The great Marrickville debate

Tebbutt faced off against the Liberals’ Ramzy Mansour, socialist candidates Pip Hinman and Patrick O’Connor, and her bi-election nem esis Fiona Byrne from the Greens. Report by Ben Falkenmire in the South Sydney Herald of March 2007

Byrne, who lost the 2005 bi-election by less than 10%, said NSW was “at a threshold.” She outlined the Greens’ vision for NSW, which recognises global warming locally, moving the State closer towards renewable energy and water conservation. The Greens member said she will also seek to achieve an integrated public transport system that “will get people out of their cars.”

Tebbutt, who is also the Minister for Education, said she had been working hard to deliver results for Marrickville residents and that Labor was the only choice in this election to mitigate damage incurred by the Federal Liberal Party. The Minister said she was campaigning on mental health, public transport, industrial relations and the environment.

The Liberal Party’s Ramzy Man sour, a late contender to the seat and unlikely to disturb winning margins, spoke of assuring justice for all, making public schools attractive and of his concerns about a desalination plant.

The night was crowned a “celebration of democracy” by chairperson Eva Cox. Residents’ concerns ranged from election spending by both par- ties to male violence, homosexual stances and injecting rooms. The dominating theme of the night was the environment, in particular the opening of new coal mines, the Murray Darling basin, water usage and renewable energy targets.

Tebbutt said Labor was committed to new mining and had adequately factored in greenhouse gas emissions into the State Environment Plan. The Minister reminded attendees that Labor was the first state government in Australia to introduce a carbon trading scheme and will continue to seek a reduction in greenhouse emissions.

Fiona Byrne confirmed the Greens’ opposition to new coal mines and its intention to move away from coal to renewable energy, with more aggressive reduction targets than the Labor Party and the introduction of a carbon tax.

On the more pressing matter of a desalination plant and a Daily Telegraph article which suggested tunnels would be built under Sydenham, Tebbutt said it was “simply not true” that desalination tunnels would be built anywhere in Marrickville.

Eva Cox questioned the two leading candidates about childcare. Labor said it will invest more than $30 million to create an additional

preschool places across the State and increase childcare affordability. The Greens said they would seek to open a new preschool in Marrickville to increase childcare places locally, and questioned why Labor had not adopted childcare ratios like those established in other States. No response from Labor was forthcoming.