Nickolas Varvaris (Barton, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to commend recent federal government commitments to economic growth, investment in infrastructure and community consultation, which have all been evident in my electorate of Barton over the past month. I would first like to register my enthusiastic support for the federal government's recent commitment to building a second Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek.

The average daily aircraft movement at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport was approximately 667 planes per day, or 20,000 per month, in 2013. This frequency, along with increased traffic congestion leading into and out of Kingsford Smith airport, is a heavy load on a city with one major airport.

The announcement of Badgerys Creek airport comes after three decades of indecision and procrastination by former governments and is an investment that will pour a projected $23.9 billion into the Australian economy and supply up to 60,000 jobs.

A second Sydney airport will safeguard the viability of air travel, ease the burden of aircraft noise and assist in easing congestion at Kingsford Smith. This is exciting news for current Barton residents, whilst ensuring solid, continued investment in Western Sydney's economy and infrastructure for many years to come. This significant project and much-needed development for Sydney's west is a tremendous milestone that is win-win for all.

As the federal member for Barton, I proudly support the decision for a second airport that I know will not only be well received by my constituents but benefit so many others in surrounding areas of Sydney.

This second Sydney airport will safeguard the viability of air travel for the next generation, whilst investing in Western Sydney's economy for years to come. This decision comes as demand for passenger journeys in the Sydney region will quadruple to 165 million by 2060.

I am proud to have supported the bid to build an airport at Badgerys Creek throughout my election campaign.

The Badgerys Creek decision was followed by another infrastructure announcement with significance for the Barton electorate. I was alongside the New South Wales Minister for Roads, Duncan Gay, and federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs last week as we announced environmental planning which is underway for the upgrade of the King Georges Road interchange. This announcement comes ahead of upgrades to the M5 East as part of the WestConnex infrastructure project. Stage 2 will see the widening of the existing M5 East to four lanes in each direction at the King Georges Road interchange in my electorate of Barton, which has accelerated these works by 18 months. WestConnex will deliver more than $20 billion in economic benefits to New South Wales and around 10,000 jobs will be created during construction phase, including many apprenticeships. The upgrades will also decrease the amount of trucks on local roads in the Barton area and set the scene for a high-standard traffic management plan for our region. Overall these measures will serve to lessen traffic for the constituents of Barton, a continuous burden on productivity and quality of life which is too often dismissed as inevitable.

The M5 upgrade will connect the west and south-west with the CBD, airport and port districts. The Barton electorate in particular stands to gain from this upgrade as the economic potential of our area is secured through its connection to the airport and to seaports. Many residents in my electorate commute to the CBD and the airport via these road networks and particularly rely on the M5 corridor to connect them with economic opportunity. This upgrade, which is progressing in consultation with Barton residents, will make the electorate an even better suburban base for those residents who work in the airport or the city. Reliable productivity and economic output rely on a consistent level of investment in infrastructure upgrades by the federal government. That is one reason that these two announcements are welcome in the electorate of Barton.

However, there is a human side to the benefits that we reap by upgrading infrastructure. After all, the ability to get to work and get back home in a more efficient fashion means more time at home with your family. It means getting home in time for dinner or more time with your children before leaving for work. As parliamentarians we must always keep in mind that economic benefits and infrastructural benefits translate into human value for real families in our electorates. This must always be our ultimate goal as we work towards further developments in infrastructure.