House debates

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Statements by Members

Gilmore Electorate: Nerriga Road

1:47 pm

Photo of Joanna GashJoanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

This weekend I will be joining the small township of Nerriga to celebrate the sealing of Main Road 92 from Nowra to Canberra—finally! This is a project that has been a long time coming. In fact, it was on 29 March 1998 that we signed the memorandum of understanding. From inception it has taken 12 years to have the project delivered.

When the coalition won government in 1996, one of the first things we did was to start addressing the neglect of regional and rural Australia by the previous Labor government. Among the projects considered was the development of an improved roads and freight transport network for south-east Australia, and that was the dirt track from Nowra to Canberra. In 1998 the then Prime Minister, John Howard, allocated $35 million in funding towards the construction of the road, as did the New South Wales government, and Shoalhaven City Council contributed $12 million. There were three levels of government working together, but it took three years for the New South Wales Labor government to come on board. It seems the importance of this link for the health and growth of the economy of the Shoalhaven was apparent to all but the Labor Party in New South Wales. Largely as a result of the delaying tactics of the New South Wales government, the project has finally been completed in 2010 with a budget overrun of $15 million and six years late.

Thanks should go to the former member for Gilmore, John Sharp, then minister for roads; Greg Watson, the former mayor of Shoalhaven City Council; Greg Pullen Frenchy from 2ST and his mate JJ; and the community, who supported the project all the way through many difficult days. I will certainly be celebrating, having been given the honour of unveiling the plaque in the township of Nerriga this Saturday, and look forward to a much more accelerated and scenic trip to Nowra. And I invite all colleagues to come—(Time expired)