This question was asked on 13/08/2014 in the NSW Upper House. You can read the original contribution here.
Mr DAVID SHOEBRIDGE: My question is directed to the Minister for Roads and Freight, representing the Minister for Local Government. Will the Minister advise in which local government areas, apart from the City of Sydney, the Government plans to implement the Melbourne-style business voting system? Does it include Parramatta, Newcastle, Wollongong and North Sydney?
The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: I thank Mr David Shoebridge for his question and for the polite way in which he asked it. There is nothing nicer than a polite Greens member asking a question. My answer is that, as far as I am aware and as far as has been indicated by the Minister, we have only one local government area where we have plans to do that in, and that depends on what happens in the upper House to the bill that will be introduced by the Hon. Robert Borsak. If that is passed by the upper House, we have indicated that we will take it on as a Government bill into the lower House to restore democracy, in which we take a lot of pride—something that The Greens work desperately to keep out of the City of Sydney.
Mr DAVID SHOEBRIDGE: I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister elucidate his answer by explaining why the Minister for Local Government said the regulations would allow it to be rolled out in places including Parramatta, Newcastle and Wollongong?
The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: Those comments are not in conflict with the answer I gave. Mr David Shoebridge has to get his questions right. He asked: Do we have any plans? I said, “… as far as I am aware …” we do not have any plans. This legislation could be rolled out into other areas. I have not seen the legislation in its full form but I would imagine that it will be discrete to the City of Sydney.