Mrs SALLY QUINNELL (Camden) (17:00): I move:

That this House:

(1)Rejects the notion that the privatisation of electricity assets left New South Wales in a strong economic position.

(2)Rejects that privatisation of essential assets is the only way to pay for infrastructure.

I will start with a bit of a story. When preparing for this debate, I did a little bit of research in my electorate. If a member of my family had a job interview at Sydney Olympic Park at 8.30 a.m. and needed to catch public transport to get there by 8.15 a.m., that member of my family would have to leave tonight at 7.00 p.m.

Mr Matt Cross: Shame!

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: I agree, it is a shame. What happens in my area is that everybody has to drive. When that happens, every person in my electorate needs to get onto a toll road. People were telling me quite openly that they were paying in the vicinity of $180 a week in tolls. This is proof that the privatisation of the tolling system—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): Opposition members will take their seats. Today's public interest debate will be civil and calm.

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: It is very interesting that there was a quote from Damien Tudehope on 8 November 2022—

Mr Rory Amon: The greatest member of Parliament.

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: Thank you. When answering a question on ports privatisation, Damien Tudehope said:

Members opposite clearly have an interest in privatisation. They do not know how to do it. We have done it successfully. We will continue to do it successfully …

By "members opposite", I think he meant the current Government. I would like that member to come to Western Sydney, where people in my electorate and the electorates around me continue to pay in excess of $100 a week for toll roads, which they are forced to take because there was no investment in infrastructure—the same investment in infrastructure that was supposedly going to come with the privatisation of essential assets. I also speak of that wonderful institution, Sydney Water, and I remind all members of an event in Wollondilly during the campaign.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): The member for Camden does not require assistance from members seated on the right or the left side of the Chamber.

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: The question was asked, "Do you support the selling of Sydney Water?", to which the Coalition quite quickly answered, "Yes".

Mr Nathan Hagarty: I remember it.

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: I remember it too. It was very big news in my electorate. We know that they were planning to privatise Sydney Water. They were looking at the election—

Mr Nathan Hagarty: What happened to Nathaniel Smith?

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: You're right. Nathaniel Smith, the former member for Wollondilly, was shown the door for that reason. Members opposite reassured us in 2014 that they were finished with privatisations, but we know that if it was not bolted down it was going to be sold. We know that that has not been helping the people of New South Wales. I reject the notion that the privatisation of electricity assets has left New South Wales in a strong economic position. Quite clearly, we have just been handed the biggest debt in history, not just in the past 10 years.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): Order! Opposition members will cease interjecting or I will call them to order. I remind members that several of them are on calls to order—some are not in the Chamber—and there is no reason I cannot add to the list. Government and Opposition members will cease interjecting.

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: We have been handed the biggest debt in New South Wales history, and that is after the former Government sold the electricity assets, the Port of Newcastle, Hunter Water, WestConnex and Transgrid.

Mr Matt Cross: What about gentrader?

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: I am interested in the interjections of Opposition members, who obviously find privatisation to be a touchy subject. They feel the need to defend themselves, even though on 8 November 2022 Damien Tudehope said:

I am happy to stand at this podium every day of the week and talk about asset recycling and privatisation.

That is the key. The words "asset recycling"—the idea of selling something once, rather than being able to gain an income from it for many years. I find that very interesting, because I would have thought that the Opposition would be interested in investment and the way business works. As a former business owner I know the way business works: hang onto your assets and use them to gain money rather than selling everything so that you have nothing bringing money in.

I commend the motion to the House. It rejects two notions. First, that privatising electricity assets left New South Wales in a strong economic position. It is fair to say that it left this State in a much worse position—not only is it not strong but it is worse off than it was before. Secondly, it rejects the idea that privatising essential assets is the only way to pay for infrastructure. Our current budget shows that that is clearly not the case.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): The member for Miranda will come to order. I call the member for Oatley to order for the second time.

Mrs SALLY QUINNELL: It was easy to see that in this year's budget some very important pieces of infrastructure were funded without the need for privatisation. I am proud to be part of a government that has protected the public ownership of Sydney Water in the Constitution. We are drawing a line under privatisation.