Illawarra Parliamentary Secretary Gareth Ward has labelled a public meeting about the Kembla Grange jail proposal hosted by his political rival Anna Watson as a “stunt”.
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Ms Watson announced she would host the meeting last week, inviting Minister for Corrections David Elliott and the Member for Kiama Gareth Ward to attend and provide details of the prison proposal to worried residents.
To be held at Dapto Leagues Club on Saturday afternoon (May 19), the meeting comes more than a month before the government’s public sessions, scheduled for late June.
Mr Ward has advised that he will not be attending the earlier meeting due to electoral commitments, and has expressed disappointment with Ms Watson’s political “stunt” .
He said he had advised her and other Labor MPs about the consultation process, and that she previously agreed to the June meeting schedule.
“I note you have chosen stunts over results,” he wrote to Ms Watson.
“The process to which we all agreed will allow several hours of community consultation at posts in the electorates of Wollongong and Shellharbour.
“[It] will allow every resident to ask questions and provide feedback.”
He also said calling a public meeting without consultation to check his availability or that of Corrections NSW staff would mean residents were unable to access more information.
“I trust your meeting will merely serve as a platform to call for more information whilst avoiding taking a fixed position on this proposal,” he told Ms Watson.
“Your public meeting is clearly aimed at giving your community the impression you are opposed to the proposal.”
“I am disappointed that you are walking away from an opportunity to generate hundreds of jobs on a site that is clearly zoned for an industrial purpose that will see future development – a development that may be far more intrusive.”
While acknowledging she would not be able to provide residents with any more details about the prison plan without Mr Ward and Mr Elliott in attendance, Ms Watson said it was still important for her to be able to gauge community sentiment.
“I want to provide a forum so people can have their voices heard. A proposal such as this deserves more than a few short ‘drop-in’ sessions during the day,” she said.
“It is not proper community consultation if part of the community can’t come along and make their views known.”
She believed Mr Ward had “stuck up the middle finger to our local community” by declining to attend her event.
“This proposal has created a lot of debate in the local community and the least he could do is turn up,” she said.
Campaigners from the Residents Against Dapto Jail group have welcomed news of the meeting and say they will attend Ms Watson’s meeting wearing red “for solidarity”.
The meeting will be held on Saturday, May 19 at Dapto Leagues Club at 2.00 pm.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
