Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. In 2007 the National Party turned the first sod on the Bells Line of Road expressway. This kicked off a golden age of broken promises, delays and funding raids on a fast road over the Blue Mountains that all major parties are guilty of, and the traffic jams from the Central West to Sydney are worse than ever. Will your government commit to turning the Great Western Highway into a genuine expressway to Sydney?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calare for the question. I know this is an issue that he feels very strongly about. I understand, through my office's engagement with the office of the New South Wales minister, Minister Aitchison, that they are currently undertaking a white paper, investigating options for upgrades to the Great Western Highway, and that is currently well progressed. I also understand that the member have met with Minister Aitchison to discuss the progress of this work in New South Wales. As the member would appreciate, with projects of this nature and size, we can't really proceed without the support of the New South Wales government. Their consideration of this project is still underway, and of course then, as we do in the usual way, through budget processes, we will consider any proposals to see whether the Commonwealth will co-invest in those.

As you are aware, the proposed tunnel between Katoomba and Lithgow was committed to by the former LNP government, with only $2 billion committed for works either side of the tunnel and an extra $500 million committed by the New South Wales government. The middle section alone of that tunnel would cost in the order of $11 billion and would be the longest road tunnel in the country, under the Blue Mountains. All of that was unfunded when we came to office. It's pretty emblematic, frankly, of the way in which those opposite announced road funding projects, standing up with their press releases, sometimes with fake cheques, but couldn't deliver. It was all about the announcement and not about the delivery. We have changed that. That is what we are focused on—delivering projects that are properly funded and properly planned—and that is important. That's what we saw from those opposite. We are not interested in that approach, because it means you simply cannot deliver those projects.

I know we remain very committed to your area, Member for Calare. We're investing a lot there already. We've invested planning money for Dixons Long Point Crossing. There's money for the Coxs River Road upgrade and the Peak Hill Road upgrade. There's over $22 million for oversize and overmass improvements on the Golden Highway and $10 million for those critical renewable energy zone roads. There are projects in community infrastructure that you've advocated strongly for—$15 million for the Orange sporting precinct, for example. We're investing in infrastructure in Calare, but we do it properly and in a way that we know we can deliver, properly planned and properly costed, unlike those opposite, who, frankly, raised expectations and then failed to deliver anything.