Mascot Central - a shining example on how to increase residential density adjacent to railway stations

I recently opened Meriton’s landmark development called Mascot Central. Mascot Central - Apartments & Shopping Mall nearing completion adjoins Mascot Train Station. Higher densities adjacent to railway stations that provide for quality residential amenity for families is one way to address the chronic housing shortage. The speech I gave at the opening is here: https://youtu.be/f6maVOdtosw

Mascot RSL ANZAC Memorial March Sunday

It was a lovely morning today at sunny Mascot Station with cheery locals stopping by to say hello.

I took the opportunity to remind evryone that this Sunday, 17 April, of the Mascot RSL Sub-branch will hold its ‪#‎ANZAC‬ Memorial March and Service. The march leaves Baxter Rd at 2:15 pm and finishes at Memorial Park, on the corner of Botany Road and Coward Street for the wreath laying service. I would delighted if residents could join me. It is quite a sight to see Botany Road closed to traffice for the march. If you can't make the march join me at Mascot Memorial Park. 

Rosebery could soon have three bottleshops within 600 metres of each other

Rosebery could soon have three bottleshops within 600 metres of each other, including a Dan Murphy's. 

I have written to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to voice my concerns regarding the proposed application to relocate a packaged liquor licence to Botany Road, Rosebery, trading as a Dan Murphy's liquor outlet. In my letter I warned the Authority of the adverse implications to local amenity of having three bottleshops so close to one another. Particularly the potential proliferation of alcohol related anti social behaviour on residential streets and the popular Turruwul Park. 

You can read my submission on this link: http://tinyurl.com/LetterToILGA

Ron Hoenig Heffron Gazette

Heffron residents should have received my April 2016 Newsletter entitled Ron Hoenig Heffron Gazette. The Newsletter is available for download at http://tinyurl.com/Newsletter0416

The Battle of Waterloo - 3000 public housing tenants to be kicked out of their homes.

Channel 9's 'A Current Affair' has exposed plans by the NSW Liberal Government in kicking out 3000 of my Waterloo public housing constituents as the shameful sham that it is.

Ask yourself this question? Why do you need a 'Metro Station' in Waterloo near Botany Road to transport people into the City or Sydenham when they live 10 minutes walk from Redfern Station, 10 minutes walk from Green Square Station, and 2 minutes walk to Botany Road to catch a bus?

Please tell me why an incompetent government has now the buses into the city running along side the train lines into the city? Please tell me why you now plan to also run a 'Metro' line into the city? 3 forms of public transport all parallel to each other.

Please tell me if you are going to spend money on an underground 'Metro' at that location and why would you not run a line through Danks Street and Crystal Street, Waterloo and continue on to Zetland, Victoria Park and Rosebery which is the largest urban renewal in Australia's history with 70,000 extra people to be accommodated and where no adequate public transport exists?

The answer is simply because this is just a smoke screen to hand over public housing land to developers for profit. There will be 30% of this wonderful mixed development set aside for "social  housing" in 20 years time and the residents will come back. Most are in their 70's and it is their home.

My view this is really is a disgraceful smoke screen to mask the Liberals true intention. Mike Baird comes across as a nice guy, and he is. But that nice guy image masks the true philosophy of this conservative profit driven merchant banker.

Have a look at the attitude in the 'Current Affair' story of the Minister for Social Housing, Brad Hazzard and ask yourself whether my constituents would be better off trusting this government. 

https://youtu.be/o5cRrjMcdu4

Forced Council mergers are a breach of faith - what about their poor behaviour in parliament

I spoke out in parliament against the dishonest and shoddy process of forced Council mergers being undertaken by the NSW Liberal Government.

This process is a breach of faith with the people of NSW and a betrayal of everyone who believed the Liberal Party and National Party who promised in writing there would be no forced amalgamations. No wonder people are disillusioned with politicians like Mike Baird who is just like Tony Abbott. Written promises by the Liberals mean nothing.

Just have a look in parliament at the behaviour of the Liberal/National government members in the House. Their behaviour says it all.

https://youtu.be/9bfl6hW8UxY

Government cuts to the public service have left it a shell of its former self

More cuts to the NSW public service by the Liberals in NSW. For 30 years I have witnessed the long term degradation of the public service through endless cuts robbing the public service of their talent and expertise to such an extent that can't replace a toilet roll without a consultants report and outsourcing the responsibility to the private sector.

It might be a tongue in cheek remark, but the structural decay of the public service, owing largely to successive and deep cuts and 'efficiencies' in the bureaucracy, has meant that the expertise and knowledge that Government's rely on to execute their agenda has been slowly whittled away, to the point that departments are forced to outsource to consultants and private contractors because they simply lack the knowledge and manpower to do their jobs.

Projects like WestConnex, the Light Rail and the Metro should be part of a long-term carefully developed plan for the future of NSW, not the result of outsourcing to the private sector. This loss of expertise in the public service has meant that the private sector are deciding the projects they want to build and where they want to build them which depend upon profit, not good public policy

The public service, often maligned by portions of the media and public figures, are essential to the ongoing operation and stability of the government of the State. They are the Government's expertise and we can't afford to keeping cutting the State's experts from our departments. I made some observations in parliament in relation to this just last week. See what you think. 
https://youtu.be/DpDpSQZisME