The ABC documentary The Killing Season brought back memories of our own clash with our first woman Prime Minister. It occurred at the official opening of the Ingham Institute one Tuesday in October 2012, not long after her world famous misogyny speech. Anyway, local MP Chris Hayes organised for me and a reporter to join the PM in a small meeting room after she delivered her speech. As my female reporter was interviewing Gillard I kept looking at my watch as we were close to our printing deadline (this was for the Liverpool City Champion) so I interrupted by saying: We’ll need to wrap this up in a couple of minutes or we’ll miss our deadline. Gillard, looked up and deadpanned: “See, men, they all think the same, that we women talk too much.’’ And then she smiled and said, “surely you can break your deadline for the Prime Minister.’’ We did part in good terms and she was a good sport by posing for the photos, including this one with me and the Member for Fowler.
♦ The Coles Shell service station on the corner of Narellan Road and Waterworth Drive, Mt Annan, was approved probably more than 10 years ago, but how could the Camden Council of the time do so without imposing a condition that it provide public toilets. We were there this morning and this servo is very close to being the busiest in all of south west Sydney. But if you need to visit a bathroom while you’re there for petrol, you’re directed to the McDonalds next door. Not good enough, even though the shopping centre is a stone’s throw away from the service station. In this day and age a big, busy service station like this one should be made to provide public facilities like bathrooms.
♦ And while we’re on Narellan Road, the quicker they finish widening it the better – it was like a car park this morning, especially if you were heading east towards Campbelltown. And the truth is that even when it is three lanes either way, Narellan Road, being the only link between Camden/Narellan and Campbelltown, it will struggle. Blind Freddie knows that with the level of growth in the south west only a railway line between Camden, Narellan and Campbelltown will put a dent into this problem. It will come but our civic leaders are quite rightly pushing for the rail extension – and another road to run parallel to Narellan Road – to come as soon as possible. Didn’t the state government just announce a huge surplus or something…
♦ The Moorebank intermodal may or may not be a done deal, but in his address to the Australian Logistics Council dinner in parliament house during the week infrastructure minister Warren Truss said: “In Sydney, the deal agreed by our Moorebank Intermodal Company with the Sydney Intermodal Terminal Alliance to develop an intermodal logistics hub will reduce cost and improve the efficiency of freight moving between Port Botany and markets in Sydney and interstate.’’ Hang on, minister, itr’s not approved yet. If you want to read the full speech by Mr Tuss, go to:
http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/wt/speeches/2015/wts011_2015.aspx
♦ On the other hand, those fighting the intermodal have seized on the findings of a new study which says that the Liverpool road network will exceed its capacity by 21 percent in 15 years. That’s without an intermodal. With an intermodal operating, the traffic demand will exceed the network capacity by 53 percent, according to the study. Which means that in 2030 the roads in and around Liverpool will look more like carparks than thoroughfares. Just like Narellan Road.
♦ Isn’t it wonderful how cancer patients are looked after so well these days, right here in the south west without having to make the trip to inner Sydney: in that vein, it was nice to hear that Liverpool Hospital Cancer Wellness Centre is offering massage sessions for people living with cancer and their families during the month of July. Massage is a complementary therapy that increases blood flow in the body and helps to reduce stress, pain and muscle tension – and now patients and family members can enjoy the benefits during a relaxing half hour massage at the wellness centre. The clinic will runs half hour sessions every Monday between 1pm and 5pm starting on July 6. The clinic will run for four weeks and appointments should be made prior to the session. Cost is just $10 per session. For more information or to make a booking please call Melissa on 8738 9808.
