State Budget response – It’s about what’s not in it!

Published on 23 November 2020

Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale, OAM, has welcomed a number of funding initiatives announced in last week’s NSW Budget, but cautions that Government infrastructure spending is still lagging behind the massive development in the growth areas of Western Sydney.

Mayor Bleasdale said; “We welcome the Government’s announcement of funding for the Prospect Highway upgrade, lifts for Doonside Station and carparking at Schofields station.

“But as the saying goes, the devil is in the detail, and I will add that it’s not what’s in the Budget, but what is missing.

“Areas such as Marsden Park, Schofields, Rouse Hill and Riverstone have undergone incredible residential and industrial growth over the last 12-years under the current State Government’s land release policies.

“This development has brought a stamp duty revenue windfall to the Government but sadly for our residents, investment in public infrastructure and services, such as schools, roads, transport and health care, has not kept pace.

Talking to the specific projects identified in the Budget, Mayor Bleasdale said that lifts for Doonside station had been the subject of public campaigns for more than a decade.

“Construction of the lifts has even been on Transport NSW’s priority list and then mysteriously dropped off.

“We are very concerned that this budget has only allocated funding for planning and design of the lifts with no funding allocated as yet for construction,” Mayor Bleasdale said.

Mayor Bleasdale also pointed to public infrastructure projects that have been identified as needed to support the rapid growth and development in Blacktown City, but have missed out on funding.

“We estimate there’ll be an extra 14-thousand homes and 40-thousand people moving into Marsden Park over the next 15-years.

 “There are no funds for even planning and design of a much-needed Marsden Park High School,” Mayor Bleasdale said.

“The previously announced Rouse Hill Hospital doesn’t get a mention in the Health Minister’s announcement about new and upgraded hospitals.

“There is no commitment in the Budget to complete the North-South metro link through construction of a line from Tallawong to St Marys thereby providing a direct Metro link from the North West through Schofields and Marsden Park to the Western Sydney Airport.

“Due to inadequate bus services, Marsden Park residents are forced to use their cars to get to either Riverstone or Schofields stations, and then there is little or no parking at Riverstone, and the Schofields station carpark is only just at the design stage.

“The Bandon Road project plans to connect Richmond Road, Marsden Park and Windsor Road, Vineyard through Marsden Park North. This area is undergoing rapid growth and includes the new suburbs of Angus and Richards.

“The link road was scheduled to be completed by the time 25% of the area was developed. That figure has now passed 30% and still no road exists.

 “The intersection of the M7, Rooty Hill Road and Richmond Road has been identified as one of the worst bottle necks in Western Sydney, but there were no funds allocated in the Budget.  

“The Francis Road overpass at Rooty Hill provides vital access to Mount Druitt Hospital, Emergency Services, West HQ entertainment precinct and local high schools and colleges. The 2-lane overpass is always clogged with traffic and Council has been lobbying for it to be replaced, again for more than a decade.

“While we welcome the funding that was announced in the Budget, we fear the NSW Government has missed an opportunity to fast track major public infrastructure projects that would have huge economic and social benefits for the residents of Blacktown City and all of Western Sydney,” Mayor Bleasdale said.