Barry O’Farrell and his front bench faced more than 200 community members at Newcastle Town Hall in the first regional community cabinet meeting. Indecision on the future of the Newcastle train line dominated early questions from the floor; the Premier reiterating his stance that locals will ultimately make the decision on its future. Mr O’Farrell did, however, fulfill a key election promise, announcing the establishment of the Hunter Infrastructure Fund. The $350-million fund will be chaired by Maitland Mayor Peter Blackmore.
Other issues brought to the attention of cabinet include: plans for a mosque at Elermore Vale, Doyle’s Creek mine, road closures at Stanford Merthyr, coal seam gas concerns at Gloucester, and demountable classrooms at The Junction Public School.
Full story in NBN News tomorrow night.
Its a shame that Barry O’Farrell and his ministers chose not to talk to the public sector workers outside who were demonstrating against his Industrial relations changes that will have significant impact on the community and the economy in the Hunter Region.
To think my boss was across the road, and he couldnt be bothered to come over and say hello to the several hundred public servants whose legislation his party introduced.
Shame Barry Shame. If you believe what you did was for the betterment of NSW you would have the guts to front the people your laws will affect, instead of hiding inside Parliament House or Newcastle City Council building.
It’s not a Community Cabinet Meeting when community members are denied access because they may ask some difficult questions of the Cabinet. I attended a peacefully rally outside the Town Hall last night and had asked to be admitted to the forum afterwards. My request was denied and I can only assume that it was because of my status as a public servant and union member. I thought I was a member of this great Newcastle community. Apparently Mr O’Farrell and his jolly band of elves think differently.
He is a politician after all, why should he lower himself and deal with the people who put him in power.
The attack on the independence of the NSW Industrial Commission is an unprecedented abrogation of the right of working people to a fair and unbiased hearing. Public servants who were ignored by the Premier and Cabinet and excluded from the Community Cabinet meeting last night (in a half-empty hall), have a right to be very angry that this government is prepared to strip their wages and conditions in an ideological war on the Public Service. As one nurse said to me, “How can we cut costs in the hospitals? If Barry needs a bypass he may have to make do with a bandaid.” Shame indeed, Mr O’Farrell.
Having a community cabinet meeting and setting up an infrastructure fund is the easy part. The Government will still have to deliver on the expectations they created, as well as the promises they made. Unfortunately the predictable announcement of a black budget hole and the insinuation that public servants are responsible for bankrupting the state do not augur well. These are tried and true politician’s tricks, it looks ‘same old, same old’.