Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I also thank the member for Grayndler, the Leader of the House, and the member for Fairfax for agreeing to allow the three Independent members in this place to speak. I do note that, as a new member in this chamber, as I work my way through MPIs, committees, speeches and processes in this House in particular, I am increasingly fascinated at the control that the two major political parties have over the process of the chamber. It is a live discussion that is currently taking place with the Speaker. I encourage everyone to participate in it, to think about it and to think about the rights that individual, non-aligned private members within this chamber have as a voice for the people that they represent, as much as anyone else in this chamber.

I also wanted to speak in this debate because there are entrenched matters within regional areas that are reflected within my electorate. I represent an area with some of the lowest individual household or family incomes compared with anywhere within Australia. I represent one of the highest unemployment regions by comparison with anywhere in Australia. This is why so many people, on 6 September this year, chose a different style of representation for the mid-North Coast of New South Wales, because they do genuinely want to get out of the entrenched position that we are in by comparison with the rest of Australia. There is a lot of work to do, both for the coalition that has just gone into opposition and for the new government, the Labor Party, that is currently in charge.

The three issues I want to raise that will be, I guess, a test of faith for the communities of the mid-North Coast are, firstly, Regional Partnerships, which we have already heard discussed in this chamber. The last 12 months in particular were a disgusting period of life on the mid-North Coast, where we saw handshakes done—the old ‘men of honour’ doing the handshakes for the photos—yet behind their backs and not in the photos were the crossed fingers and the broken promises that were never fulfilled. The Lake Cathie Medical Centre, the Wauchope-Bonny Hills Surf Club, Visiocorp Taree—a car industry manufacturing plant—are all key parts of life on the mid-North Coast. They are now filthy with the way they were treated over the last 12 months, and all I might say are incredibly valuable projects for life on the mid-North Coast. That is for the coalition to reflect on—the handshake with one hand and the fingers crossed behind the back with the other. But also, I say to the government, reflect on the importance of these projects to community life, because they are of value and I, as the new member, will continue to chase them. Again, I would hope that the old handshake contract is one that does mean something. Surely the last thing that professional politics needs is more cynicism towards the promises given by members of parliament, particularly ministers, even deputy prime ministers, regardless of who they are personally.

As well, I would raise the issue of anomalies in GP services within my area. It astounds me, as I try to get my head around why we are a region that struggles so much to get GPs into our area, that a GP setting up a practice in a place such as Hastings Street in Noosa—one of the most sought-after streets in Australia—receives a $60,000 incentive to do so; yet for a GP to go to my area, which has one of the lowest incomes, one of highest unemployment rates and one of the highest ageing demographics in Australia, there is absolutely no incentive. This RRMA scale is an absolute anomaly that is still alive and creating inequities and unfairness right throughout this country. It is creating winners and losers. It is creating a region against region situation—the battle of the Hastings: Hastings Street, Noosa versus the Hastings Valley on the mid-North Coast. I would hope that the government can overturn what is an outrageous GP program that was left to us by the coalition.

Likewise, I have got a struggle on the ground with the Australian technical colleges. My area was one that actually did get two colleges up and running. We have had to struggle to get 350 students, 43 staff and $17 million of taxpayers’ money resolved in the Port Macquarie community, and we are still unresolved when it comes to Taree. It is looking like a padlock job at the moment. There was no long-term sustainability in education from the opposition and there is no plan as yet from the government. (Time expired)

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