Private Members’ Statement

Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields) [7.48 p.m.]: The Baird Government's decision to close the Ingleburn Motor Registry office, whilst specific, goes to the heart of the role that the State Government should play in the lives of our citizens and community. At its very core, State government is about the provision of services that enable citizens to go about their day-to-day life with a minimum of hassle or bother. When governments fail to deliver on those core services, our citizens have every right to be angry and frustrated, and to be heard. The constituents of my electorate do not expect anything less than the provision of core services from this Government. After all, that is what they pay for with their taxes: But moreover, it is what they deserve. More than anything else, my constituents do not want government decisions to make their already busy lives more difficult or to be taken for mugs by government spin.

It is for those reasons my constituents are frustrated and angry and insulted by this Government. They are angry that the provision of basic services is being denied to them. They are frustrated that it appears this Government does not care enough to listen to them. They are insulted that they are being treated as mugs by a government that is intent on feeding them nonsense and spin. I have attended many community meetings and witnessed many community campaigns aimed at influencing government policy and decisions. But never in my time in public office have I seen my community so annoyed, so upset and so riled as it is now. For the past four weeks or so my office in Ingleburn has been inundated with constituents who are incensed over the decision to close the Ingleburn Motor Registry. They are so incensed that they have taken time out of their busy schedules to come to my office to sign my petition that asks the Government to reverse its bad decision to close the motor registry.

So far more than 2,100 residents have signed the petition. That is an amazing response. This morning it was my honour to present the petition to the Clerk. In addition, many more residents have returned a tear-off slip to my office to signal their protest. And wherever I go in the main street people stop to chat with me to express their dismay over the issue. For decades Ingleburn has had a motor registry to go to, to register a car, to renew a licence, to obtain P plates, and to renew a restricted licence. It is not a luxury; it is a basic service that our residents deserve and need. In fact, last year alone the Ingleburn Motor Registry conducted 151,000 transactions. So it is a busy place. If there is anything members of my community hate more than the denial of basic government services, it is government spin and rhetoric that treats them as mugs. And they are not mugs, but the spin and lines run by this Government on why it is closing the Ingleburn Motor Registry do just that. In a letter from Service NSW to one of my constituents dated 23 September we are assured that:

… Service NSW offers a one-stop service where you can access more transactions across Government such (as) Fair Trading licences, birth certificate applications and many more.

One of my constituents on my Facebook page responded to the letter in the following terms:

Wonder how many people will want to make an application for a birth certificate at the same time as a licence renewal??? Absolute rubbish.

Regarding a modified or restricted licence, the same letter stated:

We will be pleased to assist older drivers review their driving requirements in light of the upcoming changes.

Again on my Facebook page one of my constituents noted:

Is the mention of being "pleased to assist older drivers" to discuss their individual requirements a tactic to get older drivers off the road?

The residents in my community are not mugs. They see through all this nonsense and spin. These are the facts. Ingleburn Motor Registry is busy conducting more than 151,000 transactions. It offers basic services—services that almost everyone needs at some time. My electorate is growing—Bardia and Edmondson Park, and the recent announcement of a further 35,000 houses in Appin and Wilton testify to the need for more services, not fewer. The proposed service centre at Gregory Hills is almost 21 kilometres away, and there is another service centre at Orange Grove in Liverpool. Neither of them is easily accessible via public transport.

It is time for the Government to be honest with the residents of my electorate and end the spin. It is time for the Government to admit that its one-size-fits-all model of Service NSW is inappropriate for my electorate. And it is time for the Government to listen to the concerns of my constituents and to reinstate the motor registry office in Ingleburn. I have written to the Premier requesting an urgent meeting with me and some constituents to discuss this issue. I earnestly hope he agrees to this request. He will have the opportunity to hear the genuine concerns of residents who expect nothing less than basic services—the very services that enable them to go about their everyday lives with a minimum of fuss. [Time expired.]