Secret documents obtained under Freedom of Information (FoI) laws confirm that Unanderra Station should have been funded for an upgrade as one of the 11 train stations announced before the recent Budget.
Wollongong MP, Paul Scully made the request for the selection criteria and prioritisation process under the Transport Access Program (TAP) for the announced train station upgrades.
According to the secret documents, the Unanderra Station was ranked 11 – the exact same number of stations, which were announced for an upgrade on 4 June 2018 by the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian MP and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance MP
The documents show that Blaynee and Wyee stations were ranked 29th and 20th respectively, but included as two of the 11 stations marked for an upgrade.
The documents also confirm that the concept design for the Unanderra Station upgrade, including the installation of lifts is “complete”.
This latest revelation follows bragging by the Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, Matt Kean MP, caught on camera that train station upgrades had been “bumped up” the TAP list by political “skulduggery and manoeuvring”.
The Hawkesbury River train station was one of the 11 funded “bumped up” by “150 spots” for an upgrade in the 4 June 2018 announcement.
The Unanderra Station, which had funding allocated in 2010, to install lifts by the former Labor Government, had this funding ripped away by the Premier, when she was Transport Minister. At the time the Premier cancelled the project, $6.7 million had already been spent on it.
Despite a vigorous community campaign of petitions, letter-writing, rallies and delegations to meet Ministers, the funding has never been returned to Unanderra Station.
NSW Labor has committed $25 million to upgrading Unanderra Station in the first budget of a Foley Labor Government if elected in March 2019.
The Berejiklian Government has yet to match the NSW Labor Government commitment.
Mr Scully urged the local community to show its support for the installation of the lifts by participating in the ‘Bridge the Bridge’ walk on Saturday, 28 July 2018 starting at 9.30am at Unanderra Station and ending at the Nan Tien Temple bridge opening ceremony on the temple grounds.
Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:
“What these secret documents confirm is that the Berejiklian Government is rorting the upgrade of train stations.
“Unanderra Station has missed out on its upgrade time and time and time again over the last 7 years because of political skulduggery, shenanigans, rorting and fiddling of the Transport Access Program (TAP).
“The people of Unanderra and surrounding suburbs are just asking for a fair go.
“Their local station, according to Transport for NSW documents, confirms Unanderra Station should have been part of the announcement of recent upgrades in the Budget.
“Unanderra Station was ranked 11th and the concept design is complete – it should have been funded for an upgrade.
“It’s time the Berejiklian Government stopped the rorting and started building the Unanderra Station lifts.
“My commitment is clear: $25 million on the table to install the lifts.
“The Premier should match my funding commitment.”
