Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

In fact, DAs at Wollongong were rewarded—by the previous government. The then Minister for Local Government, Jim Lloyd, issued a press release on 23 July 2007. The award from the Howard government for asset management for foreshore development went to Wollongong council. So it pays to have a bit of memory. But the member for Cook did not remember that and nor did the Deputy Leader of the Opposition when they opposed the good people of Wollongong receiving any funding for local capital works.

It gets even worse, because you do not have to go back a year; you can go back a month. There is another council in New South Wales that is under administration: the Port Macquarie Shire Council. We know about Port Macquarie because there has been a bit of focus on it. We had a by-election just a month ago which returned an outstanding representative in Rob Oakeshott to this parliament. They did not object to Port Macquarie council getting funding of over a million dollars as part of the $300 million Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. I wonder why? I wonder why they are having a go at Wollongong even though last year it was the award-winning council from throughout the nation but for Port Macquarie they are hands off? How inconsistent are they? I thought back. I visited the electorate of Lyne during that by-election and I remember that the mayor who was dismissed for corruption, Rob Drew, was the National Party candidate just one month ago.

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