Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the appropriation bills, and I would specifically like to draw attention to the spending commitments made by the government in the course of the recent federal election campaign. Just before I do that, I also take this opportunity to once again thank the people of the federal electorate of Perth for putting their confidence in me in the July 2016 election to be their newly-elected representative.

The spending commitments made by the government in the course of the federal campaign that was held over the long, cold, dark and stormy months of June and July 2016 number eight in total. They total just over $1.3 million and, broadly speaking, can be divided into three categories. The first category of spending commitments can be conveniently described as investment within local community groups. I will shortly expand on exactly what the subcategories of the local community group investment comprised. The second category of spending commitments is more broadly described as safety and security commitments; namely, commitments to install CCTV equipment around various parts of our local community in the federal seat of Perth. The third category of commitments is those that I might more broadly describe as 'sugar cloud' commitments—that is, those where there was some sentiment and expression of interest made, but no firm solution and certainly no firm financial commitment that went towards properly addressing a significant issue that affects the very heart of the federal seat of Perth. This is within the local community at Bayswater, which is something I have previously spoken to in this place.

In relation to the first category—that is, the local community category of the federal election commitments—the first commitment made by my opponent during that time was for $750,000 to the Bayswater Tennis Club. The Bayswater Tennis Club is a local community of active tennis players. The club has been active in the area for many years—decades, in fact. As a matter of fact, I personally have very fond memories of the Bayswater Tennis Club, which provided me with one of my first sources of income as I was putting myself through university. This was in the context of coaching juniors in tennis at the Bayswater Tennis Club. Whilst it is certainly an important aspect of community investment and engagement, it is one which I am particularly keen to hold the government to account in the context of its election commitment.

The next election commitment that we saw rolled out in the course of the campaign was one which is in very close physical proximity to the Bayswater Tennis Club—and it certainly does not leave anyone guessing as to where perhaps the battleground of the federal election campaign was fought—and that related to a commitment of $100,000 to the Bayswater City Soccer Club. There is no doubt that the Bayswater City Soccer Club is certainly a nerve centre of community engagement, and investment made to improving those facilities is something that is to be encouraged. But what is more important is that the government delivers on its promise for the Bayswater City Soccer Club and ensure that those funds are directed to the club so that it can undertake much needed works to improve the grounds and the viewing venue. That is again very much only the start of the story and does not necessarily scratch the surface in terms of the long-term infrastructure planning that is required to ensure that this vital sporting hub truly unleashes its potential in engaging and drawing in a community of children and parents who are constantly looking for the community and family engagement that the Bayswater City Soccer Club has been doing such a good job of providing over the years. It has the potential to provide an even richer part of the fabric and tapestry of the Bayswater community so it is essential that the government honours its commitment of that $100,000.

The third commitment is for $20,000 to the Bayswater street roller hockey club, a fantastic up-and-coming part of our local community. Again, it is a stone's throw from the previous two community groups that I just mentioned. Not only does it provide a different type of community activity—that is, roller hockey—but I can tell you by personal experience the members do a fantastic hamburger on Friday nights. It is a terrific environment where mums, dads and kids are drawn together, where kids can go and play, the mums and dads can actually each other's company and the company of their friends and extended family members all the time knowing that their homes are only just around the corner. The $20,000 is essential to make sure that we strike the balance between community engagement and ensuring that the neighbours, who have an added level of activity around their place now that they otherwise did not have, are not unnecessarily burdened by the noise effects that come from this fantastic new and burgeoning sport, which in my view is to be encouraged.

In addition to the commitments that really are four corners of a suburban block in the heart of Bayswater, there are two investments that are essential the government is held to account for in delivering. One is a $4,000 renovation to the cenotaph in Mount Lawley, an important but modest community investment. And the other, which is also very close to home, is a $50,000 beautification upgrade to Beaufort Street in Inglewood. That has probably become more important more now than ever having regards to the fact that my electorate office, which is on Beaufort Street in Inglewood, now has adorned a six-foot image of my head on about three of the different windows, so much so that it almost caused me to have a traffic accident driving down Beaufort Street. It is very important that there are beautification measures to ensure that it does not catch any other unsuspecting constituents by surprise. It is certainly essential to make sure there is sufficient beautification that goes into Beaufort Street, hopefully, to avert that potential disaster. They are the community upgrades I have explained and which I am keen to ensure that the government remains committed to delivering in my local community.

Safety and security commitments can be grouped into three categories. The first category is a $100,000 commitment for CCTV cameras to the northern end of my electorate, in Bassendean for the Jubilee Reserve and Mary Crescent Reserve CCTV security cameras.

Just parking that for one minute, I think it is important to note that CCTV certainly has a place, and I do not think anyone in this chamber would dispute that. But it is appropriate at this point to pay special significance and acknowledgement to the active local residents who did not just rely upon opportunities for funding commitments in the course of the federal campaign in order to ensure that their local communities were made safe.

The problem with the Jubilee Park area is that it has long been realised that there is a significant drug problem both in relation to a number of homes being used as points upon which drugs are allegedly sold; but even more distressing and potentially harmful to our juniors is that local parts of the Jubilee Park were being used for drug use. So much so, that when I went up there to meet with residents to discuss their concerns, it did not take long—a matter of minutes—before I and Dave Kelly, the state member for Bassendean, found dozens and dozens of used syringes carelessly discarded just in the nearby bushes. This was potentially a terrible accident waiting to happen for any young kids who might be in the area, which includes a junior cricket club.

So, again, it is appropriate to acknowledge the local members of the community who formed what was called, in a very vibrant acronym, JAG—the Jubilee Action Group—which was designed to try and actually do something about this rampant drug use. In particular, Carol Tharme, Justin Murray, Jack Taylor and Neera Mukherjee should be acknowledged for the important community activism that they displayed, which I am pleased to say has now resulted in a significant reduction of both drug use and community nuisance in the area.

The other two CCTV commitments that it is essential the government be held to account on relate to $98,000 for CCTV security vision in and around the Perth CBD and $150,000 for CCTV footage in and around the Noranda shopping and sporting centre.

But in the time that I have left I would like to bring to the attention of the chamber something that I describe as the 'sugar cloud' commitment made by the government in the course of the recent federal election campaign—the commitment that relates to the Bayswater train station.

In the course of the campaign it was very, very clear that, again, a beating, vital heart of the electorate—that is, the town of Bayswater and the precinct of Bayswater—is currently faced with a situation where the train line runs straight through the town centre, resulting in an underpass or a subway which is frequently blocked by traffic. As a matter of fact, I recall seeing a photograph of the former member for Cowan's campaign truck wedged under the subway, which was unfortunate for two reasons: firstly, the damage done to the truck, of course; but, secondly, it was so far out of its patch. But we will leave that for another day. What it has created is a divided town. It is very clear that we have a once-in-a-lifetime infrastructure opportunity here.

To put it in context: the airport to Forestville rail line is going to be sunk, by way of a tunnelling exercise, to ensure the most efficient way to deliver passengers from the airport through to Forestville, and the capital expenditure for this has already been approved and paid for. What we have, in the context of that significant capital investment and infrastructure spend, is an opportunity to simply use what is already there to continue the tunnelling process. This would see us sink the rail line that currently runs through the top of the town of Bayswater and give us a chance of creating a seamless transition and unlocking the potential of a town centre with a high street that was once glorious and once prominent but is now struggling.

This could then see us explore really interesting infrastructure opportunities, like value capture, and the extent to which we could get value for our infrastructure spend over the ground where the train now runs that could potentially run through an underground station. It is very clear that we have a moment in time to address this. My opponent and the government at the time made lots of sympathetic noises—some ums, some ahs, some moans, some scratching of the head—but ultimately did nothing. Compare that with the commitment made by the Labor Party in the course of that campaign, which was to actually seize the moment and do something about it. So much so, that they called for and actually put their money where their mouth is.

The Labor Party, in the course of my campaign, announced a $1 million spend on making sure the appropriate structural plan was created which saw us (a) ascertain a true assessment of how much it was going to cost to seize this opportunity, (b) work out to what extent we could get traffic flows around the area going again and (c) work out how we could revitalise that town centre, which is only a few kilometres from the CBD, to make sure it becomes a place where mums and dads and kids and small business can all thrive and live together, creating a unique oasis in a once-proud town that people actually want to come to. We want to create the infill on a transport line and ensure that, as our cities grow and expand, we are making the most use of that land and unlocking the potential of land and towns that are close to the city. Compare and contrast the two parties in the context of their true commitment to infrastructure. The Labor Party are committing to a $1 million spend to make sure that we get this right, and the coalition are doing absolutely nothing in relation to that other than making sympathetic noises but going nowhere.

I conclude by making it very clear to my constituents that I will continue to hold the government to account every hour of every day until the eight commitments that I have just outlined are delivered to the community. I will not rest until we do so and I will not rest until such time as we make sure we are properly fulfilling our potential and giving our community what they deserve and not just meaningless promises.

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