Geoff Lee MP for Parramatta

Geoff made his first speech today. He is a man who understands what Parramatta is about.

Inaugural Speech, Geoff Lee, MP for Parramatta, 11 May 2011
Madam Speaker
I rise in the right of reply to Her Excellency, the Governor Marie Bashir's opening address of the 55th Parliament of NSW.
It is an honour and privilege to address the chamber today as the Member for Parramatta.
The first people of Parramatta were the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Darug. They lived along the upper-reaches of the Parramatta River and can be traced back some 60,000 years. The river was focus of daily life as it was during colonisation for food, fresh water and transport. Anyone who has visited the seat of Parramatta knows of its beauty and bounty.
However, today, I am not going to talk about the beauty and bounty of Parramatta.
Instead, today, I want to talk about the conundrum that is Parramatta. Perhaps the title of my first speech should be “What to do with Parramatta?”

Freedom wins one in Parramatta

A few months ago the nannies , lead by Big  Nanny Clr Michael McDermott, managed to ban smoking from out door dinning in Parramatta.  Fortunately thanks to a campaign by the restaurateurs, the ban has been overturned. 

The council’s turnaround of its July decision came after a restaurant advocate addressed councillors on Monday night before a 8000-signature petition against the ban was presented by Cr Lorraine Wearne.

The restaurant advocate, Michael Rihma, made an impassioned plea that restaurants would lose business if the smoking ban was imposed.

“This is not an issue about supporting smoking - this is a fundamental issue of our democratic right,” Mr Rihma said in the council’s public forum.

“The council made a decision without due diligence. Not one business out of over 100 in the Parramatta region I have spoken to was consulted about this decision before it was made.”

Cr Wearne, supported by Liberal councillors and former lord mayor Paul Garrard - who reversed his earlier position - voted to overturn its July 25 resolution.

They voted to have “broad consultation” with diners and restaurateurs over the next 12 months before deciding which stance to take.

A shaken deputy mayor Cr Michael McDermott, who drove the smoking ban, was caught unawares by the motion, which was not on the business paper.

He told the Advertiser that he “feels betrayed” by the Liberal councillors, led by Cr John Chedid, who gave him no indication that the issue was to be debated on Monday night.

McDermott feels betrayed?  Clr McDermott should know all about betrayal . He was a member of the Liberal Party who left to stand against Liberals as an independent. Apparently he will be standing  in the up coming state election as an independent too.

Smoking bans

Various diversions have prevented me from blogging much but one thing I have been doing is writing letters to local newspapers. The latest being on one Parramatta councilor attempts to ban outdoor smoking. The following was published in this week's Parramatta Advertiser 

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I want to thank Clrs Bide, Lloyd, Wilson and the other councilors for standing up to a nanny state authoritarian like Clr McDermott. I'm a non smoker, but am sick and tired people who want to take away our freedoms supposedly for our own good. Tobacco is legal and smokers have as much right to enjoy our city as non smokers. His fellow nanny, Ms Watson, may be disappointed in the Council's good sense, but I can assure her that even if a person never smokes a single cigarette, they are going to die. If smoking gives a person pleasure they have every right to do so.

Liberals in Parramatta -12 months latter

As a supporter of smaller government I want to see local councils, the level of government closest to the people, to do well. So its good to see Parramatta's Liberal-Independent coalition government has had a successful first year with a orderly transition to a new Lord Mayor. 

Paul Garrard - Parramatta’s longest-serving councillor- was last night elected lord mayor of the city for the fifth time during his 35 years on council.

The independent councillor beat Labor’s candidate Pierre Esber nine votes to six. Liberal councillor Chiang Lim was elected deputy, against Labor’s Julia Finn by the same margin.

Former lord mayor Tony Issa, who had been mayor for a year, decided not to stand again.

In standing down, Cr Issa paid tribute to his fellow councillors in the way they had worked together. He said he was proud to have abolished politics in the chamber and to have reduced the city’s $6.9 million debt to a $4.6 million surplus.

 And they kept rates under control too:

``The State Government gives so little to Parramatta, a major city centre. We need money for transport, to bring people to Parramatta rather than just have people leave it, and for parking but other places get it before we do,’’ Cr Issa said. ``We are the only council which did not raise its rates above the CPI and we would like more government support.’’

Good luck to Cr Tony Issa and wishing a succesful year to new Lord Mayor Paul Garrard.