Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Morrison government is demonstrating its commitment to reducing travel times for our hardworking commuters, getting people home sooner and safer and allowing them to spend more time at home with their families instead of being stuck on our roads or our rail networks. So today I want to rise in support of the member for Mackellar's motion and speak about the importance of delivering vital infrastructure for local communities across Australia.

The Morrison government's $4 billion investment in the Urban Congestion Fund over the last two budgets will specifically benefit constituents in my electorate of Robertson through the government's $70 million commitment to the Central Coast roads package and $35 million for commuter car parking upgrades in Gosford and Woy Woy. In 2007, I launched a local roads petition to pinpoint the local roads that were in desperate need of fixing for residents on the Central Coast. The feedback I've received since that time has been absolutely unbelievable. There was extensive input from local residents and there were local roads identified as a priority by Central Coast Council. As a result of that, the Morrison government committed $70 million to fix 29 of the worst roads on the Central Coast, with work on at least 20 expected to begin next year.

Ken Campbell of East Gosford is one of the many local residents who signed my local roads petition, and I do want to thank Ken for his important advocacy. He has been advocating for upgrades to his street in East Gosford, Lushington Street, since April 1983. After decades of Ken's pushing for these upgrades and taking up the fight with other local residents, I am pleased to say that, through the Urban Congestion Fund, $6.6 million has been allocated for Central Coast Council to finally upgrade the road. Without this government's investment through the fund, these upgrades may not have occurred for many, many more years or—who knows?—even decades.

The Ocean Beach Road and Rawson Road intersection at Woy Woy is another important section of road that will receive a $16½ million upgrade under this package. The arterial intersection is one of the most congested places to drive through on the peninsula, as it is located right near a hospital, a high school and the local train station. For years locals have asked for a solution to this bottleneck, and I look forward to seeing the intersection fixed for the residents and commuters who use it every day.

As part of the Urban Congestion Fund, the coalition government has allocated $500 million towards the Commuter Car Park Fund to encourage greater use of public transport and reduce congestion on our local roads. In my electorate of Robertson this will see $30 million for commuter car-parking upgrades at Gosford and $5 million for upgrades at Woy Woy. Wherever I go to speak with commuters at one of our major commuter hubs in the morning, the one issue that comes up time and time again is the lack of available, close parking for commuters on their way to Sydney or Newcastle for work. Tens of thousands of commuters use the Central Coast and Newcastle line every day. These upgrades wouldn't have been possible without the feedback of those people who took the time to have a chat with me at our local train station. The upgrades will help to alleviate the stress of commuters trying to find a car park every morning.

The two car park upgrades are part of a fully funded commitment, unlike upgrades that were promised by Labor in the lead-up to the last election. Labor announced a total of $15 million to improve three commuter car parks. However, $15 million would have built only half a car park. I'd like to suggest to some of my colleagues opposite that, instead of complaining about our commitment to commuter car parking, they should find out how much it costs to fund these projects before pointing the finger at those on this side of the chamber who, like the majority of Australians, are looking forward to seeing these vital infrastructure projects underway.

Finally, the coalition government's commitment to reducing travel times for commuters is further highlighted through our investment in faster rail projects across Australia, with the faster rail business case between Sydney and Newcastle currently underway and due for completion very soon. This business case, in conjunction with the New South Wales state government, is investigating how we can reduce travel times for hardworking commuters through new rail infrastructure or upgrades to existing rail infrastructure. Any improvements that can be made to our rail network will not only reduce travel time but also open up the Central Coast as a region of great opportunities for future growth and development. This is just another example of how the Morrison government is working to cut travel times for our hardworking commuters on the Central Coast. I commend the member for Mackellar for his commitment to better infrastructure on the Northern Beaches, in his local area, and I'm very pleased to support his motion.

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