Why your gas bills are going to explode

Lewis Thompson of Kensington recipient of the NSW Government State Representative Award

Ron HoenigMP & Lewish Thompson

I was delighted to attend  a whole school assembly at Waverley College and present rising track and field star, Lewis Thompson of Kensington with the NSW Government State Representative Award for his achievements at the 2013 Australian All Schools Athletics Competition.

I also on behalf of Waverley College presented to Lewis, a Year 8 at student, with an Outstanding Sporting Achievement Award from the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council at a whole school sports assembly.

Lewis Thompson, is a promising talent in the track and field disciplines of hammer throw and discus, has the makings of becoming a future Olympian for Australia. 

I was honoured to have been invited to Waverley College to present these awards to a truly remarkable young man.

At last year’s National Titles in Track and Field, Lewis finished 16th in the Under 13’s Discus and an impressive 3rd in the Under 16’s Hammer Throw events, competing with athletes three years his senior.

Lewis threw the longest distance in hammer throw for a 13 year old in Australia in 2013 at the Championships.

Lewis’s first taste of track and field was at the age of 6 at his local Randwick-Botany Little Athletics Club. 

Eight years later he has proven to be a promising talent that all of NSW can be proud of.

Lewis is a natural sporting talent who has also shown great promise in rugby and has the potential to become a future Wallaby. He is a member of the Under 13’s rugby A-side of Waverley College. 

Lewis will again represent NSW at this year’s Australian All Schools Athletics Championships which will be held this weekend at the Homebush Olympic precinct. I wish Lewis all the success at the meet.

O'Farrell government refuses to protect Sydney and Illawara water supplies from coal seam gas mining

Protecting the water supply to Sydney and the Illawara should be a prime government responsibility you would think. With the jury out on whether coal seam gas can be mined without contaminating the state's aquifers, prime agricultural farmland or public water supplies the O'Farrell liberals are refusing to support an opposition Bill that would permanently ban coal seam gas exploration or mining in the water catchment areas of Sydney and the Illawarra. 

If enacted, the opposition's Bill will cancel existing licences and leases relating to the exploration, assessment and production of coal seam gas in Sydney water catchment special areas. It also will prohibit the grant or renewal of new licences.

The Sydney Water Catchment Management Act and the regulations currently identified 5 special areas, 5 catchments managed and protected by the Sydney Catchment Authority—Warragamba, Woronora, Upper Nepean, Blue Mountains and the Shoalhaven. Taken together these catchments cover less than 2 per cent of NSW but supply clean drinking water to around 5 million people—60 per cent of the State's population. So precious are these water catchment special areas that, penalties of tens of thousands of dollars apply for doing things like, camping, lighting a fire, swimming or fishing in the water in any of these special areas. 

What a joke, you can't light a fire for a billy but you can mine coal seam gas.

Why, you might ask is the O'Farrell government so implacably opposed to protecting our water supplies? Is all his promises like the Wallarah 2 coal mine a promise that it will never happen; "no ifs, no buts"?

The real question is what is Mr O'Farrell's real agenda?

The video of my contribution to the parliamentary debate on the Bill is here: http://youtu.be/7XqQpS1be5g

Jewish House launches Project 2500 at Parliament

The Hon. Sophie Cotsis MLC, Ron Hoenig MP, Rabbi Mendel Kastel 

Jewish House, a not for profit organisation headed by Rabbi Mendel Kastel that provides crisis accommodation for homeless members of the community, has launched a novel and impressive program called "Project 2500" designed to help 2500 homeless over a 3 year period in Sydney's Inner City and Eastern Suburbs.

The Jewish House proposal was launched today at Parliament by its local member Gabrielle Upton MP. The launch was attended by Shadow Housing Minister, Sophie Cotsis MLC and a number of other of my parliamentary colleagues. The proposal is very unique. Through the engaging of PricewaterhouseCoopers a project plan was developed to demonstrate that an investment in $6.2 million would result in a potential savings to the state of NSW up to an estimated $243.2 million (minimum of $74.2 million) as a result in cost reductions in health, justice, welfare and eviction.

Did you know there were 105,000 people homeless on any given night? A 23% increase since 2006.

What makes this project so unique is that Jewish House is not just asking for money for the homeless. It has demonstrated even to the economic rationalists, that have infected every avenue of government activity in the modern political era, the immediate and tangible financial cost benefit to the government.

Congratulations Rabbi Kastel and the board of Jewish House you are an inspiration to us all.

Welcome to new Australian citizens at Randwick City Council

It was a delight to recently join Randwick Mayor Scott Nash in welcoming our "New Aussies" at Randwick City Council's Citizenship Ceremony.

Randwick Town Hall was filled with excitement as our "New Aussies", guests, family and friends waited to take the "Pledge of Allegiance" which is the final step to becoming an Australian Citizen.

As Mayor of Botany Bay I presided over many many citizenship ceremonies. It was a duty that always filled me with pride. As I addressed our Nation's newest citizens, I reminded everyone that Australia was a land built by migrants and their children. Australia is a land that has always welcomed new citizens, best described in the second verse of our National Anthem; "For those who come across the seas, we've boundless plains to share".

 

Congratulations to all our new citizens.

Shadow Ministers visit Jewish House

Joseph Zamit, Ron Hoenig MP, Walt Secord MLC, Rabbit Mendel Kastel & Sophie Costsis MLC

I was delighted to be accompanied on a visit to Jewish House by The Hon. Walt Secord MLC, Shadow Minister for Roads and The Hon. Sophie Cotsis MLC, Shadow Minister for Housing to inspect their facilities used to provide assistance for the homeless in the Eastern Suburbs.

Jewish House is a not for profit organisation headed by Rabbi Kastel providing assistance to all members of the community who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

Jewish House provides a refuge for individuals and families who have no other option than to sleep out on the street.

Jewish House provides accommodation for up to 12 men, women and children at a time for up to two weeks and offer case management services to help locate more permanent accommodation and other support services that may be appropriate.

They provide kennels to accommodate homeless people with pets, who would otherwise choose to sleep on the streets instead of leaving their four legged friends behind.

Their approach to tackling homelessness extends to services such as financial counselling assistance that help prevent the vulnerable from becoming homeless.

It is a holistic approach which also includes programmes such as psychological counselling and other mental health services to ensure clients do not fall into an insidious cycle of falling into homelessness and becoming reliant on community support.

Shadow Housing Minister, Sophie Cotsis said Rabbi Kastel and Jewish House have some bold proposals for tackling homelessness.

“In 11 March 2014, Jewish House will release their Project 2500 report; backed by consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, it proposes a systemic and responsive approach to homelessness by incorporating programmes from overseas in particular initiatives developed for the City of New York, where the law requires the City provide a bed for every homeless person.

“What is important about the initiatives in the Project 2500 report is that it is devised with today’s fiscal constraints in mind.

“Funding of services that address homelessness have reached boiling point. The Government no longer wants to inject much needed funds to community programmes assisting the homeless and current services cannot cope with the demand.

“According to the ABS homelessness in NSW is up 26% from 2006 figures. A fresh approach is needed to stem the tide.

“Jewish House and the Project 2500 report will provide some much needed vision in addressing homelessness in NSW.

“I look forward to working with Rabbi Kastel and Jewish House now and in the future, Ms Cotsis said.

Public will not cop Barry O'Farrell's breach of trust Nielsen Poll shows

Chris Holstein MP, Darren Webber MP, Barry O'Farrell MP, Chris Spence MP (2nd from right), Chris Harcher MP (right)  Liberal candidates before 2011 election.

The public collectively never gets it wrong. The Nielsen Poll published by Fairfax Media yesterday shows a 14% swing against the O’Farrell government with the 2 party preferred poll showing the Liberal/Nationals on 49% and the ALP on 51%.

Before anyone gets carried away with one poll it is worth considering why has the O’Farrell government lost public so spectacularly?

An article by Sean Nicholls in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday sums it up. http://www.smh.com.au/comment/barry-ofarrells-government-faces-testing-times-20140228-33qz7.html

Mr. Nicholls identifies a major reason. It is trust. The public will not cop dishonesty. They will not tolerate politicians trying to manipulate them by not being truthful and straightforward. The proposed Wallarah 2 coal mine is a case in point.

In 2009, Mr O’Farrell as Leader of the Opposition attended a community protest at the proposed coal mine on the Central Coast with two Shadow Ministers. Whilst addressing the residents at the meeting he said:

“The next Liberal National Government will ensure that mining cannot occur here – will ensure mining cannot occur in any water catchment area and will ensure mining leases and mining exploration permits reflect that common sense. No ifs, no buts, a guarantee.”

The video of that assurance can be seen here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cZ5Y-P1Z3A.

Now it transpires that since Mr. O’Farrell’s government has been in office, his Ministers, officials and he himself have met with the proponents and a chief Liberal Party fundraiser. This is in breach of his own Ministerial Code; and the proposal is now recommended for approval.

Mr. O’Farrell is trying to distance himself from that recommendation for approval by saying the coal mine is to be determined at arms length by an Independent Planning and Assessment Commission.

The problem with that excuse is that the Planning and Assessment Commission is not seen to be independent. It comprises of government appointed people, it is a government body, and has recently been exposed for approving 94% of all applications submitted to it.

It is within the power and authority of the O’Farrell government to adhere to his explicit guarantee and not permit the coalmine to proceed. To try and manipulate his words to say otherwise is dishonest.

I am not in a position to determine the merits of the Wallarah 2 coal mine.  I cannot give the residents of the Central Coast, nor can I give the proponent any comfort in respect of the application. What I can say is that Mr. O’Farrell’s personal unequivocal guarantee given in 2009 has been discarded.

In my view the public will understand if circumstances change, a politician might have to change his or her position. It is the elected government’s responsibility to govern and make decisions in the interests of the community, pursing positions consistent with its principles and consistent with its undertakings. When government’s breach those undertakings, and don’t explain why, then the public will rightly reject them at the earliest opportunity. Yesterdays poll is a judgment by the public that they do not trust the word of Barry O’Farrell.