Transcript - Press Conference - Western Sydney

ANNE STANLEY: Good morning everybody and welcome to a most wonderful part of Werriwa and South West Sydney, for a most ‑ for a really fantastic announcement this morning. 

I am really honoured to have the Minister Catherine King, the Deputy Premier Prue Car, and John Graham, and all of my parliamentary colleagues here this morning, Mike Freelander, for an announcement that has been a little while coming that we have fought so hard as a community to get. And it's really exciting. So I'm happy that Catherine can fill you in on all the details. 

CATHERINE KING: Well, how great is it to be here in Western Sydney today. Can I thank Anne Stanley, and Mike Freelander, my federal parliamentary colleagues for coming out today, but also to Deputy Premier Prue Car, who's such a great advocate for this area, Jo Haylen and John Graham, who I want to thank particularly. 

The last six months they have been working extensively with the Commonwealth, with this roads package and public transport package together today and to the state members who are out here as well, it's terrific to be here, and thank you for your advocacy. 

Today we're announcing that pre‑budget, this isn't the entire package for New South Wales, there is more to come in the Budget for New South Wales, but pre‑budget we are announcing the Western Sydney part of the infrastructure investment that you will see in the Budget. 

It's a $1.9 billion package, 14 new roads and two cross-pressures, in particular Appin Road, and $20 million for further planning to take public transport beyond, to Macarthur, that I know Mike Freelander has been advocating for very strongly. 

What we inherited from the previous government was frankly a mess when it came to the infrastructure pipeline. Whilst there was still some money allocated to planning only for roads in this district, there had been very little money put into actual construction, and frankly, under the previous Perrottet Government very little planning done. 

So what we've had to do, both the New South Wales Government and ourselves, is work very closely together to work out where is that investment needed, where is that planning work ready and ready to be undertaken, and where is construction investment needed. 

So behind us here, obviously, Elizabeth Drive, the very important road, the M12 will hopefully take a lot of traffic off this road, but Elizabeth Drive will continue to be very important, so a $400 million commitment in that, $500 million into Mamre Road, actually getting that structure underway, Mulgoa Road Stage Two, getting that construction underway.  

In addition to that, as part of the $1.9 billion, we've ensured that there is then planning money to get that pipeline continuing to the next investment. So, we've got a lot coming into construction, but the rest is also in planning, so we've got that pipeline of projects that we know is desperately needed. 

I'll also give a plug for the investment we're making alongside the New South Wales Government in Richmond Road, something that I know Ed Husic has really been championing for a long period of time; ever since I've been in Parliament, he's been talking to me about that. 

So, these are really significant investments. What I've been saying for a long time now is that the West is absolutely the land of opportunity. We've got the Western Sydney International Airport now 77 per cent complete. That is a significant investment, 100 per cent funded by the Commonwealth Government. We've also got obviously the heavy rail that's coming through [indistinct] at the moment co‑investing with New South Wales Government. 

That alongside the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal is creating jobs here in the west. We want people, here in the West of Sydney, to be able to have great places to work, great places to live, and great places to be able to play and live and have every opportunity in this community. 

Again, I thank the New South Wales Government. This has been a journey for both of us. As part of the infrastructure review and part of the review that the New South Wales Government undertook that has provided the opportunity for us to be able to invest in these new projects today, and I'm going to hand over to the Deputy Premier, who will have a few more speakers and we’ll take some questions after that. Thank you.

PRUE CAR: Thank you, Minister. Can I just say on behalf of the New South Wales Government, thank you to the Albanese Labor Federal Government. This is brilliant news for the people of Western Sydney, just brilliant. 

For far too long we have had to put up with sitting in traffic jams to get anywhere; to get our kids to school, to get to work, to employment opportunities, to get home again, because previous governments did not invest in the infrastructure as the population exploded in our communities, particularly new communities in the southwest and the northwest of Sydney. 

Today's very significant investment by the Australian and the New South Wales Governments mean that major bottlenecks like Elizabeth Drive, like Mamre Road for St Clair, like Richmond Road for Marsden Park, there is actual money going into improving that for Western Sydney commuters. 

I can't explain what a life‑changing investment this is for communities that spent so much of our lives sitting in the car in traffic. It makes the world of difference; if you can get to work, get your child to childcare or school, and get home again within a reasonable time. 

This is not a pipe dream now for the people of Western Sydney. This investment will go so far into making this a reality. Probably the biggest, one of the biggest complaints that families in Western Sydney have, full stop, is the amount of traffic that we have to deal with and the congestion on our roads and this very significant investment by the Labor Federal Government is just so welcome, and we cannot wait to get to work on working with them to make this happen so that the growing communities of Western Sydney can really benefit from this investment. 

JOHN GRAHAM: John Graham, Minister for Roads. This is a very welcome investment by the Commonwealth Government. I want to thank Catherine for coming here to make this announcement. 

I want to emphasise just how strategic this investment is. The previous pipeline, as the Minister's characterised, really was a patchwork of promises, but no real delivery following through. These projects are now highly strategic for this area - they'll make a real difference in Western Sydney. 

Just to give you some examples, Mamre Road, a jobs boom we know there are industrial firms with development applications underway as that road's investment rolls through, jobs will follow. That's great news for the next generations in Western Sydney. Elizabeth Drive behind us, crucial to opening up the airport precinct; that's essential, and as the airport comes to life in 2026, and roads like Garfield Road East or Appin Road, these are crucial to the New South Wales Government's housing aspirations. 

We know we have to build more houses in Sydney. These road investments from the Commonwealth will make that possible. So these are highly strategy investments. The scale of the challenge here, as residents know, is significant, we can’t do this without Commonwealth help, and the reason is we're really tipping the city on its axis here, making the West far more important, and we need to invest in the infrastructure as that happens, well that's happening today with this announcement. 

JO HAYLEN: Cities can't grow without the transport links to move people and goods from place to place. Today is a great day for Western Sydney where the Federal Labor Government and the State Labor Government have come together to build those links that people need here in Western Sydney. 

I want to particularly thank Minister King for recognising that that needs to include public transport. The buses across our city have been neglected for too long. In fact while they carry more than 40 per cent of passengers across Western Sydney, how they only have had two per cent of the capital investment, well, that is changing today, and I want to thank the Federal Government for their $100 million investment to help us deliver the depots and the charging infrastructure that we need to deliver those bus services to the new Western Sydney Airport when planes land. 

This means that passengers here in Western Sydney, from Campbelltown, Penrith and Liverpool will have direct bus connections to the new Western Sydney Airport when planes land. $20 million to plan the Western Sydney freight line is critical to the future here in Western Sydney, not just because we need to move goods, but because by moving those goods to rail, it frees up road space for the people who need to use it, including the families here at Western Sydney. This is also great news. 

And most importantly, we need to continue to plan for the future. If we don't plan the rail connections that we need today, we won't have those connections for tomorrow for the families that need them. We need to make sure that the communities, the rapidly growing communities here in South West Sydney have the public transport options instead of being continuously stuck on toll roads. 

I'm so pleased that the Federal and State Governments are working together to deliver for Western Sydney.