I am very pleased that the Liberal Party has been finally forced to match my funding pledge to build the Unanderra Station lifts.

The pledge to match my commitment will mean that no matter which party wins the election on 23 Match 2019, the Unanderra Station lifts will be built.

However there are a couple of outstanding issues that still require clarification: will these funds flow from the very first budget of a Liberal Government if it is re-elected – as is the pledge by NSW Labor.

And will the upgrade of Unanderra Station include an extension of the platform to accommodate eight car carriages and the new intercity fleet.

This is a huge victory for the local communities of Unanderra, Berkeley, Farmborough Heights, Mt Kembla, and Cordeaux Heights and parts of Figtree.

It is, however, a victory that should not have taken so long on the back of a community campaign that should not have been needed.

It is a pity that for the last eight years the Berejikilian Government has forced our elderly, parents with prams, commuters with bags and most importantly people with a disability to deal with 72 steps every day to catch a train at their local station because the Liberals took funding for the lifts away in 2011.

The funding set aside by the former Labor Government for the Unanderra Station lifts should never have been pinched by Gladys Berejiklian in 2011 and never returned.

Lifts should have been built eight years ago.

I am very pleased to have used every opportunity since my election in November 2016 to pressure, embarrass and shame the Liberals to finally match my pledge to build the Unanderra Station lifts.

I want to thank the many thousands of people who have supported my efforts to get the Unanderra Station lifts built and particularly acknowledge the efforts of Richard Kramer, Bec Lachlan and the Unanderra Access Group.

The Liberal candidate for Wollongong should now match NSW Labor’s $225 million Illawarra Jobs Action Plan, including the upgrade of Wollongong Entertainment Centre and adopt a consistent definition of Wollongong so the third largest city in the state has a fair shot at our fair share of government funding programs.

He has 38 days until the election to once again follow my lead.