Pat Conroy (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

New South Wales goes to the polls on Saturday and, whilst every election is about choice, few are as defined by a single idea as is the case this time. On the one hand is the Liberal government's privatisation agenda and on the other is a commitment from Labor to keep public assets and services in public hands.

The premier has called this election a 'referendum' on the privatisation of the electricity network, and has spruiked a suite of projects to be funded by the long-term lease of the poles and wires in New South Wales. Labor would keep these assets in public hands, forgoing the short-term revenue for the longer-term gain, which is used to invest in schools, hospitals and roads, for example.

There are hundreds of people from my area who are employed in the energy sector, and they would be affected—most notably, network designers, engineers and control room workers. The future is also very unclear for those front line workers who make sure that we have a safe connection to the grid and who respond to outages.

We have already seen what the Liberal's privatisation of the Port of Newcastle has delivered for my area. It has delivered nothing. This is despite the sale presenting a unique opportunity for reinvestment of the proceeds into the number one infrastructure priority in the region, the Glendale transport interchange. With only three days to go, Labor is the only party that has made a funding commitment to this vital project: $39 million to complete the first stage of the project, as well as dedicated funding for the scope and planning of the second stage, including the construction of a train station and public transport interchange.

The vocational education system is also being privatised by stealth, with the deregulation of fees and increased competition in the sector undermining TAFE in a debilitating way. Glendale TAFE, in my electorate, has cut courses in tourism, hospitality, welding and metal fabrication, and course costs for students enrolling this year have also increased massively. This has repercussions not only for the sector itself but for the region's ability to meet the skills needed by industry. With an economy reeling from the downturn in the mining sector, and in the midst of a diversification of our economy, it is imperative that we respond to the needs of local businesses and are able to guarantee that graduates are well trained and properly equipped with the skills they need.

On Saturday there is a clear choice for the people of New South Wales, including the people of the Lake Macquarie region, and I know that the people I represent are best served by the policy approach of Labor. I would like to acknowledge the strong candidates and campaigns of Labor MPs in the region: Clayton Barr in Cessnock, Sonia Hornery in Wallsend, Tim Crakanthorp in Newcastle and Jodie Harrison in Charlestown. It is, however, an infinitely greater challenge to contest elections without the resources and experience that incumbency brings, and I would also like to acknowledge the campaigns of Kate Washington in Port Stephens, Jenny Aitchison in Maitland, Martin Rush in the Upper Hunter, and my friends and colleagues Yasmin Catley in Swansea and Melissa Cleary in Lake Macquarie.

Indeed, the Lake Macquarie campaign deserves special mention, as the seat is fully enclosed in my electorate of Charlton. It is only through the commitment and dedication of some truly inspiring campaigners that Labor's message has been spread far and wide in our area. It starts with a great candidate. Melissa Cleary is a person of immense integrity who I know has worked very hard over the past year to outline Labor's vision for our community. She is backed by a dynamic campaign team led by Amanda Pearce and Liam Dutaillis and supported by Lorre and Bill Manning, Kim Weller, David Belcher and James Blair. I know we are all grateful to Mark Bainbridge for the sea of corflutes that are now dotted around Lake Macquarie, as only a used car salesman can achieve. Reg Proctor, Stephen Dewar, George Adams, Doug Pye, Des Murphy, Helen Sheehy, Marj Gissane-Clark, James Eliot, Joan Wilson, Greg Wilton, Kim Van Koeverden, David Kay, Sharon Pascoe, Madeliene and Mark Bishop, John Pritchard, Ryan Dunn, Ernie Bantham, Dennis Crooks, Frank Gregory, Jan Crawford, Toni and Paul Lorentzen, Sue Blackshaw, the Hunters, Rowley James, Jacques and Barbara Hagendyk, Joan and Allan Steele, Samantha Richards, Ron and Leanne Boonstoppel, and Dorothy and Les Cleary have formed a veritable army of campaigners who have hit the phones, gone doorknocking, attended street stalls and delivered flyers throughout the campaign. There are certainly more, and I apologise if I have missed anyone. Thank you for your dedication to the Labor cause and for fighting to ensure that the values we share are not forgotten in this election and into the future.

I wish you all the best of luck on Saturday. I will be with you on the campaign trail on Friday and Saturday, and please be assured that your efforts will not go in vain. We are fighting for the right ideas and the right values, and I am proud to say I am fighting for a great Labor team.