It was sold as the Budget that would “focus on local communities, (so that) people feel they’re sharing in the success of NSW…”
This was how the Treasurer described his first Budget and the seventh since the Liberals were elected in March 2011 in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph.
Illawarra State MP’s Ryan Park, Anna Watson and Paul Scully labelled today’s Budget as not fair for most of the Illawarra region.
Most of the Illawarra are not “sharing in the success of NSW”.
Today’s Budget provides nothing more than more “planning” for the same projects which have been on the drawing board for the last seven years.
There is no money for the upgrade of Shellharbour Hospital; just more planning for its privatisation.
There is no money for the start of construction of the Albion Park Rail Bypass; just more planning.
There is no money for the upgrade of the Unanderra Station; despite design work sitting in the Minister’s desk-draw since July 2011.
And not a single cent in funding for schools in the Keira electorate.
There is no money for any infrastructure project which will deliver new job opportunities north of Kiama.
The people of the Illawarra thought they all may get a fair share of the Budget pie this year given the Government’s rhetoric of wanting to “share the success of NSW”.
Instead, we get crumbs from a Budget billions of dollars in surplus.
NSW Labor has a $225 million plan to share the success of NSW with the Illawarra region, which was announced during the Wollongong by-election last November.
If NSW Labor was in Government today, this Budget would begin delivering on the measures in the Illawarra Jobs Action Plan
Comments attributable to Ryan Park MP:
“This is clearly a disappointing Budget for most of the Illawarra region.
“It’s the most blatantly political budget I’ve seen since my first election.
“We’ve have been taxed more and more, and we just keep getting less and less every year this Government remains in office.”
Comments attributable to Anna Watson MP:
“There is nothing in this Budget for delivering on the promises made by the Government at the 2015 election.
“All we see is more of the same paper-shuffling on the projects which have been planned to death for the last seven years and the privatisation of our public hospital at Shellharbour is still on the table.”
Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:
“The people of Wollongong will be boiling with red hot anger that this Budget shares none of the success of NSW with them.
“The Government promised a fair share for everyone – where’s the fair share for Wollongong?
“There is no sparkle in this diamond for us.”
