Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am a little breathless—I was in my office listening to Senator Dastyari and I was so caught up in the passion of his concern about the winding back of the FoFA laws that I forgot it was my turn to speak next, and I have had to run to the chamber to make my contribution. I second everything that Senator Dastyari said. In a former role I was the chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, which undertook the work of establishing the legislation that is FoFA. Having met with the victims of Timbercorp in the last week, I think everything Senator Dastyari said is entirely reasonable. We are at a point in time, a significant marker in history, where if the government gets its way we will see the unwinding of protections that are vital for ordinary Australians who have a right to believe that when they go to seek financial advice they will receive it in their best interests, not in the best interests of the person who is providing the advice.

In contrast to many of the concerned speeches about things of great portent for the country, I would like to put on the record a couple of celebratory things that have been happening around the country as well. It is not all bad news. On the weekend of 3 and 4 May I had the opportunity to meet the community of Dangar Island, who celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Hawkesbury River railway crossing. This was a tremendous event. On the Sunday I was honoured to visit the island with Her Excellency the New South Wales Governor, Marie Bashir, in what will have been one of her final events in New South Wales as she goes to a well-earned retirement. It was a wonderful pleasure to be with her, and she was made very welcome by the island's over 300 visitors on that day who took part in a beautiful afternoon of activities. We were treated to a ferry boat ride from the Brooklyn public wharf to the island on the historic Banksia ferry. This was followed by a tour of the exhibitions of art and photography by local artists, as well as historical photographs, maps and memorabilia. Afterwards there was an address by the Governor, colonial music in the park, storytelling and an amazing cake in the shape of the Hawkesbury River railway bridge to celebrate the occasion.

As you cross the current Hawkesbury River bridge you can still see the stanchions of the old bridge, which played a major role by providing a railway crossing. The island was leased to the New York-based Union Bridge Company as a prefabrication site for the bridge. It was the first time that these engineers had attempted a project outside the United States, and Dangar Island was established as a community for the workers and their families. The bridge was considered to be a major technical achievement when it was first completed, and it was the first bridge of its kind in Australia. The piers were 49 metres deep, and they were the deepest bridge footings in the world at the time. That happened right here, on the Hawkesbury River. It was an amazing engineering feat, and it is important that past projects like this inspire us at a time when a visionary project like the NBN is being decried and diminished. Building the things that make a nation takes vision, commitment and a sense of the future that is grander than the small-minded narrative that we see at this time.

The crossing affected the unity of the entire east coast, by connecting the railway systems of the eastern railway lines from Queensland through to South Australia, and it was critical in the sense of being a symbolic formulation of what might be possible with the federation which was to follow shortly. This connection was a vital step towards the united Australia which was the vision of Sir Henry Parkes, who described the crossing as a powerful symbol of Federation. The speech Henry gave to open the bridge is considered to be the first of his Federation speeches. Parkes said:

We have here a representative of the great Government to our south and of the great Government to our north, and why should not this occasion be an emblem of our future relations?

This united eastern railway line was also very important during the Second World War, and the Hawkesbury River railway crossing was vital in creating an allied defence of the east coast. The new railway bridge brought many improvements to the district as it was instrumental in improving passenger transportation and trade, as well as access to emergency medical care. Previously the majority of transport for this area was undertaken by steamer or ferry, which took an awful lot longer.

Today Dangar Island, a charming island, is accessible only by water and has around 250 permanent residents and a vibrant community of local artists, writers and musicians. Among the people of Dangar Island there is a strong tradition of volunteering and self-reliance and a great sense of community involvement, with children playing on streets that are never traversed by a single vehicle. It is a wonderful experience to go to visit Dangar Island, and I highly recommend it to Australians fascinated with times past. With that sense of community, it can be a great place to go and seek some relaxation.

The 125th anniversary of the Hawkesbury River railway crossing also marks the progress that has taken place for the island and its community over the last 125 years. Exhibitions of photographs, maps and memorabilia demonstrate the changes that took place in the island's rich history, from being a key construction site between 1896 and 1899 to becoming a destination for family vacations and, today, a lively and diverse residential suburb—albeit a suburb accessible only by water.

It was wonderful to see that the event was really embraced by the local community, with many of the islanders taking part in the careful preparation of exhibitions and the running of events on the day. I pay tribute to the Dangar Island Historical Society, who worked tirelessly to pull the anniversary celebrations together, preparing exhibition materials and giving guided tours on the day. My particular thanks go to Dangar Island historians and researchers Rosemary Curtis and Ross Higgins, who played main roles in the preparations for this wonderful event. I would also like to thank Peter Wolfe, the President of the Dangar Island Historical Society, and David Reynolds, a local historian, who gave us the pleasure of his very interesting and particularly well-informed commentary as he showed us around. It was a delight to see him pointing out features of the island, including a sandstone-built turret, and the connections with history from people who had come to the island and yearned for a bit of the old country and tried to recreate a little bit of that.

It was indeed a wonderful day and an absolute privilege to see the Dangar Island community actively coming together in preserving, celebrating and sharing its history. It is clear that this community is looking to the future in order to see growth and change, but it is also clear that this community knows the importance of maintaining the character, environment and uniqueness that was built upon the establishment of the Hawkesbury River railway crossing. It was an honour to be able to take part in this wonderful event, and I had a great time learning about and celebrating such an important part of local history right on the edge of the Central Coast, where it meets with the seat of Hornsby.

I would also like to acknowledge the commitment of Superintendent Commander Daniel Sullivan of the Brisbane Water area, and his commitment to the community's shared goal of achieving a safe and secure community. I am very pleased to report that Superintendent Commander Sullivan, as well as the entire Brisbane Water Local Area Command, has seen a significant reduction in crime rates due to their many initiatives to discourage criminal and antisocial behaviour. The Recorded Crime Statistics annual report released by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has shown a significant crime reduction on the Central Coast. Breaking and entering and theft from residences has gone down by nearly 30 per cent, as has motor vehicle theft, and malicious damage has gone down by nearly 15 per cent.

Brisbane Water Local Area Command has also initiated a number of operations to prevent people from becoming victims of crime. Operation Home Safe and Operation Latitude aim to promote defensive security measures in the home and in the local businesses. Operation 550 is aimed at reducing alcohol-fuelled violence, and there are many other operations targeted at those intent on committing crime in the community. Operation Saber has achieved particular success in the period that it was conducted. Aimed at reducing alcohol and drug related crime, it sent a strong message to the community.

I am also mindful of the 2012 visit of Minister Brendan O'Connor, who provided a significant investment of funding to improve security, particularly for older people in the peninsular areas of Umina, Ettalong and Woy Woy. I certainly want to take this moment to commend the Brisbane Water Local Area Command on their community engagement program, which has led to police involvement in 56 community events. This is a critical change that Superintendent Sullivan is driving. Ensuring a place for police in the community is a key way of ensuring that we have confidence in our local police, who are indeed doing a fine job.