JobDate JOBNAME- PROOF Page 1 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Wednesday, 14 November 2018 The Speaker (The Hon. Shelley Elizabeth Hancock) took the chair at 10:00. The Speaker read the prayer and acknowledgement of country. [Notices of motions given.] Petitions SOUTH COAST RAIL LINE Discussion Ms JODI McKAY (Strathfield) (10:10): I am privileged to lead the discussion on the petition calling on the Government to improve services and funding for the South Coast railway line. I thank all 10,000 people who signed and shared this petition so it could be brought to the attention of the House today. I also acknowledge the work of the Shoalhaven group of unions, Labor candidate for Kiama Andy Higgins, and Labor candidate for Heathcote Maryanne Stewart, and thank them for continually advocating for better public transport services for their communities. I note that the Labor candidate for South Coast, Annette Alldrick, members of Unions Shoalhaven and South Coast residents are in the gallery. I know that they have worked hard and I thank them sincerely for bringing this petition to the House. The Opposition understands that residents and commuters of the Illawarra and the South Coast are frustrated because they have long been neglected by this Liberal Government when it comes to public transport. Whether they are daily commuters, students or pensioners, all train travellers are crying out for more funding and better services on the South Coast line. Trains are infrequent, as we know. They are often overcrowded and delayed, leaving commuters feeling as if they have no other option but to drive. Even if they decide to catch the train, it is a constant gamble whether they will have a seat or whether the train will arrive on time. The people of the Illawarra and the South Coast are sick and tired of that experience. It is clear that the South Coast electorate needs more train services and upgrades, but after nearly eight long years it has not received that from this Government, nor from its local member. The Government has even neglected South Coast and Illawarra train stations. It is well known to people in the Illawarra, on the South Coast and in this Chamber that in 2010 the previous Labor Government committed to funding the Unanderra station upgrade and installing the much-needed lifts. But when the Liberals got in, of course, that project was instantly cancelled by the then transport Minister and now Premier. Let me be clear: A Labor Government will fund upgrades to Unanderra station and install those lifts because Labor knows how much South Coast and Illawarra residents value their public transport services. I acknowledge the member for Wollongong, who will also contribute to this discussion. The Government thinks it has solved all the transport problems of the South Coast simply by commencing a weekly bus service between Bomaderry and Kiama; yet locals are sceptical and they have a right to be sceptical. They know that it is not a long-term solution. They are not crying out for replacement buses; they want more funding for their train services. Thousands of locals from across the South Coast and the Illawarra did not sign a petition asking for more buses to replace trains. Only Labor will provide for the commuters and residents of the South Coast because it is committed to providing more public transport, not more tollways—as we have said from day one. That is why Labor will scrap the F6 extension stage one, which is just an offshoot of the monster WestConnex project, and use the $2.4 billion from that project to directly improve rail services to the Illawarra, the South Coast, and Sydney's south. South Coast commuters should bear in mind that the amount is roughly how much the Government wants to spend on knocking down and rebuilding two Sydney stadiums. Why this Government is prioritising stadiums over vital infrastructure for the South Coast is beyond me. This Government's priorities show how out of touch it is and how little the Liberal local members are doing. Labor will always put the transport needs of the South Coast ahead of Sydney stadiums. Labor has also committed to the Maldon-Dombarton railway line in partnership with the private sector, which will relieve pressure on the South Coast line by allowing for more commuter passenger services. Thanks to the work of my colleague the member for Wollongong, who obtained the final business case for the Maldon-Dombarton line under freedom of JobDate JOBNAME- PROOF Page 2 information laws, we now know that unless the project is completed the South Coast line will continue to be congested. Labor knows that this project and its $2.4 billion commitment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the South Coast. It will mean that Illawarra and South Coast commuters, as well as those in Sydney's south, will be able to spend more time at home, rather than on packed trains or waiting at platforms. Labor will continue to fight for the transport needs of the people of the Illawarra and the South Coast, who have continually been let down by this Government and their local members. Again, I thank all those who contributed to this petition. I acknowledge those who have worked hard and thank them sincerely for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House during this term of government. Mr GARETH WARD (Kiama) (10:15): I join with the member for Strathfield in congratulating and acknowledging the people in the gallery who have come to Parliament today while we speak about an issue that is very close to my heart—public transport. As a public transport user, I am passionate about improving public transport services. We need to correct the record on a few claims that were just made about public transport. First, this week we have heard some funny money faux pas from the Opposition about public transport. We heard some yesterday and some more just now when the shadow Minister said that she was committing to the Maldon-Dombarton railway line. The Labor Party has committed only $50 million to the project, but it will probably cost approximately $1 billion. If that is the commitment that the Opposition is making, I look forward to seeing the Parliamentary Budget Office's assessment of Labor's proposals for public transport. The Opposition has committed only $50 million to the Maldon-Dombarton line. Mr Paul Scully: That's $50 million more than you, mate. Mr GARETH WARD: I would be quiet if I were you, because your Opposition spokesperson just said it. Ms Anna Watson: You're so rude. Mr GARETH WARD: I am so rude? Coming from you? There is a $50 million commitment for a project that will cost $1 billion—another stuff-up by the Opposition. TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Mr Lee Evans): Order! The member for Kiama will direct his comments through the Chair. Mr GARETH WARD: As a university student I used to use public transport very frequently. I remember that in order to meet its on-time running record, the former Labor Government slowed down the train timetable rather than make improvements to the South Coast line. As a local member, I was proud to recently announce that we are adding 512 additional carriages to the line. That will result in the 3.24 p.m. and 3.54 p.m. trains doubling in size. We will see more carriages on that line. We have a transport plan and we have a transport strategy. I am the first local member, together with the member for South Coast, to gain a commitment to look at the electrification and duplication of the South Coast line. That has never been done before. The former Labor Government did not provide for new stations such as Shellharbour Junction and did not upgrade stations such as Gerringong or Albion Park. Ms Anna Watson: That was a Labor initiative. TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Mr Lee Evans): Order! I call the member for Shellharbour to order for the first time. Mr GARETH WARD: The member for Shellharbour is interjecting because she is very upset. There was a fight at a Labor Party branch meeting as to who would table this petition. She was outraged that the petition from the South Coast group of unions was originally proposed to be tabled by the member for Wollongong. The member for Shellharbour is always about politics and never about outcomes. When it comes to investment in the South Coast line or anything else, people can trust members on this side of the House to deliver. We saw that in spectacular fashion when the shadow Minister talked about cancelling the F6 extension. We need both projects. We need investments in rail and in road. The shadow Minister, the member for Strathfield, just said FU to the F6 in spectacular fashion on the floor of the Parliament. I have to say I am disappointed for the 25,000 people—and that number is growing—who drive from the Illawarra to Sydney every day. But Opposition members do not believe that anyone can walk and chew gum at the same time. The last time they were in government, members of the Opposition promised 12 rail lines and delivered none of them. They had 10 transport plans and delivered none of them, whereas this Government has made investments that are changing lives, such as the Princes Highway upgrades and the 512 additional train carriages that will make a real difference to people on the South Coast. JobDate JOBNAME- PROOF Page 3 Mr Paul Scully: Built in Korea.