Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Michael Daley: Priorities Putting People like Ron First

Czech out the Southern Courier's exclusive interview with the man who could be the next Premier of NSW Michael Daley MP. He reveals his first priorities if he is elected to office on March 23.

 


Michael Daley outlines key priorities, position on local issues heading into State Election

David Barwell, Southern Courier

Ending no grounds evictions, an inquiry into water management of the Murray Darling and reviewing the state’s parole system will be among the top priorities for Opposition Leader Michael Daley if elected Premier in 11 days.
Vowing to deal with these problems within the first 100 days, should he take office, Mr Daley said he would put an end to the system that allows landlords to evict a tenant within 90 days of a lease expiration without a valid reason.
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"We have to win seats that we've never won before" : Daley
In an exclusive interview with the Southern Courier on Tuesday, Mr Daley said Labor’s plan would only allow landlords to evict in certain cases including when an owner wants to sell a house or if undertaking major renovations. His electorate of Maroubra has one of the highest proportions of renters in NSW at 42 per cent.
“At the moment renters can be kicked out of their homes by a landlord for no reason. We’re going to move swiftly to end no grounds evictions,” he said.
“We’re also going to have a special commission of inquiry into what happened in the Murray Darling system (and) a review into the parole system given some of the horrific things that we’ve witnessed about people committing horrific crimes on parole.
“In the first 100 days there’ll be a range of things but we won’t go rushing in like a bull in a china shop — we’ll take our time.”
The Southern Courier asked Mr Daley about several key local issues heading into the March 23 election. They included:

Housing and development

Striking the balance between meeting housing demand and the impacts it can often bring to existing communities is a hot button issue across Sydney.
If elected, Mr Daley said he would direct the Greater Sydney Commission to revise “unfair” housing supply targets, claiming they had been “politically interfered with”.




Increased development acrity across Sydney is a hot topic leading into the election.
“For example Woollahra Council has to take only 300 dwellings and (Randwick) is taking 3000 in one development near Eastgardens,” Mr Daley said.
“We’ll have the Greater Sydney Commission work with the councils to do proper, calm, strategic planning that gives people in the community the certainty their suburb won’t change overnight.”
Mr Daley said he would “kill off” priority or “planned” precincts for housing and other development in Sydney including a proposed precinct on Anzac Parade,
But how would Labor address the need for new housing in a growing city?
“(We would have) the Greater Sydney Commission sit down with councils and work out where the growth should be in a consultative manner,” he said.




Priority precincts - such as this proposal for land around Macquarie University Station - would be scrapped under Labor.
“We’ll let them come up with the plan.”
Labor would review council Independent Hearing and Assessment Panels (IHAP) – a system that has stripped councillors of the ability to determine development applications.
“For every councillor I talk to that says they don’t like IHAPs I talk to a councillor who thinks they’re fantastic,” he said.
“(Labor) supported the IHAP legislation. We’ll review them and see how they’re working.”

Light rail

More parking spaces for shoppers could be on the cards for businesses affected by the Sydney light rail project.
Mr Daley said Labor would work with local councils to revive shopping strips where construction works have resulted in reduced foot traffic and trade.




Light rail construction on Anzac Parade has caused concern for many residents and businesses.
“We’d have to work with the councils to make parking a premium for people to get those businesses kickstarted,” he said.
“(It will be) more community parking spaces and things like that.”
Mr Daley did not name any specific additional measures for residents to offset impacts of the project, including when it is in operation in a staged opening from the end of this year.
“(The project) has been an absolute debacle. Hopefully it’ll work because we’re stuck with it – the government signed a 15-year deal. It’s locked in,” he said.
“If there is a mess I’ll do my best to fix it.”

Yarra Bay

A proposal to build a cruise terminal in Yarra Bay is a top concern among many southeast residents, with more than 10,000 signing a petition to NSW Parliament last year.
If elected, Mr Daley vowed the project “will never be built in Port Botany.”




Michael Daley at Molineaux Point, where has vowed to stop a cruise terminal being built.
“(Under the plan) we’re going to lose one of the last bays we still have left on the northern side of Botany Bay,” he said.
“It would cause traffic chaos through the suburbs of Matraville, La Perouse, Chifley, Malabar – when these big cruise ships come in there are 5500 passengers and 2500 crew getting off… and they’re all coming down Bunnerong Rd and Anzac Parade.
“There are better places to put it. I will kill this thing stone dead.”

Amalgamations

Labor would let communities decide the future of merged councils.
“Botany should never have been merged with Rockdale,” Mr Daley said.
“This thing called Bayside that smashes two communities together that are separated by an airport and General Holmes Drive was always going to be a bad idea.
“Our policy is to allow communities to have a plebiscite.
“If they want to do deamalgamate we’ll have a look at that.”
Mr Daley did not set a time frame for a plebiscite, saying it would happen “in due course.”

Other issues

The pending demolition of Allianz Stadium has dominated debate on the pre-election campaign trail.
The government has confirmed the demolition “will continue according to the contractor’s program of works” after a community group’s legal challenge was defeated.
“I’d prefer Allianz Stadium to stand – whatever happens to the stadium taxpayers will not pay for if I’m premier,” Mr Daley said.




Michael Daley at press conference outside Allianz Stadium on March 7.
“I want the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust and corporate interests to pay for it.”
Asked whether he would support extending the Sydney Metro West rail line to the southeast, Mr Daley said the project would not be among his priorities.
Documents leaked to the media in February revealed the State Government is investigating a possible link to Malabar.
“It may happen one day but it’s not going to happen anytime soon,” he said.
“(The project) went hand in hand (with) open development. It should be the other way round — you take the train lines and public transport routes to population centres.”
Mr Daley said he had remained “positive” amid media coverage of claims he failed to disclose donations from developers when assessing development applications during his time as a Randwick councillor.









Michael Daley at Port Botany. Picture: John Appleyard
“These issues have been on the public record for 20 years — what we’ve seen is we’ve got a desperate and perhaps dying government who are desperate to throw dirt at me in an attempt to smear me,” he said.
“They wouldn’t be doing that if they weren’t scared.”
Mr Daley was asked if he believes the negative coverage could affect his chances on election day.
“I’m not speculating on that,” he said.
“I’ve remained positive. People have known me around here for a very long time. They see me around here with my family. They trust me and I trust them.”
Mr Daley, who is working up to 17.5 hour days on the campaign trail, said he hopes to extend a recent tradition of Maroubra MPs elected to high office.
“Since 1950 there’s been Bob Heffron, Bob Carr (as premiers), Bill Haigh was a minister. That’s three, I want to make it four,” he said.


Rest in Peace: via Caring Michael
Ron, a true gentleman and grass root  character who was part of the Matraville Precinct has left us ...
Mar 10
I’m really sad to hear my old mate Ron Wood passed way last night. He did so much work in our area for seniors. He was such a lovely family man. There won’t be another one like him Our family is thinking of his family at this difficult time.





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