Transport for NSW has blocked a request from Wollongong MP, Paul Scully, under the State’s Freedom of Information laws – GIPA - from accessing the Maldon-Dombarton rail link Final Business Case.

Mr Scully lodged a request for a copy of the Maldon-Dombarton Final Business Case on 18 August 2017. 

Nearly two months later, Transport for NSW has finally refused Mr Scully’s request on the basis that the information contained in the business case was confidential and may prejudice Transport for NSW activities.

The blocking of the release of the Maldon-Dombarton final business case follows an extraordinary exchange by a NSW Government Upper House MP during Budget Estimates Committee hearings last month where doubts were raised over the reliability of the business case, which contained information from 2014.

Transport for NSW officials conceded that Infrastructure Australia had only reviewed the 2014 business case, but could not explain or confirm whether it had provided any new data to Infrastructure Australia.

Infrastructure Australia indicated in February 2017 that it had analysed the Maldon-Dombarton final business case put forward by the NSW Government.

Since then a report published by the Illawarra Business Chamber and SMART Infrastructure Facility at the University of Wollongong concludes that the Maldon-Dombarton rail link has a positive cost benefit ratio.

Mr Scully has today requested a review of the Transport for NSW decision to block his access to the Maldon-Dombarton Final Business Case by the NSW Information Commissioner.

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“I’m very disappointed that my request under the State’s freedom of information laws for access to the Maldon-Dombarton final business case has been blocked by Transport bureaucrats.

“Taxpayers have paid for the final business case and we should have a right to see that report.

“Transport for NSW has already conceded that the information contained in the final business case is already three years out of date.

“But clearly Transport for NSW bureaucrats have something to hide otherwise this report would be publicly available so we can all scrutinise the information contained in it and the assumptions that underpin it.”