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Wed 2 April - Mr MIKE BAIRD (Manly) [5.35 p.m.]: I have had to change my private member's statement in the last couple of hours as common sense has prevailed and the Minister for Lands has withdrawn from sale Crown land adjacent to Quarry Reserve in North Manly. I thank the Minister for this significant first step. The next step will be for the Government to hand management of the land—and, I believe, its ownership—to Warringah Council. The key is retention of this important community reserve. There has been a strong community campaign against the sale of this land. I congratulate the Government and the community on its energy and constructive campaign, but there is still a way to go. Why was the land put up for sale in the first place? I strongly believe that this was a grab for cash. The proposed sale of land at 13A Amourin Street, North Manly, is another example of the Government's attempt to sell whatever it can to fund its budget. We have seen this in our local community with the battle to save the Seaforth TAFE, which is a number in the sale of $240 million of public education land.
The sale of the land next to Quarry Reserve came as an enormous surprise to the local community. There was no consultation or pre-warning that the land would be put on the market. For years the land was considered part of the natural environment and part of Quarry Reserve. Local families use it as a place to walk and play. They were only alerted to the sale when the "For Sale" sign went up and ads were placed in the newspaper. The community moved into action by getting a group of people together—the Friends of the Quarry. As part of their campaign I received an email from five-year-old Emily Morgan, who said, "Dear Mr Baird, please stop the sale now! Children need open space to run around and play." Emily Morgan, congratulations on your efforts. You are so right. There is so little open space around that we cannot afford to lose what we have, and your efforts have made a contribution today.
The Government should not be able to sell off community land when it needs to fill a hole in its budget, a hole largely caused by what I would call waste and mismanagement, of which we have seen details this week with the Appropriation (Budget Variations) Bill 2009. We should be thinking about the future for our children, who need to have space to run and play. My office has received numerous emails and phone calls from families and local residents about this issue. On their behalf we have conveyed their concerns, asked questions, issued notices of motions and written to the Minister for Lands to request a halt to the sale. The announcement today by the Minister that the sale is being withdrawn is greatly appreciated. It is a rare sign from this Government that on occasion it will listen to the community. But the greatest credit must go to those who have spearheaded this campaign—and there are numerous of them. My hat goes off to them for their effort.
Having brought a halt to the sale, in relation to which expressions of interest were to close on 6 April, the Government must now follow through and not sell the land. Warringah Council has offered to maintain the reserve at no cost to the State Government and I believe that Warringah Council is doing a good job. Certainly on this issue the support of councillors and staff, and the mayor, was appreciated. Handing the land to the council is an ideal solution. It would be designated as a reserve and the advantage for the State Government is that the council will cover the management costs of the land. I encourage the community to continue its campaign to ensure this outcome is achieved. It is important that the area is preserved and not handed across for development.
The community has also identified a nationally endangered plant on the site called the Sunshine Wattle, which I think shows that this is a reserve, not a piece of real estate that should be sold off at any price. It is part of the community. There is also significant wildlife in the area, including bandicoots, bluetongue lizards, possums and a large number of native birds. It is important that their natural environment is protected. It was very pleasing to have to rewrite this private member's statement today with some positive news and a win for local residents. It is also a win for common sense, because not only have we seen the community's concerns listened to but we have also preserved the environment. We will wait for the Minister to take the next step, but I thank him for his change of heart on the issue. It is a shame that the community had to go through this process. The feedback I have received from the community this afternoon is one of exhilaration that the reserve may well be retained.
Today I pay tribute to the community and to the Minister for at least taking this first important step. It certainly would have been preferable if there had been consultation to start with before this was sprung on the community. However, there is now an opportunity to call on the Minister to protect this land adjacent to Quarry Reserve in North Manly by working with Warringah Council and the community to find the best solution and certainly to keep it in public hands and protect the environment for future generations.
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