The 2011 NSW Parliamentary sitting year finished last week. The last day in the Legislative Council finished at nearly midnight with last minute negotiations on the Police Death and Disability Amendment Bill. As the Minister for Police has said, it was a difficult and complicated compromise that will retain the strongest protection for Police in Australia, but will now be financially sustainable.
On Thursday the joint Liberal National party room had a vigorous debate on the government’s response to the Tamberlin Report. The outcome of the three-hour meeting was an endorsement of the Cabinet’s proposal to sell the Generators, but honour our election commitment to retain the “poles and wires’ until we have a mandate from the people of NSW. I can confirm I spoke in support of privatisation of the Generators and Cobbora coal mine.
Our local member is active in making Ministerial representations as is every other Member of Parliament, but this region does not seem to have a seat at the table in any meaningful way.
The Independent Member seems to have no alliances with members in the Upper House where the Legislative Council is on a knife’s edge.
In this 55th NSW Parliament, independence equals irrelevance. That’s not great for the Northern Tablelands.
Hon. Scot MacDonald MLC,
Liberal Party Duty MLC for Northern NSW
Guyra NSW
