THE NSW Corrections Minister and Member for Parramatta Liberal MP Geoff Lee has announced he will retire at the next state election after 12 years in politics.
Following is his statement released tonight:
For the past 12 years, I have devoted my life to the people of Parramatta.
It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the Member for Parramatta, but now I must put my family first and will retire from NSW Parliament at the next election.
I’m incredibly proud of the transformation that has taken place in Parramatta during my time as MP. We have delivered a $1b upgrade to Westmead Hospital, started a $600m upgrade to Westmead Children’s Hospital, the city-changing $3b Parramatta Light Rail, $300m CommBank Stadium, the State’s first vertical high school, Arthur Phillip High School, the $40m Bayanami Public School, along with upgrades to Parramatta Public School, Parramatta West Public School, Parramatta East Public School, Carlingford West Public School and Cumberland High School.
I will continue to be a passionate advocate for Powerhouse Parramatta, the single biggest investment in a cultural institution since the building of the Sydney Opera House, because Western Sydney residents also deserve access to world class arts and culture. I’m also proud of my advocacy for the North Parramatta Heritage Precinct which I hope also expands arts and culture throughout our city.
I’m honoured to have been the first Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly with Chinese heritage, and I hope the next Member for Parramatta can continue my legacy of representing our diverse, multicultural area. I will always be a passionate advocate for Parramatta, a place I love.
I am proud to have served as a Minister in the NSW Government under the leadership of two great Premiers, Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet. Cities like Parramatta can only transform with a skilled workforce and I will always be proud that as a Minister, I was able to implement an innovative program to support high school students in their final years to choose vocational educational offerings while receiving mentoring and support through the Educational Pathways Project.
The NSW Government has a strong record of delivering for the people of NSW and I will work to support the re-election of the Perrottet-Toole Government.
I’d like to thank my hardworking and loyal staff for their service. Above all, I thank the people of Parramatta for having entrusted me to represent them for the past 12 years.
