13 March 2024
Media Release - Maldon Dombarton back on track thanks to Judy Hannan MP
Independent Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan MP today brought the Maldon Dombarton Railway Link back on the map thanks to her Public Interest Debate and commitment from the Government to revisit studies created decades ago.
“It is few opportunities that you are able to get the full attention of the Parliament in this manner. With this Public Interest Debate I chose to openly engage with Government and Opposition and call them to account for the Governments of the past that have forgotten Wollondilly and South West Sydney.”
“Since my election to Wollondilly Council in 2004 I have been an advocate for the potential and completion of the unfinished Government owned Maldon-Dombarton Railway Line. The election back in 2011 when I stood as an Independent in Wollondilly resulted in the then Liberal Government picking up the issue and doing a study. This study published in 2014 did not take into consideration the new airport, the growth we have now approved in Wollondilly and the growth of South West Sydney.”
“Where is the centre of Sydney? It is no longer the CBD of Sydney. Is it Western Sydney? Somewhere between Petersham to Springwood? Or Parramatta to the Blue Mountains? These areas are where the majority of the money is spent. The reality is that everyday the huge number of houses from Leppington to Bowral drag that centre towards the South West. Growing communities, like my own in Wollondilly, that not only has been forgotten but used without any consideration about missed opportunities.”
“We have an approved airport and we have a need for freight to be off the packed Picton and Appin roads. Giving those roads duplication will not fix the issue of freight transport to the new airport. Think about it, travel from Wollongong needs to go Picton Road to the Freeway to Narellan Road to Northern Road to the gateway to the world. Is that really the best we can do for our businesses and NSW industry? Or could we have a rail connecting the port to the new airport servicing many new families with homes giving them connectivity to everything!”