Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my electorate of Lindsay, we're busting congestion so that people in our community spend less time in traffic and get to work and home again more quickly so they can spend time with their families. Last year, I committed to this congestion-busting infrastructure to deliver road upgrades across our community, and I'm proud to report back on the progress we have made and to highlight a few of my election commitments that I have recently delivered.

I fought hard to secure $63½ million to upgrade Dunheved Road, and we're kickstarting this important local road upgrade with $4.2 million for the planning and investigation work to make sure this project is done right, increasing the traffic flow and making it safer for everyone in our community. I started a community petition to upgrade this road, and I thank everyone who supported my campaign and look forward to seeing this vital infrastructure upgrade progress. But we haven't stopped there. On the Northern Road, we've completed the upgrades to improve the efficiency of intersections by widening lanes, building roundabouts and increasing right-turn capacity. These upgrades on the Great Western Highway, the Northern Road, Derby Street, Bringelly Road and Caddens Road will see congestion eased around Nepean Hospital, improving access for everyone in our community. The completion of this project is great news for so many families in Lindsay who use the Northern Road every day and who will now have a safer and faster daily commute to and from work, school and home.

We're also increasing access to our public transport, easing the burden on our roads by increasing commuter car parking and connecting the Sydney Metro through to the Western Sydney international airport. Increasing this connectivity around our community and to the airport and Aerotropolis precinct will give our local small businesses access to national and international opportunities, creating local jobs and boosting our regional economy.

I did the commute every day for 10 years from railway stations in Western Sydney, particularly Emu Plains, and taking the train out of Emu Plains I know how long that commute is and how hard it is to find a car spot even at 6 or 7 am. That's why I committed to deliver greater access to commuter car parking in Emu Plains, St Marys and Kingswood. Hundreds more car parking spaces will be available for people in our community for their commute to and from work every day, easing the strain on our roads.

When we deliver these congestion-busting upgrades, it makes it easier for local, small and family businesses to expand their reach and improve their business. It means more people can work closer to home. Busting congestion and improving safety on the roads is part of my plan for Lindsay and making our community an even better place to live, work and stay.

As part of my plan for Lindsay I'm also delivering upgrades to our local sporting infrastructure—it's not just about roads; it's about our whole community. One of these I've recently had the pleasure of seeing delivered is the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre upgrade—$1.2 million. These are practical upgrades to help people in our community access better equipment and a better facility.

I was delighted to visit Luke Hepburn, the general manager, to see this funding delivered to these much-needed upgrades—fixing leaking roofs and installing cooling on the courts, new court dividers, air conditioning, replacing roller doors, electrical upgrades and bathroom renovations are shortly on the way, improving access for more members of our community. The female change rooms will have additional toilet facilities and new fixtures and fittings, and there'll be three new accessible bathrooms.

Luke who runs the centre says: 'With JobKeeper and the cash flow boost we've been given a lifeline allowing us to continue to work through this pandemic and get on with the refurbishments.' I can't wait to see Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre in full flight with basketball and volleyball returning later this year.

I want to thank the wonderful organisations in our community, particularly Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre, for their commitment during these difficult times and delivering the best outcomes for local families and our local community.