Mr NATHAN HAGARTY (Leppington) (16:09): I support the Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment (Places of Public Worship) Bill 2026, which is an important bill. In doing so, I acknowledge the tragic events that took place in Bondi on 14 December last year. I note this bill is part of a range of reforms to enhance community safety. I will borrow the words of Federal Minister Tony Burke when he spoke about these tragic issues. He said that we have to both deal with the method and with the motivation.
We have seen a series of reforms and bills at both State and Federal level that deal with hate speech and gun laws. We also must take serious action in this space when it comes to the use of facilities for unapproved or unauthorised places of worship that potentially seek to promote hate, ideologies and views that are not in line with the values of this country. I note that in his earlier contribution to this debate the member for Willoughby referred to the need for broad reform in this space but also questioned the need to involve local government. I find those two things a little bit contradictory when we have an event of this magnitude.
Mr Tim James: It was just resourcing it, that's all. You didn't listen.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: It requires all three levels of government and everyone in our community to do everything we can to tackle this. There are certain responsibilities of the Commonwealth—for instance, dealing with the importation of firearms. There are responsibilities that sit with the New South Wales Government, such as police powers and hate speech, and then of course there are things that are the responsibility of local government, such as those referred to in the bill before the House.
In relation to the earlier interjection by the member for Willoughby about resourcing this legislation, as someone who was involved in local government for seven years and also was the treasurer of the peak body, I assure the member that should this reform bill be passed, it will result in a cost saving for councils. I can refer to a number of instances when there were unlawful and unauthorised uses in my electorate and in rural areas that were used for trucking, to hold scaffolding, for rubbish dumping—uses that clearly those involved did not have consent to use the land for. The amount of time, effort and resources that went into outlawing those uses and dragging through multiple court dates and delays as well as appeals were an absolute drain on ratepayers. Any sensible local government in this State will welcome these reforms and the ability to act swiftly and decisively to crack down on unlawful uses.
There are three main parts to the bill. The first is to enable local councils to apply to the Land and Environment Court for orders directing utility providers of water and electricity to cut off services at places of worship, should they fail to comply with a stop use order, effectively shutting them down. That is a commonsense approach. Stop use orders are legal instruments and apply immediately, compared with other measures that take years. Effectively, water and electricity utilities can be cut off immediately so that the premises cannot be used. I think that is a very effective way to take swift action and ensure that premises are not being used for purposes that are not commensurate with the values of this country.
The second part of the bill increases the maximum penalties for failure to comply with a developmental control under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act from $3,000 to $6,000 for individuals and from $6,000 to $12,000 for corporations, which effectively doubles the fines. I note that councils can also elect to go to court to seek higher penalties of up to $1 million plus $10,000 a day for individuals, and $5 million plus $50,000 a day for corporations. I hope those significant penalties will act as a significant deterrent to anyone thinking of establishing facilities of that kind. Lastly, the bill provides for an increase in the maximum penalty for failure to comply with certain public safety orders available under the Local Government Act. The penalties range from $11,000 to $110,000 for individuals and from $22,000 to $220,000 for corporations.
I acknowledge that the Opposition welcomes the bill, which is great. Should this bill turn out to be an effective deterrent mechanism in shutting down non‑specified uses, the Government may wish to consider widening the scope of the bill to apply to other uses. I have received numerous complaints from the rural and semi‑rural parts of my electorate about people committing similar acts—although not in relation to places of worship—who see the fines as a cost of doing business. They are making significant money leasing places for non‑permitted uses and regard fines and court delays as simply a cost of doing business. Any way these reforms can strengthened to include other purposes would be very welcome by me and, I am sure, the local government sector.
The bill will be complemented by amendments to the State environmental planning policy and will introduce a new requirement for local councils to consult with the police commissioner on community safety matters before approving a development application for a new place of worship. This legislation is not standalone. The Government is also working on the planning system to ensure that when new applications relating to changes to the use of an existing place of worship are submitted, the police commissioner will be consulted. I conclude my comments by noting that this bill is an important reform and is part of a series of reforms that, in the words of Tony Burke, will deal with not just the method but the motivation. I commend the bill.
