Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This Saturday the people of the New South Wales North Coast will have an opportunity to vote for real change in our area. They will have an opportunity to get rid of the wreckers that are the National Party. The fact is the National Party have failed the people of the North Coast, with their very harsh cuts, their cruel new taxes and their plans to expand harmful coal seam gas mining in our area. Locals should put the National Party last to send them a strong message. They should also send the National Party a strong message that we reject their plans to sell off the electricity network. We totally reject that. Locals know that selling off the network means that their electricity bills will just go up and up and up. That is why they just do not trust the National Party.

In contrast to all this, New South Wales Labor will invest in our hospitals, our schools and our roads on the North Coast—all areas that have been neglected by the National Party. New South Wales Labor stands with the community in opposing the sale of our electricity network. It will be kept in public hands. Very importantly, New South Wales Labor will ban all coal seam gas mining and all unconventional mining right across the North Coast. This reflects the community's view. We have listened to the community and we stand with them in opposing harmful coal seam gas mining. Our plan is to ban it all across the North Coast.

So I say to the people of the North Coast: on Saturday, make your vote count. Vote Labor for more investment in important services and vote Labor for a gas field free North Coast.