State Budget shows little care for the Peninsula

The 2017 NSW Budget has shown how little the Berijiklian Government cared about the Peninsula or the electorate of Gosford, according to Member for Gosford, Ms Liesl Tesch.

"The Gosford electorate needed vital investment but there was just no major new money coming into the region from the budget," she said.

"The Liberals were happy to have a cash splash during the by-election, but now that the real work has to be done to invest in the Central Coast they are nowhere to be seen."

Ms Tesch said none of the schools on the Peninsula were funded for upgrades despite their maintenance backlog.

"There is still no money in this budget for ending the chaos at the Rawson Rd level crossing at Woy Woy.

"Deaths and accidents at this intersection will continue for as long as this government just sits by and ignores the problem and the people of Woy Woy crying out for this vital project.

"The Brisbane Water Channel needs a long term dredging solution, and what the Liberals have offered up is a pittance, and this budget does nothing to make our waterways safer or more usable.

"The North Coast got an additional $2.5 million this year for dredging 'priority waterways', but the Peninsula got nothing.

"Despite $20 million being set aside to transition 24 additional RMS Motor Registries around the state into Service NSW, Woy Woy missed out.

"The government took away the vital RMS office at Woy Woy and refused to listen to the community crying out for a Service NSW on the Peninsula.

"The government has set aside another $253 million for the new intercity fleet of trains for the Central Coast which we already know will seat fewer passengers on each carriage, have immovable backwards facing seats, and which the Government wants to make less safe by running services without guards."

Ms Tesch said the budget failed to deliver despite a promise from the Treasurer to "focus on local communities".

Ms Tesch said she was disappointed and frustrated that he failed to mention the Central Coast once in his half hour budget speech.

The Central Coast regional overview in the Budget consisted almost exclusively of ongoing projects from budgets past including long delayed commitments from when the government first came to power in 2011, according to Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, Mr David Harris.

SOURCE:

Media release, 20 Jun 2017

Zachary Harrison, Office of David Harris

Media release, 21 Jun 2017

Richard Mehrtens, Office of Liesl Tesch