Wollongong MP, Paul Scully said he was very concerned that the Berejiklian Government has a secret plan to close down Unanderra Station.

The concern follows comments by Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra and South Coast, Gareth Ward on the Illawarra Mercury online today.

Mr Ward claims that the Government won’t fund the Unanderra Station lifts because:

…of the movement of so many services, you’re looking at a minimum spend of $20 million…So this would be an extraordinary outlay and if you’re spending that money at Unanderra  there’s a lot of other stations that also have needs that may miss out – one station for so many others.

The Liberal candidate for Wollongong said yesterday on ABC Illawarra:

I firmly agree with the Labor candidate. We should be investing in that train station.

NSW Labor has pledged $25 million to build the lifts at Unanderra Station and funding for the project has been included in the fully-costed $225 Illawarra Jobs Action Plan.

Funding will start to flow for the works in the very first budget of a Daley Labor Government if Labor is elected to form the next government of New South Wales on 23 March 2019.

It’s time the Liberal Party came clean on what it intends to do with Unanderra Station.

Will it match Labor’s funding commitment or will it close down Unanderra Station?

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“This is an extraordinary admission by Gareth Ward and he must immediately clarify whether he has a secret plan to close Unanderra Station.

“It is a matter of fact that Unanderra Station will be expensive because utility services must be relocated to build the lift shafts – this information is not new.

“Those unavoidable facts are already factored into Labor’s costing for building the Unanderra Station lifts.

“Mr Ward can’t wish away the facts that utility services must be moved if the project is to proceed.

“Unless, Mr Ward’s secret solution is to close down Unanderra Station entirely?

“The Liberals have only two choices: match Labor’s commitment to build the lifts or come clean and tell the community that they won’t upgrade Unanderra Station but close it instead.

“The Liberals have only 44 days to make its position clear on the future of Unanderra Station.”