Gillard leaves Keneally and Western Sydney with no-where to go
Noise blocking ears
On ABC’s Q & A last night, Malcolm Turnbull, summarised the public's push back on population growth as a combination of lack of adequate transport and services, so when more people are added without the necessary infrastructure, the community suffers and further population growth is opposed. Turnbull argued that if you provide infrastructure then people will be happier to increase population.
So for the people of Western Sydney faced with the daily grid lock and ever expanding suburbs, are people skeptical of expanding population debate or perhaps the debate isn’t about people rather it's the core of the problem lies in a overstretched and inadequate transport system.
The Brisbane Courier Mail reports today Prime Minister Julia Gillard will announce $742 million for the Moreton Bay (Petrie to Kippa-Ring) rail line in Brisbane. This was seen as pork barrelling by Barry O'Farrell.
'Labor can find big funding for transport projects in Queensland, but again has failed to deliver for Sydney', Mr O’Farrell said.
Last week, Julia Gillard addressed a sustainable population conference organised by Western Sydney councils where she had the opportunity to make an infrastructure announcement but she failed to deliver any funds for road or rail links in the region, Mr O'Farrell argued.
There are also claims that safe Labor areas like Casula are being ignored in favour of more marginal seats. Both the NSW Labor Government and the SSFL [Southern Sydney Freight Line] built by the ARTC [Australian Rail Track Corp] which is 100% owned by the Commonwealth Government have thus far ignored the pleas of the people of South- West Sydney, for a 'fair go' with both refusing to install noise barriers in Casula, despite noise along the track which will now be subject to a massive increase in rail movements, exceeding WHO health and safety standards for humans.
only certain places. WHO [World Health Organisation] guidelines say noise levels of 55dec can cause serious damage to your health, residents in Casula are being exposed to 95 dec and both Federal and State Labor do nothing say the problem is not theirs. Liverpool City Council has written to the Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese (who also appoints the Board of ARTC) to ask for funding but despite the Minister promising to respond to Council, months later, no response has been forthcoming.
The total value of the ARTC, SSFC project is circa $400 million and the cost of installing noise barriers in Casula is approximately 1% of the project cost, or $4 million. It would seem like a neccessity, not a luxury to protect residents against unsafe noise levels but neither the State or Federal Government seem to feel it is a neccessary piece of infrastructure.
There has been considerable comment on this site from Western Sydney locals, who when looking at the money spent on the school buildings particularly in light of issues of value for money, feel abandoned and forgotten.
At election time, the people of Western Sydney, who have constantly been promised transport solutions that never arise are understandably questioning, if anybody is ever going to listen to them. Rightly or wrongly the M4 East, the M5 and North West Rail Link all on their list of must haves, not "nice to have" and there is considerable angst at the lost opportunity from NSW's failure to secure funding for road or rail construction in Sydney through the Federal Government's Infrastructure Australia body.
It is a brave politician who ignores the people of Western Sydney, they were John Howard's battlers as much as they were Kevin Rudd's believers. The warning from Penrith is clear, 'beware the forgotten people in Western Sydney seats, rolling out the threadbare red carpet every few years is wearing thin.'
What do you think of the Western Sydney's transport infrastructure? Which party has the best policies for transport in Western Sydney?
Comments
Ray Van posts
You're quite right , they're letting the ship go down, no funding for the NSW labor government by Gillard. She's probably of the opinion that it will be wasted anyway and the funded projects don't get delivered anyway. If the money is to be wasted the Federal labor government doesn't need any help, they're doing just fine by themselves!!!
DaraB posts
Yes thanks for nothing!!! Labor!! For 6yrs I have been lobbying with residents for noise barriers on the M5 to no avail (only area on the ENTIRE NETWORK without noise barriers) when Epping which is a marginal seat gets an increase in their existing noise barriers the next week. For 4 yrs I have been lobbying again with OTHER residents for noise barriers against the SSFL. And again back to SQUARE 1 after 4yrs!! Pass it to State to Federal. Federal to State. Don't give a s...!! Safe LABOR seat!!We dont have to work hard!!The .... will still vote for us!! I was going to vote for Gillard in the next election in 20...because yes I am a feminist. BUT NO!!Stabbing a person in the back to get ahead is not the society I want MY children to grow up in.Rolling your eyes and no compassion for the people that hold you in such high regard such as Sth West Sydney.NO!! People think about your votes!! Even I am going against the GRAIN because I WANT LIVERPOOL to be MARGINAL!!! All PARTIES WORKING FOR US!! None of this SAFE BS!!!
Peter Harle posts
As a Liverpool resident for more than 50 years living under Labor, what have they done for us in terms of Transport improvements? The M7 was primarily funded by a Liberal Federal Government (Howard), then there is the M5, it was constructed by a Liberal State Government (Greiner), at the time it was actively opposed by the Liverpool Labor Mayor and cost Liverpool ratepayers around $800,000 opposing it. Pity they did not have the foresight to lobby it as a four lane freeway in both directions; it would not be the mobile parking lot it has become. Then there is the time taken to widen the South Western Freeway, it is another example of that “could not care less” attitude on local people. It is around 2 years since the widening started, yet in the same time frame the whole of the M7 was completed, seems there was a lot to be desired in the way that contract was negotiated! It is another example of Government bungling. Let us hope people living in the Werriwa and Fowler Federal areas remember this lack of support when voting next. If the Moorebank Intermodal goes ahead, the M7 and M5 will both become unbearable, noisy, smelly mobile parking lots 24/7.
Skeptic posts
Peter, you don’t really expect people to take all that into consideration when voting do you? Few voters realise the importance of making Fowler and Werriwa swinging seats, Labor supporters would help the sitting Member by doing so. The Party bosses would ensure that more funds are directed to those areas. It’s a shame that people only talk about politics at election time and forget that they have been largely ignored in the past.
john anderson posts
The M5 was out of date when it first opened and has been a embarassment to the south west.Everyday I hear constantly about the gridlock on the M5 and they have the hide to contemplate 2 container terminals.Where do they get their brains from it is a great insult to the residents of Liverpool council area and all this for maybe 100 jobs.Anyone who knowledge of this area realises it will destoy the area.Everyone get up and protest this shameful treatment of our families John Anderson wattle grove 0409368603
great2 posts
If the people of Western Sydney had any brains this time they would completely annihilate the Labor Party both Federally & State. Reasons are simple no transport no proper Hospitals, no infrastructure.
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