New South Wales Labor leader Luke Foley – who hopes to one day be the premier of the state – popped up in the media on Thursday morning to lament the "slow decline" of suburbs west of Sydney in terms of employment and "white flight".
Foley told The Daily Telegraph "many Anglo families" had moved out of a "middle ring" of suburbs which were failing under a lack of resources and support, while the population, spurred largely by refugee intake, had increased.
"I'm not prepared to see the people of those suburbs denied opportunities that are taken for granted elsewhere," he said.
"I celebrate the growth of the northwest and southwest and the opportunities the airport will bring … but I’m saying let’s not forget about the struggling ring of suburbs as well."
Foley, who is the member for the western Sydney seat of Auburn, also mentioned the need for a convention and events hub at Sydney Olympic Park, and an increase in assistance given to schools. However, these comments were largely overlooked by people who were shocked by the Labor leader's "white flight" comments.
The thing about Luke Foley’s ‘white flight’ statement this morning is that he could have talked about Western Sydney’s issues due to population changes, but he is the one who used ‘white flight’ he’s the one who spoke about Anglo families. He made it about race. @wendy_harmer
a modern and progressive political party
ah, the latest episode in "Luke Foley says weird and fucked up stuff to the Daily Telegraph"
how does luke foley manage to always emerge from the woodwork only to invent the wrong stance on every issue
I love it when Luke Foley reminds you he exists because he’s popped his head up to say something incredibly fucking stupid.
One Nation's Pauline Hanson praised Foley's comments, saying she has been "saying this" for 20 years. "They're not assimilating," she said, referring to refugees. "There will be ghettos here."
Pauline Hanson has praised the NSW opposition leader for his comments about the changing make-up of many Sydney suburbs, Labor's Luke Foley says there's a so-called "White Flight" from suburbs such as Fairfield, as thousands of overseas refugees move in. #9Today https://t.co/vWmEEzochJ
Foley has previously announced his rejection of anti-bullying resource Safe Schools, backflipped on the banning of the greyhound racing industry in NSW, and backed former prime minister Tony Abbott's calls for a cut to immigration.
Great leadership strategy from Luke Foley: disappear from public life entirely, appearing periodically to announce an insanely shit opinion