13th March, 2024.
I move:
That this House:
(1)Recognises past Labor and Coalition governments have missed opportunities in south-west Sydney.
(2)Calls on all parties to provide infrastructure along with approved growth.
(3)Calls on the New South Wales Government to recognise the need for investment in south-west Sydney.
(4)Calls on the Government to recognise the future growth and population needs by reviewing previous studies and business cases and undertaking further investigations into the Maldon-Dombarton railway line.
What does "MD" stand for? It stands for not only a medical doctor but also something that can improve the health and wellbeing of many people: the Maldon-Dombarton line. The centre of Sydney is no longer the CBD. Is it Western Sydney, somewhere between Petersham and Springwood or between Parramatta and the Blue Mountains? These areas are where the majority of government money is spent. The reality is that every day the huge number of houses from Leppington to Bowral drags that centre towards the south-west, to growing communities like my own, in Wollondilly, which has been not only forgotten but also used with no consideration of missed opportunities. I was elected to this place on a very clear mandate, not only for infrastructure like the Picton bypass but also for my community's assessment of the major political parties putting out the same spin and promises each time: the same plans unveiled for things that will never take place, the same big novelty cheques and then the delivery of nothing.
This motion seeks to have Parliament and all parties recognise the errors of the past and also address the opportunities that, if done correctly, would benefit not only my community but the entire Macarthur region and beyond—in fact, the whole of New South Wales. It is unbelievable to have planning approval for massive areas of growth with no infrastructure. It is ridiculous that thousands of people are to live in places such as Wilton with the promise of a 30-minute city but they have no hospital, no high school, no jobs and no sewer treatment plant—yes, we truck it in and out—and, most importantly, no connectivity to anywhere other than a traffic queue. The Government continues to be reactive to developers. Why do we not have a plan that drives them to deliver what we and the community want and need, to lay out the plan they must follow, not the other way around? I remember Campbelltown years ago as a rural area with a hospital surrounded by paddocks ready for growth. Since then our whole Macarthur area has grown and continues to stretch south endlessly in a sea of grey roofs.
We have very little infrastructure. Narellan Road and Northern Road have been rebuilt over and over with traffic lights every 400 metres, and more and more houses. Those houses are filled with families who drive hours to their jobs because there are minimal employment opportunities locally. In Leppington, Camden, Campbelltown and Wollondilly our commuting population is between 50 per cent and a staggering 70 per cent. I hear other members talk about teacher shortages in their schools. But we do not even have the schools. Our students fare much worse because we have only one public high school in the Wollondilly local government area, and students travel for hours each day. This area is as large as the entire Sydney metropolis, with one high school. We have few trains. The Southern Highlands line is managed by Australian Rail Track Corporation, which favours freight, and our commuter service of one train every hour at peak times often runs late or is cancelled outright, and that is for the few villages that have the service. Our residents park in Campbelltown and Leppington after driving for an hour or so and take up the limited commuter car-parking spaces.
But things can be different. We need good governance and a mature discussion about what is needed not only for the population now but also for the expectation of the population and generations of tomorrow—a plan and a vision to make our State a great place to live and work in. We are at the crossroads. The aerotropolis is now at our doorstep in south-west Sydney. There will be plenty of imposition on my community, with 24/7 planes, airport noise and loss of rights for secondary dwellings, but no investigation into opportunities. The Government needs to look for the widespread opportunities this airport provides and recognise the growth taking place within south-west Sydney. Let us think for a moment. What do we have? Growth with no infrastructure, a new airport and a huge housing crisis recognised by every member, who all say no to a solution in their backyards.
That brings me to the point, by a long way round. The Maldon-Dombarton line remains incomplete after a promise stretching from the Labor Wran Government. For five years work was done on bridges, and in 1988 the Liberal Greiner Government cancelled the project, despite telling my community, before the election, that the Liberals would complete it. That broken promise has left the line incomplete to this day, with massive half‑completed bridges and an intact corridor right through the growth area. In 2011 a feasibility study on completing the line was done by the then outgoing Labor Government. It was not a business case but an election commitment that led to a promise of contracts that were never delivered. In 2014 there was a business case through a registration of interest process. That was solely for a freight line.
We are now 10 years down the track, and 30,000 homes have been approved in Wollondilly, as well as tens of thousands in Leppington, Camden and Campbelltown. There are also huge developments at the south end of the corridor, in Dapto, Wollongong and Port Kembla. The University of Wollongong had a study done by the South West Illawarra Rail Link—SWIRL—because it would benefit the Illawarra and beyond. Lachlan Regional Transport Committee, which represents councils from as far away as Dubbo and Cowra, has the completion of this line as a priority. We might ask why. Its produce travels the city line, with the imposition of a curfew to allow passenger travel in peak hours. It knows that its product could get to the port with less cost and in a faster time via Illawarra. We have an approved airport, and we have a need for freight to get off Picton and Appin roads. All the money spent on duplication of those roads will not fix the issue of transport.
I believe we can do better. The motion asks the Government and the Opposition to recognise the errors of the past and fix them together. Let us be forward thinking. The motion recognises the reality of the future and asks both parties to be mature and provide for areas of growth and the opportunities with a current business case. The task I have for us is to draw a line in the sand now and start providing together for a better future for the people of New South Wales. I look forward to the debate and urge all members to support the motion.
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Mrs JUDY HANNAN (Wollondilly) (17:43): In reply: I thank the member for Coogee, the member for Oatley, the member for Leppington, the member for Holsworthy, the member for Kiama, the member for Badgerys Creek and the member for Davidson for their contributions. Wollondilly has been forgotten for too long. It was interesting to hear members talk about Fifteenth Avenue, Henry Lawson Drive, bus routes and achievements like Liverpool Hospital, Campbelltown Hospital and the great schools at Edmondson Park and Gregory Hills. Not one of those things is in Wollondilly. I do not think that members know where Wollondilly is. I am disappointed by the political spin and slander, with members throwing insults across the Chamber and talking about what they have done in their particular areas. It is important for young people to hear that this is what happens in this place. There are two opposing groups that continue to insult each other and talk about what they have done and how great they are. That is why I have ended up in here as an Independent member. That is exactly why I got voted in.
My community is disappointed by what has happened in this place. They are disappointed by the fact that there is only one hospital in an area as big as the whole of the Sydney metropolitan area. Not one of the hospitals mentioned during the debate is in my area, and it would take an hour for people from my community to get to one of them. I challenge each and every member who believes they know where Wollondilly is to meet me in Wilton, but I want them to come by public transport to see if they actually get there. They had better put good sandshoes on because they will be walking there. All we have there is houses. Wollondilly gets the houses because members say, "We do not want to build up. We do not want them in our area." They are happy for me to get the houses and the population, but those people will not have access to services. The houses may be cheaper, but people will not be able to afford to live there.
We cannot cut what has happened previously. Both sides are at fault for not delivering the things that could have been delivered at probably a fiftieth of the cost if both sides had worked together instead of opposing each other all the time. All I want is the best for my community, the people of Macarthur and the people of New South Wales. If members of this place do not start getting along with each other and they continue to carry on like pork chops, we will end up, hopefully, with a whole lot more Independent members in not only Federal but State Government and council. Members can come and meet me in Wilton, and then we will talk about it.
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Mr Alex Greenwich): The question is that the motion be agreed to.
Motion agreed to.