Labor MP’s Ryan Park and Paul Scully have welcomed the leadership of Wollongong City Council Labor Councillors who have proposed the first elements of a rescue package for the Gong Shuttle.
The proposal could lead to a multi-party package that meets the key objective of Mr Park and Mr Scully which was keeping the Gong Shuttle free beyond 28 January 2018.
Last week Mr Park and Mr Scully received a letter from the Premier that passed the buck for the decision to introduce fares on the Gong Shuttle and ignored their request for an urgent meeting so it was becoming apparent that the Berejiklian Government was more than willing to ignore the uproar from the Illawarra over the scrapping of the free Gong Shuttle.
The Berejiklian Government’s willingness to ignore the Illawarra is a slap in the face for all of the local stakeholder organisations who called for the Gong Shuttle to remain free and a slap in the face for every person from Sutherland to Nowra who had signed the petition or contacted Mr Park and Mr Scully in support of this free service.
Given that we are days from Christmas and that this will be the last Council meeting before fares are introduced, the time for letter writing, seeking meetings and considering reports was over.
The Illawarra has once again been ignored by the Berejiklian Government in what is becoming an all too familiar pattern from NSW and Federal Liberal Governments.
By continually ignoring the Illawarra, the Berejiklian Government is living up to the out-of-touch and arrogant attitude displayed by the Premier when she told Parliament “The Illawarra has never had it so good” (Hansard, 14 November 2017).
Comments attributable to Ryan Park MP:
“In discussions that Paul Scully and I have been having with local councillors and other stakeholders it was becoming clear that all approaches to the Berejiklian Government from our community were being ignored.
“The Premier and Minister for Transport were more interested in mocking Illawarra residents in the Parliament over the Gong Shuttle rather than listening to us.
“The Labor Councillors understand the importance of this service to our community from a social, economic and transport perspective so they have rolled up their sleeves and developed a responsible offer that could be part of a multi-party rescue package that will keep the Gong Shuttle free.
“If this rescue package is to work it is now up to the remaining Councillors to endorse it, for other parties to agree to it and for the Berejiklian Government to hold up their end of the promise by agreeing to it.”
Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:
“The bottom line is that a multi-party rescue package will meet the primary objective of Ryan Park and myself of keeping the Gong Shuttle free from 29 January next year.
“This is a good first step to a multi-party rescue package but it relies upon at least one other party to sign up and on the NSW Government to fund 100 per cent of the service for around 150 more days beyond its proposed cut-off date – funding that is already in the Budget so there are really no excuses not to.
“The Premier and the Minister for Transport have thumbed their noses at the thousands of people who support this service remaining free and every single one of them will remember that insult for a long time to come.
“I am confident that after hearing this proposal another partner will emerge and then all that will be left is for the Berejiklian Government to commit their share and to agree to the rescue plan.”
