Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today as the federal member for Macquarie. The Macquarie electorate is vast, steeped in the history of this nation and bonded by location. The electorate encompasses all of the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains local government areas. Both regions are unique and hold a special place in the history of this nation. The Hawkesbury region became the food bowl of Sydney, as Governor Lachlan Macquarie established towns and farms to feed the growing colony. The Blue Mountains unlocked the barrier to lands beyond the mountains and by so doing played a key role in opening up the Western Plains as the colony expanded and grew. This year, 2010, we celebrate the bicentenary of Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s term of office and the legacy he left in the Macquarie towns he established, four of which are in the electorate of Macquarie: Windsor, Richmond, Pitt Town and Wilberforce.

In 2013 we celebrate the historic crossing of the Blue Mountains by Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and Charles Wentworth, with re-enactments and events to mark history’s page in the narrative of our nation. Much has changed in the region over the last 200 years, yet the charm, beauty and productivity of our region have remained. Today, Macquarie is home to many new families and families descended from first European settlers, whilst still remaining home for many descendants of Australia’s original inhabitants—the Dharug people and the Gundungurra people, who lived across the region from the Hawkesbury River, across the Blue Mountains and out towards Lithgow and Bathurst.

The unique regional lifestyle is an inviting environment for small business. I recently attended the local Blue Mountains Biznet awards and was impressed by the professionalism, innovation, energy and determination to overcome the challenges that exist across the electorate of distance, resources, access to services and a lack of infrastructure from a citycentric state Labor government. There is a strong sense of stewardship through the many diverse and thriving environmental networks. The families which have lived across the region for generations and those more recent residents are passionate that the lifestyle we enjoy is maintained.

Macquarie also boasts too of many iconic tourism attractions that draw visitors from across the world—the amazing Blue Mountains World Heritage National Park and the mighty Hawkesbury-Nepean River. I am indeed humbled, yet privileged, to be the member for Macquarie. The election campaign drew out a range of issues and challenges people across the region face on a day-to-day basis. As their federal member I will be a strong voice for the people of Macquarie, who question and challenge the change, the backflips and the broken promises of this Labor government. Together with my colleagues I will scrutinise the decisions of this government. The waste resulting from the Building the Education Revolution project is one example. Mistakes and mismanagement of the BER project undertaken at Cattai Public School, East Kurrajong Public School, Faulconbridge and Mount Victoria public schools and at other schools across the nation are completely unacceptable. The waste, damage and personal safety of people in their own homes as a result of the home insulation debacle must never be allowed to fade from the public record. This was a failure of monumental proportions. The money that was wasted could have been spent on other, worthy programs. Many community groups, volunteer organisations, such as the Rural Fire Service and charities, would have put that money to good use. And, of course, there is the mining tax and the impact that will have on the cost of living.

During the lead-up to the election, I announced a range of initiatives that, if a coalition government had been elected, would have made a difference to the people of Macquarie. Those initiatives I wish to highlight now, but can I assure the people of Macquarie that I will continue to fight on their behalf for what will make a real difference to their lifestyle, their futures and their opportunities. One was making the roads safer and supporting more freight to rail. The region needs a plan for the future for adequate road and rail infrastructure. The Leader of the Opposition and I met with local action groups and concerned residents whose message was loud and clear: an integrated rail and road system is essential for keeping our roads safe.

Another initiative was improving local hospitals and health services. As a start, I have a petition ready to be tabled to have the mobile breast screening service returned to Springwood and Richmond. Access to health care is a major challenge for the people of Macquarie and all residents across the region, and I had several initiatives that would have assisted with some of the challenges. I will continue to fight for these initiatives: $1 million to support the expansion of after-hours GP services to relieve some of the delays for treatment at local hospitals.

One example of how the people of Macquarie have been let down by the Labor government is this one. A teenage boy broke his leg in a motorbike accident. His mother took him to a major regional hospital in greater Western Sydney which services the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury. They were told it would be a 10-hour wait. His mother told me that no attempts were made to make the long wait even remotely comfortable. There were not enough chairs for all the patients to sit down in peace while they waited the many hours to be attended to. It was 2½ hours before the first consultation and six hours before there was any relief for her son. Eventually the boy’s mother had to help the doctor plaster her son’s leg. Sadly, stories like this are not a one-off occurrence.

I also pledged $1.2 million for a CT scanner for the Katoomba hospital. People now have to travel long distances out of the region to access specialist services. Wherever possible and practical, we need to be bringing services back to the region. I also announced $200,000 for the Erik Hausoul Sarcoma Foundation. Every year hundreds of teenagers are diagnosed with sarcomas. The survival rate is low due to a lack of awareness about the importance of early detection and a lack of research to find suitable treatments and, more importantly, a cure. The funding would have helped the foundation develop education and awareness programs for parents, students and schools relating to teenage cancers and sarcomas.

If the coalition had been elected, its $1.5 billion plan for better mental health—a plan that is real action that will make a difference—would have gone a long way to improving Australia’s mental health situation. $1.5 billion would have funded 20 early psychosis intervention centres, 800 mental health beds and 60 additional youth headspace sites around the nation.

Another major initiative I announced on behalf of the coalition was funding to improve roads and $250,000 for Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Oberon tourism, as part of the coalition’s $14 million domestic tourism development grants scheme. With the fluctuations in the Australian dollar, that domestic tourism scheme is needed now more than ever.

To address the pressing matter of local crime for communities in both the lower mountains and also in the Hawkesbury, the coalition if elected had committed $450,000 for CCTVs for Hazelbrook, Winmalee and Glenbrook.

During the campaign, I announced $15 million to establish a conservation corridor to protect the Cumberland Plain woodland in greater Western Sydney. This was described by the Vice President of the Western Sydney Conservation Alliance, Mr Wayne Olling, as ‘the greatest conservation commitment of any party’. If the coalition were leading our nation in government today and if we have the opportunity in the future—which I will fight for—we would have a project to link a continuous corridor of significant remnants of bushland and open space to protect greater Western Sydney’s endangered flora and fauna species.

And I made other commitments to further protect and preserve the environment in Macquarie, where bushfires and floods alike threaten precious wildlife as well as communities, businesses and our regional economy—$2 million for Blaxland and Glenbrook solar towns projects; $1 million for solar schools in Blaxland East Public School and Colo High; $500,000 for the University of Western Sydney’s biofuel study to convert algae from the Hawkesbury River to energy, something that would have made a real difference; and $250,000 for green army projects in Knapsack Reserve at Glenbrook and Yarramundi Reserve, two projects that not only would have helped our environment but would have provided training and employment pathways for our younger generation. I have also been active in making representations for funding for flood mitigation in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley and funding for improving water quality in the Hawkesbury Nepean river system.

The preservation of the Richmond RAAF base in its current capacity as a defence facility is another major priority for which I will continue to fight. The RAAF base employs around 3,000 people and is one of the most active bases in the Air Force. Approximately 14 per cent of total gross regional product and over nine per cent of total regional employment come from the base. The RAAF facility’s runway is located on a flood plain. It is not capable of accommodating heavy airliners nor is it an appropriate site for a second Sydney airport. Labor needs to come clean with the Richmond community and tell us once and for all what its intentions are for our historic base.

I am also committed to making representations to local government to ensure the local community’s voice is heard on matters that are important to them, supporting improved public transport services and the relocation of jobs to the region and investing in a sustainable future to protect and preserve our local environment. These are matters that affect the daily lives of people living in the electorate of Macquarie.

I am dedicated to encouraging our young people to reach their fullest potential, to take on responsibility and to become leaders not just for their generation but for future generations. To that end I established a youth leadership program, the Macquarie Youth Leadership Forum, and we have completed the 2010 forum. The forum is dedicated to developing future leaders through practical exposure to core leadership values such as service to others, integrity and courage. It is critical to the future of our region and our nation that the community invests in the next generation of leaders. I particularly want to thank sponsors of the forum—Value Valley Meats, Woolworths Richmond, Bendigo Bank North Richmond, Rachael Goldsworthy Realty, Coles North Richmond, Audio Visual Warehouse, HR King and Sons Hardware and Bendigo Bank Katoomba. I thank them for their commitment to our young people.

If elected to government the coalition had a direct action plan that would have answered many of the concerns raised by the people in Macquarie and indeed across the nation. People are hurting as a result of Labor’s incompetence, financial mismanagement and broken promises. Already Labor has reversed an election promise, demonstrating an utter disregard for the cost-of-living pressures faced by everyday Australians such as the families, pensioners and small business people of the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains.

Just prior to the election the current Prime Minister announced: ‘I rule out a carbon tax.’ Broken promises will become the norm for the Labor-Greens-Independents alliance. Look at the promised citizens assembly of 150 ordinary Australians to debate the carbon tax. Now that a carbon tax is back on the agenda, this assembly’s job will be to decide what the carbon cap should be, a far cry from deciding whether a carbon tax is in the nation’s best interests. A carbon tax is the first product of the secret deal between Labor and the Greens. A carbon tax would mean a short-term extra 25 per cent electricity price hike for pensioners and a likely medium-term doubling of the cost. Families and pensioners in the electorate of Macquarie are already being forced to decide between light and heat or food. A carbon tax will hurt each and every one of us as increased costs are passed on to the consumer. Labor simply cannot be trusted to do the right thing and keep downward pressure on daily living costs. How can the Labor government be trusted to keep its promises on taxes and on the environment? The coalition had a direct action plan that achieved sustainable environmental outcomes without the introduction of a carbon tax. I am determined to continue to work with the community on matters of concern and to work with individuals to achieve the best outcome for their circumstances.

In closing, I want to thank most sincerely all the people who supported me and the people of Macquarie throughout the campaign: my dedicated team—and they know who they are—if I listed everyone today, we would be here for a very long time. I want to thank every one of the loyal and hardworking volunteers and my shadow ministerial colleagues, who visited and offered me support. In particular, I wish to acknowledge Senator Connie Fierravanti-Wells and Senator Marise Payne; their support for and commitment to the greater Western Sydney region is indeed unwavering. I especially want to thank the people of Macquarie for giving me the opportunity and for placing their trust in me to represent them, to give voice to their concerns and to raise in this national parliament what is important to them.

As the member for Macquarie, I will ensure that the people of Macquarie have a strong voice. The individuals, families, small business owners have dreams, aspirations and goals for their lives, for their communities, for the people they employ, for the people they work with for their children and for their grandchildren. They have a commitment to their lifestyle, to their local community and to their neighbours but also to their environment. What is important to them is that they have every opportunity to build a future for themselves, to make choices and to have an environment in which they are confident that the decisions they make will reap a reward. In this current environment, that confidence is not secure.

With Labor in charge, confidence is challenged on a daily basis. The economic environment is questionable. Their future is in doubt. I assure them that, on their behalf, I will fight for their best interests and I will work with them for what is important to them. I assure them that I will do the best I possibly can to represent them and to ensure that in this place what is important to them is heard and responded to.

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