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Supporting New South Wales Families

Published on: May 2022

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-124254

Supporting New South Wales Families

Mr JUSTIN CLANCY (Albury) (16:59:46):

I move:

That this House acknowledges the investment made by the Liberal-Nationals Government in our communities to support a brighter future for New South Wales families.

All of us here appreciate that families cover such a diverse range of composition and that, at the heart of it, our families are a source of nurturing and caring for one another. At the end of the day, the family unit plays such a fundamental role in the cohesion of our broader community. This Government has a strong focus on investing in our communities to support a brighter future for New South Wales families. When the Premier was elected party leader and Premier late last year, he put it succinctly, saying, "I will also be a family Premier, focusing on how we can make life better for working families, living the Liberal values of opportunity, aspiration and hard work."

I know for many families across our State that cost of living is at the front of their minds. The New South Wales Government is deeply conscious of the impact that cost of living has on families. We are deeply conscious of inflationary demands that are impacting not only this State but also the nation. Supply chain blockages, higher fuel costs, global instability and conflict in places across the globe are causing increased prices for consumers. Appreciating and being deeply conscious of this, the Government is constantly monitoring cost-of-living pressures for individuals and families and is aware of the impact of the pandemic on labour supply, supply chains and the cost of living.

The Government is committed to assisting and supporting families. We see that in a range of provisions made by this Government, such as the Dine & Discover NSW vouchers, the Stay NSW vouchers, the Parents NSW vouchers and, in particular, the before- and after-school care vouchers, which provides $500 per child for families with children aged between four and 13 years attending primary school. That is reducing out-of-pocket costs of before- and after-school care. Other vouchers include First Lap, the $100 learn-to-swim vouchers for preschoolers and kindergarteners; Active Kids; Creative Kids; as well as family energy rebates, and seniors energy and gas rebates, which are significant investments made to support our families with the higher costs they currently face.

I will focus on infrastructure that supports families across our communities, which is important, and all of us here can speak about it. I will focus on Jerilderie, which is a beautiful township located in the western Riverina, on Newell Highway. What I love about its fantastic community is that the people are the salt of the earth. When you drive down Jerilderie Street, you first come to the Jerilderie skate park, which was opened only a couple of months ago. It was fantastic to be there with Mayor Ruth McRae and to see young kids in a bush town being able to use a facility that we would not see in some larger regional areas. But there it is, in a country town. Next to the skate park will be the Jerilderie Early Learning Centre, a new purpose-built early education facility offering 48 places for children up to five years of age. It will be instrumental in filling the void in childcare services in this area. That is funded through the New South Wales Government.

What is pleasing for me is seeing the local people, who are champions of those developments, working with the New South Wales Government to deliver that infrastructure. In particular, I give a shout-out Stephanie Girdwood, who has been doing a fantastic job on the ground. If you continue down the main street, you will see the investment that the New South Wales Government has made at the Jerilderie Sports Stadium and Jerilderie Community Gym—$225,000 going towards helping families in the beautiful town of Jerilderie. There is the $2 million Luke Park upgrade and the Jerilderie Swimming Pool upgrade. That is just one township, one country town in the western Riverina—a close, tight-knit, family-focused town. The development there speaks to the families of that community and speaks of the investment that the New South Wales Government has made for those families.

Yet each of us could say that it is not just a town like Jerilderie. It is everywhere. I could go on and speak, for example, of just under $200,000 announced the other week for Henty Library. Wonderful people such as Susan Kane work at the library. Sue was telling me that libraries in our country towns are not just a place for books but also a safe place for families and young people to gather. Recently I was at the Holbrook Football and Netball Club, which has that sense of being a place for nurture, as Kristie Preston from there put it so well. But the focus is that the investment in families and communities to make a brighter future cannot happen without strong economic management. For the New South Wales government, a strong economy means better and more jobs for families and households. It is thanks to the Coalition Government's strong economic management that the New South Wales economy has remained resilient through the challenges of the pandemic and global instability. We have a strong New South Wales economy with a plan for the future for our families in New South Wales.

Mr DAVID HARRIS (Wyong) (17:06:43):

For those on the other side of the Chamber, it is time for an important reality check. The Opposition was criticised today during question time because it supports public sector workers in seeking higher wages. Let's have a look at some of the facts, including the cost of living in Sydney, the most expensive city in Australia. The consumer price in Sydney is 6 per cent higher than the Australian average. Grocery prices are Sydney are 2.2 per cent higher than the Australian average. Rent prices in Sydney are 55.51 per cent higher than the Australian average and people on that side do not want to give public sector workers a pay rise. They do not understand that the average people out there are really doing it tough; they are really struggling.

The Government is a one-trick pony. They talk until the cows come home about infrastructure but they do not understand that the economy has two sides.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The member for South Coast will come to order.

Mr DAVID HARRIS:

It has infrastructure and it has services, and services are about people. If you do not support the people providing the services, then they go broke, they become homeless and they get kicked out of their houses, and the Government does not understand that. Today the Premier was having a go at Victoria. So let's compare Sydney to Melbourne.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for South Coast to order for the first time.

Mr DAVID HARRIS:

Consumer prices in Melbourne are 6.59 per cent lower than in Sydney. Rent prices in Melbourne—this is an interesting figure—are 51.75 per cent lower than in Sydney. Grocery prices in Melbourne are 1.5 per cent lower than in Sydney. This Government that does not understand that strong Labor governments around Australia are supporting communities, keeping prices down and doing a good job, which is why governments in Queensland and Western Australia were just returned with massive majority. The people of Australia are finding out that that bluff about the Liberal-Nationals Coalition being good with economics is not true, and they are turning to Labor governments that actually care about people. They support people and they support public sector workers.

From this Government, we get a myth all the time about it trying to help people but it is a double-edged sword. It is a sting in the tail; it is a mixed blessing. They talk about one thing but, at the other end, they beat people over the head. The Premier recently said that he was asking the Treasury to negotiate with toll operators to make distance-based tolling a reality. Guess what? Guess where people are doing it the toughest—on the edges of Sydney, in places like the Central Coast and the Illawarra. Which people will distance-based tolling hurt the most? It will be those new people. The constituents of government MPs representing electorates in north‑western and south‑western Sydney are going to end up paying more under the Premier's policy.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for Oatley to order for the first time.

Mr DAVID HARRIS:

We understand that. The people on the Central Coast, the MPs up there and the people in the Illawarra, who all live outside Sydney, understand that tolls are killing people.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for Oatley to order for the second time.

Mr DAVID HARRIS:The Sydney Morning Herald

They are killing businesses and they are killing people trying to get to work because they are paying higher and higher amounts. This Government is totally out of touch. An article by Matt Wade in says that price pressures and cost-of-living worries in Sydney are at an 11‑year high. Guess who was in government 11 years ago? It was Labor. Since then it has gone up and up. People have never done it tougher. We have a Premier who talks about an unemployment rate, but he does not talk about the underemployment rate. In New South Wales, and in Australia, you only have to work one hour a week to be classed as employed. The real unemployment rate is between 8 and 11 per cent. Let's start talking about reality, about how people are doing it tough, about how many hours they are doing and about how their bills are rising every single day. This Government is out of touch. It deserves to be kicked out next year, and the people of New South Wales are ready to do it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for Upper Hunter, who will be heard in silence.

Mr DAVID LAYZELL (Upper Hunter) (17:11:30):

I assure the people of New South Wales that this Government will always do everything it can to support families. It is the nucleus of our society and no more than in regional New South Wales, where I come from, and in the Upper Hunter. Families are important to us. It is families that have probably the most pressure on them. They have high expenditure, baby goods to buy and teenagers to look after. Often only one parent is working and supporting that family. Mortgage stress is at its highest when the family comes along. I can remember my own experience. I remember trying to pay those bills and that mortgage when the family was there, and it is a tough time. Life is at its busiest.

The best way we can support families is if we have a good economy, which means a good economic performance. It means strong jobs, making sure people can get a good job with good pay, making sure there is good flexibility and that businesses are looking after their employees because, let's face it, they have to look after their employees. There is a huge demand for workers out there, particularly in the Upper Hunter at the moment. The best way we can look after families is giving them the greatest opportunity, and this Government supports opportunity at all levels. The conditions for strong businesses to operate are absolutely critical. The market is returning. Do not forget that small businesses are often family businesses, so having a good, strong family business is another way that we can support those families. Profits are not huge in small businesses. But they put fuel in the car, they put food on the table and they pay those mortgages, which every family is trying to pay off.

Good community infrastructure is important for families. This is what this Government has been focused on and has been delivering. Good roads mean that people can get home from work and back to their families and that they can put their kids back into school and pick them up every day.

Sporting infrastructure is going in. In the Upper Hunter there is a huge investment in the Olympic Park precinct at Muswellbrook—what a great asset for the people of the Upper Hunter. There are spaces for kids to play and for people to enjoy their recreational time. We have seen development of Muswellbrook Hospital and there are commitments in place to make further improvements. This Government has made huge investment in hospitals in the Upper Hunter and I am proud of the improvements made. Good community services are being provided all the time in the Upper Hunter, including in areas in the far reaches of the electorate, such as Merriwa, that are hard to get to. But community services are getting out there and that is important for families.

This Government recognises that there are some real challenges facing families and the economy. We are constantly monitoring cost-of-living pressures. The Coalition is aware of the impact of the pandemic on labour supply, on the supply chain and on cost‑of‑living pressures. This Government is committed to assisting and supporting families with the cost of living. That is why it is focusing on incentives and programs to support families who need them most. There are things like assistance with the cost of utilities—energy and water bills—through programs such as the Family Energy Rebate, the Seniors Energy Rebate, Gas Rebate, Low Income Household Rebate, the pensioner water rebate, Energy Accounts Payment Assistance vouchers and discounted energy efficient lighting programs. The programs are numerous and they are out there. It is all because of a strong economy that the Government can help those families who most need our support.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ (Auburn) (17:16:19):

Madam Speaker—

Mrs Shelley Hancock:

Come on, Lynda, be positive.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

I will be positive. I would positively love—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The member for Auburn will direct her comments through the Chair.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

—it if the New South Wales Government did the one thing that it said it would do at Wentworth Point. The Government had one job to do in Wentworth Point when it sold off all the RMS land and put in, first off, 13,000 and then 15,000 and then 20,000 and then 25,000 people: It was to build a park. The Government had to build a 3.9 hectare park and open it in 2016. What did the people get? They got nothing—a hole in the ground with a big fence around it. The Government had one job: to build one piece of infrastructure for those lovely families who might want to take their kids down to the park. The Government had to build that park by 2016 and it could not do it. The Government was going to build stage two of the light rail to take all the kids to school. What is happening with stage two of the light rail from Parramatta? Does anyone have any idea? How is the Government helping families out there?

What about the Carter Street primary school that was meant to be built when the Government put 6,200 apartments on just one block of land where there were no schools with any capacity? Is there any provision in the budget for a Carter Street primary school? It is non‑existent. The Government does not care about those families. Those families are irrelevant. This Government does not help out families. This Government makes as many superlative promises as possible, but what does it do in our electorates? It puts tolls on roads, the people pay the road off and the next Liberal Government puts more tolls on it. This Government put the tolls back on the M4. What do the people who use the M4 have to do? If someone wants to travel on the M4 from Fairfield—an area with an unemployment rate of 19 per cent, by the way, not 4 per cent that those opposite talk about—they have to pay $30.66 to get to the city and back again. This Government found out during COVID that our crucial workers come from western Sydney. But when it comes to paying tolls, it is western Sydney that wears all of it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The member for South Coast will come to order.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

The Premier says that if someone does not want to pay the toll they should use the other roads. How does someone get to the city from Fairfield? From Fairfield they need to travel down Merrylands Road, go through Granville South, go through Auburn and get up to King Georges Road—so every road from Fairfield to Merrylands to Guildford to Auburn is now a parking lot. The people in Granville South should get a fair deal, because Granville South has the highest number of single mothers living in poverty in the Sydney area. Mosman has a new creative and performing arts high school. Can we get one in Granville South, where the poorest kids in metropolitan Sydney live? The answer is no, because when the Government says that it cares about families, it means that it cares about some families but not others. People in my electorate would love to have a skate park, like the one in Jerilderie. That would be wonderful. We would like it. The Government did provide a grant for a skate park at Lidcombe—that was really nice of it, to provide for something outside of the city. But it is not a free skate park; it is a commercial skate park that kids in my electorate have to pay $20 to use.

Mr Mark Coure:

Have you moved into your electorate, Lynda?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I remind the member for Oatley that he is on two calls to order.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

These are kids in the lowest socio-economic—

Mr Mark Coure:

Are you living in your electorate?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for Oatley to order for the third time.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

I live at 42 The Avenue, Granville. Would you like to go down and have a look?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

Member for Auburn—

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

Well, I actually think that it is a bit offensive to ask where someone lives, during a speech.

Mr MARK COURE:

You weren't living in your electorate last time I checked.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

Order! The member for Oatley will be removed from the Chamber if he continues to interject. The member for Auburn has the call.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

Have you got a problem? Is there some problem?

Mr Mark Coure:

No, I have got no problem.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

Well, I am not sure what you are asking about.

Mrs Shelley Hancock:

Do you live in your electorate? That is what he asked you.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

I have just given him my address. You can go and have a look if you like. I am not sure why he is asking. Where do you live, Mark?

Mr Mark Coure:

I was just asking if you live in your electorate.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I remind the member for Oatley that he is on three calls to order. I suggest that he stop interjecting now.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

Have you got your answer? Are you happy? Can I go on?

Mr MARK COURE:

Touchy, touchy.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:

Touchy? It is very difficult to give a speech when those opposite are yelling across the Chamber and I am trying to talk about families.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

That is why the member for Oatley is on three calls.

Ms LYNDA VOLTZ:Time expired.

I know you are not interested in the unemployment rate being 19.8 per cent in Granville South, and 20 per cent in Bidwill. []

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (17:21:37):

I must congratulate those opposite for their rhetorical flourish this afternoon. It is not surprising with members of the Labor Party because they really are all rhetoric—they are talk, talk, talk. If people want something done, they come to us. What did Labor do when it was last in government? Let's have a look at Labor's record. Labor promised 12 rail lines and delivered half of one, closed 90 schools, closed 2,000 hospital beds, and introduced new toll roads with some of the highest road tolls in the entire world. Labor contracted in for 49 years of the Cross City Tunnel at a minimum 4 per cent annual rise in the toll. The hypocrisy and irony of those opposite talking to us about cost of living! All Labor has ever done is put up costs. When it comes to looking at the impacts of the cost of living on families across New South Wales, it is only this side of the House that actually does anything. Those opposite talk a good game, but they are abject failures when it comes to delivering for the people of New South Wales.

What has this Government done so far and what will it continue to do? This Government has delivered a record infrastructure delivery program. Those opposite scoff at it. The member for Wyong said that Government members talk about infrastructure all the time. Well, maybe that is because infrastructure changes lives. Building schools changes lives. Building roads changes lives. Building railways changes lives.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The member for Wyong will come to order.

Ms FELICITY WILSON:

It means that people can get to and from work, to and from school, home to spend time with their families or doing the things that they enjoy. Those opposite promise, promise, promise and fail time and again. This Government has invested $7.9 billion over the next four years in 215 new and upgraded schools, compared with the 90 that Labor closed. There is record health funding in the State under the Government, compared with the 2,000 hospital beds that were closed under Labor. This Government is delivering infrastructure in spades across New South Wales. But it is also looking at the huge pressures that the entire world is seeing with increasing inflation. We are looking at the geopolitical challenges coming out of Europe and the war in Ukraine, the increasing cost of oil and the increasing flow‑on effects to petrol prices, transport prices and the delivery of goods. Those are the kinds of things that we are responding to and working on. As the member for Oxley said, nobody in this House started Putin's war but we are responding to its impact here in New South Wales. And what have we done? The member for Wyong might scoff at the Government seeking solutions to the tolling crisis that Labor imposed on us when in government, but this Government is trying to resolve the tolling and cost-of-living crises in New South Wales. The Premier is the only one with new solutions. He is the only person trying to ease the cost of living for our families.

We have also introduced a range of different initiatives to target family cost-of-living pressures—things like programs to significantly reduce the cost of before and after school care and changes to the regulatory environment to ensure availability of supply for families. We have introduced $500 vouchers—about 63 extra sessions for people across New South Wales. We have introduced our Parents NSW, Dine & Discover and Stay NSW vouchers, to assist with costs and challenges for families—as those opposite know, because they rabbit on all the time to their communities about how great they are—but local communities, small businesses and tourism also benefit from their flow-on effects. We are not only supporting households but the businesses the money is being invested in. Good economic management targets economic returns across the entire community; those opposite never understand that.

The last thing I will talk about is the announcement earlier this week that this Government has delivered more than 300,000 Baby Bundles to new parents. I know, having had two babies in the period that we have been giving Baby Bundles out, that there are huge costs imposts when one starts a family. The Premier and Brad Hazzard were very excited to celebrate that milestone. It shows us that from birth, early learning, preschool, primary school, high school, before and after school care, all the way through to tertiary education and TAFE, we are investing in young people and families. That is something those opposite have never done, and will never do. You can only trust the Liberal-Nationals to deliver.

Mr RON HOENIG (Heffron) (17:27:12):

The member for Albury must live in fantasy land. He must have taken the parliamentary break to go to Disneyland or, alternatively, he lives so close to the Victorian border that he is infused with the views of the people across the border in Victoria.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for Oxley to order for the first time.

Mr RON HOENIG:

He has no affinity or any understanding about the pain felt by families in New South Wales. Is there any wonder with a Federal election in two week's time, the Liberal Party and The Nationals are looking down their noses at defeat as the two Independents in their heartland are starting to run them down. It does not matter whether it is Bellevue Hill or Vaucluse, they are on the nose to them. It does not matter what the member for North Shore says, they are coming for her too. The community is coming for them because they have no understanding. They refuse to accept what is happening around them in this State. The Government is coming to the end of the road. They are like the dying embers of a discarded fire.

Ms Felicity Wilson:

Point of order: The member for Heffron should address his comments through the Chair.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I uphold the point of order. Government members will also cease interjecting.

Mr RON HOENIG:

They are like the dying embers of a discarded fire. They have reached their use-by date. Virtually every week thousands of people are protesting outside Parliament House about the cost of living and about this oppressive government. But they do not listen. Let me tell members about the Government's record of taxes and increases to the families of New South Wales. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has found that local State services and taxes went up in New South Wales—

Ms Felicity Wilson:

Point of order—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I have already ruled on the point of order. The Minister will resume her seat.

Mr RON HOENIG:

—by 10 per cent; vehicle registration up 42.5 per cent, from $1.9 billion to $2.75 billion; driver licence fees up 12 per cent, from $189.7 million to $213.3 million; stamp duty on vehicles up 7.2 per cent; and fines, mobile speed cameras up $5.4 million, to $151 million in the last 12 months alone. What is really killing the people of western Sydney, south-western Sydney and the Central Coast is the oppressive tolls that have been imposed upon them. This is what people are paying as a result of the Government's toll policy: people in Penrith or Minchinbury traveling to the CBD are paying $17.74 for a round trip via the M4; Hassall Grove to the CBD, $42.64 each day via the M7, M2 Lane Cove or Westlink; Edmondson Park to the CBD, $25.10 each day—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for Riverstone to order for the first time.

Mr RON HOENIG:

—via the M5 and the M5 East; and Dee Why, Mosman, Chatswood, Gordon, Turramurra to the CBD, $4 return. Now the Government wants to create a distance-based toll, in other words punishing those on the outskirts of Sydney, punishing poor families even more with tolls. I move that the motion be amended as follows:

That all the words after "acknowledges" be removed and insert after, "that supporting a brighter future for New South Wales families does not involve families paying more tolls by way of distance-based tolling."

In that way the Government can at least make one minor step of not imposing upon families in south‑west and western Sydney and the Central Coast, the people you are punishing with effectively handing over the Transurban—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I call the member for the North Shore to order for the first time. I call the member for North Shore to order for the second time.

Mr RON HOENIG:

The member for North Shore has 10 months before the Independents round her up and it will be bye-bye to her.

Mr ALEX GREENWICH (Sydney) (17:32:53):

I speak in support of the motion moved by the member for Albury:

That this House acknowledges the investment made by the Liberal and National Government in our communities to support a brighter future for families in New South Wales.

That brighter future must continue to include LGBTIQA+ families across New South Wales. Recently, along with the Minister for Health, I launched the Government's $12 million investment in LGBTIQA+ health outcomes through the health strategy. Recently I was also able to meet with the Premier and a group of advocates from particularly the trans community. We know, because of the narrative from some Federal candidates and politicians, including the Prime Minister, that transgender people face significant stigma, discrimination and exclusion in the community, which leads to poor mental health outcomes. The rate of suicide and self-harm among people who are transgender is alarmingly high, and the recently released health strategy recognises the need to improve their health and wellbeing. I appreciate that the Government has invested in that.

I also greatly appreciate the time the Premier took to meet with me and advocates of the trans community. It was the first time a Premier had met with advocates of the trans community since Bob Carr in 1995. Those who attended the meeting with me were Ricki Coughlan, who is a running coach and a Pride in Sport ambassador; Alex Blackwell, the former women's cricket captain and a Pride in Sport ambassador; Eloise Brook, from The Gender Centre; Jain Moralee from Twenty10; Teddy Cook from ACON; Jackie Turner from Equality Australia; and Josh Morris who is a parent of a beautiful trans daughter.

The Prime Minister would also benefit from such a meeting. I call on him to show the same leadership and strength of character as the Premier and meet with trans advocates to understand the struggles that they face. I welcome that the Government, through the Minister for Health, recently committed increased funding support for the Gender Centre to fund a family and youth worker and a parents' support worker to support families that are doing it particularly tough. Obviously, more funding is needed to support families of LGBTQI+ people, especially those with trans and gender diverse members. I look forward to working with the Government towards that goal.

Mr JUSTIN CLANCY (Albury) (17:35:17):The Age

In reply: I close this debate by recapping it. I speak to the member for Wyong first. He mentioned a strong Labor government in Victoria, which is a government that will have a $162 billion debt by mid-2025 and a net debt to gross State product [GSP] ratio of 27.9 per cent. wrote about the GSP and said that, historically, the higher the ratio of net debt to GSP, the higher the risk of default. He is talking from a Labor perspective about a strong Labor government, and we are talking about risk of default. That is a classic aspect of Labor governments. They are prepared to put it on the never-never and it comes back to bite them. I love that the member for Wyong talked about infrastructure being the New South Wales Government's one trick. What a picture card to put on the pile. One hundred and ten billion dollars is a massive investment that is supporting families and communities in New South Wales.

Mrs Melinda Pavey:

It is a pretty good trick.

Mr JUSTIN CLANCY:

It is a pretty good trick, compared with the half misère hand that Labor tends to put on the table. I acknowledge the member for Upper Hunter, who talked about the cost of living pressures for regional New South Wales. In response to that, the member for Auburn was envious of the community at Jerilderie because they have a skate park. How spoilt are the youth in Jerilderie that they have a skate park? That is the best the member for Auburn could come up with. I reject the notion of the member for North Shore that Labor talks a good game. Those opposite take no action, but they do not even talk a good game. The member for North Shore talked about how investment changes lives and about infrastructure, services and targeted support for cost of living. The member for Heffron was akin to Dylan Thomas with his dying embers. There was nothing of substance there.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

Order! There is too much audible conversation in the Chamber.

Mr JUSTIN CLANCY:

I thank the member for Sydney for his comments and insights, which are valued in this Chamber. I come back to the member for Auburn because she talked about the Government having one job. The truth is that this one job is to provide strong economic management that enables investment in our communities to support our families.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The member for Albury has moved a motion to which the member for Heffron has moved an amendment. The question is that the amendment of the member for Heffron be agreed to.

The House divided.

Ayes34

Noes45

Majority11

Amendment negatived.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

The House divided.

Ayes44

Noes36

Majority8

Motion agreed to.