House debates

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

Constituency Statements

New South Wales Government

9:55 am

Photo of Pat FarmerPat Farmer (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

With the limited time of three minutes that I have to speak—although I will be speaking on this subject during the course of the reign of the state Labor government in New South Wales—I would like to bring everyone’s attention in this House to the way the New South Wales state government is pulling down the whole of this country. We have seen everything in New South Wales go backwards over the last 10 years. I have seen health services go backwards, I have visited schools in my capacity as the member for Macarthur and seen paint peeling off the classroom walls, I have seen toilet blocks flooding and I have seen classes of appalling sizes. I know members from both sides of parliament have seen exactly the same. We all care about our electorates. We all care about transport infrastructure, transport hubs, hospitals and our health. Time and time again we see New South Wales failing in their duty of care to the taxpayers of New South Wales. As I say, and like everyone can very easily see, they are pulling the whole country backwards.

I was thinking about our crest and about how we selected the two animals on that crest. We selected those animals, the kangaroo and the emu, because they had the ability not to go backwards. I have made a bit of a mock-up of the New South Wales crest, and it indicates the feet of the two animals, the lion and the kangaroo, with their feet going backwards, and I have done another one of the whole country with their feet going backwards because this is what the New South Wales government are doing to our country. They are sending the whole country backwards. I seek leave to have the documents incorporated in Hansard.

Leave not granted.

I do not think the people of New South Wales or the people of this country can put up with the New South Wales government for another two years. I am calling on every single person in New South Wales to write a letter to the Governor of New South Wales, a lovely lady, to ask her to please sack the New South Wales state Labor government because this country simply cannot afford for them to stay in power for another two years.

Our transport costs are going up yet services are diminishing, our hospital costs are going up and services are diminishing, and school fees are going up yet services are diminishing. Teachers are crying out for extra teachers and support and they are not getting them. School bus passes are being cancelled, and it costs people in Western Sydney, in some cases, up to $350 just to send their kids to school because bus passes have been cancelled. (Time expired)