Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully, used a Private Members Statement in the Legislative Assembly last night to label the Premier “out of touch” and that the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure “did not have the guts to announce” the imposition of Opal fares on the currently free Gong Shuttle service.

The Premier said on Tuesday during Question Time that “the Illawarra has never had it so good.”

Mr Scully told Parliament that he and the Shadow Minister for the Illawarra, Ryan Park, had written to the Premier and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, requesting that they meet a delegation of Wollongong stakeholders to discuss the Government’s decision to impose Opal fares on the Gong Shuttle service from 29 January 2018.

Neither the Premier or Minister have yet responded to the request.

He told Parliament none of the reasons used by the Government to justify this decision stacked up and were “insulting” and “pathetic”.

The Government still refuses to provide any detailed information for the basis of the decision to impose Opal fares. 

Mr Scully has lodged a Freedom of Information request to access all documents and advice provided by Transport NSW to the Minister to announce the imposition of Opal fares on 1 November 2017.

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“Ryan Park and I promised the people of Wollongong we would make their anger heard on the floor of the People’s House.

“It’s now clear that no-one in Wollongong supports this Government’s decision to impose fares on the free Gong Shuttle service.

“We’ve called on the Premier and Minister to meet a delegation of stakeholders from Wollongong as a matter of urgency.

“What we know from Parliamentary scrutiny this week is that the Premier is hopelessly out of touch by claiming the “Illawarra has never had it so good.”