Tuesday 3 April 2012

Speech on the O'Farrell Government's 'Get Clover' Bill

3 April 2012
Ms KRISTINA KENEALLY (Heffron) [11.51 a.m.]: "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it." That statement, often mistakenly attributed to Voltaire, was in fact made by his biographer. However, the bill before the House today puts me in a Voltaire-ish frame of mind. That great defender of democracy, Voltaire, would be appalled by legislation of the type being debated in this House today. That quote also puts me in this frame of mind today, because quite frankly I have never supported the member for Sydney in a campaign; in fact, I have supported candidates against her in local council and State elections—and I will do so again.

Just as Voltaire's biographer said, "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it," I do not agree with much of what the member for Sydney might argue for. But there are some things that I do agree with; in fact, there are some things on which we have cooperated. I do not necessarily agree with everything the member argues for in this place. But I absolutely recognise and respect the mandate that the member has from her community to represent them at both the State and the local level. This person has been elected by her community, at State and local level, time and again since 2004, to represent them at town hall as their Lord Mayor and to represent them in this Chamber as the member for Sydney.

Make no mistake: this bill will undo a democratic decision of the people of the City of Sydney and of the constituents in the State electorate of Sydney. This Government is led by a Premier who said before the election—if he said it once, he said it a hundred times—"We in the Liberal and National parties trust local communities; we trust local people to get it right; we trust people to make decisions for themselves." How has that trust been repaid? How is that trust expressed? How is that trust demonstrated by the O'Farrell Government? It brings into this House legislation that will undo a democratic decision taken by the people of the City of Sydney and by the people of the State electorate of Sydney.

This is an appalling piece of legislation. What it says to the people, not just of Sydney but of New South Wales, is that they can no longer have confidence that their opinion, their verdict, their will expressed through the ballot box will be upheld by the laws of this State. This Parliament is asked to do what I have not seen in my nine years in this place: in an affront to democracy, it will overturn a result rendered by the people. Voltaire spoke of respect for democracy. We are a democratic society: we uphold freedom of speech; we uphold freedom of assembly; we uphold freedom of expression; and we uphold the freedom of the people to choose their representatives—until today. Today, that right ends. Today, the right of the people to have their will expressed at the ballot box is overturned. This is a sham. It is a shame.

I want to speak about dual roles. I can speak from a fair bit of experience; I know what it is like to be a senior Minister and the local member; I know what it is like to be the Premier and the local member. Let me say for anyone on the Government side who does not understand: When you are a Minister and a local member you have dual roles, and sometimes they conflict. We had a ridiculous contribution by the member for Drummoyne who spoke about the supposed conflict in being the Lord Mayor and a local member. He shows his naivety by not understanding that sometimes your role as a Minister and your role as a local member conflict; sometimes your role as Premier and your role as a local member conflict.

Nonetheless, you are able to discharge those roles; you are able to manage those roles; and you can, as the member for Sydney has pointed out, use the efficiencies built into being a Minister and the local member to better serve the people of New South Wales. That is exactly what the member for Sydney and Lord Mayor is doing. I have yet to have anyone explain to me the difference between being the Minister for Local Government and the member for Ballina, and being the Lord Mayor of Sydney and the member for Sydney. I have yet to have anyone explain to me how those two sets of circumstances are different in demands on one's time and one's ability to work for one's electorate, or indeed the conflicts that that brings. I have yet to hear from any member of the Liberals and The Nationals any cogent argument as to why there is a difference.

I ask the House to reflect on this. I stand in this place as the member for Heffron. I recognise that my State electorate is covered by four local government areas: Randwick, Botany, Marrickville and the City of Sydney. The majority of the State electorate of Heffron is within the City of Sydney. The people of the City of Sydney, and therefore a large number of the people in the State electorate of Heffron, have cast their vote for Clover Moore to be their Lord Mayor; they have cast their vote for Clover Moore to represent them at town hall. It is my constituents who are seeing their democratic rights denied them. The people of Heffron are seeing in this bill the overturn of their decision that Clover Moore be their Lord Mayor.

Clover Moore has a proud and long history of representing South Sydney. She was first elected to South Sydney Council in 1980. To put that in context, when Clover Moore was elected a councillor New South Wales had not even had its first female Cabinet Minister; that was to come eight years later. Clover Moore, as a female politician, has stood up for her local community; she has stood up and represented South Sydney. Over the years, through various local boundary redistributions, Clover Moore and I have shared parts of the State electorates of Sydney and Heffron. At times, part of the Heffron electorate has been in Clover Moore's electorate.

She has a long tradition of representing the people of Sydney, particularly South Sydney. Although I may not have always agreed with her, I have seen the work she has done as both Lord Mayor and as member for Sydney bring benefits to the people who live in my electorate. She has brought benefits in improved parks and facilities, and she has championed more equality and greater legal rights for people who are gay and lesbian. She has brought a change in the way government delivers services to some of the most vulnerable people in the community, particularly people with drug and alcohol addictions. In the two roles she holds the member for Sydney has effectively represented the people of Sydney and, particularly from my perspective, the people of South Sydney.

As we watch this Liberals-Nationals Government deny democracy and deny the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box—and overturn the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box—we see a dark day for democracy in this State. I have recently nominated the Lord Mayor to be the Heffron electorate's nominee for the Women's Honour Roll, introduced by the Minister for Women. Due to the quirks of boundary redistribution Clover Moore lives in the State seat of Heffron: I am her local member. I am very proud that we have in our electorate a woman who is a game-changing politician, a woman who was the first elected female Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney and a woman who has effectively earned the trust of the people of Sydney to represent them at both State and local levels. It is a sad day indeed to see that trust being broken by the O'Farrell Government. If this bill passes it condemns this House. It is a mockery of democracy and it should be opposed.

Monday 2 April 2012

Public Housing in Redfern and Waterloo

HEFFRON PUBLIC HOUSING
2 April 2012

Ms KRISTINA KENEALLY (Heffron) [12.24 p.m.]: Heffron is ranked first out of 93 State electorates as having the highest percentage of public housing. In particular, Heffron contains several high-rise estates in Redfern, Waterloo and Eastlakes, and low-rise estates in Waterloo, Daceyville, Erskineville and Mascot as well as properties throughout other suburbs. As the member for Heffron, I understand that social housing can provide significant challenges. I also know that it is home to vulnerable people, many of whom would be without housing otherwise. For many people in high-rise housing their communities have developed and flourished. In fact, years ago, so outraged were the elderly residents Matavi and Turunga in Waterloo about an untrue rumour that their high-rise buildings were to be demolished that I had to promise to chain myself to their buildings if the bulldozers ever came. These buildings are their homes.

A great project in Waterloo is being trialled: The Waterloo Green project installs concierge services and new security features in high-rise buildings. This project, introduced by the Keneally Government, is—according to my constituents—making a real difference to their personal security and to decreasing the levels of vandalism and graffiti in the building. The project, combined with a change to the law—also introduced by the Keneally Government—allows alcohol free zones to be introduced by council on Housing NSW land, and specifically on Waterloo Green. The trial is currently being evaluated. I hope the Government sees sense in continuing and possibly expanding this program.

I was interested to hear the comments of Minister Goward in this House on 28 and 29 March, when she proudly proclaimed the transformative changes she was introducing to the management of public housing, and what a significant difference it would make to tenants to have their maintenance issues addressed in a timely manner. I draw the following to the Minister's attention. On 30 March 2012 I held a meeting with public housing residents in Redfern. I remind the House that this was a full year after the election of the O'Farrell Government and a full year after Minister Goward stepped into the Housing NSW portfolio.

Tenants raised issues of antisocial behaviour in the three towers of Poet's Corner: drug dealing, sleeping in stairwells, residents being intimidated by drug dealers, security being a major issue, fire doors broken, no lights in Lawson building common areas and cleaners not reporting that lights were out. I was informed that lifts in the Kendall building were breaking down and unauthorised tenants were staying in the buildings. The McKell building was full of graffiti and pigeon faeces, it needed a handyman, and there were syringes in rubbish room. I also draw to the Minister's attention an email from Ross Smith, precinct representative of the People's Precinct Neighbourhood Advisory Board, Waterloo, to Housing NSW on 19 January 2012. Mr Smith stated that 33 John Street Waterloo, the Dobell building, had:
... non-functioning lock systems on perimeter doors leaving building with no security. Doors are not locked and can be opened by pushing on closed door.

This matter was originally raised with Housing NSW on 17 October 2011. Over the period various tenants have made multiple reports to the call centre. Mr Smith further stated:
... non-functioning lights in undercover parking area on Pitt Street extension frontage of building ...

It was originally reported to Housing NSW on 17 October 2011 and followed up on 18 October 2011. Tenants report that workmen attended three times, but lights were not restored to a functioning state. On 11 March 2011 in a follow-up email to Housing NSW Ross Smith wrote:

In the last few days the community room in the Dobell complex has been trashed, the broken window giving unfettered access to the room has not been repaired, and the room has not been cleaned up so that the restoration of community owned facilities in the room by the community can commence. There is now a group of juveniles running rampant throughout the complex. This is in no small part due to the ongoing failure of Housing NSW to restore the electronic door locks controlling access to the building to a functional state.

Further, he states:
Housing NSW actions in the cases above make a mockery of their oft repeated claim of wanting to engage with the tenants and actively undermine the efforts of other Housing NSW business units ...

What does it take for Housing NSW to resolve these longstanding matters? The tenants are fed up with being told, "You must ring the call centre," when they see every day that this course of action is not producing any results. The question in their mind is why should we bother when Housing NSW is not capable of producing an answer, despite all their glossy fact sheets and media releases. Is there any reason that these matters are still unresolved?
That is a very good question. And one that seems to remain unanswered. Mr Ross Smith again emailed me on 26 March 2012 and told me that he had no response from Housing NSW to date, which makes you wonder about the reality of Minister Goward's statements in this House on 28 an 29 March. It has been my great honour to represent the people of Redfern and Waterloo, to fight for better standards of living for them, to introduce programs like the Waterloo Green project, and, under the Keneally Government, to decide not to increase public housing single pensioners rent as their pensions were increased. I look forward to a time when housing residents in Redfern and Waterloo receive benefits from the O'Farrell Government. The extension of the Waterloo Green project would be great. Fixing some of the maintenance issues raised by the Waterloo People's Precinct would be a start.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Heffron Electorate Nomination for Women's Honour Roll: Clover Moore

30 March 2012: Member for Heffron Kristina Keneally today nominated Heffron resident Clover Moore to receive recognition as part of the NSW Government's Women's Honour Roll.

Under the Women's Honour Roll program, introduced by Minister for Women Pru Goward, local members are invited to nominate a woman from their electorate who had made a significant contribution to the local community.

"A resident of the Heffron electorate, Clover Moore MP has won the confidence of voters to represent them simultaneously at state and local level since 2004," Ms Keneally said.
 
Clover Moore is the first elected female Lord Mayor of Sydney.  The majority of the Heffron electorate is within the City of Sydney boundaries.  She was elected to South Sydney Council in 1980, and to the NSW Parliament in 1988.  At various times, through electoral boundary changes, Clover has represented portions of what is now the state seat of Heffron.
 
"Though Clover and I are opponents politically, and often disagree, I cannot but admire her success as a female politician. She started her political career at a time when women rarely held high political office - when Clover was first elected to Council, NSW had not even yet had its first female cabinet minister," Ms Keneally said.

"Clover's election as the first female Lord Mayor of Sydney, and her success at winning the confidence of voters to represent them simultaneously at state and local level is a significant achievement, and worthy of acknowledgement on the Women's Honour Roll."

"Clover’s work as a MP and Lord Mayor to improve community safety has resulted in many upgrades to parks and community facilities in South Sydney," Ms Keneally said.

"Clover's efforts to address the challenges of drug and alcohol addiction has changed how government services are delivered to vulnerable people in the inner city.   Her voice on behalf of the gay & lesbian community, which has a strong presence in the inner city, has championed significant changes to create equality in our legal system."
 
Ms Keneally also noted that Ms Moore established the Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP Salary Trust to support the City's most disadvantaged people and promote animal welfare. As at December 2011, the Trust had donated $1.1 million to inner city charities.
 

Ms Keneally said the fact that she had campaigned against Ms Moore in the past - and would support Labor candidates against Ms Moore in the future - demonstrated that her nomination of Ms Moore to the Women's Honour Roll stood above politics.

"Clover Moore is a game-changing female politician, and her unique position of earning the support of voters over many years in simultaneous state and local roles, deserves acknowledgment as a great contribution. "

Ms Moore said she was honoured to have been nominated.

“I thank Kristina for this nomination and hope it inspires other women to think about representing their communities. I first entered politics as a young mother with two small children and know just how hard it is to juggle competing demands. I’ve also seen how one person can start the process of change to improve their community and that’s a really powerful reason to be in politics.”

The nominees for the Women's Honour Roll will receive a certificate from the NSW Government.