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

Over the recess, I had the opportunity to be out and about in the community. Specifically, I was in Glenwood and Stanhope Gardens only recently. It's rare that you get constituents coming up to you with a single local issue that is of such concern to them that they literally line up to tell you their views and to agree with the person beforehand. That is exactly what has been happening in Glenwood and Stanhope Gardens when it comes to the New South Wales planning department's rezoning proposal. Constituents are clearly very sincerely impacted and concerned about the issue.

I obviously know Glenwood very well. The streets around Glenwood and the entry and egress for the suburb mean that residents are stuck in traffic jams even as they leave their own driveways. This is an issue that is occupying forums such as the Glenwood Community Group. It's one that has been raised consistently with my office and, I know, with the office of Warren Kirby, my state counterpart and the member for Riverstone.

I think it's important that we be very clear. Addressing the critical housing shortage is a responsibility of all levels of government. As someone who came from local government, I can tell this chamber that north-west Sydney has been doing and continues to do the heavy lifting when it comes to housing supply in Sydney.

In New South Wales, we know that there is a desire to increase housing supply in areas that already have schools, roads and hospitals in place. That is an important priority of the New South Wales state Labor government. But through its proposed rezoning policy, known as the TOD—the Transport Oriented Development Program under the state environmental planning policies—the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure wants to rezone Stanhope Gardens and Glenwood for high-rise and midrise apartments. The reality is that the north-west Sydney growth corridor cannot cope with unsupported urban sprawl. For over a decade, the former Liberal state government presided over an explosion of housing in my electorate without the urban planning and the critical infrastructure needed for growth.

This will have a negative impact on the lives of existing and future residents. I have had residents writing to me concerned about the lack of school places and saying that the rezoning will be a disaster if no appropriate road infrastructure is put in place. The department has now agreed to an extension of the consultation period. I've launched a petition calling for Stanhope Gardens and Glenwood to be removed from the proposal. I encourage all constituents to sign this and to know that I'll continue advocating on their behalf on this important issue.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.