Ms Rowland said Sydney’s North-West needed accelerating planning and road construction to ease congestion and deliver a better life to communities across the region.
“The congestion problems in North-Western Sydney are a significant drain on quality of life and without proper planning it will only get worse given future population growth,” she said.
“The only way to make things better is to deliver well-planned and targeted infrastructure investments - and that is what Labor will do.”
Labor’s proposed initial package of works will deliver $300M worth of investment, including:
- Bringing forward funding to accelerate construction works on Dunheved Road.
- $50M for the Castlereagh Connection planning and preparatory works.
- $37M million for Richmond Road planning.
- $75M to finalise planning and commence initial construction of Bandon Road in the North-West Growth Corridor.
“Ahead of the 2019 election, Scott Morrison promised he would fix Dunheved Road, but locals are still waiting for construction to start. That’s why Labor will bring forward the funding to get this much-needed project underway as soon as possible.
“Beyond investing in these specific projects, Labor will end the Liberal waste and rorts and take the politics out of infrastructure planning in Western Sydney, by establishing an expert panel to look at the region’s needs and report ahead of the 2023 Budget.
The panel would consider important projects like the metro extension from Tallawong to St Marys, additional upgrades along Richmond Road and the best way to connect rail services to Macarthur.
The panel will bring together all three levels of government across Western Sydney - from the south-west to the north-west - and conduct proper planning for future transport and infrastructure needs.
It will also bring together local business and community representatives to provide their feedback, Ms Rowland said.
