Former Premier, Bob Carr, has little credibility when calling for changes to State Parliament, according to Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea.
“If Mr Carr is so committed to change, why didn’t he do more when he was Premier for more than a decade?
“It is clear the most important change in New South Wales needs to be from Labor to a Coalition Government,” Mr O’Dea said.
“Labor has been in power in most or all States and Territories in Australia over the past ten years and has demonstrated a clear inability to co-operatively reform many areas of State responsibility to achieve greater harmonisation of laws and better service delivery.
“That same lack of long-term Labor leadership is now continuing under Iemma,” Mr O’Dea said.
“As a result, Federal Governments (both Liberal and Labor) have been forced to take a more pro-active role, including reform through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
“Calls for change from the sidelines by a former Premier is not the answer – we need more action,” the Member for Davidson said.
The former Premier’s plan calls for a dramatic downgrading of the State Parliament with part-time MP’s and only five Ministries, working as a type of County Council.
“Given the little Mr Carr did to promote real reform, his calls are hypocritical and carry little credibility,” Mr O’Dea said.
“We need a fresh approach from a Coalition Government with a willingness to review State responsibilities in the context of our federation and take the necessary initiatives to implement changes for the benefit of all,” Mr O’Dea concluded.
