Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to call on the New South Wales Premier, Mike Baird, and the New South Wales government to stop the sale of public land at Suffolk Park in my electorate of Richmond. The local community have only just become aware of the New South Wales government's plans to auction this important community park. There is massive local opposition to this sale, which the New South Wales government has listed for auction on Tuesday 29 November. This is a shameful deceit by a greedy Liberal-Nationals government. This is a government that will sell or privatise anything they can get their hands on. To make it worse, the community has just found out about this plan. On the site there are currently sports fields, including a soccer ground and cricket nets. It is also the home of the Suffolk Park Football Club, and there is a community garden and children's playground. This is a community space that is widely used.

The Suffolk Park Progress Association have started a petition, on change.org, which states:

If sold - we will lose the only multi-use open space for 4,000 Suffolk Park Residents.

It is the only open play area for the children of Suffolk Park and the only area for outdoor exercise, training & dog walking.

The Liberals and Nationals want to sell everything they can get their hands on, from electricity to hospitals to community land. This has to stop. I stand with the community in wanting to keep this land in public hands. I call on Premier Mike Baird and I call on the New South Wales government—those Liberals and Nationals in the state government—to act urgently and stop the sale of public land at Suffolk Park. This is community land. It is public land. The sale must be stopped.