The selection process might be democratic but not allowing the constituents to choose who they want as their Mayor is not.

I'm sure that many people who have followed Cr. Henry Meskauskas’s performance during his long tenure representing the Western Ward, are as disappointed as I am that he was snubbed again by the Labor Party selectors.

Cr. Meskauskas is known all over Maitland, not just in the West Ward, because of is advocacy to various projects that, if supported and implemented, would benefit the whole town – not just the west. 

The two most important of these  are the Inter-city bypass and kerbside pick-up. I am sure that if he was given the chance to run for the Mayoral position and won would have succeeded in making those projects come true. 

I pay tribute to the retiring Mayor of Maitland Peter Blackmore, OAM who is retiring after nearly 18 years  as mayor.

He did a previous stint as mayor from 1986 to 1990.

In the time that I have known Peter, he has also been chair of the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund and the Hunter Councils. He has been on council a long time and I need to pay tribute. He has been a rock of stability for Maitland. He has led Maitland through a wonderful period of growth and development, from a relatively small country town into a vibrant, well-performing regional city.

Mayors are very important. When I have a mayor with an equally terrific general manager, they are a pleasure to work with. Peter has been one of those people and has served the community well.

He was a Member for Maitland from 1991 to 1999 and his performance was exemplary. I would to acknowledge the terrific work of Peter Blackmore OAM.

Where is the road network going to come from to support this 20-lot housing development at Anambah? The intersection at Aberglasslyn Road and the New England Highway is a nightmare for motorists already. The whole road system from East Maitland to Rutherford is stuck in the 1980s.

A big issue that wasn’t debated before parliament rose was the proposed citizenship law changes. I think the PM may be having second thoughts, and so he should! The proposals are populist and wrong.

 The overwhelming majority of migrants who come to Australia are not refugees. Most come under “skilled” visa categories. Living here for four years before applying for citizenship has always been a requirement. The government's proposal is to insist a resident is here for four years on a permanent residency visa rather than four years on a combination of visas; e.g. two years on a work visa and two years on a residency visa. 

The proposal to make the language test harder is silly. If you moved to France would you want to learn French? Of course. 

 Given all those who apply for citizenship have already been granted permission to live here permanently, what’s the point in making it harder for them to become citizens? In the end it will create two classes of residents, those who are citizens and those who can't be. It's a sure way to create division and resentment. It makes no sense.

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