Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

by his political party! The minister for planning wrote to a constituent and claimed that the government had consulted with the people of Horsley Park and had informed them, and he said: 'The draft Western Sydney Aerotropolis Planning Package was publicly exhibited,' and that it: 'was promoted through numerous mediums to reach as many as possible. This included advertisements in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph and on Facebook.' Now, one thing they didn't do was to write to the people of Horsley Park and Cecil Park to inform them of these proposed changes and get their views. All the money they spent on advertising they could have spent on postage stamps and written to the people of Horsley Park and Cecil Park. I know that because I've done it, twice—I've written to the people of Horsley Park and Cecil Park to make sure they're aware of these pernicious changes, these arrogant changes, by the Liberal Party. So it can be done. But the Liberal government refused or couldn't be bothered to do it.

This Saturday there will be a community meeting hosted by Fairfield council to hear the views of residents. I will be there, expressing my views and expressing my solidarity with the people of Horsley Park and Cecil Park. The state member for Mulgoa has been invited. The minister for planning has been invited. I would hope that they would come and face the people of Horsley Park and tell them, face-to-face, why their rights are unimportant—tell them while their rights are being stripped away; tell them why their rights as landholders in Western Sydney mean nothing to the Berejiklian Liberal government. Have the guts to turn up face them. Face the people of Horsley Park. Face the people of Cecil Park. Tell them why their rights mean nothing. Tell them why their rights are being stripped away with no consultation. Be honest with the people of Horsley Park and Cecil Park. If those members don't have the guts, the moral fortitude, to turn up and face their residents—the member for Mulgoa's constituents, who look to her to represent them in parliament—they should hang their heads in shame.

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