Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is a truly momentous day, with the swearing in of Chris Minns as the new Premier of New South Wales. As we know, over the weekend the good people of New South Wales voted for a fresh start, with Premier Chris Minns and with his excellent Deputy Premier, Prue Car. It's only the third time since the Second World War that Labor has obtained government from opposition in New South Wales. The two previous occasions were, of course, under the great Neville Wran and the great Bob Carr, who became premiers. In my electorate of Greenway, the north-west Sydney seat of Riverstone turned red, and I thank the good people of Riverstone who decided to overwhelmingly endorse Warren Kirby as the new member for Riverstone. They made their vote count and elected a local resident, small-business owner and strong community advocate in Warren Kirby. I know he will not let the good people of Riverstone down, and I look forward to working in a most collaborative way with the new member for Riverstone to deliver for the people of that area.

However, I want to make clear that this victory wasn't just political. It was personal for the residents, small businesses and community groups in our area because for 12 long years the New South Wales Liberal government did not listen to north-west Sydney. The suburb of Riverstone alone is forecast to grow by over 300 per cent by 2040, which is not far away, and the north-west growth area is expected to grow to around 90,000 households, with a quarter of a million people when fully developed. When you have that scale of growth, you've got some basic expectations that are not unreasonable. When you move into an area, you expect to have working roads, you expect to have a certain adequate level of service when it comes to hospitals and health care, and you expect to have schools that can meet demand and that aren't relying on demountables to accommodate local students.

The New South Wales Liberals did not deliver in this area. When the people of Riverstone asked for a fully equipped hospital in Rouse Hill, the New South Wales Liberals didn't deliver. They asked the government to give our essential workers on the front line more than thanks, and the New South Wales Liberals didn't deliver. But the people of Riverstone made their voices heard, and I want to assure Riverstone that a Chris Minns Labor government is committed to delivering on the services and infrastructure that people rightly expect, especially in the outer-metro growth areas of our cities. I look forward to seeing what positive changes a fresh start will bring in New South Wales and, in particular, for improvements in the quality of life in north-west Sydney with Warren Kirby MP.