Speech at Harrington Park Community Centre, Harrington Park

Thank you Andrew for your introduction.

As I’ve said throughout this campaign, .. unlike Morris Iemma, I’m proud of my team and I’m proud of my Party.

I am particularly pleased to lead a Coalition team in partnership with Andrew Stoner and the Nationals.

Andrew Stoner is a thoroughly decent man. And the Nationals are a true and effective voice for rural, regional and coastal NSW.

The Liberals and Nationals have a strong Coalition in Opposition. And we will have an even stronger Coalition in Government - where we will get on with the job of fixing NSW.

It’s also great to be joined by my Deputy Leader Barry O’Farrell, Shadow Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Greg Pearce and all of our local candidates for South Western Sydney, including Sharryn Hilton for Wollondilly, Chris Patterson for Camden, Steve Simpson for Menai, Stacey Copas for Campbelltown, Ned Mannoun for Liverpool and Nola Fraser for Macquarie Fields.

Thank you also to Pat Farmer for his warm welcome today.

Pat, like his western Sydney colleagues who joined us last week, has set a real benchmark for community service.

And once again, if you want an idea of how our candidates like Chris, Sharryn and Nola will serve the people and families of South Western Sydney, look no further than Pat Farmer.

Let me first make one thing absolutely clear.

I’m fighting this election to win.

There is not one defeatist bone in my body, and never has been.

Let me stress, I am a straight shooter. I tell it like it is, and that’s what I did on Friday.

But this is what Denise McHugh, the Morris Iemma’s Labor candidate for Tamworth had to say last Wednesday..

‘Like it or not, the Iemma Labor Government is going to win this election’,

..how cocky can you get?

This has been a tough, vicious and malicious campaign from Labor.

I never expected anything different from them.

It has been this way for eighteen months. Nothing has changed and nor has my resolve.

I’m fighting to stop Labor who have trashed this state for 12 years, and will do so again if they are re-elected next Saturday.

I’m fighting to implement our straightforward plan to fix NSW.

• for recycling instead of desalination

• for more police, teachers and nurses rather than more Sydney backroom bureaucrats

• and for lower taxes versus Labor’s high tax regime that means we pay more tax per person than in other state.

And I’m going to keep fighting, with my team, all the way.

I’m saying to every person in NSW who thinks that after 12 years, Labor has had long enough, and that it’s time to start fixing NSW, then DON'T VOTE LABOR.

It’s as simple as that.

Whenever I come to south west Sydney, I think of my former parliamentary and Liberal colleague, Liz Kernahan.

Liz was also a straight talker. She would cut through all the rubbish and say what needed to be said.

I remember Liz would often stop our party room debates and remind us that most community social problems would be eased if we re-empowered parents, re-empowered teachers and re-empowered police.

We agree with Liz.

In 1991, Liz Kernahan entered parliament and served until 2003, and sadly, soon after, she passed away.

I remember Camden on the day of Liz’s funeral. I’ve seldom seen a more heartfelt tribute by a community to someone in public life.

Liz entered State Parliament because she understood how important State Government services such as hospitals, police, water, schools, transport and infrastructure were to her fast growing community in Sydney’s south west.

And she was right!

And that’s why the State election next Saturday is so important.

There are very serious issues at stake when people vote next Saturday.

Australians grow quickly tired of politics. It’s part of who we are.

Unlike the rest of the world, we refuse to take ourselves too seriously. It’s an admirable quality – one that focuses on life, relationships, family and friends.

We would rather talk about what we plan to do next weekend, than who we should vote for.

And for most of the time, this is a good idea. There’s more to life than politics.

But before next Saturday, we DO need to stop and think.

For a start, let’s just think about the last few days,

Public transport in chaos, cover ups on toxic waste and violent attacks in public schools.

And what’s Labor’s response? … SORRY, … just SORRY,  ... then SORRY again.

Well, I have never known a SORRIER Government than Labor in NSW.

Hollow apologies and more of the same, that‘s what you’d get with four more years of Labor.

But next Saturday you can change all of this.

You can say ‘Sorry Morris’, we’ve had enough of Michael Costa trashing our economy.

You can say ‘Sorry Morris’, we’ve had enough of Frank Sartor riding roughshod over local communities on planning decisions.

And you can say ‘Sorry Morris’, we’ve just had enough of Joe Tripodi, full stop.

And you can say this by voting Liberal or National to fix NSW.

Because you won't find Frank Sartor, Michael Costa or Joe Tripodi in a Liberal/Nationals Government.

Friends, today I want to tell you more about our straightforward plan to fix NSW.

I have been talking about this plan all through this campaign.

It is only the Coalition that has focused on positive policy during this campaign about how to fix NSW.

And just to remind you, here are a few highlights of what we have been fighting for,

• a plan to use recycled water to boost our drinking water supplies that will deliver almost twice the water at half the cost of Morris Iemma’s $1.9 billion desalination plant;

• $335 million to boost frontline health services to unblock Emergency Departments and reduce elective surgery waiting lists;

• recruiting an additional 500 nurses, in addition to the 1200 nursing vacancies Labor have been unable to fill,

• cracking down on anti-social behaviour by recruiting 1,720 new police, almost 1,000 more than Labor, and giving police increased powers to do their job;

• reducing the tax burden on families and small business by more than $1.3 billion by raising the threshold for land tax and payroll tax; and,

• providing $362 million to boost affordability and access to pre-schools to give our children the best possible start in life.

And just this week we announced a new $300 million Clean NSW Fund.

The fund will be used for environmental projects and to tackle climate change, such as solar and alternative energy and cleaning up our waterways and National Parks.

And on Friday, we released our four-step common sense plan on drugs, to:

• ensure illicit drugs remain illegal,

• give police the resources and powers they need to enforce the laws,

• continue to invest in education with families and those at risk, and

• provide $60 million for additional treatment places.

This is a responsible and commonsense plan on drugs. Morris Iemma’s plan is to preference the Greens, who want to decriminalize drug use.

Yet it is me, Morris Iemma claims, who is the risk!

Friends, today, I also want to focus on transport infrastructure.

During this campaign there has been much discussion about transport plans.

Labor’s most recent transport infrastructure was contained in the State Infrastructure Strategy released in June 2006.

Soon after the release of this strategy, it was revealed that projects from Labor’s previous 2002 strategy had blown out by around $1.7 billion, with completion delays totalling around 40 years.

So much for Labor’s plans.

But for the record, the Liberal and National Parties, if elected, are committed to delivering the projects outlined in the State Infrastructure Strategy, .. with the exception of the Spit Bridge duplication,

.. this means every project, every timetable and every dollar.

The funding will be drawn from the same sources as identified by the Government.

But for the thousands of people left stranded last Wednesday night on our trains because of poor maintenance, there are more immediate priorities.

The only thing Labor could integrate after this stuff-up, was Labor’s regular chorus of apologies and spin the day after.

And for the 1500 passengers assaulted on our public transport system last year, there are also more immediate priorities.

The NSW traveling public want to see the existing system work. That will be our immediate priority.

That is why we have focused our announcements on restoring community faith in the public transport system by:

• changing the definition of a late service, so that if it’s late, it’s late,

• freezing fares until services improve;

• putting 200 dedicated police on our transport system and ensuring the 600 transit officers in the system are fit and ready for work,

• and developing a new timetable, that reinstates peak services axed by Labor, and provides more express services, to get people home sooner

• and re-introducing the integrated transport management structure, that worked so well for the Olympics. 

Labor and others have mocked these simple priorities.

But we will NOT apologise for a back-to-basics approach to public transport.

Today I announce that as part of making our transport system work better, we will invest $86 million, over and above Labor’s commitments, to upgrade key Railway Stations on the Central Coast as well as Penrith, Sutherland, Waterfall, Hornsby, Berowra, Holsworthy and Liverpool.

Upgrades will include expanded commuter car parking facilities to encourage more commuters to ‘park and ride’, and the installation of CCTV to improve security.

This investment is part of a more than $450 million commitment to public transport infrastructure that also includes:

• $200 million for an expanded Sydney light rail network,

• $115 million for an expanded regional heavy rail network, and

• an additional $65 million for expanded bus and ferry infrastructure.

And I also announce that we will commit $3 million for a new ‘Smart Stops’ Trial to provide real-time information for bus commuters at up to 500 key bus stops across Sydney.

The trial will be an extension of the existing Public Transport Information and Priority System that uses GPS and satellite technology to identify late running buses.

Also remember it is roads that people and families use most to travel around NSW. And it is on roads, where there are many accidents and fatalities. 

That is why I am pleased to announce today that the Liberal/Nationals will commit more than $1.2 billion to a detailed road-building plan for NSW.

In our first term, this will mean an increase in the roads budget of more than 35% on Labor’s current annual investment on roads

Our detailed plan includes:

• $450 million to upgrade major highways, including the Pacific Highway and the Princes Highway, as well as commitments to the Bells Line Expressway, the Great Western Highway and The Newell, New England and Hume Highways:

• $275 million to fix Sydney roads, including locally $20 million for the upgrade of Narellan Road from Camden Valley Way to the M5 and $10 million each for Appin Road and Silverdale Road.

• $176 million for tunnel filtration in the M5 East and Lane Cove Tunnels.

• and $436 million to fix roads on the Central Coast, country NSW, black spots and country timber bridges.

The ultimate success of our Roads Plan will be measured in the number of lives saved on our roads. Better and safer roads will save lives.

Friends, most of us grew up in NSW when it was the Premier state, but after twelve years of Labor in NSW we can't say this any longer.

This election is your opportunity to get your message through to Labor - that NSW needs to change. 

Remember the only message Labor understands is the message they get at the ballot box.

If you want to fix the trains, the roads, the hospitals, the schools, or the crime problems – then don’t vote Labor.

If you want fix the water problems – then don’t vote Labor.

If you want to start fixing any of these problems – then don’t vote Labor.

The only way to start fixing these problems is to vote Liberal or Nationals next Saturday.

And that is even if you have never voted for the Liberals or Nationals in your life.

I am fighting to win this election. As are all of my team.

And DON’T believe anyone who tells you differently.

Of course it’s tough. Hard things always are. And the job of fixing NSW will be difficult but it is a job we want to do. And we can start that job next week.

Like Liz Kernahan, I will never give up on the fight or give up on the people who know we need change in this state, especially the victims of this Labor Government. 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that to be true.

After twelve years, Labor’s had long enough.