Stuart Ayres - Your Local Member for Penrith

Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres has welcomed the decisive action by the NSW Government in slashing train fares for commuters in the Penrith electorate.

From 1 July 2011, rail fares for regular commuters will be slashed by nine per cent – saving some commuters up to $224 a year.

“This is great news Penrith commuters who travel regularly on our rail network. It demonstrates that the O'Farrell Government is serious about addressing cost of living pressures for people living in Penrith.” Mr Ayres said.

“Under the new fare cuts structure, commuters travelling from Glenbrook or Lapstone to Wynyard will save $20 when they buy a monthly ticket, and $224 when they buy a yearly ticket,” he said.

"Commuters travelling from Emu Plains, Penrith or Kingswood to Wynyard will save $17 on every monthly ticket, and $188 for a yearly ticket.”

“The government's action in reducing train fares will make travel more affordable for Penrith commuters helps to ease some of the pressure on family budgets.

“Wherever I go in Penrith, I am told the most important issue families face is the rising cost of living – I hope this cut helps put dollars back in their pockets.

“I want to take this opportunity to encourage all of our train commuters who buy their tickets daily or weekly, to consider buying a monthly, quarterly or yearly ticket to make the most of these great savings.

"You'll save money and spend less time in those lengthy morning queues.

“By making regular fares cheaper, we're encouraging people out of the M4 parking lot and onto public transport, to leave their cars at home.

 “We want public transport to be people’s first choice and these price cuts will make regular rail travel more appealing for regular commuters.

“Commuters who purchase MyMulti tickets – which cover travel across trains, buses and ferries – will also save under the new pricing deal. 

“MyMulti ticket users will save $9 on a monthly ticket, $25 on a quarterly ticket, and $100 on a yearly ticket.

“Cheaper fares and shorter queues will provide not only a financial incentive for commuters who travel from Penrith, Kingswood, Emu Plains, Lapstone and Glenbrook stations, but make train travel quicker and easier,” Mr Ayres said.

Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres has welcomed the introduction of tough new laws providing courts with powers to disqualify graffiti vandals from driving, honouring yet another commitment made by the NSW Liberals & Nationals before the election.

“Our community is sick and tired of graffiti vandals attacking out trains, schools, fences and other buildings. This vandalism costs the the community well over $100 million a year, including around $50 million just by RailCorp,” Mr Ayres said today.

"Graffiti imposes serious costs to small business, families and Council. It also makes our communities less attractive and creates a feeling of general lawlessness.

“BOCSAR figures show the bulk of graffiti offences are perpetrated by young males. Oftentimes, nothing is more valuable to them than their driver’s licence, it is for this reason the government has brought this legislation to parliament - to deter young offenders from defacing our neighbourhoods,” he said.

“Under the new laws, magistrates can put offenders on licence restrictions, reduce the number of demerit points and disqualify them from driving altogether.” Attorney General Greg Smith said today.

The NSW Government will:

• require juvenile graffiti vandals to appear before the court for a graffiti offence;
• gives courts the power to:
  • extend the time graffiti offenders spend on learner or provisional licences, or
  • suspend a driver licence, or
  • limit the number of demerit points they are able to accrue over a specific period;
• Require cleaning up graffiti a condition of any court imposed Community Service Orders on graffiti offenders.

“The introduction of stronger penalties for offenders and a scheme to ensure graffiti is promptly detected and removed will discourage vandals, improve public safety and build community pride,” Mr Smith said.

 

Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres today met with representatives of public sector unions to discuss their concerns regarding the NSW Government's public sector wages policy.

"I'd like to commend representatives from the nurses, teachers and firefighters unions who put their case forward to me. Their demeanour was friendly and diplomatic at a time where we had genuine differences of opinion."

"The door to my office will always be open to those who have a point of view to convey and wish to convey it in a reasonable manner.

"When we sat down, I took on board their views and they allowed me the opportunity to state why I'll be supporting the proposed legislation.

"These new laws lock in wages growth for public sector workers and encourage trade unions to work with the government in finding efficiencies to fund further increases over 2.5%.

"It provides certainty to our state budget, and opens the door to state government employees so they can begin working with us in bringing that around."

Penrith residents will benefit from cheaper access to Sydney's light rail system under plans to incorporate light rail fares into the broader MyZone ticketing system, Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres said today.

 "This means that aged pensioners and families who want to spend a day in the city, visiting places such as Jubilee Park, Powerhouse Museum, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and Darling Harbour will for the first time be able to access those places using the same Family Funday, pensioner excursion and MyZone tickets they use to travel down the Western Line into Central." Mr Ayres said today.

 The O’Farrell Government’s 100-Day Action Plan committed to commencing negotiations to incorporate existing light rail services from Central to Lilyfield into the MyZone ticketing system.

  Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the Government had gone even further by not only negotiating, but delivering the change, within the first 100 days.

 “This is great news for commuters, tourists, pensioners and families,” Ms Berejiklian said.

 “Including light rail in MyZone means a more integrated ticketing system and less hassle for commuters who want access to all modes of public transport in Sydney on one ticket,” she said.

 Tickets that will now be recognised on light rail:

• MyMulti weekly (adult and concession)
• MyMulti 28-day, 90-day and 365-day
• MyMulti Day Pass (adult and concession)
• Pensioner Excursion Tickets
• Family Funday Sunday tickets

 “Labor opposed light rail during the 2007 election and excluded light rail from the MyZone ticketing system when it was first launched in April 2010.

 “The NSW Liberals & Nationals have always been strong advocates of light rail, and today we are backing our words with action and cleaning up Labor’s mess."

 The changes will begin June 27.

Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith, has taken action on the Penrith Shuttle Bus by calling on the O'Farrell NSW Coalition Government to review the current bus route.

"I have already spoken with the Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Transport, and asked for a review of the bus route in light of concerns raised to me by interested stakeholders within the Penrith community.

"While the free shuttle bus service was welcomed in March, it became very clear that the current route was conceived without proper consultation with the wider community," Stuart Ayres said.

"Over the last fortnight I have met with representatives from Penrith City Council who have advised me that they have a number of alternative routes on the drawing board following an independent comprehensive feasibility study.

"The business community in Penrith deserve an efficient shuttle bus which alleviates pressure from the short supply of parking in Penrith, and moves people to where they need to go.

"I am determined to improve transport options for the local community.

"I look forward to ongoing discussions with all the stakeholders to get this service making a positive contribution to Penrith. It is one of the first steps I am committed to fixing as part of our commitment to make NSW number one again," Stuart Ayres said.

 

Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres today applauded moves by Health Minister Jillian Skinner to reintroduce Local Health Districts and to put local clinicians back in charge of making local healthcare decisions.

Mrs Skinner has introduced amendments to the Health Services Act 1997, in order to to re-engage clinicians and once again give voice to local communities.

"The message from the O'Farrell government is clear." Mr Ayres said.

"As we said during the election, the best people to put in charge of our hospital system are the locals who attend to the needs of patients on a day-to-day basis.

"After seeing the good work done by local doctors and medical professionals at Nepean Hospital I have every faith in their capacity to improve service delivery under a government which gets out of their way and empowers them to make decisions for themselves.

“After 16 years of Labor, clinicians and patients have been ignored – decision making under Labor was driven by what’s best for Labor rather than what’s best for patients. I'm glad to see we're turning that around."

Mrs Skinner will be seeking advice from the Chairs of Boards to ensure they have the appropriate mix of skills and expertise to fill positions, enhance patient service and be more accountable to local communities. Major changes to board membership are not anticipated.

Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith, commenced his new role as New South Wales Government Deputy Whip by declaring that Western Sydney would once again be the engine room of the New South Wales economy under a Barry O'Farrell led Coalition.

"The 55th opening of the New South Wales Parliament today was an historic occasion for both the Liberal Party and western Sydney as it saw for the first time a united Liberal team from Parramatta to Mount Victoria ready to roll up its sleeves and get to work.

Together with my parliamentary colleagues, Bart Bassett,  Member for Londonderry, Tanya Davies, Member for Mulgoa, and Roza Sage, Member for Blue Mountains we are committed to repaying the trust of the voters by restoring confidence in western Sydney as a place to build a home and raise a family," Stuart Ayres said.

The Barry O'Farrell led Coalition created history on March 26 winning 69 of the 93 seats Legislative seats eclipsing the previous record set by the Wran Government in 1981.

"The people of New South Wales, and more particularly western Sydney let their votes do the talking at the ballot boxes in March and I can assure everyone we are totally committed to making NSW number one again.

This is an exciting time for New South Wales and my colleagues and I will be ensuring that the much maligned western Sydney under NSW Labor is no longer; and instead again becomes integral to every opportunity and every discussion that hits our desks," Stuart Ayres said.

Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres has welcomed the announcement by NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell that Western Sydney will have a significant opportunity to take up hosting of major events in New South Wales in the future.‪ ‪

"This announcement is a great mark of Barry O'Farrell's commitment as the Minister for Western Sydney." Mr Ayres said today.‪ ‪

"My message to the Premier is simple: We're ready. Penrith has the runs on the board having successfully hosted many major events in the past.‪ We've hosted major sporting events from football to rowing, DefQon, the Ulysses Motorcycle Club and countless festivals and conferences - our wide range of facilities mean that Penrith has even more to offer.‪ ‪

"If we can host the thousands of people who attend DefQon then there's no reason we can't have Soundwave too.

"There are limitless opportunities in our lakes precinct, our vast open spaces and the spectacular sporting facilities at Penrith Park.‪ ‪

"This announcement is great news for Penrith and Western Sydney and shows the strong support we have from the state government to grow our city and our region."‪

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell today inspected construction work on Nepean Hospital’s new East Block, part of the NSW Government’s commitment to improving patient outcomes in Western Sydney.

During the visit, Mr O’Farrell reiterated the Government’s $3 billion commitment to fast track hospital upgrades, redevelopments and other health infrastructure priorities throughout NSW.

“The new East Block at Nepean Hospital will be a shining example of how investing in health infrastructure can improve outcomes for patients in the heart of Western Sydney,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“We announced a $185 million boost to upgrade Western Sydney hospitals before the election, and the community can expect to see real improvement at their local hospitals during the first term of my government,” Mr O’Farrell said.

The Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, Jillian Skinner, said the capital works, which would include expanded car parking facilities at Nepean Hospital, were only part of the plan to rebuild Western Sydney and improve patient care for residents. Blacktown Hospital and the Westmead Millennium Institute will be redeveloped and more funding would be granted for the Children’s Medical Research Institute.

“The facility we’re seeing built today at Nepean Hospital includes six additional operating theatres, an Ambulatory Procedures Centre and two purpose-built, 30-bed surgical wards,” Mrs Skinner said.

“The Intensive Care Unit will be refurbished and expanded from 19 to 24 beds, which will dramatically improve the level of care available to patients.

Member for Penrith, Stuart Ayers, said the local community would warmly welcome the O’Farrell Government’s commitment to health infrastructure in Western Sydney.

“Labor had 16 years to fix the health infrastructure problems in Western Sydney but did nothing until weeks before the election,” he said.

Other newly-elected local members Roza Sage (Blue Mountains), Tanya Davies (Mulgoa) and Bart Bassett (Londonderry) were in attendance to support the NSW Government’s commitment to local Western Sydney hospitals.

Liberal Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres MP has welcomed NSW Seniors Week as a unique opportunity to celebrate the contribution seniors make to the community.

''Seniors in our community have a wealth of knowledge and accumulated experience. They have lived through droughts and floods, through wars, through boom times and bad times. There is a treasure trove of stories and advice in those years,'' Mr Ayres said.

''I have enjoyed the chance to meet seniors from across the Penrith area in recent months, at morning and afternoon teas and visiting community organisations. Whether it's the Penrith branches of the Red Cross or the CWA, the senior members of our community are the backbone of their organisations, we couldn't do it without them!

''Penrith is engaging in Seniors Week with a range of events, including two at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. Other events can be found at the website of NSW Seniors Week: http://www.nswseniorsweek.com.au/. I urge residents of Penrith and the lower Mountains to find out what is happening in their area as we pay tribute to the contribution seniors have made, and celebrate the contributions they will make in the future.''