Local MP announces Rotten Apple Award in disgust at Hurlstone sell-off

12 April 2016

Fed up with the bad decisions and hypocrisy of the Baird Liberal Government, the Member for Macquarie Fields, Anoulack Chanthivong MP, has today announced a perpetual Rotten Apple Award to highlight his disgust at the Liberal Government’s contempt for his local community.

“One year on since the election, my community has been robbed of basic government services, had to contend with the fallout of bad decisions and been denied our fair share,” Mr Chanthivong said.

“It is the Baird Liberal Government’s appalling track record that has led me to create a Rotten Apple Award. This hotly contested award came down to the wire, but there was a standout and there can only be one winner.

“The 2016 Rotten Apple Award goes to Education Minister, Mr Adrian Piccoli, for the most cynical and hypocritical decision of the year. The award couldn’t be more pertinent. Just like the apples, Piccoli’s decision to sell-off Hurlstone is rotten to the core.”

Mr Chanthivong said that Mr Piccoli had gone from “Hurlstone’s defender to its destroyer” in the “biggest backflip of the century”.

“Make no mistake, Mr Piccoli cannot be trusted. This is a man who said one thing when in Opposition and has done exactly the opposite when in Government.

“Mr Piccoli deserves the Rotten Apple Award for his contempt for my community and his disgusting hypocrisy. I find it appalling that Piccoli once cried foul over plans to sell off Hurlstone’s farm and now is the mastermind of a blatant land grab that makes a mockery of the hard-fought, decade-long battle to save Hurlstone.

“I say enough of the cheap political spin; enough of the hypocrisy and deception; enough of the Baird Liberal Government selling my community short. Piccoli needs to reverse this bad decision for my community, and until then I’ll keep fighting to stop the sale of the Hurlstone Farm and I’ll keep fighting for the school to remain at Glenfield. My message is simple – Hands off Hurlstone,” Mr Chanthivong said.