Ms JO HAYLEN (Summer Hill) (16:27): I am pleased to speak on the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026. I do so as a proud inner west local speaking about a place that means more to the inner west community than almost any other piece of public land in New South Wales—that is, Callan Park. Callan Park is more than a big green open space; it is actually a shared backyard for the inner west. It is where people exercise, picnic, celebrate and reflect. It is where we walk, run or ride the Bay Run at dawn or sunset. It is where families go to get together on the weekend because many do not have backyards of their own. It is woven into the everyday lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Callan Park is also a place that has been shaped by contradiction. It is a site of extraordinary natural beauty and deep cultural and social history. It is also a place that has suffered decades of indecision and paralysis.

The truth is that uncertainty about the future of Callan Park has caused real harm to the park itself. For too long Callan Park has been trapped between good intentions and disappointing outcomes. Successive governments sought to protect the park by simply freezing it in time and treating any change as a threat rather than an opportunity. Unfortunately, the result has been not preservation but decline. Buildings are left vacant for years and heritage structures are deteriorating faster than funding can keep pace. Condemned buildings are fenced off and vandalised and large areas of publicly owned land are unsafe and closed to the very public they are supposed to serve. That is not protection; that is neglect dressed up as virtue.

The good news is that this bill will end that cycle. Callan Park matters profoundly to the inner west. It is home to the Bay Run, it attracts 2.4 million visitors every year, and it is a vital link in Sydney's broader network of green spaces, waterways and, of course, our fabulous new GreenWay. It is one of the largest and most important pieces of open green space in a part of the city that is becoming far more dense very quickly. Apartment living is increasing, and that makes sense. Our transport oriented development is close to that beautiful, green and open asset. Of course, that means that fewer people have private open space.

Public parks are no longer an optional extra that we can take for granted or freeze in time; they are essential infrastructure that we need to invest in and improve. We must do so rapidly because, by 2041, more than 415,000 people will live within five kilometres of Callan Park. For many of them, the park will function as their backyard—their place of respite, connection and community. If we are serious about building a great, global, liveable city for everybody, then we have to be serious about protecting and enhancing places like Callan Park. That is exactly what the bill does.

I address one of the core tensions in the debate. Some people will argue that expanding permitted uses, modernising leasing arrangements or allowing revenue‑generating activities will inevitably lead to commercialisation, loss of public control or erosion of open space. I respect the long history of advocacy for Callan Park, but I profoundly disagree with that conclusion. Over the past two decades we have seen a model that prioritises restriction over use, and it has resulted in a park that has slowly declined. It starves the park of the things that we need from it.

The existing non-profit-only model has not delivered thriving community uses of heritage buildings; it has delivered vacancy. Buildings like the Cane Room have sat empty for more than five years. Expressions of interest have repeatedly failed—not because people do not care but because the financial and legislative settings make re‑use unviable. Heritage conservation is incredibly expensive. Adaptive re‑use costs money. Tenants are not going to invest millions of dollars into restoring heritage assets if the leasing framework makes that investment risky or if it makes it impossible.

The bill acknowledges a basic but uncomfortable truth: Big parks require sustainable funding to remain alive. We cannot keep pretending that government budgets alone can carry the full cost of maintaining vast parklands with dozens of heritage buildings, while at the same time banning the very uses that could help fund their care. I want to be absolutely clear that this bill does not open the door to overdevelopment. The bill makes a practical and long‑overdue change by allowing for‑profit uses at Callan Park where they clearly contribute to the park and to the community, rather than artificially restricting all activity to not‑for‑profit models that unfortunately have not worked.

Under the current law, even everyday community uses such as a local art class, a Pilates or yoga session, a small childcare service, a psychiatrist or a simple cafe are effectively banned unless they operate on a not‑for‑profit basis. That rigidity has resulted in empty buildings and deteriorating heritage assets. Under this reform, appropriate uses will be clearly defined through the Callan Park Plan of Management: protection of the natural environment; structured and unstructured recreation; community facilities, for purposes including health, education, arts and culture; and modest food and drink premises. It is a very reasonable and important list.

I want to be really clear that it is not a free-for-all. Large, inappropriate development will not be allowed. In fact, it is very clear that any kind of function centre, hotel or retirement village is expressly prohibited. However, what the bill makes possible is sensible local activation that brings life, care and sustainable funding to the park, without compromising its public character, open space or heritage values. The legislation continues to prohibit any sale of Callan Park. It protects open space and prevents any reduction. It clearly limits the total building floor area. However, it allows for sensible, local, community‑scale activation, consistent with how people use parks in 2026.

Modern communities expect their public spaces to feel welcoming and alive. They expect small cafes, kiosks and local food options. They expect community markets, events and cultural activities. They expect parks that are places where people can spend time, not just pass through. People should be able to buy a coffee and some banana bread, rather than have to pack a thermos to go for a walk. They should not have to leave the park to get what they need to enjoy time with their friends. That is not a radical proposition. Those are the kinds of uses that already exist in parks across Sydney. They are sensibly and responsibly executed in places like the Royal Botanic Garden, Centennial Park and Parramatta Park. Those parks remain publicly owned, publicly accessible and deeply loved. The bill finally gives Callan Park the same opportunity to thrive.

It is really important to note that the reforms did not come out of thin air. They are grounded in the careful work of the joint select committee established to review the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act. I thank the members of the committee for their work. The committee heard from local residents, councils, heritage groups, advocates, organisations and experts. It found a broad support base for the changes. The committee recognised the tension between conserving environmental and heritage values and enabling the trust to earn revenue to maintain, restore and improve the park. It made clear recommendations to modernise leasing, improve financial sustainability, and provide greater clarity and consistency across the parklands estate.

The bill responds directly to those recommendations. It shores up long‑term financial sustainability so that parks can be properly maintained and improved for generations to come. It modernises and streamlines leasing and licensing processes to remove unnecessary barriers, while maintaining transparency. It strengthens and aligns objectives across parklands legislation, and it clarifies governance arrangements so that community trustee boards play a meaningful advisory role without creating paralysis. [Extension of time]

The Government is not just talking about change; it is delivering it. The revitalisation of Callan Park has started. For example, Waterfront Green now features new paths, trees, seating, an expanded green space and an accessible amenities block. That was all facilitated by the demolition of derelict buildings on that space, which is directly on our beautiful harbour foreshore. The first plan of management for Callan Park has been finalised, mapping out the next 10 years. The bill will allow the vision outlined in that plan of management to be fully realised.

In the 2025-26 budget, the Minns Labor Government committed $4.8 million to demolish nine derelict buildings at the park—buildings that have been condemned and fenced off. Their removal will return 1.6 hectares of green space to the inner west community. That is equivalent to two football fields. That decision was not taken lightly, but it was necessary. Leaving unsafe buildings to rot is not heritage conservation; it is neglect. We have also invested $2 million to help deliver the Callan Park tidal pool in partnership with the Inner West Council. Everyone is very excited about the fact that by next summer we will be able to dip into the harbour in a beautiful new tidal pool. I also look forward to being able to buy a coffee nearby—that will be a true revolution for Callan Park.

Working alongside fantastic community sporting clubs like the Balmain and District Football Club, Building 497 will be adapted and re‑used for a new clubhouse. The Inner West Council, along with the Government, is delivering two new all‑weather sporting grounds on Balmain Road and Waterfront Drive. Those investments will deliver the transformation of Callan Park—one that honours its past while serving today's community and future generations. As we unlock housing density in well-located inner west suburbs, we have a responsibility to dramatically improve the quality of the green open spaces we love. We must make our vital open spaces work better for more people.

We cannot freeze our parks in time. Instead, we must support them and allow them to be the places that our community needs them to be. For the people of Summer Hill, for the inner west community and for everyone who values Callan Park as a shared backyard, this legislation truly facilitates a new opportunity and a new way of delivering everything we need in one of the most beautiful parts of Sydney. I commend the bill to the House.