Abbott shuns Sydney’s infrastructure needs

Abbott shuns Sydney’s infrastructure needs

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport

Regional Development and Local Government

Leader of the House

Member for Grayndler

August 15 2010

With less than a week to go until polling day, Tony Abbott is still refusing to outline his alternative ‘real action’ plan for Sydney’s infrastructure needs.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said despite having made $47 billion worth of road and rail promises, including $750 million for a new rail line in Brisbane, Mr Abbott will not commit a dollar to building the infrastructure that will help fix Sydney transport issues.

“As a local resident and someone wanting to be Australia’s next Prime Minister, it’s truly perplexing that Mr Abbott has chosen to shun Sydney,” Anthony Albanese said.

“He won’t put politics aside for a moment and provide bipartisan support for Federal Labor’s pledge to build the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link, a project with broad community backing even from his own side of politics.”

As recently as two months ago, Mr Abbott’s colleague in the Federal Parliament, the Coalition Member for Mitchell Alex Hawke, decried:

Growing up in Carlingford, I can record my own absolute dismay at the residents in Carlingford not having a line that goes from Parramatta to Epping.

Federal Parliament, Hansard, 21 June 2010

“Like Mr Hawke, I too am dismayed that Mr Abbott doesn’t think the residents of Western Sydney deserve better public transport infrastructure,” Anthony Albanese said.

“Mr Abbott has again shown poor judgement and a complete lack of vision for the nation’s biggest city.

“As well as building the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link, a re-elected Gillard Labor Government will work with the NSW Government to explore private financing options for the M5 East widening and the F3 to M2 project.

“When it comes to delivering infrastructure, Federal Labor does what it says. We’ve increased annual spending on rail ten-fold and more than doubled the roads budget.”