Newcastle Labor Party local government election campaign launch

Transcript

00:00Look, it's my great privilege, in fact, to be asked to launch the campaign.

00:05Obviously, I have been closely aligned, as we all have as Labor representatives,

00:11with the Newcastle Council team in the decade that they have been in leadership.

00:17And I thought it was really important just to reflect back on that time

00:22and what has been achieved in that time,

00:25so that we can then look toward the future and what we know to expect.

00:29A decade ago, the capital budget for this city was $30 million.

00:36I can proudly announce that we know that today that is five times that amount,

00:43almost $150 million.

00:46And that is in the short space of a decade.

00:49And I was reflecting back, and particularly as we stand here

00:53and I look at the progress of the art gallery,

00:56and I can remember the former administration actually turning back

01:02a $7.5 million grant to build the art gallery.

01:06And I remember that at the time because I was working for the federal member for Chartwell.

01:10So I got on the phone and I said,

01:12we'll have your $7.5 million for the Glendale interchange, thank you very much.

01:16And sure enough, we did.

01:17And I thought how terribly backward thinking that administration was at that time.

01:24It was seen that the art gallery was a waste of money.

01:28Nothing could be further from the truth.