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

I rise to update the House on the coalition government's plan for the hardworking commuters in my electorate of Robertson. Central Coast commuters know all too well the very real impacts on their day-to-day lives of road congestion, a lack of parking and poor mobile coverage. They know it because they live it. So we're backing our commuters by working with Central Coast Council and the New South Wales government to create a strong plan to provide much-needed infrastructure for the more than 35,000 locals travelling to Sydney or Newcastle for work.

The lack of parking available at Gosford and Woy Woy train stations is a big issue. It's something I'm always hearing about. Local commuters have often expressed to me their frustration that, for instance, they sometimes need to arrive at Gosford Station up to an hour early just to be able to find a park. Under the Urban Congestion Fund the coalition government made a $35 million commitment for a fully funded dedicated commuter car park. This funding will be split between Gosford and Woy Woy stations, with $30 million for the car parking upgrade in Gosford and $5 million for the Woy Woy site. Central Coast Council have advised that they're currently in the process of choosing their preferred site for the commuter car park in Gosford. Once a site has been endorsed for Gosford, the federal government will work closely with the council to build this much-needed infrastructure in a timely manner. We've also been working with the New South Wales government and the council to determine the best parking solution for commuters in Woy Woy, and this work is ongoing.

All levels of government understand the importance of ensuring that these two vital pieces of infrastructure are delivered as soon as possible so that we can help to alleviate commuters' stress in finding a car park every morning. We are also delivering on our commitment of continuous mobile coverage along the rail line so that commuters can better connect with their loved ones over the phone, be more productive on the daily commute to and from work or perhaps wind down after work with a movie or a podcast. We have invested $12 million alongside the New South Wales government's $4 million to help deliver improved mobile coverage along the rail line and free wi-fi on stations between Hornsby and Wyong.

In October 2019 the first of the mobile base stations was switched on at Narara. Since then, three new mobile sites have been added—at Mount Colah, Mount Ku-ring-gai and Narara showgrounds. With four sites now completed, work is underway to complete the up to 16 additional sites over the coming months. There has also been significant progress on our commitment to deliver free wi-fi on station platforms. Wi-fi is now operational at 11 station platforms, including Asquith, Berowra, Cowan, Hawkesbury River, Koolewong, Lisarow, Mount Colah, Mount Ku-ring-gai, Narara, Ourimbah and Tuggerah. I want to acknowledge—indeed I share—the frustration that commuters have experienced with this project taking such a long time to get to where it is now. But I am pleased to see that the work is progressing along the rail corridor to deliver this very important project.

The federal government has led from the start on the issue of faster rail between Sydney and Newcastle, undertaking investigations for a business case funding under the Faster Rail initiative in 2018. This business case has now been completed and has been considered by the government. We continue to work closely with the New South Wales government on the next steps for this important project.

Another important commitment that is forging ahead is the Australian government's $391.6 million investment in the M1 Pacific Motorway. I recently had the pleasure of announcing the completion of the second stage of three major upgrades for the M1 Pacific Motorway, between Kariong and Somersby, with state colleagues the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Paul Toole, and my friend, and member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch. This full upgrade is expected to be open to traffic in the coming months and will make a smoother and safer commute for motorists. The M1 motorway project works hand in hand with NorthConnex, which will benefit the more than 70,00 people who use the motorway each day, including the residents in my electorate of Robertson. It is the missing link in the national highway route, linking the M1 in Wahroonga to the Hills M2 motorway. It consists of a nine-kilometre tunnel bypassing 21 sets of traffic lights on Pennant Hills Road. Once completed, motorists will save an estimated 15 minutes in travel time.

The government's investment in roads, rail and mobile coverages means that commuters can spend more time with friends and family and less time stuck in traffic or looking for parking. I look forward to keeping the House informed on future developments for these really important infrastructure projects for my community.