Labor candidate for Campbelltown, Greg Warren, makes his pitch to the voters via the South West Voice:
As we lead up to the election this Saturday I would like to take the opportunity to thank the many locals, community organisations, local families and media who have taken the time to talk with me during what has certainly been a long campaign. Whether it was out door knocking, at the railway station, on the phone, at community events or at one of my community meetings – I have been humbled by the many local residents who took the time to raise issues with me or simply take the time for a chat.
I feel privileged to have had the chance to meet and listen to so many locals to hopefully help make Campbelltown an even greater place for us all as your local state member of the NSW Parliament. I would also like to wish all my candidate colleagues well and again thank everyone for your time.
I served in the Australian Regular Army for eight years and was an instructor at Ingleburn barracks. I am a director of the Campbelltown Chamber of Commerce, an Honorary Member of the East Campbelltown Eagles J.R.L.F.C and am involved in many other local community groups. Simone and I were married at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Campbelltown and moved to Leumeah as newlyweds in 1996. We built our own home locally and both our sons were born at Campbelltown Hospital. I currently manage a local business in Blair Athol.
1. Health: I will not support any further cuts to health services at Campbelltown services that has seen our local hospital as one of the worst in the state for elective surgery and 2 in 5 emergency patients waiting beyond 4 hours for treatment. A Labor Government will invest $100m for the paediatric Unit at Campbelltown Hospital. I have been a long-time advocate of better resources for Campbelltown Hospital, walking the Kokoda track last year and raising $30, 000 for its paediatric unit.
2. Community and Education: kids need a safe space to play. That’s why NSW Labor has committed $45,000 in security upgrades and fencing of Rosemeadow Oval. In addition, a Foley Labor Government will reserve more than $12 million to invest in schools in Campbelltown, as part of the Building Better Schools Infrastructure Fund. The schools set to benefit are
$4m – Bradbury Public School
$2,5m – Ambarvale Primary School
$1.5m – Ruse Public School
$2m – Campbelltown North Public School
$2m – Briar Public School, and
$100,000 for a heated special needs therapeutic pool at Beverly Park Public School
3. Infrastructure: I secured a policy where Labor will kick start work on the Spring Farm/ Menangle Connection, providing $2 million in funding required for study and scoping works on the project. My work and this subsequent Labor proposal is in response to the congestion on Narellan and the growing community of Macarthur. A second route in and out of Campbelltown just makes sense. In addition, Labor will invest $600 million to improve Campbelltown regional roads, a new “road pinch point and safety program” to reduce congestion. Labor’s road pinch point and safety program will include local upgrades to:
Campbelltown Road (Campbelltown to the Cross Roads
Narellan Road (Narellan to Campbelltown)
4. I oppose privatisation of our electricity assets. If Bryan Doyle and the Liberals privatise our publicly owned assets we lose the profit that our electricity network makes of $1.7 billion, which helps to fund our schools and hospitals. This means more cuts to schools and hospitals because Mike Baird can’t explain how he will fill the black hole left when the profits from the electricity network are lost and higher electricity prices, because the only reason anyone buys an asset is to make money. In SA under privatisation families pay the highest electricity bills in the country and the billionaire who owns SA Power Networks makes $420 profit a year from each customer. Once the Liberals privatise our electricity network, it will be gone for good. Mike Baird’s own privatisation bankers have let the cat out of the bag on his risky plan to privatise the electricity network. UBS confirmed what Labor has been saying all along about the Liberals plan to privatise the electricity network – it’s a bad deal for NSW. The report says that it is estimated that the government would only get $11 billion for the privatisation – leaving a $2 billion black hole in the Liberals plans.
5. I love our home, a place that Simone and I chose to live and raise our family over 20 years ago. I know how great our city and region is and wish to be a strong voice and advocate in the NSW Parliament as we face the many challenges we confront as a growing region.
