Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 15 December I was fortunate to open 11 kilometres of dual carriageway from the Karuah bypass to just north of the Myall Way turn-off. This work included two intersections to local roads, two junctions over the existing highway and four twin bridges. This project was carried out at a cost of $114 million and was jointly funded by the state and federal governments. I also announced that Abigroup has been selected to carry out the works on sections 2 and 3 between Karuah and Bulahdelah. This will comprise some 23 kilometres of dual carriageway. It will include the construction of seven sets of small twin bridges. It will run from the end of the section that was just opened to three kilometres south of Bulahdelah.

The key issue here—and I have raised it in this chamber before—was the absence of the flyover to the Tea Gardens intersection. This was part of the original program of works between Karuah and Myall Lakes. It was part of the works originally costed at $5 million. When the then state roads minister Michael Costa was questioned, the cost went out to $16 million. Michael Costa said, ‘If the federal government is prepared to put in more money, we will build it.’ Remember that we already funded 50 per cent. In the last budget the federal government gave the New South Wales government an additional $160 million for the Pacific Highway, but still there was no prioritisation.

You can understand last week why I was concerned to see the Iemma government in New South Wales pay $25 million to the operators of the Lane Cove tunnel, which is a $1 billion project. Some $25 million was paid for delays. There was no $16 million—$8 million of which would have been put in by the federal government—to save lives at a busy intersection at Tea Gardens. There was $25 million for political opportunism—holding up the opening of the tunnel until after the March elections so there are no political ramifications—but no money for the people in my electorate for the roadworks for the Myall Way.

We have also put $20 million into the Buckets Way. This is solely funded by the federal government; there is no money from the state government. We have put $10 million forward for roadworks between Dungog and Raymond Terrace, between Dungog and Maitland. This was to have been matched by the state government, but there is no money. The people in my electorate are frustrated, disappointed and disillusioned by the Iemma dilemma and by the state members in that area because of their failure to deliver money. I wonder how those state Labor candidates feel about $25 million being paid to a consortium for delays to hold up a tunnel opening until after the state election and there being no money for their electorate. (Time expired)