Andrew Payne and Eleanor Marshall. The club captains for lifesaving are Ben Fishburn and Tiarna Jones. It was fantastic to attend the presentation, along with around 200 parents and committed volunteers.
Club membership is growing. It is such a fantastic club, and I want to congratulate all of the parents, the
hardworking coaches and staff at the club, the committee, the dedicated volunteers, the swimmers and, of course, the life members—the life members being Graham Taylor, Alan Kerruish, Pauline Alan, Bernie Boyle, Marilyn Tobin, Damian Hofman and Melanie Williams. This is a fantastic club. It fits in with the fine tradition of volunteerism in my electorate, and I endorse it thoroughly in the 2009-10 season.
24 May 2010
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (4.12 pm)—I rise today to record my congratulations to the Hills Relay for Life, which was held at the Castle Hill Showground on 15 to 16 May. This was the ninth year of the Hills Relay for Life event, held at the Castle Hill Showground, and this year I can report that over $200,000 was raised in support of the Cancer Council, with local business groups, community groups and people of all ages showing their support for those with cancer and their families, friends and carers. This has become an iconic event in the Hills community.
I want to firstly thank and congratulate Bev Jordan for an amazing effort as chairwoman of the 2010 Relay for Life.
Each year since I have been elected I have had a team in the Relay for Life, and this team has also helped raise money for the community. This year’s event, however, was one of the biggest and best relays we have run in the Hills district.
I also want to congratulate committee members James Butler, Cathy Aird, Bryan Mullan, Samantha Connor, Lynn Pike, Richard Tarlinton, Michael and Natalie Ball, Councillors Tony and Andrew Hay, Chris Cleary, Katie and Ruth Didsbury, Helen Gooden, Robin George, Aimee Holdsworth, Denise Daynes, Andrew Bronier, Erica Wadlow, Taylor page, Alison Harper, Jillian Carpenter, Councillor Michelle Bryne, Dave Power, Nicole Stap, Christine Zec and Sue O’Neill. There are so many names there because it is such a well-patronised and supported event by all elements of our community. I want to particularly mention Jason Francis, who is a 14-year-old boy from Castle Hill High School. He walked 200 kilometres from Bathurst to Castle Hill. He raised over $22,000 in sponsorship for his 200-kilometre walk, which was a fantastic achievement.
I want to congratulate Team Bunny, who won the Team Spirit Award. They were a fantastic team, serving soup throughout the night as it got down to very cold temperatures, as it does every year. This year we had over 100 teams participating in the Hills Relay for Life. Some of the teams were Castle Hill High School, Castle Hill Public School, Northholm Grammar, St George Bank Castle Hill—who, incidentally, won the Relay for Life Community Spirit Award for Business—St George Bank, Hornsby 1st Castle Hill Scout Group, 1st Kellyville Scout Group, Hills Shire Times, Hills News, Castle Hill RSL, Samuel Gilbert Public School and St John’s Ambulance.
Moving around the Relay for Life on that weekend and talking to the carers, the survivors, the friends and the families was a moving experience. I want to mention one particular incident, in meeting a woman at a stall whom I bought some raffle tickets from. She was a very cheerful woman. I asked where the money was going, and she said, ‘Me and my friend have had brain tumours for the last five years.’ I said, ‘Five years?’ This woman was diagnosed five years ago with a brain tumour and has had 68 courses of chemotherapy, and the joy and sense of life that I got from this woman was absolutely amazing. It was a very inspiring story, and I want to record my congratulations to her for her fight and struggle against cancer, which is ongoing.
This is a wonderful event. We will find a cure for cancer through the initiative of the community and the generosity of so many community members, businesses and charities. I want to congratulate all of the Hills community, carers, survivors’ families and friends.