Talking state significant farmland (SSF) and the Tweed Hospitals Labor’s Craig Elliot has committed to preserving SSF, free parking at the new Tweed Valley Hospital (TVH) and keeping the old Tweed Hospital in public hands in The Echo‘s second round of candidate questions. (See first round here)
Will you give an unequivocal guarantee to protect the remaining Cudgen State Significant Farmland including any attempts to rezone for non-agricultural purposes, such as those proposed by the ‘Cudgen Connection’?
Yes. Labor is on the record as being committed to protecting State Significant Farmland. I have never supported having this prime agricultural land rezoned and sold off to developers.
Will you honour the commitment made at the last State Election to provide free parking at the TVH?
Yes. Labor has always supported free parking at the Tweed Valley Hospital. There is existing free parking at Murwillumbah Hospital, Byron Central Hospital and the current Tweed Hospital so the idea of free parking is not extraordinary, but an accepted reality expected by Tweed locals.
What commitments will you make to mitigating the impact of the TVH’s identified 5,500 additional daily traffic movements on local communities eg substantial free parking, regular and timely shuttle bus service, enhanced public transport?
Geoff Provest has failed to properly plan for and manage additional traffic movements. He has failed to provide the necessary upgrades to road infrastructure and failed to deliver additional public transport services. If elected, I commit to working with the community, relevant ministers and departments and all levels of government to get these urgent traffic upgrades fixed. Unlike Geoff Provest, I will consult the community on what locals want and need instead of unilaterally forcing delay and indecision upon them by this Sydney-centric government.
Will you honour the commitment made at the last State Election to keep The Tweed Hospital open and operating as a hospital?
Labor will keep the Tweed Hospital site in public hands. The growing needs and services of the local community will always be better serviced by Labor in government. Compare this with Geoff Provest and his boss Dom Perrottet who always make grand pre-election promises but after winning have broken those promises and sold off more pubic assets. This is a tired old government that has privatised over $90 billion in essential public assets, causing higher prices and worse services. Labor will end privatisation. And we’ll change the law to stop privatisation into the future. Only NSW Labor will protect our public assets and end privatisation.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
